If a person is employed in a position normally requiring performance of duty for 600 hours or more in the next 12 months following the employee’s date of hire, you must enroll that employee in IMRF. It is the expected annual hourly requirements that determine whether you should enroll the employee in IMRF; the employee’s actual hours worked may be more or less than the hours expected. When conducting a good-faith evaluation of the hours the employee is expected to work, that evaluation will include a review of the written job description and the history of the position or the time required to do similar work. If you are unable to make a good faith determination of the requirements for the position, enroll the employee in IMRF.
The best practice is to complete the publication, "Should this Employee be Enrolled.” Download and print this brochure from the IMRF website.
If an employee is enrolled in IMRF because the position was expected to require more than 600 hours in a year, but the employee actually works less than that, there is no need to reclassify the position retroactively. However, when this happens, the requirements of the position should be reevaluated to determine whether it should be reclassified prospectively. If a position consistently requires less than 600 hours annually, it must be reclassified and you must terminate the member’s participation in IMRF.
A person employed in a position normally requiring performance of duty for less than 600 hours in the next 12 months following the employee’s date of hire may not participate in IMRF.
If the position was expected to require fewer than 600 hours in a year, but the employee actually works more than that, there is no need to reclassify the position retroactively. However, when this happens, the requirements of the position should be re-evaluated to determine whether it should be reclassified prospectively. If a position consistently requires more than 600 hours annually, it must be reclassified and you must enroll the employee in IMRF.
Employer audits have found that, over time, positions (and the number of hours an employee works) change. The change can affect whether that position qualifies for IMRF. Therefore, it is important to review both participating and non-participating positions on an annual basis to determine if the position:
• Continues to meet/exceed 600 hours for IMRF participation
• Requires fewer hours and no longer meets 600 hours for IMRF participation
• Requires more hours and is now over 600 hours
When an employee works more or fewer hours than originally expected, you do not need to reclassify the position retroactively, if the initial determination included a good-faith evaluation. However, you should carefully review the hourly requirements and the actual hours worked to determine whether the position will continue to require the same number of hours. You would then submit either a termination notice or enrollment notice, as required, as soon as you identify the change and reclassify the position. A position that consistently requires more or fewer hours than originally expected must be reclassified.
The publication, "Should this Employee be Enrolled” can serve as a guide when re-evaluating a position. This brochure should be used when a new employee is hired, is promoted or assumes a new position, or when an employee assumes additional responsibilities.
The 600-hour standard is applied to seasonal workers based upon their positions’ expected annual hours of duty. For example, a school employee who works during the school term only is classified by the hours the position is expected to require during the school term. Generally, in a 180-day school term, an employee expected to work three hours a day (540 hours a year) would not participate in IMRF. An employee working four hours each day (720 hours a year) would participate. The actual hours of work expected for the position are counted. This is true even if a position requires payment for a minimum number of hours even though not actually worked. For example, if the bus drivers’ contract requires payment for a minimum of four hours per day, but a particular route requires three hours, it is only the three hours that is counted toward the hours expected.
If an employee is hired during the school term, the 600-hour standard should be applied based upon the expected hours of duty for the next 12 months following the employee’s date of hire, not the remainder of the school term or the calendar year.
If an employee works in more than one position for one school district, the hours of all his or her positions are combined in applying this 600-hour standard. If an employee is hired as a substitute, the hours to be assigned should be estimated to determine if the employee should be enrolled in IMRF. If you are unable to make a good-faith determination, a substitute should be enrolled.
Note: A special educational cooperative administered by an administrative school district or operating as its own administrative district under Section 10-22.31 of the School Code is under the 600-hour standard.
IMRF Plan Tiers
Public Act 96-0889 created a second tier of benefits for IMRF. Effective January 1, 2011, IMRF will assign a benefit “tier” to an employee when he or she is enrolled in IMRF. The tier is based on the member’s participation date:
a. Tier 1: Members enrolled in IMRF before January 1, 2011. If a Tier 1 member:
b. Tier 2: Members first enrolled in IMRF on or after January 1, 2011:
EXCEPTIONS: Members enrolled in IMRF on or after January 1, 2011, will participate in Tier 1 if the member: