Unlike regular employees, elected officials have the option to participate in IMRF when the position meets the applicable hourly standard.
IMRF employer compliance reviews show that officials often believe they are participating in IMRF when they are not. If this error is not corrected, an official may lose service credit depending on when the error is discovered. A loss of service credit will reduce the value of the member’s retirement annuity.
An elected official may choose to participate in IMRF when these two requirements are met:
- The employer must certify that the specific elected position meets the hourly standard of either 600 or 1000 hours per year.
- The official must complete and submit an "Election to Participate for Qualifying Position" form to IMRF. The qualifying elected official and the IMRF Authorized Agent must sign the form.
IMRF also requires this form when a member goes from a non-elected qualifying position to an elected qualifying position. Simply continuing to make member contributions is not sufficient for IMRF participation once a member moves to an elected position.
Failure to properly notify IMRF of the move to a qualifying elected position may result in the loss of service credit and reduce the official’s retirement benefit.
Employers must enroll members using Employer Access. To do so, log in and follow the steps described in Employer Access.
For more information
To learn more about IMRF participation, eligibility verification, and more, see Section 3.65E of the Authorized Agent manual. For specific questions, call the employer-only number: 1-800-728-7971.
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