Quarterly Benefit Statistics

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Published by Public Affairs

844 North Rush Street and the Bureau of the Actuary and Research

Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275

www.rrb.gov March 6, 2021

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

Selected Current Statistics for July - September 2020

450,000

500,000

550,000

600,000

Sept. '10 Sept. '12 Sept. '14 Sept. '16 Sept. '18 Sept. '20

0

Total Monthly Railroad Retirement Beneficiaries, 

September 2010 through September 2020
Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics 

July - September 2020

 Employee annuities

 Total1 

 Period Monthly Monthly Supple- 

 benefits beneficiaries Disability mental3 

Number in current-payment status at end of periodSeptember 2020 622,932 499,222 186,357 49,278 19,996 114,444 August 2020 623,563 499,626 186,505 49,235 20,162 114,661 July 2020 624,075 499,934 186,363 49,195 20,402 114,864 Average amount in current-payment status at end of periodSeptember 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,984.53 $2,625.20 $2,871.45 $41.51 August 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,980.91 2,622.87 2,869.26 41.51 July 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,977.20 2,620.62 2,868.52 41.51 Number awarded during periodSeptember 2020 2,545 2,292 671 . . . . . . . . 166 253 August 2020 2,562 2,275 870 . . . . . . . . 138 287 July 2020 2,285 2,054 687 . . . . . . . . 171 231 10/19 - 9/20 26,511 24,130 7,248 . . . . . . . . 1,686 2,381 10/18 - 9/19 29,023 25,724 7,727 . . . . . . . . 1,717 3,299 Average amount awarded during period4

September 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,311.48 . . . . . . . . $2,917.13 $40.50 August 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,359.18 . . . . . . . . 2,919.00 41.63 July 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,374.61 . . . . . . . . 2,915.95 42.18 Benefit payments during period (thousands)5September 2020 $1,096,457 . . . . . . . . $557,453 $128,807 $65,190 $4,765 August 2020 1,094,691 . . . . . . . . 557,328 128,646 64,475 4,775 July 2020 1,095,100 . . . . . . . . 555,987 128,309 66,345 4,783 10/19 - 9/20 13,115,287 . . . . . . . . 6,657,362 1,522,939 806,982 57,932 10/18 - 9/19 12,969,539 . . . . . . . . 6,549,123 1,451,597 884,401 59,424 

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 con

on 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 mon

payments 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 periodSeptember 2020 79,406 3,176 570 2,566 9,746 7,726 . . . . . . . . August 2020 79,616 3,179 567 2,580 9,765 7,742 . . . . . . . . 

July 2020 79,791 3,183 561 2,598 9,748 7,750 . . . . . . . . Average amount in current-payment status at end of periodSeptember 2020 $1,839.76 $1,437.37 $1,992.02 $1,191.71 $1,202.93 $1,194.61 . . . . . . . . 

August 2020 1,835.27 1,435.82 1,977.26 1,191.85 1,200.53 1,191.61 . . . . . . . . 

July 2020 1,830.45 1,434.02 1,970.83 1,188.61 1,199.29 1,188.72 . . . . . . . . Number awarded during periodSeptember 2020 456 8 10 9 57 43 127 

August 2020 424 11 8 9 54 35 137 

July 2020 388 7 6 2 53 28 144 10/19 - 9/20 5,154 85 90 78 654 378 1,822 10/18 - 9/19 5,039 98 87 107 747 393 2,132 Average amount awarded during period4

September 2020 $2,300.99 $1,554.83 $1,779.27 $1,269.56 $1,287.60 $1,543.75 $881 August 2020 2,352.66 1,779.68 1,591.93 1,097.89 1,351.00 1,464.47 914 

July 2020 2,305.29 1,411.46 2,181.04 1,248.00 1,313.94 1,447.70 899 Benefit payments during period (thousands)5

September 2020 $146,838 $4,771 $1,233 $3,091 $11,774 $10,052 $114 August 2020 146,758 4,890 1,167 3,102 11,738 9,707 159 

July 2020 146,517 4,741 1,161 3,101 11,847 9,806 137 10/19 - 9/20 1,760,460 57,670 13,786 37,800 140,331 119,337 1,769 10/18 - 9/19 1,757,094 58,061 14,405 38,956 136,230 117,878 2,056 

Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics

July - September 2020 -- 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

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' an

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 cpending 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 inbenefits, 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

July - September 2020 (In thousands)

Cash Basis

Item September

2020

August

2020

July

2020

October 2019 -

September 2020

October 2018 -

September 2019

SOCIAL SECURITY EQUIVALENT BENEFIT ACCOUNT

Income

 Payroll taxes1 $169,649 $157,723 $154,067 $2,310,991 $2,869,773 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,000 283,000 260,000 

 Financial interchange advances3 481,693 413,475 469,678 4,793,023 4,306,373 

 RRB-SSA financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,987,747 4,946,429 

 Interest on investments4 1,171 1,681 1,287 -9,352 23,449 

Outgo

 Benefit payments $626,975 $626,591 $626,462 $7,509,808 $7,403,816 

 Repayment of financial interchange advances3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,458,194 4,202,365 

 RRB-CMS financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 606,449 570,285 

 Transfer to Railroad Retirement Account5 -83,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -83,000 191,000 

 Administrative expenses6 1,909 1,909 1,909 26,979 30,702 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 185 185 185 2,388 2,715 

RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

Income

 Payroll taxes1 $211,039 $197,031 $195,146 $2,716,955 $3,259,367 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101,000 403,000 471,000 

 Reimbursements for payment of SSA benefits 167,193 167,305 166,343 1,982,327 1,896,750 

 Transfers from National RR Investment Trust5 273,000 . . . . . . . . 438,000 2,280,000 1,794,000 

 Transfer from SSEB Account5 -83,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -83,000 191,000 

 Interest on investments4 672 1,252 869 -18,616 11,031 

Outgo

 Benefit payments $468,419 $467,020 $467,538 $5,591,512 $5,548,166 

 Payments of SSA benefits 167,111 167,324 166,283 1,981,278 1,894,437 

 Loans to Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account 22,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,000 . . . . . . . . 

