United States of America 

Railroad Retirement Board 

Form G-177A (8-16) 

General Conditions Under Which a Person is 

Entitled to a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity 

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

Requirement 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. 

CHART 1 - AGE REQUIREMENTS - EMPLOYEE HAS AT LEAST 360 MONTHS OF RAILROAD SERVICE 

If the employee is retired

based on: 

and the 

employee: 

your spouse annuity can begin the first full

month you are age 60. Your Tier 1 will: 

Your Tier 2 

will: 

age with an annuity 

beginning date of July

1974 or later, and both 

attained age 60 and 

acquired 360 months of 

railroad service before July

1984, 

retired at age 60 

or later, 

not have an age reduction. 

Note: For these cases, the spouse annuity 

could not have begun before January 1, 1975. 

not have an age 

reduction. 

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, 

and the 

employee 

annuity began 

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 when both you and the 

employee are age 62. 

not have an age 

reduction. 

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. 

age with at least 360 

months of railroad service, 

and an annuity beginning 

date of January 2002, or 

later, 

retired at age 60 

or later, 

not have an age reduction. not have an age 

reduction. 

disability with at least

360 months of railroad 

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. 

disability with at least has attained age have an age reduction depending on the date not have an age 

360 months of railroad 60, your spouse annuity begins. reduction. 

service and an employee 

annuity beginning date of  If your spouse annuity begins before

July 1, 1984, or later, January 2002, and begins before your 

Full Retirement Age, your Tier 1 will 

have an age reduction. (If you are age 

60-61 on the date your spouse annuity

begins, you are deemed to be age 62.) 

 If your spouse annuity begins January 1, 

2002, or later, your Tier 1 will not have 

an age reduction. 

Continued on next page 

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General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (con’t). 

CHART 2 - AGE REQUIREMENTS – 

EMPLOYEE HAS 60 - 359 MONTHS OF RAILROAD SERVICE 

Your spouse annuity can 

begin the first full month

you are age 62 if the 

employee’s annuity began: 

and the 

employee

has 

attained: 

Your Tier 1 will have an 

age reduction if you retire 

before attaining: 

Your Tier 2 will have 

an age reduction if you 

retire before attaining: 

before 1975 based on at least 120 

months of railroad service, age 65. your Full Retirement Age. age 65. 

in 1975, or later, based on at least 

120 months of railroad service, 

including some railroad service 

before August 12, 1983, 

age 62. your Full Retirement Age. age 65. 

in 1975, or later, based on at least 

120 months of railroad service 

and no railroad service before 

August 12, 1983, 

age 62. your Full Retirement Age. your Full Retirement Age. 

in January 2002 or later, based on 

the 5-year vesting provision and 

some railroad service before 

August 12, 1983, 

age 62. your Full Retirement Age. age 65. 

in January 2002 or later, based on 

the 5-year vesting provision and 

no railroad service before 

August 12, 1983, 

age 62. your Full Retirement Age. your Full Retirement Age. 

Full 

Retirement 

Age for 

Annuities 

Based on 

Less Than 

30 years of 

Service 

The term Full Retirement Age 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 has less than 30 years of railroad service, Full Retirement Age for spouses 

who were born before January 2, 1938, is age 65. The Full Retirement Age for persons born 

after January 1, 1938, will gradually increase over a 20-year period to age 67, as illustrated in 

the following chart. Your Tier 2 age reduction will be based on age 65 if the employee has any 

creditable railroad service before August 12, 1983. Otherwise, the Full Retirement Age for 

your Tier 2 age reduction will gradually increase in the same manner as Full Retirement Age 

for your Tier 1 age reduction. 

