The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025, will end two statutory reductions for railroad retirees, their spouses, and survivors who are receiving public pensions from work not covered by social security. The repeal of these provisions means that individuals who were previously affected by these reductions will retroactively have their full tier-I benefit amount restored for months after December 2023, the effective date of the repeal, and for future monthly benefit payments. Full details are available in this RRB press release.
The RRB said it will need to make significant programming changes to implement this new law, which will delay calculation and payment of any retroactive amounts, as well as calculations on new annuity applications. Annuitants should monitor the RRB website for information on progress related to implementation. No action is required by those affected by this law unless they have moved or changed banking information, in which case they can report the new information by calling the RRB’s toll-free number at (877) 772-5772.