Updated October 21, 2026. Quick answer: A QILDRO is the order Illinois SERS uses to divide a retirement benefit or a refund of contributions when a member divorces. The Tier 2 handbook says it does not create a new benefit and that a member cannot pick a benefit type that would shrink the alternate payee’s share without written consent. For process details the handbook points to the SERS website and the separate SERS QILDRO Handbook.
The consent has a formal requirement in the statute. 40 ILCS 5/1-119(j)(1) bars an election that diminishes the alternate payee’s payment “unless the alternate payee has consented to the election in a writing that includes the alternate payee’s notarized signature, and this written and notarized consent has been filed with the retirement system”.
What this section covers
The handbook’s section is headed “Qualified Illinois Domestic Relations Order” in the State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois, Tier 2 Active Member Handbook. It begins: “A QILDRO allows for a retirement benefit or a refund of contributions to be divided due to divorce.” “It does not establish a new benefit.”
For the general side of dividing retirement accounts on divorce, see QDRO checklist before you sign and shared interest versus separate interest in a QDRO.
Who it applies to
The handbook’s scope sentence reads: “This information applies to all active State employees who first became a member of SERS or a reciprocal system after December 31, 2010.” On the QILDRO itself it adds “A Tier 2 member accepts the QILDRO as a condition of employment.” The handbook names the person who receives payment: “the spouse as the alternate payee.” and says “An alternate payee may also be a minor child or other dependent.”
The rules, one by one
| Rule | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| What it does | “A QILDRO allows for a retirement benefit or a refund of contributions to be divided due to divorce.” “It does not establish a new benefit.” |
| Who is paid | “Generally, the QILDRO orders the payment of a benefit to the spouse as the alternate payee.” |
| Other payees | “An alternate payee may also be a minor child or other dependent.” |
| Choosing a benefit type | “A member may not choose a benefit type that would diminish the alternate payee’s benefit without written consent from the alternate payee.” |
| When it is issued | “The QILDRO is usually issued at the time of divorce and sent to the member’s retirement system.” |
| How long it is kept | “It is recorded and retained until the member applies for either a refund or retirement benefit, or dies.” |
| Level income | “Certain restrictions apply to members choosing level income with a QILDRO on file with SERS prior to retirement.” |
| Tier 2 members | “A Tier 2 member accepts the QILDRO as a condition of employment.” |
| What it does not reach | “The QILDRO provisions do not apply to survivor annuities, disability benefits or group insurance benefits.” |
What to do and where to look
The handbook points to outside material for the process: “Further information regarding the QILDRO process is available on our website”, and “For more information about QILDRO-related issues,” “See the SERS QILDRO Handbook, which is available online”.
The handbook says the order is “usually issued at the time of divorce”. For an order sought later, see a QDRO years after divorce. The wider decision map is in Illinois SERS retirement decisions and public pension retirement decisions.
Edition
This page reads the State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois, Tier 2 Active Member Handbook, the current file the Illinois State Employees’ Retirement System served on October 21, 2026. Check the edition and your own tier or plan on your own member account; the handbook’s text controls over this summary.
Common mistakes
- Treating a QILDRO as a new pension. The handbook says “It does not establish a new benefit.”
- Choosing a benefit type without the alternate payee. The handbook says “A member may not choose a benefit type that would diminish the alternate payee’s benefit without written consent from the alternate payee.”
- Assuming the order reaches every SERS benefit. The handbook says “The QILDRO provisions do not apply to survivor annuities, disability benefits or group insurance benefits.”
Related: Illinois SERS retirement decisions, QDRO checklist before you sign, shared interest versus separate interest in a QDRO, a QDRO years after divorce, and public pension retirement decisions.
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Answer againSources
- State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois, Tier 2 Active Member Handbook: ilsrs.illinois.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois home page: ilsrs.illinois.gov
Read from the pension system handbooks linked above on October 21, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a pension system or a qualified professional is the right place to confirm anything consequential.