Full question: I am a surviving spouse receiving Railroad Retirement (RR) annuity. I plan on taking my own Social Security next year. Does the entire tier 1 go away? My total is more than tier 1. Thank you!

Hi there,

Thank you for your question about railroad survivor annuities and Social Security benefits.

The tier I portion of the railroad annuity will be reduced by the amount of your Social Security benefit. This reduction follows Social Security law which limits payment to the higher of any two or more benefits payable to an individual at one time.

When both railroad retirement annuities and Social Security benefits are payable, they are generally combined into a single payment issued through the RRB.

If you would like to speak directly with an RSSA and get more personalized support, schedule a call here.

All the best,
Martha

 

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