Railroad Retirement Benefits for Students Age 18-19 and in Secondary School

For Use With
Form G-315 and G-320

RAILROAD RETIREMENT
BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS
AGE 18-19 AND IN ELEMENTARY
OR SECONDARY SCHOOL

United States of America
Railroad Retirement Board
Visit our Web site at www.rrb.gov

Form G-316 (11-17)

OVERVIEW
Background
This booklet contains important information regarding student benefits under the Railroad
Retirement Act (RRA). We recommend that you read this booklet before you start filling
out your statements. It contains information that you will need to know to complete your
statements properly.
Why This Is Important
This booklet contains information concerning student benefits that is important to you not
only before you file your statements, but also after you file your statements. The student
benefits are monitored in September, March, and June, or prior to a terminating
event. Therefore, we suggest that you keep it handy for future reference.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I – Requirements For Student Benefits
Part I explains the general requirements for student benefits.
Employee’s Student Child
Unmarried Student
Full-Time Student
Home Schooling
Vacation Period
Month Of Graduation
Age 19 Attainment

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Part II – Student Benefit In A Special Guaranty Case
Part II contains information about student benefits in the employee’s Special Guaranty
computation
Employee’s Special Guaranty Increase
When A Student Can Be Included
Forms Needed To Include A Student In The Family Group
Independent Study And Home Schooling
One Application Concept For Special Guaranty
How A Student Benefit Is Paid
When The Special Guaranty Is No Longer Payable

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Part III – Student Survivor Annuity
Part III of this booklet contains information concerning the forms needed to apply for student survivor annuities.
Student Survivor Annuity
Forms Needed To Qualify For A Student Survivor Annuity
Independent Study And Home Schooling
One Application Concept For A Survivor Annuity
How A Student Survivor Annuity Is Paid

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OVERVIEW, Continued
Part IV – Events That Affect A Student’s Entitlement

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Part IV contains information on other benefits that cause reductions to student benefits
or cause the student to lose entitlement to all or part of those benefits
Social Security Benefit Or Other Railroad Retirement Annuity
Payments From Employers
Annual Earnings Exempt Amount
Nonrailroad Earnings In A Special Guaranty Case
Nonrailroad Earnings In A Survivor Annuity
Railroad Earnings In A Special Guaranty Case
Railroad Earnings In A Survivor Annuity
Stepchild Dependency
Terminating Events
Imprisonment Or Confinement Due To A Conviction For A Criminal Offense
Monitoring Student Entitlement

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Part V – Events That Must Be Reported To The RRB
Part V explains events that must be reported to the RRB and provides instructions for
reporting those events.
Change In School Attendance
Other Events To Be Reported
How To Report An Event
Office Hours

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References

The RRB has other booklets that can provide additional information:
Special Guaranty Computation
Booklet G-179 Special Guaranty In Employee
And Spouse Annuities
Form G-77a How Work Affects Your Railroad
Retirement Benefits

Survivor Annuity
Booklet RB-17 Survivor Annuities
Form G-77 How Earnings Affect Payment
of Survivor Annuities

Part I
Requirements For Student Benefits
Employee’s Student Child
The term “child” means the employee’s unmarried natural child, adopted child, dependent
stepchild, or, under certain conditions, grandchild whose parents are deceased or disabled. A
child age 18-19 qualifies as a student if in fulltime attendance at an elementary or secondary
school.
Unmarried Student
Students must be “unmarried.” They are unmarried if:
1. They have never been married; or,
2. They were married before the student benefit
became payable, and that marriage ended by
death, divorce, or annulment.
Full-Time Student
For Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) purposes, a
student is generally considered to be in full-time
attendance while in an elementary or secondary
school course of at least 13 weeks duration with a
minimum attendance of 20 hours per week. The
program must be in accordance with the law of
the State or other jurisdiction in which the student resides. This includes enrollment in:
1. A public, private, or religious educational
institution;
2. An independent study program administered
by the school district in which the student
resides; or,
3. An elementary or secondary home school
education.
Home Schooling
The Railroad Retirement Board follows the laws
of the state or other jurisdiction in which the
student resides. Form G-315H, Checklist for
Documentation Needed for Student Age 18-19 in
Home Schooling, lists the items that most states
require for home schooling. These include:

