Nickelates show intriguing similarities to cuprates, and have emerged as a compelling platform for studying high temperature superconductivity [1]. Infinite-layer rare-earth (R) nickelates, RNiO₂, consist of an alternating stacking of NiO₂ layers and rare-earth spacing layers along the crystallographic z-axis. While their bulk structure has been extensively studied computationally, the samples that exhibit superconductivity in experiments are thin nickelate films synthesized through a chemical reduction process. The topotactic reduction removes apical oxygen from perovskite RNiO₃, grown on substrates such as SrTiO₃ (001) [2]. Here, we explore emerging surface effects in RNiO₂ films by studying the formation and electronic structure of various surfaces within the framework of density functional theory (DFT) and dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). While perfect stoichiometry favors a NiO₂-terminated surface, the presence of excess apical oxygen in the surface region – possibly a remnant of the chemical reduction process – might stabilize an RO- terminated surface. Furthermore, the atomic structure at the surface is found to strongly influence the local electronic structure. These surface effects indicate the absence of an electron pocket around the Γ point – even for NdNiO₂ surfaces, in contrast to DFT and DMFT bulk calculations for NdNiO₂ [1].