Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement
	

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - October 2019
	

Retirement and Survivor 

Benefits, Including 

Supplemental Annuites 

 Benefit payments1 October 2019 October 2018 

Total $1,086,832,000 $1,064,496,000 

Retired employees 748,983,000 732,845,000 

Spouses and divorced spouses 159,187,000 154,635,000 

Widow(er)s - aged and disabled 151,724,000 151,039,000 

Other benefits 26,938,000 25,977,000 

Monthly benefits 

Being paid 

end of month 

Awarded in 

month October 2019 

Social Security 

Average under 

Number Average2 Number Average2 Being Paid Awarded 

Total, regular annuities 

Regular employee annuities, total 

 Awarded age annuity 

 Disability converted to age annuity5 

 Disability 

Spouses and divorced spouses 

Widow(er)s--aged and disabled 

Widowed mothers and fathers 

Widow(er)s--remarried and divorced 

Children 

515,300 

259,000 

188,200 

48,500 

22,300 

148,100 

85,100 

600 

12,500 

8,000 

......... 

$2,842 

2,915 

2,567 

2,823 

1,065 

1,770 

1,935 

1,167 

1,158 

2,100 

700 

3 400 

......... 

100 

800 

400 

6/ 

100 

6/ 

......... 

$3,087 

3 3,904 

......... 

2,931 

1,021 

2,343 

2,025 

1,383 

1,470 

1,021 

7/ 

886 

753 

1,357 

1,238 

......... 

......... 

$1,477 

......... 

......... 

......... 4 $1,970

.........

1,002 

7/ 

883 

787 

1,327 

1,383

Other benefits 2,100 323 ......... ......... ......... ......... 

Employee supplemental annuities8 117,600 42 300 40 ......... ......... 

1

Data provided by 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 34); 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) 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement 

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - (Continued) 

October 2019 

Unemployment and Sickness Benefits 

Average payment1 

Number of beneficiaries 

during month 

Per 2-week 

registration period 

Per 

full week 

 Unemployment 4,400 $654 $364 

Sickness 5,000 663 364 

October 2019 

Gross benefit payments1, 2

October 2018

Total $14,177,000 $10,128,000

 Unemployment 6,348,000 3,206,000 

Sickness 7,830,000 6,922,000 

1

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

 Act of 2011, amounts reflect a reduction of 6.9% under sequestration for days of unemployment and sickness after 

 September 30, 2016, 6.6% for days after September 30, 2017, 6.2% for days after September 30, 2018, and 5.9% for 

days after September 30, 2019. 

2 Prior to July 2019, unemployment and sickness benefit payments were based on net amounts. Beginning in July 2019,

 that data is no longer available. Benefit payments for 2018 and 2019 have been adjusted to reflect gross amounts. 

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

Published by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
	

Bureau of the Actuary and Research