Finality of records of compensation.

§ 211.16 Finality of records of compensation. (a) Time limit for corrections to records of compensation. The Board's record of the compensation reported as paid to an employee for a given period shall be conclusive as to amount, or if no compensation was reported for such period, then as to the employee's having received no compensation for such period, unless the error in the amount of compensation or the failure to make return of the compensation is called to the attention of the Board within four years after the date on which the compensation was required to be reported to the Board as provided for in § 209.6 of this chapter. (b) Correction after 4 years. (1) The Board may correct a report of compensation after the time limit set forth in paragraph (a) of this section where the compensation was posted or not posted as the result of fraud on the part of the employer. (2) Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, the Board may correct a report of compensation after the time limit set forth in paragraph (a) of this section for one of the following reasons: (i) Where the compensation was posted for the wrong person or the wrong period; (ii) Where the earnings were erroneously reported to the Social Security Administration in the good faith belief by the employer or employee that such earnings were not covered under the Railroad Retirement Act and there is a final decision of the Board under part 259 of this chapter that such employer or employee was covered under the Railroad Retirement Act during the period in which the earnings were paid; (iii) Where a determination pertaining to the coverage under the Railroad Retirement Act of an individual, partnership, or company as an employer, is retroactive; or (iv) Where a record of compensation could not otherwise be corrected under this part and where in the judgment of the three-member Board that heads the Railroad Retirement Board failure to make a correction would be inequitable. (c) Limitation on crediting service. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, no employee may be credited with service months or tier II compensation beyond the four year period referred to in paragraph (a) of this section unless the employee establishes to the satisfaction of the Board that all employment taxes imposed by sections 3201, 3211, and 3221 of title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code have been paid with respect to the compensation and service. (2) The limitation on the creditability of service months and tier II compensation in paragraph (c)(1) of this section shall not affect the creditability, for purposes of computing the tier I component of a railroad retirement annuity, of compensation payments with respect to which taxes have been paid under either the Railroad Retirement Tax Act or the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. [62 FR 3790, Jan. 27, 1997]