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 Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation
 Home
          Rail Employer Reporting Instructions (RERI)
          Appendices
          Appendix I: Electronic File Formats
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation
 Topics
    

      
              Part I - Prerequisite Knowledge for Rail Employer Reporting
          Part II - Establishment of Employee Records
          Part III - Principles of Service and Compensation
          Part IV - Particular Types of Compensation Payments
          Part V - Reports of Creditable Service and Compensation
          Part VI - Reports Related to Service and Compensation
          Part VII - Additional Communications about Service and Compensation Reports
          Part VIII - Employer Reporting System (ERS) Internet User Instructions
          Appendices
                                Appendix I: Electronic File Formats
                                Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation (Grand Total Record)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation (Sub-Total Record)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-4, Report of Creditable Compensation Adjustments
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-4, Report of Creditable Compensation Adjustments (Grand Total Record)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-4, Report of Creditable Compensation Adjustments (Sub-Total Record)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-6A, Form BA-6 Address Report
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-9, Report of Separation Allowance or Severance Pay
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-11 Report of Gross Earnings (Annual Earnings)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-11 Report of Gross Earnings (Quarterly Earnings)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-11, Report of Gross Earnings (Monthly Earnings)
          Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-15, Report of Stock Options and Other Payments
          Appendix II: Pay for Time Lost Worksheet
          Appendix III: Railroad Retirement Board Jurisdiction Guide
          Appendix IV: Table of Earnings Bases and Tax Rates
          Appendix V: Understanding Edit Checks of Tier I and Tier II Compensation
          Appendix VI: Service and Compensation Referrals to Employers Appendix I: Electronic File Format, Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation
							 
							
							
            pdf iconRERI-App. I_Form BA-3 (38 KB)
      
            The information contained in this report, which is required by law under Section 9 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) and Section 6 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), is needed to pay RRA and RUIA benefits. The information is authorized for collection under OMB control number3220-0008.

This report is due at the Railroad Retirement Board by no later than the last day of February following the report year. Failure to report or the making of a false or fraudulent report can result in criminal prosecution or civil penalties, or both.

We estimate the electronic versions of this form transmitted by a secure email or a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) takes an average of 46 hours and 15 minutes per response to complete, including time for reviewing the instructions, getting the needed data, and reviewing the completed form. Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number. If you wish, send comments regarding the accuracy of our estimate or any other aspect of this form, including suggestions for reducing completion time, to

Associate Chief Information Officer for Policy and ComplianceRailroad Retirement Board844 North Rush StreetChicago, IL 60611-1275.

This exhibit below explains the electronic file format for reports filed on CD-ROM, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Interchange, secure e-mail, or an upload on ERSNet. For information about the data to be entered, refer toPart V, Chapter 3.

NOTE: Reports submitted on CD-ROM, secure email, or FTP must be accompanied byForm G-440, "Report Specifications Sheet".

**Report Specifications****Record Length**
			300 Characters**Money Fields**
			All money fields include two cent positions and no decimal point. No fields should be signed. Fill out money fields with zeros.**Numeric Fields**
			Fill out all numeric fields with zeros to the left of the significant digits.**Service and Compensation**
			There should be no record which contains neither service nor compensation data. A record may contain only service months or only compensation, but must contain one or the other.**Totals Record**
			Every electronic file report should include a grand-totals record at the end. The specific format is in the appendix. Optional subtotal records may be included.



**Form BA-3 Record Format****Field Length**
			**Record Position**
			**Data and Instructions**1
			1
			"0" (zero).4
			2-5
			Four-digit year being reported.1
			6
			"7"4
			7-10
			Four-digit BA number assigned by the Railroad Retirement Board.10
			11-20
			*Entries in this field are optional*. The “Payroll ID” reference number shown here will be included on certain correspondence to the employer to assist the employer in locating the employee.9
			21-29
			Employee's social security number.20
			30-49
			First twenty (20) characters of the employee's surname.  Spaces in such names as Mc Carthy, St Clair, De La Cross are acceptable.15
			50-64
			First fifteen (15) characters of the employee's first name.1
			65
			Employee’s middle initial.7
			66-72
			RUIA I ($$$$$¢¢) – Total compensation which is creditable under the RUIA to qualify for benefits. This amount should not exceed the RUIA I monthly maximum times 12.2
			73-74
			Blank Filler.7
			75-81
			RUIA II ($$$$$¢¢) – Total compensation which is creditable under the RUIA to determine maximum benefits. This amount should not exceed the RUIA II monthly maximum times 12.2
			82-83
			Blank Filler.12
			84-95
			84-Jan
			85-Feb
			86-March
			87-April
			88-May
			89-June
			90-July
			91-Aug
			92-Sept
			93-Oct
			94-Nov
			95-Dec
			*Service Month Detail* - The code corresponding to the employment relation for a non-work month.

			

			Code 1 = worked
				Code 8 = not worked but has employment relation
				Code 9 = not worked & has no employment relation
				Code 0 = not worked & employment relation unknownNOTE: You cannot mix all four codes. You must either use codes 1, 8, & 9 or codes 1 & 0. All 12 positions must be filled.2
			96-97
			*Service Month Total* - The sum of the characters in positions 84-95. Enter zeroes if no months are reported.8
			98-105
			Creditable Tier I compensation, up to the annual maximum for the year ($$$$$$¢¢).2
			106-107
			Blank Filler.8
			108-115
			Creditable Tier II compensation, up to the annual maximum for the year ($$$$$$¢¢).2
			116-117
			Blank Filler.5
			118-122
			Last daily pay rate ($$$¢¢). If pay rate exceeds $200.00, enter 20000.2
			123-124
			Blank Filler.8
			125-132
			Creditable Miscellaneous compensation ($$$$$$¢¢).2
			133-134
			Blank Filler.8
			135-142
			Creditable Sick Pay compensation ($$$$$$¢¢).3
			143-145
			Blank Filler.30
			146-175
			Mailing Address Line 1 (Street Number, Post Office Box, etc.).30
			176-205
			Mailing Address Line 2.20
			206-225
			City2
			226-227
			State5
			228-232
			Zip Code8
			233-240
			Effective date of the address information (MMDDCCYY).60
			241-300
			Blank Filler (For future expansion).

**NOTE**: The file should be saved as a text (*.txt) file with the record format listed above.
        ‹ Appendix I: Electronic File Formats | 
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 Last updated: 07/27/2022