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1. A written notice to the superintendent of the
school district, including the name, age, and
grade level of the student, the address at
which the instruction is done, the source of
instruction materials, the basic core curriculum, the proposed schedule, and the credentials of the teacher;
2. Approval of the home schooling by the superintendent of the school district in which the
student resides;
3. A teacher with at least a high school diploma;
4. Maintenance of home school attendance records
for the school year; and,
5. Use of nationally recognized standardized
achievement tests (including reading, mathematics, language arts, science and social
studies) by the end of the school year.
Vacation Period
A student is considered to be in “deemed” fulltime attendance during vacation, or certain other
periods of non-attendance, if:
1. The period does not exceed four months;
2. The period was preceded by full-time attendance at a qualified school; and,
3. The student intends to return to school on a
full-time basis at the end of the period.
Month Of Graduation
If a student ceases full time attendance (FTA) in a
month and returns to school in the following month
to attend graduation ceremonies, the student will
be considered in FTA for the month of graduation.
However, if there is an interval of one or more
calendar months between the cessation of FTA
and graduation, the student is not entitled after
the month FTA ceases.
Age 19 Attainment
If students complete graduation requirements and
attain age 19 in the same month, they are in FTA
that month. If students then participate in their

graduation ceremonies in the following month,
the students would also be in FTA in the month
of graduation.
If students have not completed their requirements
for high school diplomas or equivalent certificates,
their student benefits normally end the first day
of the month in which they attain age 19.
An exception is made for students who are
in actual full-time attendance in the month
of attainment of age 19. If the students are
in actual full-time attendance, they will be
“deemed not to have attained age 19” until the
earlier of the first day of the first month following completion of the course or the first day of
the third month following the month in which the
students attained age 19.
Note: The exception does not apply to students
who attain age 19 during the months of summer
vacation. If the students attain age 19 during the
summer vacation months, their student benefits
end the first day of the month in which they attain
age 19.

Part II
Student Benefit In A Special
Guaranty Case
Employee’s Special Guaranty Increase
The Special Guaranty provision of the Railroad
Retirement Act (RRA) states that the total monthly
benefits payable (excluding a supplemental annuity) to the employee’s family will not be less than
the monthly amount which would have been payable under the Social Security Act (SS Act) if the
railroad employment had been covered under the
SS Act.
When A Student Can Be Included
A student can be included in the family group if the
Special Guaranty rate exceeds the regular railroad
retirement rate in the month the child becomes
entitled as a student. Otherwise, a student benefit
is not payable in a retirement case.

Forms Needed To Include A Student In The
Family Group
The following forms are available at the RRB
field office nearest you to develop the information
needed to include the student in the family group:
1. Form G-319, Statement Regarding Family
and Earnings for the Special Guaranty
Computation is required from the employee
to provide information about the child’s relationship to the employee.
2. Form G-320, Student Questionnaire for
Special Guaranty Computation is required
from the employee to obtain current information about the school attendance.
Independent Study And Home Schooling
1. If a student is enrolled at an educational
institution for less than 20 hours per week,
but participates in the school’s independent
study program, provide documentation from
the school recognizing and providing credits
for the independent study.
2. The RRB requires the documentation listed
in Part I, for home schooling cases.
One Application Concept For Special
Guaranty
A Form G-319 Statement Regarding Family and
Earnings for the Special Guaranty Computation
including minor children protects their rights to
student benefits when they attain age 18, provided there is no break in entitlement between
the month they attain age 18 and the month they
become entitled as full-time students.
Employees who have children in elementary or
high school at educational institutions, or in home
schooling, in the month their children attain
age 18, need only submit Form G-320 Student
Questionnaire for Special Guaranty Computation
to furnish the RRB with verification of the fulltime school attendance in order to include the
students in the Special Guaranty at age 18. The
RRB also requires the documentation listed in
Part I for home schooling cases.
A new Form G-319 is not needed.

