Railroad Bosses: Weigh In on Your Pay Reporting Forms Now
Published Date: 1/21/2026
Notice
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board is asking for public feedback on forms railroad employers use to report employee work and pay info. These updates help make sure benefits are paid right and paperwork isn’t too heavy. If you’re a railroad employer, you’ve got 30 days to share your thoughts before the changes get reviewed by the budget office.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
Survivor Questionnaire for Death Benefits
If a railroad employee or survivor dies, the RRB may ask surviving relatives to complete Form RL-94-F to decide if lump-sum death benefits, residual payments, accrued annuities, or monthly survivor payments are payable. The RRB estimates 5,450 annual responses to RL-94-F with a total burden of about 959 hours.
Railroad Employer Reporting Requirement
If you are a railroad employer, federal law requires you to report employee service and compensation to the Railroad Retirement Board using forms such as AA-12, G-88A.1, G-88A.2, and BA-6a. The RRB estimates the Employer Reporting collection will receive 2,630 responses annually and impose about 357 total burden hours.
New-Hire Home Address Reporting Duty
20 CFR 209.12(b) requires railroad employers to provide the home addresses of employees hired within the last year (new-hires). The RRB uses Form BA-6a (paper, internet, or email/CD-ROM options) when employers do not have computerized address files; the BA-6a entries in the ICR show multiple response modes and estimated burdens for paper and electronic submission.
Medicare Part B Claim Form Requirement
If you are covered by the Railroad Retirement System and need Part B Medicare payments, you (or providers) must submit Form G-740S and CMS-1500 so Palmetto GBA can pay claims; completion is required to obtain the benefit. The ICR reports one annual G-740S response with an estimated 1 hour burden.
Deemed Service Month Reporting by Employers
Under Section 3(i) of the Railroad Retirement Act, the RRB may credit additional 'deemed' months of service and uses Form GL-99 to get employer information needed to decide this. The ICR estimates 2,000 annual GL-99 responses with about 67 burden hours.
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Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
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.
2026-06685 — Actuarial Advisory Committee With Respect to the Railroad Retirement Account; Notice of Public Meeting
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2025-23137 — Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching Program (Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration, Match Number 1007)
Starting January 16, 2026, the Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration will team up to share info and make sure benefits are paid right. This new computer matching program helps both agencies check records to prevent mistakes or fraud. It runs for 18 months, with a chance to extend, and affects anyone getting railroad or Social Security benefits.
2025-22996 — Proposed Collection; Comment Request
The Railroad Retirement Board wants your thoughts on their paperwork that helps prove marriage for spouse or widow(er) benefits. If you’re applying, you might fill out forms about your marriage status, but no changes to these forms are planned. They’re asking for comments now to make sure the process is clear and not too much work, with no extra costs or delays expected.
2025-17981 — Proposed Collection; Comment Request
The Railroad Retirement Board is asking for public feedback on their forms used to apply for survivor death benefits after a railroad worker passes away. They’re keeping most forms the same but updating one form to clarify who should be listed for prearranged funeral payments. If you’re involved in filing these benefits, now’s the time to share your thoughts—no cost changes, just clearer instructions!
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