Benefit payments1 May 2021

Total

Retirement and Survivor Retired employees

Benefits, Including Spouses and divorced spouses

Supplemental Annuites Widow(er)s - aged and disabled

Other benefits

Number Average2 Number Average2

Total, regular annuities 499,500 ......... 1,600 ......... .........

Regular employee annuities, total 251,000 $2,957 600 $2,973 .........

 Awarded age annuity 183,400 3,037 3 200 3 4,002 4 $2,166

 Disability converted to age annuity5 48,500 2,669 ......... ......... .........

 Disability 19,100 2,919 100 3,041

Spouses and divorced spouses 145,000 1,106 500 1,126

Widow(er)s--aged and disabled 80,800 1,869 400 2,286

Widowed mothers and fathers 600 2,010 6/ 1,549

Widow(er)s--remarried and divorced 12,200 1,229 100 1,405

Children 7,600 1,232 6/ 1,551

Other benefits 2,400 323 ......... ......... .........

Employee supplemental annuities8 111,200 42 100 38 .........

1

Data provided by the Bureau of Fiscal Operations.

2

Railroad retirement benefits shown are net of reduction for social security benefit entitlement. 3

For employees retiring directly from the railroad industry with full age annuity (their years of service averaged 32); about 300

 other age annuities were awarded in the month. 

4

For men full retirement age or over. 

5

A 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 are receiving age and service 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 before 1938. 6

Fewer than 50.

7

Remarried and divorced widow(er)s included with aged and disabled widow(er)s and widowed mothers and fathers.

8

Excludes partition payments to spouses and divorced spouses where the employee is deceased. Number

 and averages are for employee annuitants only and reflect court-ordered partitions. 

Note. --Data are on a cash basis (unaudited) and are partly estimated. Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

Regular retirement and survivor benefit payments total includes hospital insurance benefits for services in Canada.

(Over)

.........

$1,097,014,000 $1,094,831,000

Social Security

.........

923 936

May 2020

.........

1,418 1,353

.........

.........

1,280 1,458

777 690

1,050 1,045

7/ 7/

Monthly benefits May 2021

Being paid

end of month

$1,554

Being Paid Awarded

Awarded in

month

Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - May 2021

Average under

161,970,000 161,284,000

152,828,000 151,509,000

27,518,000 26,789,000

754,698,000 755,248,000
 Unemployment 3,300 $396 

 Sickness 4,700 395 

 Unemployment

 Sickness

1

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

 reduction of 6.6% under sequestration for days of unemployment and sickness after September 30, 2017, 6.2% for

 days 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, 2021, under the Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act of 2020,

 sequestration is temporarily suspended until 30 days after a Presidential declaration of an end to the national 

 emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Notes: - Data are on a cash basis (unaudited). Detail may not add to totals due to rounding.

Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement 

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - (Continued)

May 2021

$751 

634

Number of beneficiaries

during month

Per 2-week

registration period

Per

full week

Unemployment and Sickness Benefits

Average payment1

Published by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

Bureau of the Actuary and Research

Total

- Beginning in May 2020, RUIA claimants have also been paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic

Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act). The May 2021 amount calculated for payment was $12.9 million, and the

May 2020 amount was $36.0 million.

 19,778,000 

Benefit payments1

6,084,000 6,215,000 

May 2021 May 2020

$10,351,000 $25,994,000

4,268,000