(1) "Benefit cost rate" means benefit costs of all individuals paid in a calendar year, as defined in Subsection (2), including the state's share of extended benefit costs, divided by the total wages paid by all employers subject to contributions in the same calendar year, calculated to four decimal places, disregarding the remaining fraction, if any.

(2) "Benefit costs" means the net money payments made to individuals who were employed by employers subject to contributions, excluding extended benefit costs, as provided in this chapter with respect to unemployment.

(3) "Computation date" means July 1 of any year, beginning July 1, 1984.

(4) "Contribution year" means any calendar year beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.

(5) "Fiscal year" means the year beginning with July 1 of one year and ending June 30 of the next year. For example, fiscal year 1992 begins July 1, 1991, and ends June 30, 1992.

(6) "New employer" means any employer who has been an employer as defined in this chapter and whose account has been chargeable with benefits for less than one fiscal year immediately preceding the computation date.

(7) "Payroll" means total wages.

(8) "Qualified employer" means any employer who was an employer as defined in this chapter during each quarter of the prior fiscal year immediately preceding the computation date.

(9) "Qualifying period" means the four fiscal years immediately preceding the contribution year on or after January 1, 1985. If four fiscal years of data are not available, the qualifying period is the lesser number of fiscal years for which data are available, but not less than one fiscal year.

(10) "Reserve" means that amount of money in the fund which has been appropriated or is subject to appropriation by the Legislature, exclusive of money transferred to the fund under the Federal Employment Security Administrative Financing Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.

(11) "Taxable wages" means all remuneration paid by an employer to employees for insured work that is subject to unemployment insurance contributions.

(12) "Total wages" means all remuneration paid by an employer to employees for insured work.

(13) "Unemployment experience" means all factors, including benefit costs and taxable wages, which bear a direct relation to an employer's unemployment risk.