Frequently Asked Questions

To find your SURS Member ID, you can log in to the SURS Secure Member Website and click on the “Forms” tab. If you’re a first-time user, you will need to complete the Member Website registration process first, which is initiated by clicking the “Registration Process” button on the login page. Your SURS Member ID is also issued to you by SURS after they receive an Employment Certificate from your employer.

SURS benefit recipients may be eligible to participate in the State of Illinois Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) or the College Insurance Program (CIP).

To be eligible for the SEGIP, members in the Traditional and Portable plans must have at least five years (Tier I) or ten years (Tier II) of service credit with a SURS-covered university or state agency and elect to receive a monthly annuity. Members in the Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) are considered Tier I and must have at least five years of state service to be eligible at retirement if they elect to annuitize. Community colleges are not state agencies. For each year of service credit, the state of Illinois will pay 5% of your insurance premium in retirement. With 20 years, the member insurance is premium-free.

To be eligible for the CIP, you must have been a full-time employee of any SURS-participating community college and eligible for benefits at that employer. City Colleges of Chicago do not participate in the CIP. CIP insurance premiums are set amounts that may adjust annually. Read more about health insurance eligibility here.

A photocopy of the one of the following is acceptable for verification:

• Birth certificate
• Military discharge papers
• Passport or passport card
• Valid driver’s license

If you are married, we also ask for a photocopy of your spouse’s birth certificate and a photocopy of your marriage or civil union certificate.

Traditional and Portable Plan monthly annuities:

After retirement, you may return to work with a SURS-covered employer after you have been retired for at least 60 calendar days. There is no waiting period if you return to employment with an employer who is not covered by SURS.

Portable Plan Lump-Sum Annuities:

You may not return to work for a SURS-covered employer until 60 days following the date your benefit is issued.

If your return to SURS-covered employment is after the 60-day period mentioned above, you have the following choices:

1. If you wish to return to participation and earn additional benefits, you must complete the Election to Participate During Re-employment Following Receipt of a Lump-Sum Retirement Benefit form.
2. If you do not elect to participate, no SURS contributions will be withheld. In addition, you should contact your Benefits Office to determine your health insurance eligibility as a non-contributing SURS member.

Retirement Savings Plan (RSP):

If you take a retirement distribution (lifetime income or vested lump-sum) and return to work, there is no waiting period or earnings limitation. However, you will not be able to contribute to SURS and you may not be eligible for health insurance as an active employee.

If you qualify for an appointment, you may request an appointment one of two ways:

• Complete the online estimate request form from the SURS Member homepage under “Retirement Counseling”, or
• Call SURS at 800.275.7877 and request the form be mailed to you
• Once you complete and submit the form to SURS either online from the SURS Member homepage, by fax, or mail, you may then call SURS to schedule the appointment.

Your pension benefits are subject to taxation by the Internal Revenue Service for federal income tax purposes. Under current law, your pension benefits are not subject to income tax by the state of Illinois. Should you relocate to another state, you should check with that state on the taxation of your pension benefit. 

No. Under current law, you cannot borrow or take a partial withdrawal from the SURS accumulation.

The conversion for unused, unpaid sick leave is as follows:

Under state law, SURS benefits may not be paid to anyone other than the member, except to an alternate payee named in a Qualified Illinois Domestic Relations Order (QILDRO).

You or your attorney may contact SURS two to three months prior to a divorce court proceeding to receive the informational packet regarding QILDROs.

There may or may not be specific dates that will be better than others for the retirement benefit.  It will depend on many things including eligibility, formula calculations, age, contract dates, etc.  SURS does not pay partial months of benefits, so we normally will prepare your estimates for the first of a month.  Please contact SURS at 800-275-7877 for more information specific to your account.