I have 25 years with the railroad. But before I came to the railroad I have 17 years with Social Security. Is it best that I draw my Social Security and then wait until I reach the age of 67 to get my full benefits from the Railroad RRB

Hi. My expertise is limited to Social Security (SS) benefits, not Railroad Retirement (RR) benefits. The extent of my knowledge about RR benefits is that if you claim both SS & RR benefits, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will offset your Tier 1 RR benefits dollar for dollar by the amount of your SS benefit.

I know that if you start collecting RR benefits early it wouldn't affect your SS benefit options. Your SS retirement benefit rate would continue to increase until you reach age 70 if you wait until then to claim your SS benefits, even if you start collecting RR benefits prior to then. However, you'll need to check with the RRB to determine your best strategy for claiming your RR benefits.

Best, Jerry