Governor Pritzker signed legislation amending regulations for individuals who return to employment with Chicago Public Schools, charter schools, or contract schools. Effective 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.
General Information
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 may work for one or more Employer(s) without having his or her pension canceled, if the employment is temporary and non-annual (see chart below), 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.
| Retiree Type | Days Worked limit |
|---|---|
| CTPF retirees who only teach drivers education courses in the school year | 900 hours* |
| All other CTPF retirees | 140 days*
|
*The days worked limit before July 1, 2022, was 120 days. The 140-day limitation has been extended through June 30, 2027.