Separation Refund

To receive a separation refund, you must have terminated your employment from all SURS-covered employers or you must have been on layoff for over 120 days.  If you wish to withdraw your funds from SURS, you must complete an Application for Separation Refund.  Depending upon your citizenship status, you may also be required to submit an IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN. 

To obtain the required SURS paperwork:

  • Dial Toll Free:  800-275-7877
  • Dial Direct:  217-378-8800

When you call to initiate the refund process, you will also need to provide the SURS representative with the following information:

  1. Your name and Member ID number
  2. Date of termination of employment
  3. Whether you wish to have the funds paid directly to you or rolled to an eligible retirement account.  If you wish to have the funds sent to a financial institution, you must provide SURS with the following information regarding the financial institution:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Account Type
  • Account Number
  • ACH Routing Number (checking and savings accounts only)

In most situations, the Separation Refund application can be sent to your secure Member Website and submitted electronically. If it is necessary that an Application for Separation Refund be mailed to you, it must be notarized before returning the original document to SURS. Applications must be returned within 45 days.

In addition to the refund application and any other applicable forms, SURS will request specific information from your employer.  To complete the refund processing, your employer must submit the certification of your employment, the date of termination of employment, and all final payroll information if not already on file.

You should contact your employer to determine their resignation process and complete any required paperwork.