Quarterly Benefit Statistics 

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board 

844 North Rush Street 

Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275 

www.rrb.gov 

Railroad Retirement and 

Unemployment Insurance Programs 

List of Tables: Table 1 - Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics 

Table 2 - Retirement and Survivor Programs, Financial Statistics 

Table 3 - Unemployment and Sickness Programs, Benefit Statistics 

Table 4 - Benefits and Beneficiaries 

Average annuity amounts, 

March 2022 and March 2023 

 Published by Public Affairs 

 and the Bureau of the Actuary and Research 

July 27, 2023 

Selected Current Statistics for January - March 2023 

Employee

(age annuities

only)

Spouse Aged widow(er)

$3,200 

$1,172 

$1,958 

$3,439 

$1,246 

$2,075 

2022 

2023 

Employee Spouse Aged widow(er) 

(awarded age annuity) 
Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics 

January - March 2023 

 Employee annuities 

 Total1 

 Period Monthly Monthly Supple- 

 benefits beneficiaries Disability mental3 

Number in current-payment status at end of period March 2023 582,775 471,082 177,271 47,596 16,055 102,764 

February 2023 584,513 472,327 177,684 47,717 16,184 103,234 

January 2023 584,747 472,352 177,555 47,678 16,277 103,452 Average amount in current-payment status at end of period March 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,438.97 $3,049.24 $3,334.74 $41.49 

February 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,436.24 3,045.61 3,332.42 41.50 

January 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,434.83 3,043.33 3,329.16 41.50 

Number awarded during period March 2023 1,841 1,785 462 . . . . . . . . 115 56 

February 2023 1,673 1,612 429 . . . . . . . . 114 61 January 2023 1,818 1,762 445 . . . . . . . . 66 56 10/22 - 3/23 9,689 9,376 2,498 . . . . . . . . 565 313 

10/21 - 3/22 12,133 11,439 3,127 . . . . . . . . 719 694 

Average amount awarded during period4 

March 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,316.96 . . . . . . . . $3,580.35 $37.83 

February 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,330.52 . . . . . . . . 3,603.69 36.09 

January 2023 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,433.50 . . . . . . . . 3,443.08 40.32 

Benefit payments during period (thousands)5 

March 2023 $1,185,979 . . . . . . . . $611,830 $145,747 $59,813 $4,318 

February 2023 1,185,979 . . . . . . . . 612,510 145,962 59,747 4,327 

January 2023 1,185,741 . . . . . . . . 613,564 146,169 58,119 4,353 

10/22 - 3/23 6,923,624 . . . . . . . . 3,567,648 846,017 347,730 26,159 

10/21 - 3/22 6,668,149 . . . . . . . . 3,413,210 802,357 353,956 27,290 

Age 

Awarded age 

annuity 

Disability 

converted to 

age annuity2 

1Includes dependent parents' annuities. Except for benefit payment data, excludes insurance lump-sum and residual payment figures. Total benefit payments also include hospita

Canada. 2A disability annuity ends when the retiree attains full retirement age, at which time the annuity converts to an age and service annuity. Consequently, these annuitants a

annuities. Full retirement age gradually increases, from age 65 to 67, for those born between 1937 and 1960. It is age 67 for those born after 1959 and age 65 for those born befo

payments to spouses and divorced spouses where the employee is deceased. Averages are after court-ordered partitions. 4Regular employee and spouse annuity averages are p

July 2019, data is from the Monthly Treasury Statement. Prior to July 2019, data was provided by the Bureau of Fiscal Operations. 

NOTE.--MONTHLY BENEFITS in CURRENT-PAYMENT STATUS at the end of month include all benefits awarded to date and payable for the month. BENEFITS AWARDED conon either a partial or final basis. BENEFIT PAYMENTS for a month, shown in both the benefit and financial statistics, consist of recurrent monthly checks dated the first of the monpayments made during the month, less returned checks (excluding those not yet distributed by Account), refunds of benefits paid previously, etc. 
Annuities 

Period 

Aged 

widows and 

widowers 

Disabled 

widows and 

widowers6 

Widowed 

mothers and 

fathers 

Remarried 

widows and 

widowers 

Divorced 

widows and 

widowers Children 

Insurance 

lump sums 

Number in current-payment status at end of period March 2023 73,876 2,800 554 2,250 9,744 7,238 . . . . . . . . 

February 2023 74,217 2,819 544 2,261 9,756 7,255 . . . . . . . . 

January 2023 74,175 2,827 531 2,259 9,693 7,279 . . . . . . . . 

Average amount in current-payment status at end of period March 2023 $2,075.48 $1,631.25 $2,198.82 $1,435.63 $1,463.64 $1,452.49 . . . . . . . . 

February 2023 2,069.44 1,630.41 2,182.86 1,432.21 1,460.00 1,451.83 . . . . . . . . 

January 2023 2,062.77 1,630.49 2,169.24 1,431.22 1,459.25 1,449.58 . . . . . . . . 

Number awarded during period March 2023 429 (8) 6 5 74 35 163 

February 2023 519 (8) 11 8 75 22 145 

January 2023 507 (8) 7 9 67 33 115 

10/22 - 3/23 2,546 17 46 41 372 177 743 

10/21 - 3/22 2,977 20 85 34 400 280 911 

Average amount awarded during period4 

March 2023 $2,682.35 $2,302.89 $1,611.43 $593.00 $1,603.76 $1,821.67 $933 

February 2023 2,652.50 2,056.44 853.87 1,797.63 1,447.76 2,054.50 892 January 2023 2,700.84 945.32 1,494.21 1,922.78 1,775.41 1,822.31 869 

Benefit payments during period (thousands)5 

March 2023 $153,472 $4,752 $1,294 $3,241 $14,453 $11,087 $162 

February 2023 153,401 4,772 1,214 3,246 14,383 10,831 137 

January 2023 153,396 4,651 1,363 3,254 14,298 10,913 105 

10/22 - 3/23 907,480 27,764 7,922 18,823 82,554 63,312 714 

10/21 - 3/22 888,434 27,696 7,724 17,968 75,797 60,432 833 

Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics 

January - March 2023 -- Continued 

Survivor benefits 

6Number and average in current-payment status, and benefit payments during period, includes annuities to disabled widow(er)s age 60 and over now payable as aged widow(er)s' annuities. 7

spouses and divorced spouses where the employee is deceased or not otherwise entitled to an annuity. Partition payments from employees on the rolls are included with the employees' annu

than zero but less than five. NOTE.--(Continued from previous page.) 

FOR WIDOWS and WIDOWERS aged 60 and over and WIDOWED MOTHERS and FATHERS, the number of benefits being paid and benefit payments include benefits temporarily being conpending award of survivor annuities. INSURANCE LUMP SUMS and RESIDUAL PAYMENTS are each counted only once with respect to an employee's death even though divided among 2 or more persons. Award data for insubenefits, i.e., those payable a year after the employee's death. Data on benefit payments are for CALENDAR MONTHS; all other data are for ACCOUNTING MONTHS ending on approximately the 29th of each month. 
Table 2: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Financial Statistics 

January - March 2023 (In thousands) 

Cash Basis 

Item March 

2023 

February 

2023 

January 

2023 

October 2022 -

March 2023 

October 2021 -

March 2022 

SOCIAL SECURITY EQUIVALENT BENEFIT ACCOUNT 

Income 

 Payroll taxes 1 $240,473 $357,149 $411,851 $1,962,429 $1,538,103 

 General Revenue transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98,000 197,000 181,000 

 Financial interchange advances3 444,653 346,115 443,331 2,495,800 2,362,173 

 RRB-SSA financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Interest on investments4 3,782 4,418 3,685 20,727 11,381 

Outgo 

 Benefit payments $705,655 $704,704 $708,339 $4,076,365 $3,852,175 

 Repayment of financial interchange advances3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 RRB-CMS financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Transfer to Railroad Retirement Account5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Administrative expenses 1,678 1,783 1,678 9,949 10,169 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 188 188 188 1,053 1,022 

RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACCOUNT 

Income 

 Payroll taxes 1 $299,069 $439,238 $489,949 $1,916,322 $1,665,801 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,000 212,000 213,000 

 Reimbursements for payment of SSA benefits 204,462 203,366 204,720 1,170,497 1,066,667 

 Transfers from National RR Investment Trust5 44,000 126,000 256,000 787,000 783,000 

 Transfer from SSEB Account5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Loan Repayments from RUIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,000 

 Interest on investments4 2,150 2,165 1,381 9,748 7,571 

Outgo 

 Benefit payments $479,221 $480,649 $476,756 $2,842,874 $2,811,134 

 Payments of SSA benefits 204,293 203,578 204,254 1,168,946 1,065,462 

 Administrative expenses 7,563 7,961 7,563 44,762 38,868 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 845 845 845 4,746 3,910 

Cash and investment balance at end of period6 $24,531,611 $24,205,913 $24,786,994 $24,531,611 $27,983,443 

DUAL BENEFITS PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 7 

Vested dual benefit payments $618 $627 $647 $3,899 $4,840 

NATIONAL RAILROAD RETIREMENT INVESTMENT TRUST 

1Net of U.S. Treasury adjustments for payroll tax refunds to certain carriers and their employees for prior periods. 2Amounts include U.S. Treasury adjustments for prior period income 

tax reconciliations. 3Includes interest. 4Net of adjustments for payroll tax refunds (see note 1). 5Under the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001, as amended, 

the portion of the RR Account not needed to pay current administrative expenses is to be transferred to the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (Trust). The Trust may 

transfer funds back to the RR Account for payment of benefits. The balance of the SSEB Account not needed to pay current benefits and administrative expenses is to be transferred to 

the Trust or to the RR Account 6Source: National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust. 7Total vested dual benefits paid during a fiscal year are limited to the amount appropriated to 

the Dual Benefits Payments Account for that year. Any amounts not spent are returned to the U.S. Treasury. The benefit appropriation, including income tax transfers, for fiscal years 

2022 and 2023 was $11.0 and $9.0 million, respectively. 

NOTE.--This Table has been revised to only include information from the Monthly Treasury Statements and other resources within the Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau 

of the Actuary and Research. 
Table 3: Unemployment and Sickness Programs, Benefit Statistics 

January - March 2023 

Normal benefit accounts Beneficiaries 

Period 

Applications 

received Opened Exhausted Total 

Norma

benefit

Unemployment1 

March 2023 344 213 81 1,127 923 

February 2023 294 211 106 1,123 953 

January 2023 390 278 292 1,252 1,221 

7/22 - 3/23 4,387 2,504 587 2,885 2,745 

7/21 - 3/22 9,756 5,057 1,342 6,019 5,839 

Sickness 

March 2023 970 704 396 3,980 3,018 

February 2023 802 555 479 3,775 3,093 

January 2023 841 713 935 4,258 4,160 

7/22 - 3/23 13,340 9,730 2,191 10,482 10,291 7/21 - 3/22 21,551 12,593 2,447 16,578 16,379 

Number of payments Averages1 

Period Total 

Normal 

benefits 

Extended 

benefits 

Benefit 

days 

Benef

per week

Unemployment 

March 2023 2,378 1,833 545 9.1 $419.65 

February 2023 2,049 1,646 403 8.9 419.35 

January 2023 2,366 2,166 200 9.0 419.80 7/22 - 3/23 18,113 16,200 1,913 9.1 418.40 7/21 - 3/22 43,064 39,696 3,368 9.2 403.15 

Sickness 

March 2023 8,951 6,105 2,846 8.8 $418.65 

February 2023 7,383 5,430 1,953 8.6 420.75 

January 2023 9,067 8,248 819 8.8 420.50 

7/22 - 3/23 73,974 64,790 9,184 9.0 419.10 7/21 - 3/22 103,984 94,857 9,127 8.6 406.50 

NORMAL BENEFIT ACCOUNTS are opened when the first payment is made. PAYMENTS generally cover 14-day registration periods. Benefits are payable for days over 7 during an employee's first 14-day registration period.  -- Sickness benefits are paid for days of sickness after the 4th consecutive day of sickness in the first claim in each period of continuing sickness; for subsequent registra in the same period of continuing sickness, payments are made for all days of sickness over 4 whether or not consecutive.  -- Unemployment benefits are paid for days of unemployment over 4. However, in the case of unemployment benefits due to a legal authorized strike, unemployment be until after a 14-day waiting period. Non-strikers unemployed due to an illegal strike must also serve a 14-day waiting period. 

1 Benefit days--average benefit days per registration period. Benefit per week--equal to 5 times average daily benefit. 2 In accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, amounts reflect a reduction of 6.2% under sequestration for days of u

 after September 30, 2018, 5.9% for days after September 30, 2019, and 5.7% for days after September 30, 2020, and before January 3, 2021. Beginning January 3, 20 to Rail Workers Act of 2020 (CARWA) temporarily suspended sequestration until 30 days after a Presidential declaration of an end to the national emergency concernin

NOTE .--Additional unemployment and sickness benefits were also paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act). CARWA and 

Act of 2021 (ARPA) reduced the enhanced benefit payments from $1,200 to $600 per registration period while extending all benefits through registration periods beginning GENERAL NOTES .--An unemployment claimant files only one APPLICATION for a benefit year. A sickness claimant files an APPLICATION at the beginning of each per

The number of BENEFICIARIES is the count of persons receiving unemployment or sickness benefits in the period. Those receiving both normal and extended benefits foare counted only once in the total for each type. 
Table 4: Benefits and Beneficiaries -- March 2023 

RETIREMENT - SURVIVOR 

Total benefit payments - cash basis (unaudited) $1,185,494,000 

 Regular and Supplemental benefits 1,184,876,000 

 Vested dual benefits 618,000 

Number Average 

Total benefits being paid at end of month 583,000 . . . . . . .

 Retired employees': 

 Regular 241,000 $3,355 

 Supplemental 103,000 41 

 Spouses' and divorced spouses' 140,000 1,232 

 Aged widows' and widowers' 74,000 2,075 

 Other benefits 25,000 1,370 

Total beneficiaries being paid at end of month 471,000 . . . . . . . 

UNEMPLOYMENT - SICKNESS 

Unemployment Sickness 

Gross benefit payments 1 $1,991,000 $7,307,000 

Beneficiaries 1,100 4,000 

Average payment per week1 $420 $419 

1 In accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, amounts reflect a reduction of 5.7% 

under sequestration for days of unemployment and sickness after September 30, 2020, and before January 3, 2021. Beginning January 

3, 2021, the Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act (CARWA) of 2020 temporarily suspended sequestration until 30 days after a 

Presidential declaration of an end to the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.