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How A Student Benefit Is Paid
The benefits are not paid directly to the student.
If both the employee and the spouse are entitled
to railroad retirement annuities, the amount of
the total family benefit is divided between the
employee and spouse annuities. The employee
receives 2/3 of the family total (excluding any
divorce spouse) as the employee monthly annuity rate. The spouse receives 1/3 of the family total (excluding any divorced spouse) as the
spouse monthly annuity rate.
If there is no spouse annuitant, the total family
Special Guaranty rate (excluding any divorced
spouse) is paid to the employee as the employee
monthly annuity rate.
When The Special Guaranty Is No Longer
Payable
The Special Guaranty is not payable when the
employee annuity is not payable.
Also, the Special Guaranty may no longer be
payable when an event, which terminates the
entitlement of a family member, causes the regular railroad formula rate to exceed the Special
Guaranty rate. The student events are listed in
Part IV of this booklet.
When the Special Guaranty ends, student benefits are no longer payable in retirement cases.

Part III
Student Survivor Annuity
Student Survivor Annuity
Student annuities are payable when the students,
or their representatives, file survivor annuity
applications and the students meet the requirements in Part I.
Forms Needed To Qualify For A Student
Survivor Annuity
The following are available at the RRB field
office nearest you to develop the information
needed for the student annuity:
1. An Application for Child’s Annuity obtains
information concerning a student’s relationship to the employee. This form can be filed
through an RRB field office on Application
Express (APPLE).
2. Form G-315, Student Questionnaire is required
to obtain the dates of school attendance and
verification of the school attendance from the
school official.
Independent Study And Home Schooling
If a student is enrolled at an educational institution for less than 20 hours per week, but participates in the school’s independent study program, you need to provide documentation from
the school recognizing and providing credits for
the independent study. The RRB requires the
documentation listed in Part I for home schooling cases.
One Application Concept For A Survivor
Annuity
Benefits for minor children or students in the
retirement Special Guaranty computation do
not convert to survivor annuities upon the death
of the employee. A survivor application for a
child’s annuity is required.
Otherwise, an application for children’s annuities
filed by, or on behalf of, minor children protects
their rights to student annuities when they attain
age 18, provided there is no break in entitlement

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between the month they attain age 18 and the
month they become entitled as full-time students.
A new application for a child’s annuity is not
needed.

Part IV
Events That Affect A Student’s
Entitlement

Children who are elementary or high school
students at educational institutions, or in home
schooling, in the month they attain age 18, need
only submit Form G-315 Student Questionnaire to
furnish the RRB with verification of their full-time
attendance in order to receive student benefits at
age 18. The RRB also requires the documentation
listed in Part I for home schooling cases.

Social Security Benefits Or Other Railroad
Retirement Annuities

How A Student Survivor Annuity Is Paid
When possible, the student annuity payments
are deposited directly into the annuitant’s checking or savings account at a financial institution.
Therefore, bring one of the student’s checks with
you when you file for benefits. This will allow the
field office representative to enter the information
in our payment system and tell the student when
the direct deposit will take effect.
After a student application is processed, the
first student payment will include all back
payments that are due. This payment may
be received at any time during the month.
Payments issued after the first payment will
be paid on the first business day of each month.
The payment made at the beginning of the
month actually represents the annuity due for
the previous month.

