[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 20, Volume 1]

[Revised as of April 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 20CFR226.50]



[Page 461-462]

 

                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS

 

                  CHAPTER II--RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD

 

PART 226_COMPUTING EMPLOYEE, SPOUSE, AND DIVORCED SPOUSE ANNUITIES

--Table of Contents

 

              Subpart D_Railroad Retirement Family Maximum

 

Sec.  226.50  General.





    There is a monthly ceiling on total family benefits which limits the 

amount of certain portions of the employee and spouse annuity. This 

railroad retirement family maximum amount varies according to the 

employee's earnings in the ten-year period



[[Page 462]]



that ends with the year in which his or her annuity begins. If the 

employee and spouse annuity amounts described in Sec.  226.52 of this 

part are higher than the maximum from Sec.  226.51 of this part, first 

the spouse tier II, then the supplemental annuity and, finally, the 

employee tier II are reduced until the total annuity amount is equal to 

the maximum or until the spouse tier II and the employee supplemental 

annuity and tier II have been reduced to zero, whichever comes first. 

The reduction for the railroad retirement family maximum is first 

computed from the date the employee's annuity begins. It is recomputed 

if the employee's tier II rate is reduced for entitlement to a vested 

dual benefit. It is also recomputed if a workers' compensation or other 

disability benefit begins or ends, or the employee's tier I benefit or 

supplemental annuity begins after the beginning date of the regular 

employee annuity. Finally, it is recomputed if a spouse who was entitled 

to an annuity divorces the employee or the spouse annuity entitlement 

ends.