Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Railroad retirement survivor benefits, from lump-sum payments to monthly annuities
The Railroad Retirement Board administers retirement and survivor benefits for railroad workers and their families. The RRB system provides benefits similar to Social Security but with higher benefit levels for career railroad employees. When a railroad worker or retiree dies, the RRB processes survivor annuities, lump sum death benefits, and residual payments.
Notifying the RRB when someone dies
A family member reports the death. RRB's page on what to do after a death →
Executors and next of kin
- •Have the caller's name and daytime phone number, the RRB claim number or the deceased's Social Security number, the employee's name and the exact date of death
- •Or write to or visit any field office, calling ahead for an appointment
Surviving spouses, children and parents
- •Widow or widower: Form AA-17, or Form AA-18 to apply for the employee's children too
- •Child: Form AA-19, or Form AA-19s for a full-time student age 18-19
- •Dependent parent: Form AA-20
- •Survivor choosing the residual lump sum instead of monthly benefits: Form G-126
- •Proof of death: a certified copy of the death certificate, Form G-273a, SSA-721 or SSA-2872, or a coroner's report
- •Proof of marriage for a surviving spouse; a marriage license is not accepted
- •Proof of the survivor's age from a record made more than 5 years before applying, and birth certificates or other proof of relationship
- •Bank account details for direct deposit
Required Documents
- Proof of death: A certified copy of the death certificate, a signed statement of death by the funeral director on RRB Form G-273a or SSA Form SSA-721 or SSA-2872, or a coroner's report or verdict.
- The deceased's Social Security number
- RRB claim number: if available. It appears on annuity statements and RRB correspondence. Without it, the RRB can look it up using the deceased's Social Security number.
- Marriage certificate: for a surviving spouse. A marriage license is not acceptable proof of marriage.
- Birth certificates or other proof of relationship: for a child's, parent's or grandchild's claim
- Proof of the survivor's age: Based on a record established more than 5 years before the application date.
- Bank account information: For direct deposit.
Timeline
A survivor annuity is paid or decided within 35 days of the date the RRB receives notice of the employee's death. A lump-sum death payment is decided in about 65 days.
Deadlines1
- Application for the lump-sum death benefit
within 2 years of the employee's death1
What RRB pays or provides to survivors7
- Widow/Widower Annuity
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
A monthly annuity for the surviving spouse of an employee with at least 10 years of railroad service, or 5 years after 1995, and a current connection with the railroad industry. Aged widow(er)s on the rolls and eligible for the January 2026 cost-of-living increase averaged $2,109 a month.2, 3, 4, 1, 5
Who qualifies: Surviving spouse age 60 or older, 50 to 59 if disabled, or any age under a mother's or father's annuity while caring for the employee's child under 18 or disabled before 22. Generally married to the employee at least 9 full months before the death.
Amount: Tier I: a 100% share of the Social Security-equivalent amount. Tier II: 50% of the employee's tier II amount, subject to the minimum guarantee. Fiscal year 2025 awards averaged $2,949 a month.
How to apply: File Form AA-17 with an RRB field office in person, by telephone or by mail, or Form AA-18 to apply for yourself and the employee's children. Form AA-17.
- Widow's Initial Minimum Amount (WIMA) Guarantee
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
Added by December 2001 legislation, it provides an additional amount, initially set at 50% of the employee's tier II, so the widow(er)'s annuity is at least the two-tier benefit the employee would have received at the time of the award, minus applicable reductions.2, 3
- Children's Survivor Annuity
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
A monthly annuity for an unmarried child of a deceased railroad employee who is under 18, 18 or 19 in full-time elementary or secondary school or approved home schooling, or 18 or over and permanently disabled before 22.2, 3, 4, 1, 6
Who qualifies: Unmarried children under 18; students 18 to 19 in full-time elementary or secondary school, paid to 19 or the end of the school term in progress; children disabled before 22; dependent grandchildren whose parents are deceased or disabled.
Amount: Tier I: a 75% share of the Social Security-equivalent amount. Tier II: 15% of the employee's tier II amount. Children received $1,984 a month on average in fiscal year 2025.
