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U.S. Railroad Retirement Board U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

 

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Spouses with Dual Benefits

 

 

 
  1. Home
  2. Employee & Spouse Annuities
  3. Spouses with Dual Benefits
 
 
Spouses with Dual Benefits

 

Social Security Benefits

The tier I portion of a spouse annuity is reduced for any social security entitlement, regardless of whether the social security benefit is based on the spouse's own earnings, the employee's earnings or the earnings of another person. This reduction follows principles of social security law, which limit payment to the higher of any two or more benefits payable to an individual at one time.

Public Pensions

The tier I portion of a spouse annuity may also be reduced for receipt of any Federal, State, or local government pension separately payable to the spouse based on the spouse's own earnings. The reduction generally does not apply if the employment on which the pension is based was covered under the Social Security Act throughout the last 60 months of public employment.

Most military service pensions and payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs will not cause a reduction. Pensions paid by a foreign government or interstate instrumentality will also not cause a reduction. For spouses subject to the public pension reduction, the tier I reduction is equal to 2/3 of the amount of the public pension.

Employee Annuity

If both individuals in a marriage are railroad employees and both started railroad employment after 1974, the amount of any spouse or divorced spouse annuity is reduced by the amount of the employee annuity to which the spouse is also entitled.

If either one had some railroad service before 1975, the spouse tier I amount is reduced by the amount of the railroad employee tier I to which the spouse is entitled and that initial reduction is restored in the spouse tier II amount. The spouse tier I amount cannot be reduced below zero.

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U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
William O. Lipinski Federal Building
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Last updated: 08/14/2017