United States of America Form G-177A (02-02)

Railroad Retirement Board

General Conditions Under Which a Person is 

Entitled to a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity

Age 

Requirement 

The requirement for a spouse annuity based on age depends on the employee’s years of 

creditable railroad service, the employee’s age, and your age. The employee must be 

receiving an annuity and you must file an application for your spouse annuity. When all 

eligibility requirements are met, a spouse annuity based on your age can begin as explained 

in Chart 1 and Chart 2. Chart 3 explains Full Retirement Age (FRA). 

CHART 1 - SPOUSE AGE REQUIREMENTS – 

EMPLOYEE HAS AT LEAST 360 MONTHS OF RAILROAD SERVICE 

If the employee 

is retired: 

and the 

employee: 

your spouse annuity can begin the first full 

month you are age 60. 

Your Tier 1 will: 

Your Tier 2 

will: 

based on age and both attained age 

60 and acquired 360 months of 

railroad service before July 1984, 

retired July 1974, or later 

at age 60 or later, 

not have an age reduction. not have 

an age 

reduction.

based on age and either attained 

age 60 or acquired 360 months of 

railroad service in July 1984 

through December 2001, 

retired at age 60 through 

age 61, with an employee 

annuity beginning date 

before January 2002, 

have an age reduction based on the 

employee’s age reduction until 

both you and the employee have 

attained age 62. You will then 

have an age reduction for the 

number of months you are under 

Full Retirement Age (FRA) when 

both you and the employee are 

age 62. 

not have 

an age 

reduction.

based on age and either attained 

age 60 or acquired 360 months of 

railroad service in July 1984 

through December 2001, 

retired at age 62 or later, not have an age reduction. not have 

an age 

reduction.

based on age with at least 360 

months of railroad service, 

retired at age 60 or later 

with an employee annuity

beginning date in January

2002, or later, 

not have an age reduction. not have 

an age 

reduction.

based on disability with 30 years 

of service and an employee 

annuity beginning date before 

July 1, 1984, 

has attained 

age 60, 

not have an age reduction. not have 

an age 

reduction.

based on disability with 30 years 

of service and an employee 

annuity beginning date of July 1, 

1984, or later, 

has attained 

age 60, 

have an age reduction depending 

on your spouse annuity beginning 

date. 

! If your spouse annuity begins 

before January 2002, and 

begins before your FRA, your 

Tier 1 will have an age 

reduction. (You are deemed 

age 62 on your ABD.) 

! If your spouse annuity begins 

January 1, 2002, or later, your 

Tier 1 will not have an age 

reduction. 

not have 

an age 

reduction.

1

Continued on next page
General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (cont.) 

CHART 2 - SPOUSE AGE REQUIREMENTS – 

EMPLOYEE HAS 60 - 359 MONTHS OF RAILROAD SERVICE 

If the employee retired: and the employee 

has attained 

your spouse annuity can begin the first full 

month you are age 62. Your Tier 1 will: Your Tier 2 will: 

before 1975 with at least 120 

months of railroad service, 

age 65, have an age reduction if you retire 

before attaining your FRA. 

have an age reduction if 

you retire before attaining 

age 65. 

in 1975, or later, with at least 120 

months of railroad service, 

including some railroad service 

before August 12, 1983, 

age 62, have an age reduction if you retire 

before attaining your FRA. 

have an age reduction if 

you retire before attaining 

age 65. 

in 1975, or later, with at least 120 

months of railroad service and no 

railroad service before August 12, 

1983, 

age 62, have an age reduction if you retire 

before attaining your FRA. 

have an age reduction if 

you retire before attaining 

your FRA. 

January 2002 or later, with at 

least 60 months of railroad 

service after 1995, 

age 62, have an age reduction if you retire 

before attaining your FRA. 

(The employee must have an SSA 

Insured Status to qualify you for a 

Tier 1 benefit.) 

have an age reduction if 

you retire before attaining 

your FRA. 

Full 

Retirement 

Age (FRA) 

for Annuities 

Based on 

Less Than 

30 years of 

Service 

The term Full Retirement Age (FRA) means the age at which the spouse of an employee 

with less than 30 years of railroad service can receive a full annuity (not reduced for early

retirement). 

If the employee had less than 30 years of railroad service, FRA for spouses who were born 

before January 2, 1938, is age 65. The FRA for persons born after January 1, 1938, will 

gradually increase over a 20-year period to age 67, as illustrated in the following chart. FRA 

for your Tier 2 age reduction will remain at age 65 if the employee had any creditable railroad 

service before August 12, 1983. Otherwise, the FRA for your Tier 2 age reduction will 

gradually increase in the same manner as FRA for your Tier 1 age reduction. 

(FRA also affects Tier 1 annuity deductions due to earnings, regardless of the number of the 

employee's years of railroad service, as described in Chart 4.) 

CHART 3 - DETERMINING YOUR FULL RETIREMENT AGE 

If you were born: then your 

FRA is: If you were born: then your  FRA is: 

Before 1-2-1938 65 1-2-1955 thru 1-1-1956 66 and 2 months 

1-2-1938 thru 1-1-1939 65 and 2 months 1-2-1956 thru 1-1-1957 66 and 4 months 

1-2-1939 thru 1-1-1940 65 and 4 months 1-2-1957 thru 1-1-1958 66 and 6 months 

1-2-1940 thru 1-1-1941 65 and 6 months 1-2-1958 thru 1-1-1959 66 and 8 months 

1-2-1941 thru 1-1-1942 65 and 8 months 1-2-1959 thru 1-1-1960 66 and 10 months 

1-2-1942 thru 1-1-1943 65 and 10 months 1-2-1960 and later 67 

1-2-1943 thru 1-1-1955 66 

Continued on next page

2
General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (cont.) 

Marriage 

Requirements 

The marriage requirement is met if any of following conditions exist: 

! You have been married to the railroad employee for at least one year immediately prior to 

filing your spouse annuity application; or, 

! you are the natural parent of the railroad employee’s child; or, 

! you were eligible for a widow(er)’s, parent’s, or disabled child’s annuity under the Railroad 

Retirement Act in the month before your marriage to the employee. 

