19-2-704. Purchasing service credits allowed -- payroll deduction. (1) Subject to the rules promulgated by the board, an eligible member may elect to make additional contributions to purchase service credits as provided by the statutes governing the retirement system.

(2) Subject to any statutory provision establishing stricter limitations, only active or vested inactive members are eligible to purchase or transfer service credit, membership service, or contributions or to redeposit amounts withdrawn under 19-2-602.

(3) An eligible member who wishes to redeposit amounts withdrawn under 19-2-602 or who is eligible to purchase service credit as provided by the statutes governing the retirement system to which the member belongs may elect to make a lump-sum payment by personal check or rollover of funds from another eligible plan, to make installment payments, or to make a combination of a lump-sum payment and installment payments.

(4) Installment payments must be made by personal check paid directly to the board unless the member elects to make payments by irrevocable payroll deduction. The minimum installment period for payments is 3 months, and the maximum installment period is 5 years.

(5) To elect installment payments by irrevocable payroll deduction, the member shall file with the board and the member's employer an irrevocable, written application and authorization for payroll deductions. The application and authorization:

(a) must be signed by the member and the member's employer;

(b) must specify the dollar amount of each deduction and the number of deductions to be made, subject to any maximum amounts or duration established by state or federal law;

(c) may not give the member the option of receiving the deduction amounts directly instead of having them paid by the employer to the board; and

(d) must specify that the additional contributions being picked up, although designated as employee contributions, are being paid by the employer directly to the board in lieu of contributions paid directly by the employee.

(6) If the board notifies the employer that a proper written application and authorization has been filed with the board, the employer shall initiate the payroll deduction as follows:

(a) An employer shall pick up the member's elective additional contributions made pursuant to a payroll deduction authorization. The contributions picked up by the employer must be paid from the same source as is used to pay compensation to the member and must be included as part of the member's earned compensation before the deduction is made.

(b) Employee contributions, even though designated as employee contributions for state law purposes, are paid by the member's employer in lieu of contributions paid directly by the member to the board.

(c) The member may not choose to receive the contributed amounts directly instead of having them paid by the employer to the board.

(d) The effective date of the employer pickup and payment pursuant to this section is the date on which the employee's additional contribution is first deducted from the employee's compensation. However, the effective date may not be prior to the date that the member properly completes the written application and authorization for payroll deductions and files it with the board. The pickup may not apply to any additional contributions made before the effective date or to any contributions related to compensation earned for services rendered before the effective date.

(e) Installment payments initiated by contract prior to July 1, 1999, may be paid by payroll deduction only if the member files a written application and authorization for payroll deductions pursuant to this section. If the member does not file a written application and authorization for payroll deductions pursuant to this section, the installment contract payments agreed to by the member must be paid by the member directly to the board.

(f) A member may file more than one irrevocable payroll deduction agreement and authorization as long as a subsequent deduction authorization does not amend a previous irrevocable authorization. A member may not prepay an amount under an irrevocable payroll deduction agreement without terminating employment, except when a member becomes a member of another retirement system by an authorized election and the service purchase is in accordance with 19-2-715.

(7) If a member terminates employment or dies before completing all payments required by a payroll deduction authorization filed pursuant to this section, the deduction authorization expires and the board shall prorate the service credit based on the amount paid unless further payment is made as provided in this subsection. In the case of a termination from employment, the member may make a lump-sum payment for up to the balance of the service credit remaining to be purchased, subject to the limitations of section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code. In the case of death of the member, the payment may be made from the member's estate subject to the limitations of section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code.

History: En. 68-1903 by Sec. 24, Ch. 323, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 132, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 68-1903; amd. Sec. 24, Ch. 265, L. 1993; Sec. 19-3-702, MCA 1991; redes. 19-2-704 by Sec. 238, Ch. 265, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 412, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 370, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 58, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 99, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 429, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 329, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 283, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 195, L. 2017.