 Administrative expenses6 5,751 5,751 5,751 81,218 77,261 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 558 558 558 7,202 6,824 

Cash and investment balance at end of period7 $24,468,552 $25,184,709 $24,232,453 $24,468,552 $25,332,403 

DUAL BENEFITS PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 8

Vested dual benefit payments $1,063 $1,081 $1,100 $13,967 $17,147 

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. 6Prior to fiscal year 2019, reflects adjustments for prior periods. 7Source: National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust. 8Total 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 2019 and 2020 was $19.0 and $16.0 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

July - September 2020

Normal benefit accounts Beneficiaries

Period

Applications

received Opened Exhausted Total

Normal

benefits

Unemployment

September 2020 1,769 1,397 2 9,483 9,306 August 2020 2,001 3,385 19 10,696 10,396 July 2020 9,403 8,923 347 13,728 13,369 7/20 - 9/20 13,173 13,705 368 16,697 16,339 7/19 - 9/19 5,970 4,052 100 4,584 4,467 

Sickness

September 2020 2,272 1,528 14 5,526 5,350 August 2020 3,545 2,458 58 5,208 4,879 July 2020 5,451 2,438 209 4,673 4,236 7/20 - 9/20 11,268 6,424 281 8,423 8,207 7/19 - 9/19 8,159 5,783 236 6,424 6,229 

Number of payments Averages1

Period Total

Normal

benefits

Extended

benefits

Benefit

days

Benefit

per week2

Unemployment

September 2020 19,496 19,147 349 8.9 $376.35 August 2020 20,843 20,253 590 7.3 381.55 July 2020 28,203 27,299 904 8.6 371.80 7/20 - 9/20 68,542 66,699 1,843 8.2 376.60 7/19 - 9/19 16,101 15,107 994 8.9 361.90 

Sickness

September 2020 12,095 11,539 556 8.1 $374.95 August 2020 10,829 9,919 910 7.0 376.00 July 2020 10,436 9,050 1,386 8.1 368.20 7/20 - 9/20 33,360 30,508 2,852 7.6 374.50 7/19 - 9/19 24,324 22,228 2,096 8.9 363.45 

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 registration  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 benefits  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 6.8% under sequestration for days of unem

 and sickness after September 30, 2015, 6.9% for days after September 30, 2016, 6.6% for days after September 30, 2017, 6.2% for days after September 30, 2018, and 5.9%  after September 30, 2019.

NOTE .--Beginning in May 2020, RUIA claimants have also been paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020. Special Extended Unemployment Benefits and Enhanced Benefits were paid to unemployment beneficiaries, and Waived Waiting Period Benefits were paid to unemployment abeneficiaries, as follows: -- In July 2020, $2.5M to 1,800 beneficiaries, $37.8M to 15,100 beneficiaries, and $0.4M to 1,600 unemployment and $0.3M to 1,200 sickness beneficiaries. -- In August 2020, $1.6M to 1,200 beneficiaries, $18.6M to 11,100 beneficiaries, and $2.8M to 11,800 unemployment and $1.0M to 4,500 sickness beneficiaries.

 -- In September 2020, $1.1M to 900 beneficiaries, $1.0M to 600 beneficiaries, and $0.3M to 1,400 unemployment and $0.4M to 1,800 sickness beneficiaries.

GENERAL NOTES .--An unemployment claimant files only one APPLICATION for a benefit year. A sickness claimant files an APPLICATION at the beginning of each period o

sickness.The number of BENEFICIARIES is the count of persons receiving unemployment or sickness benefits in the period. Those receiving both normal and extended benefits for un

sickness are counted only once in the total for each type.
Table 4: Benefits and Beneficiaries -- September 2020

RETIREMENT - SURVIVOR

Total benefit payments - cash basis (unaudited)1 $1,096,457,000

 Regular and Supplemental benefits 1,095,394,000

 Vested dual benefits 1,063,000

Number Average

Total benefits being paid at end of month 623,000 . . . . . . .

 Retired employees':

 Regular 256,000 $2,906

 Supplemental 114,000 42

 Spouses' and divorced spouses' 147,000 1,088

 Aged widows' and widowers' 79,000 1,840

 Other benefits 26,000 1,169

Total beneficiaries being paid at end of month 499,000 . . . . . . .

UNEMPLOYMENT - SICKNESS

Unemployment Sickness

Gross benefit payments1 $13,474,000 $7,689,000

Beneficiaries 9,500 5,500

Average payment per week1 $376 $375

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, and 

5.9% for days after September 30, 2019.

-- Note: Beginning in May 2020, RUIA claimants have also been paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 

2020. In September 2020, the gross amount paid was $2.9 million.