Purchasing Service Credit

A period of time during which you were absent from SURS-covered employment or worked fewer hours.  Your employer must approve your time away from work.

Eligibility & Requirements

• The leave percentage must be greater than 50%.
• Must fulfill return to work requirements: Must return from leave to a position of at least the same percent time as when leave began.  Return to work after leave, must be for at least 8 months or a period of time equal to the length of the leave, whichever is less.
• Limited to paying for three years of leave in any 10-year period.
• The leave must be reported to SURS by your employer.
• You receive full service credit for Worker’s Compensation leaves, for the first 60 days of a Disability leave, and while receiving Disability benefit payments from SURS.  These types of leaves cannot be purchased.

Additional Information

• For a leave without pay, you will receive no earnings or service credit for the period of the leave unless you submit payment for the forfeited contributions.
• For a leave with pay, you will continue to earn service credit.  You will receive full earnings credit for a Sabbatical leave but may not receive full earnings credit for other types of paid leave.   If you wish to obtain full earnings credit (non-Sabbatical leaves), you must make payment for the forfeited contributions.

Cost Calculation

The employee contributions forfeited during the leave based on your salary at the leave begin date. If your leave occurred in the past, you may also be required to pay interest.

Service with the U.S. military that interrupts your SURS-covered employment.

Eligibility & Requirements

• Discharge type must be other than dishonorable.
• The payment period is limited to 3 times the length of the leave or 5 years, whichever is less.
• SURS must receive a copy of your DD-214 or other applicable active duty military paperwork.
• The leave must be reported to SURS by your employer.

Additional Information

Upon receipt of your discharge papers, SURS will grant service credit for the period of the eligible military leave if you were not dishonorably discharged; however, you may still wish to make up the forfeited earnings and contributions.

Cost Calculation

The employee contributions forfeited during the military leave. No interest is charged.

Active duty service with the U.S. military that occurred prior to your SURS-covered employment.

Eligibility & Requirements

• Discharge type must be other than dishonorable.
• Must have been active duty military service.
• No more than 2.0 years of military service may be purchased.
• SURS must receive a copy of your DD-214 or other active duty discharge papers.

Additional Information

Cannot be used toward the 5.0 year requirement to receive employer matching funds in a Portable or Retirement Savings Plan separation refund.

Cost Calculation

The full-time salary equivalent at your SURS certification date multiplied by a combined employee and employer contribution rate, plus compounded interest.

• Employment with any public school, college or university of any state, territory, dependency, or possession of the U.S.
• If your SURS-covered employment began prior to 09/01/1974, you may also purchase employment with the U.S. government

Eligibility & Requirements

• Must have 5.0 years of eligible service following the period of OPE.
• Must be prior to a period of SURS-covered employment.
• In most cases, the OPE must have been full-time employment.
• For this period of employment, you cannot qualify for a retirement pension or other benefits based on employer contributions from another retirement system (excluding Social Security).
• SURS must receive a completed Other Public Employment Affidavit.

Additional Information

Cannot be used toward the minimum vesting requirements of 5 years and 8 years for Tier I members or 10 years for Tier II members.

Cost Calculation

The full-time equivalent salary at your SURS certification date multiplied by the applicable contribution rate, plus compounded interest.

Work with a SURS-covered employer during which you did not or were not eligible to contribute to SURS.

Eligibility & Requirements

• Must have been employed with a SURS-covered employer at 50% time or greater OR at 100% time if your SURS termination date is prior to 09/05/1975
• Must be prior to a period of SURS-covered employment.
• SURS must receive verification of the exact dates and percentages of employment from the applicable employer.

Additional Information

Does not change the member’s certification date.

Cost Calculation

The cost is calculated on a per-day basis using the full-time equivalent salary at your SURS certification date multiplied by the applicable contribution rate, plus compounded interest.

Repayment of a Refund is employment with a SURS-covered employer during which the member was a participant of SURS, but upon termination of employment the member withdrew their contributions and refundable interest in the form of a lump sum payment.

Eligibility & Requirements

• The member must contribute to SURS or one of the other Illinois Public Retirement Systems subject to the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act for at least two years following the date of the refund.
• If the member is using two years from a reciprocal system, the member cannot already be retired from reciprocal system.
• Once the minimum two-year employment requirement is met, the member can be active or inactive at the time of the repayment of the refund.
• Can be used for vesting.
• Traditional/Portable receive any applicable employer match.
• If a SURS Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) member is actively employed by a SURS-covered employer at the time of repayment, any forfeited Employer Contribution will be reinstated.
• If an RSP member is not actively employed by a SURS covered employer at the time or repayment, any forfeited Employer Contributions will not be reinstated unless the purchased service credit is sufficient to increase the member’s total service credit to five years, thus making the member vested and eligible for the Employer Contributions.
• Member cannot combine partial rollover/lump-sum payment with installment plan for Repayment of Refund.

Additional Information

• Member repays the previous gross refund amount plus interest.
• Traditional and Portable members pay the amount of the refund, plus interest beginning at refund date.
• Payment also includes interest.
• Interest rate is 6% compounded annually from the first month following refund date until Aug. 31, 1982.
• Beginning Sept. 1, 1982, the effective rate of interest is used.
• RSP members repay the original refund amount without interest.

Cost Calculation

• Traditional and Portable Plan: the amount of the original refund plus compounded interest.
• Retirement Savings Plan: the amount of the original refund.