Hannah joined Teach For America after college and was placed in Chicago, where she taught from August 2009 through September 2010. Like every CPS teacher, 9% of each paycheck went to the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund. But at 22, teaching was challenging enough - she wasn't tracking paycheck deductions or thinking about retirement accounts.
When she left teaching, nobody - not TFA, not her school, not CTPF - ever mentioned that she had mandatory pension contributions sitting in the system.
Money nobody told her about
Unlike many former teachers who know they have pension money but can't face the paperwork, Hannah was never informed she had anything to reclaim. She vaguely remembered getting some money back through TIAA after leaving teaching, but that was her employer retirement account, a completely separate thing from the mandatory state pension contributions. The distinction between the two is a common source of confusion, especially for people who enter TFA straight out of college.
"I remember absolutely nothing - teaching was challenging enough and I was very young and naive in general about what my paycheck deductions were going towards."
For 16 years, roughly $5,000 sat in CTPF earning minimal interest. Money Hannah had earned but was never told she could reclaim. If she hadn't been contacted about it, she says there's no way she would have pursued it on her own.
A lawyer who reads fine print for a living
Hannah went on to build a career in law. Today she's in-house counsel at Mass General Brigham, one of the largest healthcare systems in the country. She reads fine print and navigates complex paperwork for a living. And yet, when she saw what CTPF's refund process actually entails (specific forms, wet-ink notarization, financial institution certifications, hard-copy submissions) she was candid about what would have happened without help.
"Because of my job and training I consider myself at least somewhat competent at filling out forms and reading the fine print, and it would have still been arduous to figure this out on my own... certainly enough so to dissuade me from doing so in the first place."
That's the part that matters. If a lawyer at a major hospital system would be dissuaded by this process, it's not hard to imagine how everyone else feels. And Hannah pointed out something even more fundamental: when you don't know how much money is waiting for you at the end, the unknown makes it feel even less worth the effort.
"Someone who is intimidated by fine print would simply give up if they didn't have someone holding their hand through this process - especially since you don't actually know how much is waiting for you at the end."
A packet in the mail and a trip to her advisor
Recess prepared all of Hannah's CTPF paperwork and mailed her a complete packet with step-by-step instructions. Each form was tabbed and highlighted showing exactly where to sign. A pre-stamped, pre-addressed return envelope was included so that once everything was signed, all she had to do was drop it in the mail.
"You sent me the beautifully-tabbed packet in the mail with crystal clear instructions. I had our financial advisor fill out the one form that was required by them, I got everything notarized, and then sent it to CTPF using the envelope you conveniently provided. Couldn't have been easier."
Hannah happened to have a meeting with her financial advisor the following week, so she brought the forms along. Her advisor completed the required section, and she got the notarization done in the same visit. Even her advisor was impressed with the materials.
"Even our advisor was impressed with the cover sheet you provided!"
Worth it - even for smaller balances
Hannah's balance was modest compared to teachers who spent five or ten years in the classroom. But she didn't hesitate when asked if it was worth it.
"For an hour of my time I think anything more than $500 is worth it, especially when you think about what those returns could be over several decades sitting in an IRA."
That math is real. A few thousand dollars rolled into an IRA at 35 and left to grow for 30 years isn't a few thousand dollars anymore. It's the compounding that makes small balances worth reclaiming - and the simplicity of the process that makes it a no-brainer.
When the confirmation email arrived from CTPF that her paperwork had been received, Hannah said she felt relieved and grateful all over again. Not because the process had been hard - but because without Recess, it never would have happened at all.
Sound familiar?
Hannah is one of thousands of former Chicago teachers with pension contributions sitting unclaimed in the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund. Many don't even know the money exists - especially TFA alumni who were in the classroom for just a year or two and never received any communication about what happens to their contributions after leaving. If you taught in Chicago and left before hitting 10 years of service, there's a good chance you have money waiting too.
Find out what's yours - free.
Recess handles the forms, the notary coordination, and the follow-up. You just sign.
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