A CTPF retiree may decide to return to work as a teacher, but there are some rules to be aware of to avoid a pension suspension, cancellation, and possible benefit overpayment.   

A retiree may go to work for any entity other than a Chicago Public, charter, or contract school (Employer) without restrictions. Returning to work for an Employer on a permanent, annual basis will generally result in the immediate cancellation of the pension, which will resume only upon re-retirement. A retiree can return to work as a teacher for an Employer on a temporary and non-annual basis without affecting their pension during a fiscal/school year (July 1 – June 30), subject to a day limitation, (currently 140).  Reciprocal retirees should be aware of the return-to-work requirements from all relevant systems. Click here for a list of Reciprocal Systems. 

Financial consequences will occur when limitations are exceeded. You must notify CTPF in writing before beginning re-employment with an Employer. 

Who is Impacted   

A “teacher” is defined as any educational, administrative, professional, or other staff member whose position requires certification or licensure under the Illinois School Code. All managerial, supervisory, or confidential employees at contract schools are excluded from the definition of teacher.  

If you are unsure if a job you are considering is a teacher within the definition stated above, you may submit a job description to CTPF for review prior to accepting the position. 

Definition of Day    

A retiree will be considered to have worked a “day” for return-to-work purposes, if the employer reports the retiree as having worked for one hour or more during a calendar day. However, a “day” shall not include an “in service” day that the retiree must attend to qualify as a substitute, paid leave or paid sick days, or inclement weather days.   

Note: This definition of a “day” does not affect the accumulation and tracking of hours worked teaching only drivers' education courses — i.e. any portion of an hour worked counts toward the “no more than 900 hours” limitation. 

Return to Work Policy 

Return to Work Policy

Governor Pritzker signed legislation amending regulations for individuals who return to employment with Chicago Public Schools, charter schools, or contract schools. Effective on August 15, 2025, and retroactive to July 1, 2020, the new law revises the penalty for exceeding statutory return-to-work limits from a complete suspension of pension benefits to a proportional day-for-day reduction for affected members. For every day worked beyond the allowable limit, a penalty equivalent to a full day’s pension benefit will be imposed. 

On June 5, 2024, the Governor signed legislation extending through June 30, 2027, the statutory provision increasing the number of days per school year on which a retiree can return to work on a temporary and non-annual or hourly basis without having a pension cancelled from 120 to 140. This legislation initially became effective on July 1, 2022, with a June 30, 2024, expiration date.   

Working in a Subject Shortage Area 

Public Act 102-1013 allows a retiree to return to work without limitation or cancellation of their pension under certain circumstances. Retirees who return to work under this provision must be employed in a subject shortage area for an employer that has demonstrated that they cannot otherwise fill the position(s), and do not earn service credit or make pension contributions during re-employment. This legislation was signed by the Governor on May 27, 2022, and its provisions were extended through June 30, 2027, by Public Act 103-0588, signed in 2024. 

A retiree may go to work for any entity other than an Employer without restriction. Reciprocal retirees should be aware of the return-to-work requirements from all relevant systems. If a retiree is re-employed on a permanent or annual basis by an Employer (except possible exception for subject shortage areas, see 2024 Updates), the pension will generally be canceled on the date the re-employment begins, or on the first day of a payroll period for which service credit was validated, whichever is earlier.   

A retiree may work for one or more Employer(s) without having his or her pension canceled, if the employment is temporary and non-annual, or on an hourly basis, so long as the days/hours worked limitations are not exceeded. For every day worked beyond the allowable limit, a penalty equivalent to a full day’s pension benefit will be imposed. 

For a retiree who teaches only drivers’ education, a penalty equivalent to a full day’s pension benefit will be imposed for each period of 7.5 hours exceeding 900 hours. 

The chart below defines the temporary and non-annual re-employment limitations. 

*The days worked limit before July 1, 2022, was 120 days. The 140-day limitation has been extended through June 30, 2027. 

A retiree who intends to return to work at a CPS school, charter school, or contract school must notify their Employer(s) and CTPF before re-employment begins. CTPF notification is made by filing CTPF Form 770 for temporary and non-annual employment or CTPF Form 773 for permanent or annual re-employment.

• Form 770: Notice of Temporary or Non-Annual Return to Work
• Form 773: Notice of Permanent or Annual Return to Work

You must track days (or for drivers' education only, hours) worked. Employers use various systems to register hours worked and those systems are not connected to each other. Therefore, there is no single place you can go to find out how many days or hours you have worked in a fiscal/school year. You must track your time to ensure that you do not exceed any limits.   

No Warning   

You will not receive a warning if you are getting close to the maximum limit.    

If you have received notice that your retirement benefit was cancelled relating to re-employment and need further information, please visit the Pension Cancellation page.  

Impact of Return to Work Retirement Benefit Cancellations on Reciprocal Retirement Benefits 

CTPF will notify the Reciprocal Systems from which the retiree is receiving reciprocal retirement benefits when the CTPF retirement benefit is suspended or cancelled due to re-employment. The Reciprocal Systems may take action regarding pension and any other affected benefits, according to their own statutes and administrative rules.