Re-Employment


Employees who have retired from the university may be rehired in an academic or civil service capacity in compliance with the State of Illinois Return to Work law, Board of Trustee policy, and campus guidelines.

Rehiring a University of Illinois Retiree:

Retiree Rehire: Employment of a UI Retiree or Other SURS Annuitant.

SURS has posted the following important MEMO regarding post-retirement employment. (PDF) 4/5/16


Complying with the State of Illinois Return to Work law and campus guidelines, a Retiree Rehire procedure has been established for all University of Illinois retirees and all other State University Retirement System annuitants. Please refer to the Summary to confirm financial implications; ignorance of the law could result in a bill equal to a year’s annuity payments for an annuitant.

Any potential employee who is receiving an annuity from SURS or retiree who formerly worked for UI must gain pre-approval through the Retiree Rehire process PRIOR TO EMPLOYMENT BEING OFFERED. Please utilize the below resources to request approval of a UI retiree or SURS Annuitant. The potential hire must complete a new Statement of SURS Annuity Status for each appointment and re-appointment.

2013 ‘Return to Work’ Summary (PDF)
Illinois Pension Code (40 ILCS 5/) -- Scroll down to Section 5/15-139.5\
University of Illinois Board of Trustees Policy, July 25, 2013

Guidelines for Re-Employment of a SURS Annuitant or UI Retiree (PDF) - new link June 2014 
Retiree Rehire Form Instructions (PDF )– new link June 2020
Statement of SURS Annuity Status (PDF)
SURS Covered Employers 
Fund Exemptions (PDF)
Rehired Retiree Progress Report (Progress toward Affected Status)
Academic Rehired Retiree Process Job Aid (PDF)
OAE Approval for Rehired Retirees (PDF)

Processing

Once approvals have been obtained:

  • Begin a HRFE Transaction:
    • For an initial appointment following retirement at UI, or initial appointment at UI, or if the employee is currently in TERMINATED status, follow the Onboarding Process to begin a NEW HIRE transaction in HRFE.  Please note that a NEW I-9 (not a reverification) must be completed in Tracker, including both sections 1 and 2.
    • If this is not the initial appointment AND employee's PERSON LEVEL employment status is ACTIVE, follow the Reappointment Process or Add a Job process.
  • For paid jobs, the HRFE Transaction must have attached:
    • Retiree Rehire Approval
    • Statement of SURS Annuity Status Form
    • Offer/Accept Letter
    • OAE approval (not needed for "Emerita/us jobs", or when adding a "second" job to a retiree)
    • Background Check (only in conjunction with the "new hire" transaction type)
  • For UNPAID jobs, the HRFE transaction only needs to have an Offer/Accept letter attached

Urbana campus units: For information or questions regarding re-employment of UI retirees or SURS Annuitants into an academic position, please contact:
Illinois Human Resources, ihr-acad-rr@illinois.edu.