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HomeEducation CodeDiv. 1Pt. 13Ch. 18§ 23101 Refund Forfeits Retirement Benefits

§ 23101 Refund Forfeits Retirement Benefits

Education Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 23101 Refund Forfeits Retirement Benefits

Key Takeaways

  • •If you take out your retirement money early, you lose all the benefits tied to that money.
  • •To get those benefits back, you must pay back the full amount you took out, plus interest.
  • •Anyone you named to get your benefits (like family) won’t get them if you take the money out early.

Example

You quit your job and take out your retirement savings to buy a car.

If you do this, you lose all the retirement benefits from that job. To get them back later, you’d have to pay back everything you took out, plus extra money (interest). Also, if you had named your spouse to get your retirement money if you died, they won’t get it anymore.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 23101 Refund Forfeits Retirement Benefits

(a) When a member’s accumulated retirement contributions are refunded, as provided in Section 23100, all rights to benefits pertaining to the service credit represented by those contributions under this part are forfeited. Those rights and benefits, based upon service performed prior to refund, shall not be restored until the member has redeposited the total of the refunded accumulated retirement contributions, and paid the regular interest thereon as provided in Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 23200). (b) In addition to the rights and benefits described in subdivision (a), any beneficiary designation made by a member pursuant to Chapter 20 (commencing with Section 23300) and Chapter 28 (commencing with Section 24300) under this part shall be invalidated upon the refund of the member’s accumulated retirement contributions. (Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 703, Sec. 9. (SB 349) Effective January 1, 2012.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

accumulated retirement contributionsrights to benefitsservice creditredepositedregular interestbeneficiary designationinvalidated

Related Statutes

  • § 23100 Employee Retirement Contribution Payout
  • § 23106 Retirement Credit Transfer Refund
  • § 22651 Nonmember Spouse Retirement Rights
  • § 22658 Nonmember Spouse Separate Accounts
  • § 22907 Retirement Contribution Adjustments

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Education Code. Section 23101.
View Official Source