Eligible TRS members can now enroll in the new Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP).
Illinois law – 40 ILCS 5/16-204 – requires Teachers’ Retirement System to offer an optional defined contribution benefit to eligible active members of the System. To comply with this law, TRS has contracted with Voya Financial to develop and offer the TRS Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP). The SSP is a 457(b) retirement plan.
This page is intended to keep TRS employers up-to-date with the latest information regarding the upcoming implementation of the SSP.
The following documents are important to the implementation of the new TRS Supplemental Savings Plan (SSP):
- Supplemental Savings Plan Employer Participation Agreement
- Authorized Contact Form
- Sample of the form
- TRS Supplemental Savings Plan document
- Sample resolution to adopt the plan
All of these documents are listed below.
Supplemental Savings Plan Employer Participation Agreement and Authorized Contact Form Details
The participation agreement is required by Section 457(b) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and must be formally adopted, signed and returned to the System in order for an employer’s TRS-covered members to be eligible to participate in the SSP. You or your staff can upload the completed SSP Employer Participation Agreement using the secure Document Upload area within the online Employer Access Account. This agreement must be completed and returned by every employer in order to meet the requirements of ILCS 5/16-204.
The Authorized Contact form is an internal TRS form that memorializes the contact information between a school district/employer and the System for matters related to the SSP. The form indicates that employers will send all SSP communications to the TRS executive director and chief benefits officer. In return, the form allows an employer to designate a key contact person for all SSP communications with TRS. The form also allows employers to name all persons who are authorized to represent the employer in matters related to the SSP. This form must be returned to TRS.
Wet/ink and digital signatures are accepted on these forms. If you cannot see the digital signature fields online and want to digitally sign, save the form to your pc. Next open the form in Acrobat and select View, then Show/Hide, Navigation Panes, Signatures. The digital signature is a new option.
If you have any questions regarding the completion of the form, contact Employer Services at employers@trsil.org or (888) 678-3675.
Ineligible employers
Legal counsel assisting TRS in the creation of the SSP has advised the System that the TRS-covered employees of tax-exempt non-government employers, such as labor unions and professional associations, are not eligible to participate in the SSP.
These employers are the Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Association of School Boards. While these employers have an educational purpose, they are not government employers and their employees are not eligible to participate in the SSP.
If you have any questions, please contact TRS at employers@trsil.org.
Participating Employers
Employers must adopt the TRS Supplemental Savings Plan for their eligible employees to participate in the SSP. View the list of Participating Employers who have adopted the SSP.
Resources
- TRS Benefits - New Hire Flyer
- SSP Overview and Updates, Sept. 2023
- SSP Plan and Reporting Training, Sept. 2023
- SSP Automatic Enrollment Employer Training, Nov./Dec. 2022
- Employer Supplemental Savings Plan Reporting Training, August 2022
- Supplemental Savings Plan Presentation - Superintendent Overview
Employer Bulletins for Reference
- FY24-04: SSP Trainings, Resources & Plan Updates
- FY23-20: SSP Deferred Payment Update and Delinquent Contributions Emails
- FY23-17: Automatic Enrollment is Live
- FY23-15: TRS Supplemental Savings Plan Update
- FY23-14: Supplemental Savings Plan Resources
- FY23-12: TRS Will Launch SSP Auto Enrollment on Jan. 1, 2023
- FY23-06: TRS Supplemental Savings Plan Resources
- FY23-01: Sept. 30, 2022 Deadline For Employers to Adopt the Supplemental Savings Plan
- FY22-33: TRS Announces Sept. 30, 2022 Deadline for Employers to Adopt Supplemental Savings Plan
- FY22-30: Supplemental Savings Plan: Reporting in Gemini; Connecting with Voya
- FY22-26: Gemini and Supplemental Savings Plan Update
- FY22-22: SSP Deferrals Report Update & Upcoming Employer SSP Reporting Training
- FY22-16: New TRS Supplemental Savings Plan About to Begin!
- FY22-15: TRS Supplemental Savings Plan Overview