Ask Larry

Will I Lose A Month Or More Of Payments If I'm Receiving Railroad Benefits And I File For Social Security?

I want to change from receiving RRB Tier 1 and Tier 2, to receiving social security and Tier 2.

I'm concerned about the timing. Will I lose a month or more of payments because social security takes 2 months to pay from when I file my claim?

Hi. If you're collecting Railroad Retirement (RR) benefits and if you apply for Social Security (SS) benefits, Social Security won't pay you your benefits directly. Instead, they would certify your SS benefit to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). RRB then would make any adjustments to your RR benefits and certify both your RR and SS benefits to the U.S. Treasury Dept. for payment. As a result, there shouldn't be any interruption in the payment of your benefits, although I can't make any guarantees.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
May 24 2021 - 9:46pm
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