# 2025-19930: Railroad Board Locks In 2026 Benefit Rates and Pay Caps

2025-19930, 2026 Railroad Experience Rating Proclamations, Monthly Compensation Base and Other Determinations, is a Federal Register notice from Railroad Retirement Board published 2025-11-17, effective 2026-01-01 (as of 2026-06-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-19930
- As of: 2026-06-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2025-19930
- Title: 2026 Railroad Experience Rating Proclamations, Monthly Compensation Base and Other Determinations
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Railroad Retirement Board
- Citation: 90 FR 51414
- Published: 2025-11-17
- Effective: 2026-01-01
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-08

## In one line

Railroad Board Locks In 2026 Benefit Rates and Pay Caps

## Summary

The Railroad Retirement Board is setting the rules for 2026 that affect how much railroad employers pay for unemployment and sickness benefits. These changes include new rates based on 2025 data and updated monthly pay limits that impact benefit amounts. Employers and workers should watch for key dates in late 2025 and mid-2026 when these new numbers take effect.

## Abstract

As required by the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (Act), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) hereby publishes its notice for calendar year 2026 of account balances, factors used in calculating experience-based employer contribution rates, computation of amounts related to the monthly compensation base, and the maximum daily benefit rate for days of unemployment or sickness.

## Effects PRIA read

- No Employer Surcharge in 2026: benefit, medium. Railroad employers will not pay a surcharge to the Railroad Unemployment Insurance (RUI) Account for calendar year 2026 because the RUI Account balance on June 30, 2025 was $405,304,675.36, which exceeds the indexed threshold of $173,022,369.00. The RRB states the surcharge rate for calendar year 2…
- No Pooled Credit or Charge for 2026: mixed, low. The Railroad Retirement Board determined the pooled credit ratio and the pooled charged ratio for calendar year 2026 are both zero, so no pooled credit or pooled charge will be applied in calculating employers' 2026 contribution rates.
- Monthly Compensation Base Set at $2,150: mixed, medium. The monthly compensation base for months in calendar year 2026 is set at $2,150 (effective January 1, 2026). This base is used in formulas that determine benefit eligibility and related amounts under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.
- Qualification/Disqualification Threshold: $5,375: mixed, medium. For calendar year 2026, 2.5 times the monthly compensation base equals $5,375.00; this amount is used to determine if remuneration is subsidiary, whether an employee is a "qualified employee," and the compensation required to end disqualifications under sections 1(k), 3, and 4(a-2)(i)(A) of the Act.
- Monthly Remuneration Cap for Base Year: $2,777: mixed, low. For months in calendar year 2026 the amount used to cap money remuneration in a month for base year calculations is $2,777. This figure is derived from the monthly compensation base and affects the maximum monthly pay counted toward an employee's base year compensation.
- Maximum Daily Benefit Rate: $103: benefit, medium. The Railroad Retirement Board set the maximum daily benefit rate for days of unemployment and days of sickness at $103 for registration periods beginning after June 30, 2026. This is calculated as 5 percent of the prior year's monthly compensation base and is rounded down to the nearest dollar.

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- [2026-14437](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-14437): Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 2026-07-17
- [2026-10206](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-10206): Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment, 2026-05-21
- [2026-10078](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-10078): Annuity Beginning and Ending Dates, 2026-05-20

## Sources
- [2025-19930 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/17/2025-19930/2026-railroad-experience-rating-proclamations-monthly-compensation-base-and-other-determinations)
- [2025-19930 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-17/pdf/2025-19930.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2025-19929, Notice of Receipt of Complaint; Solicitation of Comments Relating to the Public…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-19929)
- [Next: 2025-19931, Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-19931)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-19930 (as of 2026-06-08).