Judges Retirement System of Illinois
public plan · State of Illinois · Rockford, IL
Funding History
What This Means for You
Judges Retirement System of Illinois is significantly underfunded at 38%, with $1.5B in unfunded liabilities affecting 3,203 participants. Plans at this funding level face difficult choices: raising contributions substantially, reducing future benefit accruals, or in extreme cases, applying for benefit suspensions. The PBGC has flagged this plan as critical status. Public plans cannot declare bankruptcy, but severe underfunding may lead to reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased employee contributions. If you are a participant, it is important to understand your options and consider diversifying your retirement income sources.
Year-by-Year Funding
| Year | Assets | Liabilities | Funding Ratio | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $907.4M | $2.4B | 38.1% | $50.6M |
| 2024 | $878.2M | $2.8B | 31.4% | $68.5M |
| 2023 | $842.5M | $2.0B | 41.8% | $60.4M |
| 2022 | $799.2M | $2.3B | 34.1% | $48.0M |
| 2021 | $779.1M | $2.5B | 31.0% | $57.6M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Judges Retirement System of Illinois is 38% funded, meaning it has 38 cents in assets for every dollar in future benefit obligations. This is significantly underfunded and participants should monitor the situation closely.
Judges Retirement System of Illinois has 3,203 total participants, including 1,529 active employees and 1,674 retirees currently receiving benefits.
Judges Retirement System of Illinois is not covered by the PBGC. Benefits depend entirely on the plan's assets and the sponsor's ability to fund it.
The Pension Health Score (0-100, A-F) measures a pension plan's financial strength based on funding ratio (50%), funding trend over 3 years (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). Higher scores indicate more secure retirement benefits.
Pension Health Score is calculated from funding ratio, 3-year funding trend, and PBGC risk classification.