Social security benefits or other railroad retirement annuities will reduce the student’s benefit.
1. In Special Guaranty cases, any social security
benefits or other railroad retirement benefits
that any student receives, on the employee’s
earnings record or on someone else’s earnings
record, are deducted from the increase to the
employee’s annuity based on the student
benefit; or,
2. In survivor cases, the receipt of social security benefits on a different claim number
reduces the student Tier 1 benefits. If the
student is entitled to more than one RRB
survivor annuity, only the higher of the two
annuities is payable.
Payments From Employers
A child cannot be entitled as a student if the
child’s employer asks or requires the child to
attend school and pays the child for doing so.
Annual Earnings Exempt Amount
Earnings from nonrailroad employment can affect
student benefits. The term Annual Earnings
Exempt Amount means the yearly amount of
money a student can earn from nonrailroad
employment without losing railroad retirement
benefits. (Note: This is the same as the Annual
Earnings Exempt Amount for an employee and a
survivor annuitant who has not attained their full
retirement age and will not attain their full retirement age in that year.)
Nonrailroad Earnings In A Special
Guaranty Case
When the employee’s annuity is based on
age and the employee has earnings over the
Annual Earnings Exempt Amount for the
employee’s age group, the excess is charged
against the employee benefit and the benefits

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of all others included in the family group.
Refer to Form G-77a, How Work Affects Your
Railroad Retirement Benefits, for current
Annual Earnings Exempt Amounts.
If a student has earnings over the Annual
Earnings Exempt Amount, the excess is charged
against the amount that the student benefit
increases the Special Guaranty rate only. A
student will lose up to $1 in benefits for
every $2 of earnings over the Annual Earnings
Exempt Amount. In some cases, the reduction
for earnings for one family member is offset
by an increase to the Special Guaranty benefit
computed for other family members.
If a student works outside the United States for
45 or more hours in a month and does not pay
Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) or
Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) taxes
for this work, the student’s benefit will be reduced,
regardless of the amount of money earned.
Nonrailroad Earnings In A Survivor
Annuity
If students have earnings over their Annual
Earnings Exempt Amount, the excess is charged
against the students’ annuities. Students will
lose up to $1 in benefits for every $2 of earnings
over their Annual Earnings Exempt Amount. The
reduction for earnings for students does not create an increase to the railroad retirement annuities computed for other family members. Refer
to Form G-77, How Earnings Affect Payment of
Survivor Annuities for current Annual Earnings
Exempt Amounts.
If a student works outside the United States for
45 or more hours in a month and does not pay
FICA or SECA taxes for this work, the student’s
annuity will be reduced, regardless of the amount
of money earned.
Railroad Earnings In A Special Guaranty
Case
A student who is working for a railroad may
be included in the family group for the Special
Guaranty rate, provided all other entitlement
requirements are met. When determining student earnings over the Annual Earnings Exempt
Amount from nonrailroad employment, also
include the student’s railroad compensation.

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Railroad Earnings In A Survivor Annuity
Students cannot be paid survivor annuities for
any month in which they work for a railroad or
other employer in the railroad industry.
Stepchild Dependency
Student benefits for the Special Guaranty rate
ends if a stepchild is no longer dependent on the
employee.
Terminating Events
Student benefits end when the student marries,
dies, or enters active military service.
Imprisonment Or Confinement Due To A
Conviction For A Criminal Offense
The amount of student benefits may be affected
if the student is imprisoned or under a sentence
of confinement due to a conviction for a criminal
offense.
A crime is a criminal offense if it is considered to
be a criminal offense under applicable law. Most
states define certain crimes as criminal offenses.
However, some states and foreign countries
do not classify crimes as criminal offenses. If
a crime has not been classified as a criminal
offense, it is still considered to be a criminal
offense if it is a crime punishable by death or
imprisonment for more than one year.
To be imprisoned or under a sentence of confinement means confinement to a jail, prison or
other penal institution or correctional facility.
This includes any facility, which is under the
control and jurisdiction of a penal system, or any
facility in which a person may be confined. This
also includes hospitals, institutions and halfway
houses, which are used as places of confinement.
Persons under sentence of confinement to any
of these facilities are considered confined even
though they may go outside the facility to work,
attend school or for some other reason.
Prisoners who are released on parole or because
their sentence has ended, been suspended or
overturned are no longer considered to be confined or imprisoned.

