I am vested with Railroad Retirement with 13 years of service, but quit years ago. I have paid into social security for the remainder of my career. I am filing for early retirement and am very confused as to whether to apply for my RR benefits or go with SS. I will be 62 in Dec.

Hi,

You don't necessarily need to apply for both Railroad Retirement (RR) benefits and Social Security (SS) benefits at the same time. For example, you could file for RR benefits whenever you're first eligible and allow your Social Security benefits to grow until age 70. I have no idea whether or not that would be advantageous in your case, however.

What I can tell you is that if and when you file for both RR and SS benefits, what you will receive is a) the higher of your RR Tier 1 rate or your SS rate, plus b) any Tier 2 RR benefits for which you qualify. RR's Tier 1 benefit is essentially a substitute for SS benefits, so you can't receive a full RR Tier 1 benefit and SS benefits at the same time.

Our software can help you with your Social Security benefit options, but it is not programmed to handle RR benefits. You will need to contact the Railroad Retirement Board to investigate your options with regard to RR benefits.

Best, Jerry