BA-9 Instructions (Electronic Format)

Labor/Rail Employer Reporting Instructions
Appendix I: Electronic File Format
Form BA-9, Report of Separation Allowance or Severance Pay
The information contained in this report, which is required by law under Section 9 of the
Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) and Section 6 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance
Act (RUIA), is needed for two purposes: to establish eligibility for an additional lump-sum
amount under the RRA and to establish a disqualification period under the RUIA. The
information is authorized for collection under OMB control number 3220-0173. Failure to
report or the making of a false or fraudulent report can result in criminal prosecution or
civil penalties, or both.
We estimate the electronic versions of this form transmitted by a secure email or a File
Transfer Protocol (FTP) takes an average of 1 hour and 16 minutes per response to
complete, including time for reviewing the instructions, getting the needed data, and
reviewing the completed form. Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and
respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a
valid OMB number. If you wish, send comments regarding the accuracy of our estimate
or any other aspect of this form, including suggestions for reducing completion time, to
Associate Chief Information Officer for Policy and Compliance
Railroad Retirement Board
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-1275.
This exhibit below explains the format for reports filed on CD ROM, electronic files, or an
upload on ERSNet. For information about the data to be entered, refer to Part V, Chapter
6.
Form BA-9 Record Format
Field
Record
Data and Instructions
Length Position
1

1

"L"

4

2-5

Four-digit applicable tax year being reported.

1

6

Code "4" for an initial report or an increase adjustment.
Code "M" for a decrease adjustment.

4

7-10

Four-digit BA number assigned by the Railroad Retirement
Board.

9

11-19

Employee's social security number.

20

20-39

First twenty (20) characters of the employee's surname. Spaces
in such names as Mc Carthy, St Clair, and De La Cross are
acceptable.

15

40-54

First fifteen (15) characters of the employee's first name.

Labor/Rail Employer Reporting Instructions
Appendix I: Electronic File Format
Form BA-9, Report of Separation Allowance or Severance Pay
Form BA-9 Record Format
Field
Record
Data and Instructions
Length Position
1

55

Employee’s middle initial.

1

56

Blank Filler.

57-64

An eight-digit separation allowance amount. Do not use a
decimal place. The format is $$$$$$cc. For adjustments, enter
the net increase amount to be applied to the initial report. Do not
sign the field. Zeros should be used to fill the left most positions,
if necessary.

8

1

65

Code 1 for an initial report.
Code 2 for an adjustment report.
Code 3 for a periodic payment - not the final payment.
Code 4 for a periodic payment - final payment.

8

66-73

Date employee relinquished employment rights. Format is
MMDDCCYY.

1

74

Blank Filler.

8

75-82

Eight-digit compensation amount. Do not use a decimal place.
Format is ($$$$$$cc). Do not sign the field. Zeros should be
used to fill the left most positions if necessary. Field may be left
blank.

4

83-86

Four-digit applicable creditable year being reported.

6

87-92

Total gross amount of separation in whole dollars, $$$$$$. Use
zero to fill the left most positions as needed.

1

93

Blank Filler.

7

94-100

Show the last rate of pay. Format includes a floating decimal
place to account for hourly through monthly rates. For example,
9.99999, 99.9999, 999.999, etc.

The code corresponding to the period to which the rate applies.
1

101

Code 1 = Per Hour
Code 2 = Per Day
Code 3 = Per Week
Code 4 = Per Month

Labor/Rail Employer Reporting Instructions
Appendix I: Electronic File Format
Form BA-9, Report of Separation Allowance or Severance Pay
Form BA-9 Record Format
Field
Record
Data and Instructions
Length Position
The code corresponding to the employee's normal work week.
Code 5 = Five-Day Week
Code 6 = Six-Day Week
Code 7 = Seven-Day Week
Code 8 = Train and Engine Service
Code 9 = Dining Car and Pullman Service

1

102

18

103-120 Blank Filler.

NOTE: The file should be saved as a text (*.txt) file with the record format listed above.
Reports submitted on CD ROM, secure email, or FTP must be accompanied by Form G440, "Report Specifications Sheet".