AESOP

Our Annuity Estimates Operation, commonly referred to as "AESOP", provides employers with annually updated annuity estimates for their employees who meet the minimum service requirements for annuities under the Railroad Retirement Act. The estimates are based on the employees' cumulative railroad service and compensation through the previous calendar year and assume current year eligibility for an annuity. The estimates exclude creditable military service and are based on the date of birth shown on Form BA-6 , Certificate of Service Months and Compensation. If the employee's actual date of birth differs from the date shown on Form BA-6, the annuity estimate may be inaccurate.

Purpose

AESOP is intended for those employers that need RRB annuity estimate information to administer their private pension plans or for other actuarial or budgetary planning purposes. AESOP information should be kept private and secure and be used only for authorized purposes.

Annual Estimate Reports

The annual estimates are released in a report format in early August. The reports are available on paper listings, floppy disks or CD-Rom. They are sent to the person designated by the employer as the "AESOP" contact official on Form G-117a, Designation of Contact Official.

Requesting an AESOP Report

Employer participation in this operation is voluntary. Employers who wish to receive an "AESOP" report should direct their request in writing to the Chief of Compensation and Employer Services. Requests received by June 1 will be included in the current year's estimate operation. Requests received after June 1 will be held until the following year.

Individual Employee Estimates

Individual annuity estimates are always available to employees through the local field offices of the Railroad Retirement Board. The field offices use the Railroad Estimated Annuity Program (REAP) that can accurately provide estimates for individual cases. Please do not refer individuals to the Chief of Compensation and Employer Services or the Quality Reporting Service Center for annuity estimates. Employees can also acquire an estimate through the RRB Benefit Online Services.