Attend an Authorized Agent Certification Workshop in your area to learn more about IMRF procedures and how to administer IMRF at your employer.

We still have openings at these remaining workshops in 2018:

Each workshop is scheduled for five hours. A continental breakfast and light lunch will be served.

You may register for a workshop through Employer Access or by calling the exclusive, employer-only phone number, 1-800-728-7971.

IMRF is now accepting nominating petitions for the 2018 Executive Trustee election. Petitions will be accepted through Monday, September 17, at 4:30 PM CST. Completed petitions may be mailed or hand delivered to IMRF's Oak Brook or Springfield offices, scanned and emailed to IMRFTrusteeElection@imrf.org, or faxed to 630-706-4656, ATTN: IMRF Trustee Petitions.

IMRF employers will elect one Executive Trustee to the Board of Trustees this fall to a five-year term that will run from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2023. To qualify for the position, a candidate for Executive Trustee must:

More information about the 2018 Executive Trustee election, including nominating procedures, qualifications, sample petitions, and a biographical questionnaire, can be found on www.imrf.org.

When an IMRF member leaves their IMRF employer, they are not required to take a refund of their IMRF contributions. In many cases, it is in the member's best financial interest to leave their contributions on deposit with IMRF when they separate from employment.

Leaving Contributions on Deposit

There is no charge for leaving contributions with IMRF. If a member is terminated from IMRF participation and leaves their contributions on deposit, they will be considered an "inactive" member. This option makes sense if the member is vested for an IMRF pension or if they plan to work for another IMRF employer or reciprocal retirement system employer in the future. Also, inactive members receive annual personal statements of benefits from IMRF, which provides important information about their IMRF contributions and benefits. Overall, by leaving contributions on deposit, members maintain their eligibility for future IMRF benefits.

Taking a Separation Refund

Members have the option to take a refund once they no longer work for an IMRF employer. However, this option means that the member will lose all of their service credit and will give up the right to any future IMRF pension and death benefits. If the member returns to an IMRF-covered position in the future after taking a refund and wants to purchase their past service credit, they would have to pay both the contributions they made during that time as well as the interest that would have accrued. Because of this, members should carefully consider whether taking a refund is right for them, especially if they are vested for an IMRF pension or plan to work in another position covered by IMRF or by a reciprocal retirement system.

Employers can read more about the options for members when leaving an IMRF employer here.