Benefit payments1 March 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 500,700 ......... 2,000 ......... .........

Regular employee annuities, total 251,700 $2,953 600 $3,064 .........

 Awarded age annuity 183,800 3,033 3 200 3 4,030 4 $2,176

 Disability converted to age annuity5 48,500 2,667 ......... ......... .........

 Disability 19,400 2,914 100 3,248

Spouses and divorced spouses 145,400 1,104 700 1,021

Widow(er)s--aged and disabled 81,000 1,860 600 2,331

Widowed mothers and fathers 500 1,994 6/ 2,046

Widow(er)s--remarried and divorced 12,100 1,225 100 1,369

Children 7,600 1,227 6/ 1,507

Other benefits 2,300 323 ......... ......... .........

Employee supplemental annuities8 111,800 42 100 41 .........

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.

$1,097,107,000 $1,094,603,000

Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - March 2021

Average under

.........

.........

Monthly benefits

March 2020

151,886,000 151,301,000

27,408,000 26,806,000

755,616,000 755,210,000

162,198,000 161,286,000

March 2021

Being Paid Awarded

.........

Being paid

end of month

Awarded in

month

Social Security

$1,551

(Over)

.........

1,280 $1,465

.........

778 696

1,416 1,347

1,047 1,075

7/ 7/

922 952
 Unemployment 6,300 $396 

 Sickness 6,200 395 

 Unemployment

 Sickness

R : Revised numbers 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

 (CARWA), 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)

March 2021 

Unemployment and Sickness Benefits

Number of beneficiaries

during month

Per 2-week

registration period

Per

full week

Average payment1

$726 

624

Total $18,941,000R $14,467,000

Benefit payments1

March 2021 March 2020

 9,888,000R 7,335,000

9,053,000 7,132,000

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

Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act) and as amended by the Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act of 2020

(CARWA). The March 2021 amount calculated for payment was $15 million.

Published by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

Bureau of the Actuary and Research