Railroad Board Seeks Input on Employer Pay Reporting Forms
Published Date: 11/21/2025
Notice
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board wants your thoughts on how they collect important work and pay info from railroad employers. They’re checking if the current forms and process work well or need tweaks to make things easier and clearer. This helps make sure railroad workers and their families get the right benefits on time, with no extra hassle or cost.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Mandatory Employer Reporting Forms
If you are a railroad employer, you must submit mandatory reports of employee service and compensation using Forms AA-12, G-88A.1 (or internet), G-88A.2 (or internet), and BA-6a when required. The RRB estimates these employer-reporting items will result in a total of 2,630 annual responses and about 357 burden hours across respondents each year.
New-Hire Address Requirement (BA-6a)
Railroad employers must provide home addresses for all employees hired within the last year under 20 CFR 209.12(b), using Form BA-6a if needed. The notice lists multiple BA-6a submission types with estimated annual response counts (for example, BA-6a Internet (RR initiated) 250 responses with 71 burden hours and BA-6a Paper (RRB initiated) 250 responses with 133 burden hours).
Survivor Questionnaire for Death Benefits
When the RRB learns of a railroad employee's death, surviving relatives may be asked to complete the voluntary RL-94-F Survivor Questionnaire to help determine whether death benefits are payable. The RRB estimates 5,450 annual responses for RL-94-F totaling about 959 burden hours.
Medicare Part B Claim Form Requirement
Railroad retirement beneficiaries covered by Medicare must use Form G-740S (and CMS-1500) to request Medicare Part B payment; completion of the form is required to obtain the benefit for a claim. The notice lists Form G-740S with an estimated 1 annual response and associated burden.
Deemed Service Month Questionnaire (GL-99)
The RRB requires employers to complete Form GL-99 to provide information needed to determine whether an employee can be credited with additional deemed months of railroad service. The notice estimates 2,000 annual GL-99 responses totaling about 67 burden hours.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-16251, Jurisdiction Determinations
The Railroad Retirement Board amends its regulations to reflect statutory amendments granting jurisdiction to the Board to pay benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act and under Title II of the Social Security Act to railroad employees and auxiliary beneficiaries who have less than ten years of railroad service, but at least five years after 1995. The amendment also adds divorced spouses to the list of auxiliary beneficiaries to whom the Board will pay benefits in accordance with controlling law. The existing regulation is no longer consistent with the statutory criteria in the Railroad Retirement Act for jurisdictional determinations and is therefore facially unlawful.
2026-16250, Determining Disability
The Railroad Retirement Board amends its regulations to update the amount of monthly allowable earnings for a disability annuitant to reflect the formula in section 2(e)(4) of the Railroad Retirement Act. The existing regulation is no longer consistent with the statutory formula in the Railroad Retirement Act for the maximum monthly allowable earnings for a disability annuitant and is therefore facially unlawful.
2026-14437, Proposed Collection; Comment Request
The Railroad Retirement Board wants your thoughts on updates to a form used when someone quits their job and applies for unemployment benefits. They’ve made some wording clearer and added a question about efforts to fix problems before leaving work. If you’re affected, these changes might save you time and help the agency get better info—comments are open now, so don’t miss your chance to weigh in!
2026-12805, Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment
The government is raising the fines for breaking certain rules to keep up with inflation. This means anyone who faces civil penalties will see higher maximum fines starting soon. The update helps keep penalties fair and effective by adjusting the amounts to today’s dollars.
2026-10206, Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment
The Railroad Retirement Board announced that civil monetary penalties won’t go up in 2026 because the government couldn’t get the inflation data needed to adjust them. This means penalties will stay the same as in 2025, affecting anyone who might face fines under these rules. So, no surprise hikes next year—penalties hold steady, keeping things predictable!
2026-10078, Annuity Beginning and Ending Dates
If you’re a railroad worker with 30 years of service turning 60, good news! Starting June 22, 2026, you can begin your annuity without having to take a reduced monthly benefit like before. This change means more money in your pocket sooner, and it fixes old rules that didn’t match the law.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-20477, Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Water Act
Hanover Foods must pay $1.15 million and fix pollution problems at its Pennsylvania plant after breaking water safety rules. This deal settles a lawsuit by local river protectors and government agencies, making sure the company cleans up and follows the rules going forward. People have 30 days to share their thoughts on this plan before it’s final.
Next: 2025-20479, Certain Disposable Vaporizer Devices; Second Notice of Request for Submissions on the Public Interest
The U.S. International Trade Commission is asking the public and government agencies to share their thoughts on a possible ban of certain disposable vape devices that might be breaking patent rules. If the ban happens, it could stop these vapes from being sold or imported into the U.S., affecting companies and consumers. Comments are open now, so anyone interested should speak up before the Commission makes a final decision.