Skip to main content
PensionWatch

Chicago Teachers Pension Fund

public plan · City of Chicago · Chicago, IL

ACTIVE
D
Pension Health Score
40/100
Funding Status38% Funded
0%80% threshold100%
$10.4B
Total Assets
$27.6B
Total Liabilities
$17.2B
Unfunded Liability
73,248
Participants

Funding History

What This Means for You

Chicago Teachers Pension Fund is significantly underfunded at 38%, with $17.2B in unfunded liabilities affecting 73,248 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

YearAssetsLiabilitiesFunding RatioContributions
2025$10.4B$27.6B37.6%$595.1M
2024$9.9B$23.6B41.9%$595.0M
2023$9.6B$22.8B42.1%$744.2M
2022$9.5B$23.9B40.0%$690.1M
2021$8.5B$25.4B33.6%$587.5M