Divorce/QILDRO

Qualified Illinois Domestic Relations Orders (QILDROs) are court orders that direct TRS to pay a portion of a member’s benefit or refund to an alternate payee, typically a former spouse. QILDROs are issued under the Illinois Pension Code, 40 ILCS 5/1-119.

Our QILDRO publication explains the QILDRO in detail and is accessible by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page. The alternate payee’s share of the benefit or refund may be expressed in dollar amounts or in percentages. If the QILDRO uses percentages, a second court order — the Calculation Order — will be necessary to tell TRS how much to pay the alternate payee. The Calculation Order may be submitted once the amount of the retirement benefit or refund is known. This two-step process may be useful when divorce occurs before the member retires.

The QILDRO allows lump-sum death benefits to be allocated to the alternate payee. Monthly survivor benefits cannot be allocated to a former spouse.

You may complete the QILDRO forms online by following the QILDRO form link below. Once approved by the court, send a certified copy of the court order to TRS with the required $50 processing fee. The member’s signed consent form is also required if TRS membership began before July 1, 1999. If you have any questions about QILDROs after reviewing our QILDRO publication, please contact the TRS General Counsel’s Office.

Below are links that you may click to access the TRS QILDRO publication and the required forms. The forms are designed to be completed online and printed. They should not be retyped or altered in any way. Before viewing these documents, you may need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader®.

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