What is TRS?
Created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1939, the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) provides retirement, disability, and death benefits for certified teachers and administrators in public common and charter school districts located outside of Chicago.
TRS is governed by a 11-member board of trustees.
Who qualifies for TRS membership?
To qualify for membership in TRS, you must be certified under the provisions of the School Code of Illinois, employed in an Illinois public common or charter school that is located outside the city of Chicago, and employed in a position requiring certification by the Illinois State Board of Education.
What forms do new members need to complete?
As a new member, you must complete a Member Information and Beneficiary Designation (MIBD) form. This form provides us with pertinent biographical information and allows you to designate beneficiaries to whom death benefits will be distributed. The MIBD form is available on our Web site or through our Forms Order Line. Once the form is completed, please return it to your employer or to TRS.
What contributions am I required to make?
As an active TRS member, you are required to contribute 9.4 percent of your gross earnings toward retirement each year. Your contributions are used as follows:
- 7.5 percent for retirement annuities
- 0.5 percent for automatic annual increases in annuities
- 1 percent for death benefits
- 0.4 to fund the Early Retirement Option (ERO).
You also contribute to the Teachers’ Health Insurance Security (THIS) Fund, which finances the health insurance program for retired teachers.
What are my retirement benefits?
You must meet age and service credit requirements in order to receive a retirement benefit (annuity). The earliest you can receive a retirement benefit is at age 55 with 20 years of service. The maximum benefit is 75 percent of your average salary with at least 34 years of service credit.
What disability benefits may I receive?
If your career is interrupted because of health reasons, TRS can help meet your financial commitments. To be eligible for nonoccupational disability benefits, you must have at least three years of service credit and have used all of your sick leave. No minimum service requirement must be met before you are eligible to receive occupational disability benefits. You will continue to accumulate service credit while on disability.
What death benefits does TRS provide?
TRS pays two death benefits: a refund of your accumulated contributions and survivor benefits. Each benefit may be paid to separate beneficiaries or both benefits may be paid to the same beneficiaries. Your completed Member Information and Beneficiary Designation (MIBD) form determines how death benefits are distributed. If we do not have a MIBD form on file and no dependent beneficiary survives you, we will pay the death benefits to your estate.
How can I increase my service credit?
You can increase the amount of service credit you have by purchasing optional service. Types of optional service include:
- out-of-system public school service
- part-time teaching
- substitute and homebound teaching
- military service and post-military teacher retraining
- leave of absence and involuntary layoff
- service cancelled by a refund.
Please contact TRS for assistance in establishing optional service.
Can I receive a refund of my contributions?
A refund of contributions should be carefully considered because it terminates your benefits and will be costly to repay if you return to teaching service.
If you terminate teaching with a TRS employer, you may apply for a refund of your retirement contributions. This refund consists of the portions used to pay the retirement annuity and the annual increases in the annuity.
If you receive a refund of retirement contributions, you are not entitled to any other refunds. The contribution for the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program is not refundable.
Can I receive a loan of my contributions?
By law, you are prohibited from borrowing against your account funds or assigning your TRS contributions to a creditor.
Will I receive a statement of my benefits?
Each December you will receive a personalized TRS Benefits Report. Your report contains important information about your earnings, years of service, sick leave, optional service credit, and designated beneficiaries. Please review this information carefully and call TRS if you have questions or need to change your beneficiaries.
What services are available?
You are welcome to visit our offices Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To get the most from your visit, please call ahead for an appointment. If you prefer to reach us by telephone, our toll free number is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also e-mail us at members@trs.illinois.gov to reach our Member Services Department.
From our Web site, you can download forms and publications, watch videos about your benefits, view your personal information in the secure Member Account Access area, receive answers to frequently asked questions, and search for information on a particular topic. We also have a 24-hour Forms Order Line through which you can order specific forms, brochures, and bulletins and have those documents mailed directly to your home.
In addition to these services, you’ll find a wide variety of information in the Topics & Report newsletter and the Member Guide. Look to Topics & Report for articles on legislation impacting TRS and your benefits, the retirement application process, beneficiary nomination for death and survivor benefits, enhancements to current services, and much more. For an overview of the benefits we administer and answers to many benefit questions, please consult the Member Guide.
Office addresses
Springfield
2815 West Washington
P.O. Box 19253
Springfield, IL 62794-9253
Lisle
4200 Commerce Court
Suite 100
Lisle, IL 60532-3611
Telephone directory
Member Services
(800) 877-7896
Fax
Springfield
(217) 787-2269
Lisle
(630) 505-9607
Forms Order Line
(800) 877-7896, option 2
TDD
Springfield
(217) 753-0329
E-mail address
members@trs.illinois.gov
Questions?
If you have questions, please contact us.
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