Definition 

of Childin-Care 

A wife may qualify for a spouse annuity, or a husband may qualify for a Tier 1 benefit, at any age, 

based on a child of the employee in care. The employee must have attained age 62 (or age 60 with 

30 years of service) to qualify the spouse for this annuity. The child must be either: 

! a minor child under age 18; or, 

! a child age 18 or older with a permanent disability which began before the child attained age 

22 and prevents any type of regular employment. 

The term Child-in-Care includes the railroad employee's unmarried natural child, adopted child 

or dependent stepchild, or under certain conditions, a grandchild whose parents are deceased or 

disabled. A child is in your care if you exercise parental control over, and are responsible for, the 

welfare and care of the child. If the child is permanently disabled, but mentally competent, he or 

she is considered to be in your care if you perform personal services. The RRB will make the final 

determination regarding the personal services you perform and whether or not they constitute the 

child being in your care. 

Tier 1 

Reductions for 

Non-Railroad 

Earnings 

Your Tier 1 benefits are not reduced for your non-railroad earnings if you are receiving social 

security benefits. Otherwise, the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount is the amount of nonrailroad earnings you can have in a calendar year without losing part of your Tier 1 benefit. Use 

Chart 3 to determine your Full Retirement Age (FRA). Then refer to Chart 4 below and 

Form G-77a How Earnings Affect Payment of Retirement Annuities.

The employee’s non-railroad earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount for the 

employee’s age group may also cause a reduction in your Tier 1 benefit. 

CHART 4 - DETERMINING YOUR ANNUAL EARNINGS EXEMPT AMOUNT 

For a year in which: You may lose up to $1 in Tier 1 benefits for every: The reduction: 

you attain FRA, $3.00 of earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount

for your age group. However, your earnings are only counted 

for months before the month in which you attain FRA. 

is removed effective the month 

in which you attain FRA. 

you are under your FRA for 

the entire year, 

$2.00 of earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount

for your age group. 

applies for the full year. 

you work outside the U.S. for 

45 or more hours per month, 

$2.00 of earnings. There is no Annual Earnings Exempt

Amount for work outside the U. S. However, your earnings 

are only counted for months before the month in which you 

attain FRA. 

is removed effective the month 

in which you attain FRA. 

3

Continued on next page
General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (cont.) 

SSA Insured 

Status

If the employee's annuity is based on 60-119 months of railroad service after 1995, you qualify for 

a Tier 1 benefit if the employee has an SSA Insured Status based on combined railroad and 

social security earnings. The employee has an SSA insured status if: 

1. the employee has at least 40 quarters of coverage in age and service cases; or, 

2. the employee has a Disability Freeze (D/F) under SSA rules in disability cases. (See 

Booklet RB-1D Employee Disability Benefits for an explanation of a D/F.) The D/F cannot be 

deemed. 

Tier 2 

Reductions 

for Last 

PreRetirement 

Non-Railroad 

Earnings 

Your Last Pre-Retirement Non-railroad Employer (LPE) is generally any non-railroad 

employer for whom you performed service before your annuity beginning date. You may have 

more than one LPE if you worked for more than one non-railroad employer before your spouse 

annuity beginning date. 

Any earnings after your spouse annuity beginning date from your LPE, at any age, may cause a 

reduction to your Tier 2 benefit. The reduction is $1 for every $2 earned (subject to the maximum

reduction of 50% of your Tier 2 benefit). 

If the employee has an LPE and the employee works for that employer after your spouse annuity

beginning date, those LPE earnings can also cause a reduction to your Tier 2 benefit. 

When a 

Spouse 

Annuity 

is not 

Payable 

A spouse annuity is not payable for any month in which: 

! the employee’s annuity is not payable; or, 

! you work for a railroad employer; or, 

! you become entitled to a railroad retirement annuity based on your own earnings record 

that exceeds the amount of your spouse annuity on this earnings record and neither 

earnings record includes railroad service before 1975; or, 

! you become entitled to a railroad retirement survivor annuity based on a different RRB 

earnings record that exceeds the spouse annuity rate. 

When a 

Spouse 

Annuity 

Ends 

A spouse annuity ends the month before the month in which: 

! you die; or, 

! the employee dies (a widow(er)’s annuity may become payable at this time); or, 

! the employee’s entitlement to an employee annuity terminates due to recovery from

disability; or, 

! your marriage to the employee ends by absolute divorce (a divorced spouse annuity may

become payable at this time); or, 

! your marriage to the employee is dissolved by annulment; or, 

! the child qualifying you for an annuity is no longer in your care or attains age 18 or 

recovers from disability. Your spouse annuity will end unless you are old enough to 

receive a spouse annuity based on age. 

If you would like more information concerning spouse annuities, please request Booklet RB-30 Spouse/Divorced 

Spouse Annuity before you come in to file for your annuity. This booklet is available at www.rrb.gov. 

Form G-177A (02-02)

4