Quarterly Benefit Statistics

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

844 North Rush Street

Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275

www.rrb.gov

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

Average annuity amounts,

March 2021 and March 2022

 Published by Public Affairs

 and the Bureau of the Actuary and Research

August 4, 2022

Selected Current Statistics for January - March 2022

Employee

(age annuities

only)

Spouse Aged widow(er)

$3,033

$1,118

$1,876

$3,200

$1,172

$1,958

2021

2022

Employee Spouse Aged widow(er)

(awarded age annuity)
Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics 

January - March 2022

 Employee annuities

 Total1 

 Period Monthly Monthly Supple- 

 benefits beneficiaries Disability mental3 

Number in current-payment status at end of periodMarch 2022 598,382 481,911 180,731 48,071 17,720 107,382 February 2022 599,730 482,835 181,075 48,393 17,616 107,789 January 2022 600,504 483,295 181,127 48,403 17,783 108,114 Average amount in current-payment status at end of periodMarch 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,199.89 $2,820.48 $3,086.40 $41.49 February 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,196.66 2,818.27 3,083.80 41.49 January 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,193.42 2,815.88 3,082.14 41.50 Number awarded during periodMarch 2022 2,046 1,940 505 . . . . . . . . 151 106 February 2022 2,127 2,005 529 . . . . . . . . 94 122 January 2022 2,346 2,180 643 . . . . . . . . 93 166 10/21 - 3/22 12,133 11,439 3,127 . . . . . . . . 719 694 10/20 - 3/21 12,785 11,799 3,167 . . . . . . . . 795 986 Average amount awarded during period4

March 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,244.59 . . . . . . . . $3,356.36 $38.26 February 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,136.79 . . . . . . . . 3,138.76 38.22 January 2022 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,147.67 . . . . . . . . 3,331.14 37.65 Benefit payments during period (thousands)5March 2022 $1,130,555 . . . . . . . . $579,566 $135,922 $60,737 $4,506 February 2022 1,130,763 . . . . . . . . 580,391 136,984 59,110 4,516 January 2022 1,131,659 . . . . . . . . 581,323 137,136 59,079 4,541 10/21 - 3/22 6,668,149 . . . . . . . . 3,413,210 802,357 353,956 27,290 10/20 - 3/21 6,575,004 . . . . . . . . 3,348,823 777,254 376,707 28,242 

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 periodMarch 2022 76,095 2,965 566 2,339 9,714 7,548 . . . . . . . . February 2022 76,230 2,968 554 2,354 9,706 7,529 . . . . . . . . January 2022 76,280 2,979 540 2,354 9,673 7,508 . . . . . . . . Average amount in current-payment status at end of periodMarch 2022 $1,957.58 $1,524.15 $2,092.75 $1,303.50 $1,325.28 $1,325.24 . . . . . . . . February 2022 1,952.55 1,524.38 2,085.44 1,302.02 1,322.37 1,320.75 . . . . . . . . January 2022 1,946.20 1,523.50 2,065.85 1,299.75 1,317.44 1,318.17 . . . . . . . . Number awarded during periodMarch 2022 489 4 12 8 74 44 191 February 2022 650 6 10 7 88 41 180 January 2022 527 1 14 6 70 42 159 10/21 - 3/22 2,977 20 85 34 400 280 911 10/20 - 3/21 3,195 32 58 49 366 249 998 Average amount awarded during period4March 2022 $2,432.83 $1,747.97 $1,737.85 $1,038.88 $1,238.67 $1,615.91 $901 February 2022 2,434.08 1,869.65 1,435.21 803.14 1,571.21 1,804.58 859 January 2022 2,547.94 1,419.08 2,080.94 1,619.33 1,352.60 1,875.69 860 Benefit payments during period (thousands)5March 2022 $148,797 $4,668 $1,277 $3,055 $13,063 $10,579 $186 February 2022 148,938 4,751 1,184 3,074 13,094 10,275 162 January 2022 148,907 4,600 1,336 3,076 12,945 10,514 145 10/21 - 3/22 888,434 27,696 7,724 17,968 75,797 60,432 833 10/20 - 3/21 881,516 28,237 7,242 18,362 70,968 59,858 926 

Table 1: Retirement and Survivor Programs, Benefit Statistics

January - March 2022 -- 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 c

pending 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 in

benefits, 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

January - March 2022 (In thousands)

Cash Basis

Item March

2022

February

2022

January

2022

October 2021 -

March 2022

October 2020 -

March 2021

SOCIAL SECURITY EQUIVALENT BENEFIT ACCOUNT

Income

 Payroll taxes1 $254,868 $281,839 $257,733 $1,538,103 $1,157,314 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83,000 181,000 137,000 

 Financial interchange advances3 411,907 328,605 430,295 2,362,173 2,619,761 

 RRB-SSA financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Interest on investments4 2,054 2,297 2,067 11,381 10,320 

Outgo

 Benefit payments $660,623 $657,367 $660,624 $3,852,175 $3,768,046 

 Repayment of financial interchange advances3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 RRB-CMS financial interchange transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Transfer to Railroad Retirement Account5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Administrative expenses 1,445 1,066 1,866 10,169 12,003 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 146 107 187 1,022 1,103 

RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

Income

 Payroll taxes1 $314,789 $342,500 $305,574 $1,665,801 $1,397,442 

 Income tax transfers2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107,000 213,000 254,000 

 Reimbursements for payment of SSA benefits 183,849 182,998 184,891 1,066,667 1,012,892 

 Transfers from National RR Investment Trust5 170,000 109,000 249,000 783,000 1,622,000 

 Transfer from SSEB Account5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

 Loan Repayments from RUIA . . . . . . . . 37,000 . . . . . . . . 37,000 . . . . . . . . 