CHART 3 - DETERMINING YOUR FULL RETIREMENT AGE 

If you were born: then your Full 

Retirement Age is: If you were born: then your Full Retirement Age is: 

Before 1-2-1938 

1-2-1938 thru 1-1-1939 

1-2-1939 thru 1-1-1940 

1-2-1940 thru 1-1-1941 

1-2-1941 thru 1-1-1942 

1-2-1942 thru 1-1-1943 

1-2-1943 thru 1-1-1955 

65 

65 and 2 months 

65 and 4 months 

65 and 6 months 

65 and 8 months 

65 and 10 months 

66 

1-2-1955 thru 1-1-1956 

1-2-1956 thru 1-1-1957 

1-2-1957 thru 1-1-1958 

1-2-1958 thru 1-1-1959 

1-2-1959 thru 1-1-1960 

1-2-1960 and later 

66 and 2 months 

66 and 4 months 

66 and 6 months 

66 and 8 months 

66 and 10 months 

67 

Note: Regardless of the number of the employee’s years of railroad service, Full Retirement Age also affects Tier 1 

component work deductions, as described in Chart 4. 

Continued on next page 

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General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (con’t). 

Marriage 

Requirement 

In order to qualify for a spouse annuity, you must be the legal spouse of the employee 

and you must have been legally married to the railroad employee for at least one year 

immediately prior to filing your spouse annuity application. The one-year marriage 

requirement is waived if any of the following conditions exist: 

 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; or, 

 you had met the one-year marriage requirement for a previous spouse annuity on the 

employee’s earnings record before a divorce and you later remarried that employee. 

Definition of 

Child-in-Care 

You may qualify for a spouse annuity 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 Work 

Deductions 

Your Tier 1 component is not reduced for your nonrailroad earnings if you are 

receiving social security benefits. 

for Otherwise, the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount is the amount of nonrailroad earnings 

Non-Railroad you can have in a calendar year without losing part of your Tier 1 component. Use 

Earnings After Chart 3 to determine your Full Retirement Age. Then refer to Chart 4 below and Form 

Annuity Begins G-77a How Work Affects Your Railroad Retirement Benefits. 

The employee’s nonrailroad earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt Amount for the 

employee’s age group may also cause work deductions in your Tier 1 component. 

CHART 4 - DETERMINING YOUR WORK DEDUCTIONS 

For a year in 

which: you may lose up to $1 in your Tier 1 component for every: The work deduction: 

you attain Full 

Retirement Age, 

$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 Full 

Retirement Age. 

is removed effective the 

month in which you 

attain Full Retirement 

Age. 

you are under 

your Full 

Retirement Age 

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 $2.00 of earnings. There is no Annual Earnings Exempt is removed effective 

outside the U.S. Amount for work outside the U.S. However, your earnings are the month in which 

for 45 or more only counted for months before the month in which you attain you attain Full 

hours per Full Retirement Age. Retirement Age.

month, 

Continued on next page 

3 
 

General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to 

a Railroad Retirement Spouse Annuity (con’t). 

5-Year 

Vesting 

Cases 

If the employee’s annuity is based on 60-119 months of railroad service with at least 60 

months of railroad service after 1995 (5-year vesting case), you qualify for a spouse 

annuity Tier 1 component only when the employee qualifies for a Tier 1 component. Refer 

to Form G-177 General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to a Railroad 

Retirement Employee Annuity for further information about the employee’s requirement for 

an SSA Insured Status for a Tier 1 component. 

Tier 2 Work 

Deduction for 

Last PreRetirement 

Non-Railroad 

Earnings After 

Annuity Begins 

Your Last Pre-Retirement Nonrailroad Employer is defined as any nonrailroad 

individual, company or institution for whom you are working on the date your spouse 

annuity begins or for whom you stopped working in order to receive a spouse annuity. 

(For more information, see Form G-177L General Information about Continuing in or 

Returning to Nonrailroad Employment after Retirement under the Railroad Retirement 

Act.) 

After the date your spouse annuity begins, any earnings from your Last Pre-Retirement 

Nonrailroad Employer, at any age, may cause work deductions to your Tier 2 component. 

The deduction is $1 for every $2 earned (subject to the maximum reduction of 50% of your 

Tier 2 component). If the employee has a Last Pre-Retirement Nonrailroad Employer and 

the employee works for that employer after the date your spouse annuity begins, those Last 

Pre-Retirement Nonrailroad Employer earnings can also cause work deductions to your 

Tier 2 component. 

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 a different 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 

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 

for download at www.rrb.gov. 

4 Form G-177A (08-16)