Do railroad workers get a pension?

The Railroad Retirement Act is a Federal law that provides retirement and disability annuities for qualified railroad employees, spouse annuities for their wives or husbands, and survivor benefits for the families of deceased employees who were insured under the Act.



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The monthly exempt amount for the first year of retirement in 2023 is $1,770. Exempt Amounts for Annual Earnings Test for Full Retirement Age Annuitants: In 2023, the annual exempt amount for full retirement age annuitants is $56,520. The monthly exempt amount for the first year of retirement in 2023 is $4,710.

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The railroad retirement system also provides, under certain conditions, a residual lump-sum death benefit which ensures that a railroad family receives at least as much in benefits as the employee paid in railroad retirement taxes before 1975.

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It is important to note that once you establish a current connection at the time your railroad retirement annuity begins, you never lose it, no matter what work you may perform thereafter.

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Workers can receive full retirement benefits at age 60 with 30 years of service. The RRB also pays benefits to family members and survivors of railroad workers. In order to qualify for railroad unemployment or sickness benefits, an employee must have had earnings of at least $3,325 in 2011 or $3,412.50 in 2012.

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U.S. Railroad Retirement Board While railroad employees with less than 30 years of service may retire at age 62, their railroad retirement benefits are subject to early retirement (“age”) reductions if they retire before attaining their full retirement age.

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For years, freight rail workers weren't allowed to call in sick the morning of their shift. They could, however, get approval weeks in advance to take paid personal days. CSX was the first to grant paid sick days to several of its unions and has now granted sick days to 61% of its 17,089 unionized employees.

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