How to apply: File Form AA-19 with an RRB field office, or Form AA-18 when a widow(er) applies for themselves and the children. Form AA-19s is for a full-time student 18 or 19; Form AA-19a supplements a claim resting on disability. Form AA-19.
- Lump Sum Death Benefit
Lump-sum death payment
A one-time payment to help defray the employee's burial expenses, payable only when no survivor is immediately eligible for a monthly annuity in the month of death. The 1937 Act lump sum applies with 120 months of railroad service before 1975, the 1981 Amendment lump sum without them.2, 7, 1
Who qualifies: The employee had 10 years of railroad service, or 5 years after 1995 with Social Security insured status, plus a current connection: railroad work in at least 12 of the 30 months before the annuity begins or before the month of death.
Amount: $180 to $1,400 under the 1937 Act, based on the employee's earnings; $255 under the 1981 Amendment. In fiscal year 2025, 1937 Act lump sums averaged $1,039 and all lump sums $937.
How to apply: File Form AA-21 with an RRB field office within 2 years after the employee's death. Form G-273a is also required when the funeral home is filing or is to be paid directly. Form AA-21.
- Deferred Lump-Sum Benefit
Lump-sum death payment
A deferred lump sum can be payable to a widow(er) who was eligible for monthly benefits but did not actually receive at least the lump-sum amount in the 12 months beginning with the month of death.2
- Residual Lump Sum
Lump-sum death payment
Makes sure a railroad family receives at least as much in benefits as the employee paid in railroad retirement taxes before 1975 (tax years 1937 through 1974). It is seldom payable, and there is no time limit on filing for it.2, 8
Who qualifies: Paid in order: a beneficiary the employee designated with the RRB; otherwise the widow(er) living with the employee at death; otherwise children, grandchildren, parents, or brothers and sisters; otherwise the employee's estate.
Amount: The employee's pre-1975 railroad retirement taxes, less any benefits already paid on the employee's record. In most cases no residual lump sum is payable.
How to apply: File Form AA-21 with an RRB field office. A survivor who could receive monthly benefits also files Form G-126, electing the residual payment instead of future monthly benefits. Form AA-21.
- Dependent Parent Annuity
Monthly survivor benefit or annuity
A monthly annuity for a parent of the deceased employee who is at least 60 and was receiving at least one-half of their support from the employee. Tier II is not payable if a widow(er), surviving divorced spouse or child is entitled or potentially entitled to an annuity, or if the parent has remarried.2, 3, 6
Who qualifies: Natural parent, qualifying stepparent, or adoptive parent, age 60 or older, who was receiving at least one-half support from the employee before the employee died.
Amount: Tier I: an 82.5% share of the Social Security-equivalent amount, both parents combined capped at 150% of the full tier I amount. Tier II: 35% of the employee's tier II amount when payable.
How to apply: File Form AA-20 with an RRB field office; if two parents file, each completes a separate application. Form AA-20.
