September 10, 2026 | News
If you’re newly employed by a SURS-covered organization, selecting a SURS retirement plan can feel overwhelming at first. It’s important to fully understand your options before making a decision. This is especially important since you have only six months to choose and your election is permanent.
SURS has three strong plan options for you to choose among—SURS Traditional, Portable, and Retirement Savings Plan. Your choice is a one-time selection and determines which plan you will contribute to throughout your career, so it’s important to carefully review all your options. Download and review the member guides for each plan to dig into more details: https://surs.org/retirement-plans/.
Before electing your core SURS plan, log in to your SURS secure Member Account at surs.org and make use of the SURS Plan Choice Decision Tool to help you choose the plan that best fits your needs and goals.
This interactive tool is designed to assist you with comparing SURS retirement plans. There are questions to lead you through the plan features and help you zero in on which plan may suit your personal situation. Your answers will trigger tips and stories about people like you and why they chose their plan. To access the Plan Choice Decision Tool, log in to the SURS secure Member Website and select ‘Retirement Choice Election’ button. There you will find a link to the tool.
You also should have received a Plan Choice Election packet in the mail with information regarding this important choice. Please review this information carefully before making your election.
You may also call SURS at 800-275-7877 or 217-378-8800 with questions. We are available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, excluding major holidays. Our Call Center representatives can explain the plans and answer your questions.