Monitoring Student Entitlement
During the year of student entitlement, student
monitoring is scheduled for September, March,
and when entitlement ends. The RRB field
office nearest you releases a monitoring Form
G-315 Student Questionnaire, or monitoring
Form G-320 Student Questionnaire for Special
Guaranty Computation, to obtain current full-time
school attendance information. This information
must be sent to the RRB within 30 days of receipt
of the monitoring form. Failure to do so may create
an overpayment of student benefits.
For home schooling, updated documentation,
such as current attendance records, updated
course of studies, current test scores and current
evaluations should also be included.

Part V
Events That Must Be Reported To
The RRB
Change In School Attendance
Students must notify the nearest office of the
RRB immediately when any of the following
events occur:
1. Students change schools;
2. Students complete the requirements for a
secondary school diploma;
3. Students reduce school attendance to less
than full-time or less than 20 hours per week;
4. Students stop attending school and do not
intend to resume full-time attendance within
the next four months; or
5. Students start attending school that will be
paid for by an employer.

3. Earn over their Annual Earnings Exempt
Amount;
4. File for, or receive, social security benefits or
another railroad retirement annuity; or
5. Change their address.
How To Report An Event

You can locate the nearest RRB office by calling
877-772-5772 or by visiting our Web site at www.
rrb.gov. You can also send a secure message at
our Web site.
When you report an event, be sure to include all
of the following:
1. The student’s railroad retirement claim
number;
2. The railroad employee’s name and the
student’s name;
3. Your daytime telephone number;
4. A clear explanation of what event you are
reporting;
5. The exact date (month, day, year) of the
event; and,
6. If you are reporting work, include the name
of the employer and the estimated earnings
for the year.
When reporting a change of address, include
the new address, the old address, and the date
the student will start receiving mail at the new
address.
Office Hours
If you wish, you may also call or visit any RRB field
office. Office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday. If
you plan on visiting an RRB office, please call for
an appointment so that we can better serve you.

Other Events To Be Reported
Notify the nearest office of the RRB if the students:
Marry, die, are adopted, or enter military
service;
2. Are stepchildren in a Special Guaranty rate
case who are no longer dependent upon the
employee;
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NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
regulations, no qualified person may be discriminated against on the basis of disability. RRB
programs and activities must be accessible to all qualified applicants and beneficiaries, including those with impaired vision and/or hearing. Individuals with disabilities needing assistance (including auxiliary aids or program information in accessible formats) should contact
the nearest RRB office.
Complaints of alleged discrimination by the RRB on the basis of disability must be filed within
90 days in writing with the
Director of Administration
Railroad Retirement Board
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275
Questions about individual rights under this regulation may be directed to the RRB’s Director
of Equal Opportunity at the same address shown above.

FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE HOT LINE
The RRB’s Office of Inspector General established its Hotline as a public service. The Hotline
provides individuals with a means to report or discuss any suspected misconduct relating to the
RRB, its programs or employees.
If you believe a doctor, hospital, or other health care provider is billing Medicare for services
not provided or for unnecessary medical procedures or supplies; someone is illegally receiving
RRB benefits; or you wish to report or discuss any other suspected misconduct relating to the
RRB, its programs or employees, please contact the Office of Inspector General at:
Toll-Free Hotline: 1-800-772-4258
U.S. Mail: RRB-OIG Hotline Officer
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275
Fax: 312-751-4342
Email: hotline@oig.rrb.gov
Please review the RRB’s email notice and Internet privacy policy at www.rrb.gov before
submitting information online.
Note: Please do not contact the Office of Inspector General’s Hotline with questions regarding
benefit eligibility requirements, delayed payments or similar problems. These types of matters
should be directed to an RRB office.