Will My Wife Lose Her Railroad Retirement Spousal Annuity When I Go Back to Work?

Mailbag: Will My Spouse Lose Her Spousal Annuity If I Go Back to Work After Retiring?

Welcome back to another edition of the Highball Advisors Railroad Retirement Mailbag! I’m John McNamara of Highball Advisors, and today’s question comes in from Frank Mozz. It’s a great one that touches on some important distinctions in the Railroad Retirement system.

Frank asks:

“Once both my spouse and I are receiving Railroad Retirement, if I go back to work in a non-railroad job, will my spouse lose her spousal annuity? In other words, does going back to work affect my current connection or her benefits?”

Let’s unpack that.

There are really two separate issues being asked here:

Does your spouse lose her spousal annuity if you go back to work?
Do you lose your current connection if you work again after starting your annuity?

Let’s take them one at a time.

1. Will My Spouse Lose Her Spousal Annuity?

✅ No, your spouse will not lose her spousal annuity if you go back to work in a non-railroad job after starting your Railroad Retirement.

Once you’ve started receiving your annuity—and your spouse is collecting her spousal benefits—those payments are secure, even if you return to work in the private sector or a non-railroad industry.

However, there's an important caveat:

🚫 If you return to work for a railroad employer, your annuity would stop—including the Tier 2 portion, which would also affect your spouse's spousal annuity.

So, as long as you’re not returning to railroad employment, her benefits are not impacted.

2. What About the Current Connection?

This is another common area of confusion.

🔒 Once your annuity has begun, your “current connection” status is locked in.

That means you don’t lose your current connection by going back to work after retirement—even if you take a job outside the railroad industry. The only way current connection might be lost is before retirement, during the gap between leaving railroad service and starting your annuity.

So again, once you're receiving benefits, your current connection is secure.

✅ If you retired with a current connection, you keep it. ❌ If you retired without a current connection, you never had it—and nothing changes that.

Want to Learn More?

For a deeper dive into how post-retirement work can affect spousal annuities and current connection, check out my video: 🎥 How Is Your Spouse Affected by Working in Railroad Retirement? https://youtu.be/i0JWsxhg_8s

Final Thoughts

Thanks for your question, Frank. You’re not alone—many railroaders want to stay active after retirement and wonder how working again might affect their benefits.

To recap:

🟢 Non-railroad work after retirement does not affect spousal benefits.
🟢 Your current connection remains intact once your annuity begins.
🔴 Only returning to railroad employment will stop Tier 2 payments—and that would impact your spouse’s annuity as well.

Got a Question?

If you’re a railroader approaching retirement and wondering how your decisions might impact your benefits—or your spouse’s—send in your questions! I might feature yours in a future episode.

And don’t forget to share this with fellow railroaders, especially those planning for retirement.

Until next time—

Stay safe, stay on track, and take care. —John McNamara, Highball Advisors

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