Updated October 22, 2026. Quick answer: The SURS Tier I guide lists ways to qualify for service credit beyond regular employment: leaves of absence, unused sick leave, prior service, military service, other public employment (OPE) and repayment of a separation refund. For OPE the payment is 8% of full-time pay on the date SURS participation began, with interest, up to 10 years and not more than two-thirds of direct SURS service credit. The statute, 40 ILCS 5/15-113.6, makes the payment the lesser of that 8% amount and 50% of the actuarial value of the increase in the annuity.
What this covers
The Tier I guide has a section headed “QUALIFYING FOR MORE SERVICE CREDIT”. This page quotes it. For the wider choices, see Illinois SURS retirement decisions and public pension retirement decisions. For the general question of whether buying credit pays, see whether buying service credit is worth it and the pension buyback calculator.
What the guide says, source by source
Each row is the guide’s own wording.
| Source of credit | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| Prior service with another SURS-covered employer | “You may purchase service credit for employment with another SURS-covered employer.” “This employment must have been at least 50% time and must have occurred before you began SURS participation.” |
| Active-duty military leave that interrupts SURS employment | “you will receive up to five years of service credit if both of the following are true:” “You enter military service immediately following a period of employment with a SURS-covered employer.” “You return to work with a SURS-covered employer within one year of receiving an honorable discharge.” Section 15-113.3 words the conditions differently: the military periods are those “of which all but 2 years must have immediately followed a period of employment with an employer under this System or the State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois; provided that the person received a discharge other than dishonorable and again became an employee under this System within one year after discharge”. |
| Military service before SURS participation | “This law requires the member to pay both the employee and employer contributions, including interest at the effective rates, to receive up to two years of service credit.” |
| Other public employment (OPE) | “The payment required to purchase each year of service credit is 8% of your full-time (or full-time equivalent) rate of pay on the date you began SURS participation.” Section 15-113.6 sets the payment as the lesser of two amounts: the person “pays the lesser of (A) an amount equal to 8% of his or her annual basic compensation on the date of becoming a participating employee subsequent to this service multiplied by the number of years of such service, together with compound interest from the date participation begins to the date payment is received by the board at the rate of 6% per annum through August 31, 1982, and at the effective rates after that date, and (B) 50% of the actuarial value of the increase in the retirement annuity provided by this service”. |
| Repaying a separation refund | “If you choose to repay the amount of the refund, it must be paid in its entirety.” |
Other public employment, the conditions
The guide sets conditions on OPE:
- “You must contribute to SURS at least five years following the public employment.”
- Section 15-113.6 counts that period more widely: the person “contributes for at least 5 years subsequent to this employment to one or more of the following systems: the State Universities Retirement System, the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois, and the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago”. It also requires that the person “was employed full time by a public common school, public college and public university, or by an agency or instrumentality of any of the foregoing, of any state, territory, dependency or possession of the United States of America”, for a person who entered the system after September 1, 1974.
- “Other public employment (OPE) must be with a public school, college or university in the U.S. If you began SURS participation on or before Sept. 1, 1974, you may also purchase employment with the U.S. government, a state government, a political subdivision of a state, or any agency or instrumentality of the foregoing.”
- “You may purchase up to 10 years of OPE, but not more than two-thirds of your direct SURS service credit.”
- “You cannot qualify for a retirement pension or other benefit based on employer contributions from another retirement system (excluding Social Security) for the period of OPE you wish to purchase with SURS.”
- “OPE may not be used to meet SURS minimum vesting requirements.”
- “If you began SURS participation on or after Sept. 5, 1975, the OPE must be full-time, except under the following conditions:” “If SURS participation terminated prior to Aug. 18, 1965, you are not eligible to purchase OPE.” “If you were a SURS member between July 1, 1967, and Sept. 4, 1975, the OPE must be at least 50% time.”
The two-thirds cap works like this: a member with 12 years of direct SURS service credit can buy up to 8 years (two-thirds of 12), which is under the 10 year maximum; a member with 18 years could buy up to 12 years by that rule, so the 10 year maximum is the one that binds.
Interest on the payment
Prior service and OPE payments carry interest: “6% compounding annually from the date you began SURS participation through Aug. 31, 1982.” “Beginning Sept. 1, 1982, the interest compounds annually based on the effective rates.”
Repaying a refund
“you may reinstate that service credit if you again become a participating employee of SURS or another retirement system covered by the Illinois Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act and continue as such for at least two years subsequent to the date of the refund.” Section 15-154(b) says “If such person again becomes a participating employee and continues as such for 2 years, or is employed by an employer and participates for at least 2 years in the Federal Civil Service Retirement System, all such rights, credits, and previous status as a participant shall be restored upon repayment of the amount of the refund”, together with compound interest. The second route requires employment by an employer under the System while participating in the Federal Civil Service Retirement System.
Leaves of absence and sick leave
“To receive service and earnings credit for the leave, you must pay the employee contributions on the salary you are forfeiting during the leave.” “Service and earnings credit provided by these leave contributions may not exceed three years in any 10-year period.” Section 15-113.2 makes the credit conditional: the employee pays the contributions “provided that the employee (1) returns to employment covered by this system at the expiration of the leave, or within 30 days after the termination of a disability which occurs during the leave and continues this employment at a percentage of time equal to or greater than the percentage of time immediately preceding the leave of absence for at least 8 consecutive months or a period equal to the period of the leave, whichever is less, or (2) is precluded from meeting the foregoing conditions because of disability or death”. It adds “If service credit is denied because the employee fails to meet these conditions, the contributions covering the leave of absence shall be refunded without interest.” It also says “The return to employment condition does not apply if the leave of absence is for service with a teacher organization.” On unused sick leave the guide says “You will receive additional service credit for any unused and unpaid sick leave” under the conditions it prints.
Reciprocity
“SURS has reciprocity only with other Illinois public retirement systems in determining your eligibility for, and amount of, SURS retirement and survivor benefits.”
What the guide does not say
The guide does not print a dollar price for any purchase, because each depends on your pay and dates. Ask SURS for a cost quote. It also advises: “If you think you may qualify for additional service, contact SURS as early in your career as possible.”
Edition
This page reads the State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS), Traditional Member Guide, Tier I, the file SURS served on 2026-10-22. It is the Tier I guide. SURS publishes a separate Tier II guide for Tier II members, which this page does not read, and the Illinois Pension Code and your own SURS account control over this summary.
Common mistakes
- Counting OPE toward vesting. The guide says “OPE may not be used to meet SURS minimum vesting requirements.”
- Assuming a partial refund repayment works. The guide says it “must be paid in its entirety.”
- Buying credit that another system already pays for. The guide says you “cannot qualify for a retirement pension or other benefit based on employer contributions from another retirement system” for the same OPE period.
Related: Illinois SURS retirement decisions, public pension retirement decisions, whether buying service credit is worth it, and pension buyback calculator.
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Answer againSources
- State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS), Traditional Member Guide, Tier I: surs.org
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS, Topic no. 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS, Topic no. 558, Additional tax on early distributions: www.irs.gov
Read from the pension system handbooks linked above on October 22, 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.