What happens to each matter1
- Benefit payments
An annuity is not payable for any day in the month in which the annuitant dies, however late in the month the death occurs, and there is no provision for prorating the payment.9
The RRB receives monthly death-report files from Social Security and CMS for computer matching. The match sends a verification letter and, if there is no reply, suspends payments 30 days later.10
What RRB's rules say10
- Who qualifies, across benefits
A current connection, once established when an annuity begins, is never lost whatever work follows. Work for certain federal agencies (the Department of Transportation, the Transportation Security Administration and the RRB itself) and self-employment in an unincorporated business do not break one.11
- Who reports the death
An RRB field office should be notified immediately when a railroad retirement or survivor annuitant dies. You may call, visit or write to any RRB office; in most cases the report can be handled entirely by telephone, and no office visit is required.12, 13
Reporting the death to Social Security does not report it to the RRB: the monthly death match does not start a survivor claim or prevent an overpayment in the meantime. Report the death to an RRB field office directly and immediately.10
- Payments received after the death
Annuity payments received for the month of death or later must be returned. It is against the law to cash an annuity check issued to a person who has died; return it to the RRB or to the Treasury Department address on the envelope.9
For direct deposits received after the death, the financial institution is required to return them to the Treasury Department at once.9
- Overpayment recovery
Because no annuity is payable for the month of death, the sooner the RRB is notified the less chance there is of payments continuing and an overpayment accruing.9
- Offsets between benefits
A surviving spouse cannot receive both a full railroad retirement survivor annuity and a full Social Security benefit. Tier I, computed with Social Security formulas on combined railroad and Social Security credits, is reduced by any Social Security benefit; tier II is not.11, 3
- Remarriage
Tier II is not payable to a surviving divorced spouse, a remarried widow(er), or a divorced mother or father.3
- Order of beneficiaries or payees
The $255 1981 Amendment lump sum is payable only to a widow(er) living in the same household at death. The 1937 Act lump sum goes to the living-with widow(er), or else may be paid to the funeral home or the person who paid the burial expenses.7
- Processing and payment
RRB survivor applications are taken by field office staff in person, by telephone or by mail.11
Survivor annuity applications have their own retroactivity limits: one year for disabled widow(er)s and six months for full retirement age widow(er)s, mothers and fathers, children, and parents.11
- What the agency does and does not handle
Railroad retirement is a separate federal program administered by the Railroad Retirement Board. It generally pays career railroad workers higher benefits than Social Security, and railroad workers pay railroad retirement taxes instead of Social Security taxes.14
Forms RRB issues10
- AA-17: Widow's or widower's insurance annuity application
A surviving spouse applies for a widow's or widower's annuity; Form AA-18 is used instead to apply for the employee's children too.6
Completed by the surviving spouse.
- AA-17b: Disabled widow(er) supplement
Supplements the widow's or widower's application of a disabled widow(er).6
Completed by the surviving spouse.
- AA-18: Widow(er) and children annuity application
A surviving widow or widower applies for both themselves and the employee's children.6
Completed by the surviving spouse.
- AA-19: Child's insurance annuity application
Applies for a child's annuity on the deceased employee's record.6
- AA-19s: Student application
Used for a full-time student age 18-19.6
- AA-19a: Disability supplement
Supplements the application when the child's entitlement rests on disability.6
- AA-20: Parent's insurance annuity application
A dependent parent applies for a parent's annuity; if two parents file, each completes a separate application.6
Completed by the dependent parent.
- AA-21: Lump-sum death payment and residual lump sum application
Claims the lump-sum death payment, the residual lump sum or annuities unpaid at death; the lump-sum death benefit must be applied for within 2 years of the death.6
- G-273a: Funeral Director's Statement of Burial Charges
Required for a lump-sum claim when the funeral home is filing or is to be paid directly. The funeral director's signed statement of death on it is also accepted as proof of death.2, 4
Completed by the funeral director.
- G-126: Election of the residual lump sum
A survivor who could receive monthly benefits elects the residual payment instead of future monthly benefits.2
Other agencies and offices involved1
- Social Security Administration
Survivor benefits when the deceased employee was not insured under the Railroad Retirement Act14, 15
Not in RRB's published guidance2
- Downloadable survivor annuity applications
- An average amount for a dependent parent's annuity
Sources15
- 1.IB-2 (2026)
- 2.Types of Survivor Benefits
- 3.How Your Monthly Survivor Annuity is Computed
- 4.RB-17, 09-25
- 5.Retirement Benefits Increase 2026 (news release)
- 6.RCM 5.1, rev. 12-19-2024
- 7.RB-21: Definition Of A Lump-Sum Death Payment
- 8.RB-21: Introduction
- 9.RB-9: Spouse or Employee Death
- 10.FOM1 145
- 11.Survivor benefits
- 12.Reporting Events (news release)
- 13.RB-9: How to Report
- 14.General Information About Survivor Benefits
- 15.45 U.S.C. Chapter 9 (Railroad Retirement Act)
Sources
Data sourced from Railroad Retirement Board primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
RRB death reporting
Death Reporting
Phone
Hours
Website