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No. 23-5 For Immediate Release

May 2023

RRB Issues Statements of Service

Each year, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) prepares a Form BA-6, Certificate of 

Service Months and Compensation, for every railroad employee with creditable railroad 

compensation in the previous calendar year. The RRB will mail the forms to employees during the 

first half of June. Anyone with compensation reported in 2022 who has not received Form BA-6 

by July 1, or who needs a replacement, should contact an RRB field office by calling toll-free at 

1-877-772-5772. A statement can also be requested online by clicking the “Request Documents” 

button at RRB.gov/myRRB, or by using the toll-free number’s automated menu at the end of the 

recorded greeting to request a statement of service months and compensation.

Form BA-6 provides employees with a record of their railroad retirement service and 

compensation. The information shown is used to determine whether an employee qualifies for 

benefits and the amount of those benefits; therefore, it is important that employees review their 

Form BA-6 to see whether their own records of service months and creditable compensation agree 

with the form.

When reviewing the 2022 compensation total, employees should be aware that only annual 

earnings up to $147,000 are creditable for railroad retirement purposes in that year, and that 

$147,000 is the maximum amount shown on the form. In addition, the form shows service 

credited on a month-by-month basis for 2021, 2020, and 2019, when the maximum creditable 

compensation was $142,800, $137,700, and $132,900, respectively. The BA-6 also lists the 

employer(s) reporting the employee’s 2022 service and compensation.

Besides the months of service reported by employers, Form BA-6 shows the number of any 

additional service months deemed by the RRB. Deemed service months may be credited under 

certain conditions to an employee who did not work in all 12 months of the year, but had 

creditable tier II earnings exceeding the monthly proration of the creditable tier II earnings 

maximum for the year. However, the total reported and deemed service months may never exceed 

12 in a calendar year, and no service months (reported or deemed) can be credited after 

retirement, severance, resignation, discharge, or death.

The BA-6 form also indicates the number of months of verified military service creditable as 

service under the Railroad Retirement Act, if the service was previously reported to the RRB. 

Employees are encouraged to submit proofs of age and/or military service in advance of their 

actual retirement. Filing these proofs with the RRB in advance will streamline the benefit 

application process and help prevent payment delays.

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

RRB News

844 North Rush Street Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275

RRB.gov

General Information: 877-772-5772

Public Affairs

Media Inquiries: opa@rrb.gov

312-751-4777
-2-

For employees who received separation or severance payments, the section of the form 

designated “Taxable Amount” shows the amounts of separation allowance or severance payments 

that were subject to railroad retirement tier II taxes. This information is shown on the form 

because a lump sum, approximating part or all of the tier II taxes deducted from such payments 

made after 1984, which did not provide additional tier II credits, may be payable by the RRB

upon retirement to qualified employees or to survivors if the employee dies before retirement. The 

amount of an allowance included in an employee’s regular compensation is shown under 

“Compensation Amount.”

Form BA-6 also shows, in the section designated “Employee Contributions,” the cumulative 

amount of tier II railroad retirement payroll taxes paid by the employee over and above tier I 

social security equivalent payroll taxes. While the RRB does not collect or maintain payroll tax 

information, the agency computes this amount from its compensation records in order to advise 

retired employees of their payroll tax contributions for Federal income tax purposes.

In the lower-right corner of the form, there is a field that indicates if the employee is eligible to 

claim unemployment or sickness benefits. The RRB provides detailed instructions for reviewing 

the form on the agency website at RRB.gov/BA6. 

There are instructions on the back of the form and the web page on how to file a protest if 

service and compensation totals are incorrect. The law limits to four years the period during which 

corrections to service and compensation amounts can be made. Also, if personal information is 

incorrect or incomplete, such as the name, birthdate, or address, the employee should contact an 

RRB field office to have it corrected. For most people, the address of the RRB office serving their 

area is provided on the form along with the RRB’s nationwide toll-free number (1-877-772-5772).

(Sample BA-6 next page)

# # #
EXAMPLE

ONLY

CERTIFIED 01-15-2023

2022 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

MONTHS AND COMPENSATION

SERVICE AND COMPENSATION REPORTED 

FOR PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2022

FORM BA-6 (6-23)

SERVICE AND COMPENSATION ON RECORD FOR REVIEW PERIOD

SEPARATION ALLOWANCE/

SEVERANCE PAYMENT

SERVICE MONTHS

PROFILE*

TAXABLE AMOUNT COMPENSATION

AMOUNT J 

1 

1 

1 

F

1

1

1

M

1 

1 

1 

A

1

1

1

M

1 

1 

1

J

1

1

1

J

1

D

1

A

1

D

1

S

1

1

1

O

1 

1 

1

N 

1 

1 

1

D 

1 

1 

0

TOTAL

12

12

11

 2022 120,600.00

116,250.00 

106,475.00 

2021

2020

2019 55,375.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 05

*1 - A reported month; 0 - A month not reported; D - A “deemed” month

CAREER TOTAL RETIREMENT RECORD

SEPARATION ALLOWANCE/

SEVERANCE PAYMENT SERVICE MONTHS

EMPLOYEE

TAXABLE CONTRIBUTIONS

AMOUNT

COMPENSATION

AMOUNT

REPORTED DEEMED MILITARY TOTAL

987,900.00 205 2 12 219 42,700.00 

YOUR 2022 REPORTING EMPLOYER(S) 

The service and compensation shown on this form for 2022 were gathered from a report(s) received from the 

following employer(s): CRESCENT RAILROAD COMPANY 

BIRTH DATE SEX 

07-1970 M

RRB OFFICE SERVING YOUR AREA 2022 RUIA EARNINGS 

123 CENTRAL AVENUE

WINDY CITY, IL 60000 PHONE (877) 772-5772

QUALIFIED QUALIFYING 

EARNINGS

Y $21,060 

U.S. RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

ERHARD CHORLÉ, JOHN BRAGG, THOMAS JAYNE

MEMBERS

CREDITABLE

COMPENSATION YEAR

CREDITABLE

COMPENSATION

BA 0123 ****

JOHN Q PUBLIC

123 MAIN ST

LOGANVILLE, IL 60000