 Interest on investments4 1,276 1,425 1,067 7,571 5,122 

Outgo

 Benefit payments $469,169 $472,619 $470,233 $2,811,134 $2,800,972 

 Payments of SSA benefits 183,623 183,000 184,023 1,065,462 1,012,213 

 Loans to Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80,000 

 Administrative expenses 6,953 6,245 6,532 38,868 41,133 

 Funding for Office of Inspector General 704 628 656 3,910 3,794 

Cash and investment balance at end of period6 $27,983,443 $27,829,145 $28,286,233 $27,983,443 $27,193,425 

DUAL BENEFITS PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 7

Vested dual benefit payments $762 $777 $802 $4,840 $5,986 

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 6Source: National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust. 7Total 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 2021 and 

2022 was $13.0 and $11.0 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

January - March 2022

Normal benefit accounts Beneficiaries

Period

Applications

received Opened Exhausted Total

Normal

benefits

Unemployment1

March 2022 418 236 325 2,051 1,731 February 2022 398 336 178 2,269 1,999 January 2022 896 346 547 2,646 2,621 7/21 - 3/22 9,756 5,057 1,342 6,019 5,839 7/20 - 3/21 22,696 20,196 4,461 22,603 22,427 

Sickness

March 2022 1,370 986 338 5,066 3,988 February 2022 1,573 870 491 5,140 4,342 January 2022 2,092 973 1,180 5,651 5,564 7/21 - 3/22 21,551 12,593 2,447 16,578 16,379 7/20 - 3/21 28,940 13,346 2,808 20,464 20,317 

Number of payments Averages1

Period Total

Normal

benefits

Extended

benefits

Benefit

days

Benefit

per week2

Unemployment

March 2022 4,686 3,784 902 9.0 $401.50 February 2022 4,370 3,786 584 9.3 399.30 January 2022 5,355 5,072 283 9.1 403.90 7/21 - 3/22 43,064 39,696 3,368 9.2 403.15 7/20 - 3/21 166,799 160,658 6,141 8.6 381.55 

Sickness

March 2022 12,418 9,302 3,116 9.0 $405.15 February 2022 10,214 8,314 1,900 8.8 405.30 January 2022 12,021 11,209 812 8.9 405.45 7/21 - 3/22 103,984 94,857 9,127 8.6 406.50 7/20 - 3/21 109,200 100,277 8,923 7.8 383.15 

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 pe 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 a 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 6.6% under sequestration for days of unemplo

 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  January 3, 2021, the Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act (CARWA) of 2020 temporarily suspended sequestration until 30 days after a Presidential declaration of an end  emergency concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. 

NOTE .--Additional unemployment and sickness benefits were also paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act). CARWA and the A

Act of 2021 (ARPA) reduced the enhanced benefit payments from $1,200 to $600 per registration period while extending all benefits through registration periods beginning SepteGENERAL NOTES .--An unemployment claimant files only one APPLICATION for a benefit year. A sickness claimant files an APPLICATION at the beginning of each period of c

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 unem

are counted only once in the total for each type.Special Extended Unemployment Benefits and Enhanced Benefits were paid to unemployment beneficiaries, and Waived Waiting Period Benefits were paid to unemployment anbeneficiaries, as follows: -- In January 2022, $0.01M to fewer than 10 beneficiaries, $0.01M to 10 beneficiaries, and less than $300 to fewer than 10 unemployment and $0.01M to 20 sickness beneficiar -- In February 2022, $0.01M to 10 beneficiaries, $0.03 to 30 beneficiaries, and less than $300 to fewer than 10 unemployment and $2,000 to 10 sickness beneficiaries. -- In March 2022, $0.03M to 20 beneficiaries, $0.01M to 10 beneficiaries, and $1,000 to fewer than 10 unemployment and $3,000 to 10 sickness beneficiaries.
Table 4: Benefits and Beneficiaries -- March 2022 

RETIREMENT - SURVIVOR

Total benefit payments - cash basis (unaudited)1 $1,130,555,000

 Regular and Supplemental benefits 1,129,793,000

 Vested dual benefits 762,000

Number Average

Total benefits being paid at end of month 598,000 . . . . . . .

 Retired employees':

 Regular 247,000 $3,118

 Supplemental 107,000 41

 Spouses' and divorced spouses' 143,000 1,158

 Aged widows' and widowers' 76,000 1,958

 Other benefits 26,000 1,264

Total beneficiaries being paid at end of month 482,000 . . . . . . .

UNEMPLOYMENT - SICKNESS

 Unemployment Sickness

Gross benefit payments1 $3,409,000 $8,778,000

Beneficiaries 2,100 5,100

Average payment per week1 $402 $405

1 In accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended, amounts reflect a reduction of 5.9% 

under sequestration for days of unemployment and sickness after September 30, 2019, 5.7% for days after September 30, 2020, and 

before January 3, 2021. Beginning January 3, 2021, the Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act (CARWA) of 2020 temporarily 

suspended sequestration until 30 days after a Presidential declaration of an end to the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

NOTE.--Additional unemployment and sickness benefits were also paid under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security 

(CARES) Act of 2020. The Continued Assistance to Rail Workers Act of 2020 (CARWA) and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 

(ARPA) reduced the enhanced benefit payments from $1,200 to $600 per registration period while extending all benefits through

registration periods beginning September 6, 2021. In March 2022, the gross amount paid was less than $0.04 million.