(1) The following tables state the required retirement contribution rates for members of the Regular Class, Special Risk Class, or Special Risk Administrative Support Class and their employers in terms of a percentage of the member’s gross compensation. A change in a contribution rate is effective with the first salary paid on or after the beginning date of the change. Contributions shall be made or deducted as may be appropriate for each pay period and are in addition to the contributions required for social security and the Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy Trust Fund.
(a)1. Retirement contributions for regular members are as follows:
| Dates of Contribution Rate Changes | Members | Employers |
| July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002 | 0% | 9.91% |
2. Effective July 1, 2002, the retirement contributions for regular members shall be specified in s. 121.71.
(b)1. Retirement contributions for special risk members are as follows:
| Dates of Contribution Rate Changes | Members | Employers |
| July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002 | 0% | 22.07% |
2. Effective July 1, 2002, retirement contributions for special risk members shall be specified in s. 121.71.
(c)1. Retirement contributions for special risk administrative support members are as follows:
| Dates of Contribution Rate Changes | Members | Employers |
| July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002 | 0% | 12.55% |
2. Effective July 1, 2002, retirement contributions for special risk administrative support members shall be specified in s. 121.71.
(2)(a) Effective January 1, 1975, or October 1, 1975, as applicable, and through June 30, 2011, each employer shall make the contribution required by subsection (1) by a procedure in which no employee’s gross salary is reduced. Effective July 1, 2011, each employer and employee shall pay retirement contributions as specified in s. 121.71.
(b) Upon termination of employment from all participating employers for 3 calendar months for any reason other than retirement pursuant to s. 121.021(39)(c), a member may receive a refund of all contributions he or she has made to the pension plan, subject to the restrictions otherwise provided in this chapter. Partial refunds are not permitted. The refund may not include any interest earnings on the contributions for a member of the pension plan. Employer contributions made on behalf of the member are not refundable. A member may not receive a refund of employee contributions if a pending or an approved qualified domestic relations order is filed against his or her retirement account. By obtaining a refund of contributions, a member waives all rights under the Florida Retirement System and the health insurance subsidy to the service credit represented by the refunded contributions, except the right to purchase his or her prior service credit in accordance with s. 121.081(2).
(3) The employer paying the salary of a member shall contribute an amount as specified in this section or s. 121.71, as appropriate, which shall constitute the entire employer retirement contribution with respect to such member. The employer shall also withhold one-half of the entire contribution of the member required for social security coverage. Contributions for social security by each member and each employer, in the amount required for social security coverage as now or hereafter provided by the federal Social Security Act, shall be in addition to contributions specified in subsection (1).
(4) The following table states the required employer contribution on behalf of each member of the Regular Class, Special Risk Class, or Special Risk Administrative Support Class in terms of a percentage of the member’s gross compensation. Such contribution constitutes the entire health insurance subsidy contribution with respect to each such member. A change in the contribution rate is effective with the first salary paid on or after the beginning date of the change. The retiree health insurance subsidy contribution rate is as follows:
| Dates of Contribution Rate Changes | Contribution Rate |
| October 1, 1987, through December 31, 1988 | 0.24% |
| January 1, 1989, through December 31, 1993 | 0.48% |
| January 1, 1994, through December 31, 1994 | 0.56% |
| January 1, 1995, through June 30, 1998 | 0.66% |
| July 1, 1998, through June 30, 2001 | 0.94% |
| July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2013 | 1.11% |
| July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014 | 1.20% |
| July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015 | 1.26% |
| Effective July 1, 2015 | 1.66% |
Such contributions shall be deposited by the administrator in the Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy Trust Fund.
(5) Contributions made in accordance with subsections (1), (2), (3), and (4) and s. 121.71 shall be paid into the system trust funds in accordance with rules adopted by the administrator pursuant to chapter 120, except as may be otherwise specified herein. Effective July 1, 2002, contributions paid under subsections (1) and (4) and accompanying payroll data are due and payable no later than the 5th working day of the month immediately following the month during which the payroll period ended.
(6)(a) Required employee contributions for all service other than current service, including, but not limited to, prior service, past service, military service, leave-of-absence service, out-of-state service, and certain non-Florida Retirement System in-state service, shall be paid by cash, personal check, cashier’s check, money order, or a direct rollover or transfer from a qualified plan as provided under the Internal Revenue Code. The payment must be accompanied by a statement identifying the service for which payment is made and shall be made in a lump sum for the total amount due or in annual payments of not less than $100, except for the final payment if less than $100, unless another method of payment is authorized by law or rule.
(b) On and after July 1, 1972, all remittances made by a member for the purchase of optional creditable service shall be credited to the member’s account. A refund of a member’s retirement contributions at termination, as provided in paragraph (2)(b), shall include all such remittances made by the member and credited to his or her account. If requested, a member may, at the time of retirement, receive a refund of any contributions he or she made for the purchase of any optional creditable service. A member is not entitled to a refund of contributions paid by an employer, except for employee contributions made by an employer for an employee’s past service earned prior to October 1, 1975.
(c) By obtaining a refund of contributions, a member waives all rights under the Florida Retirement System and the health insurance subsidy as provided in s. 112.363 to the service credit represented by the refunded contributions, except the right to purchase his or her prior service credit in accordance with s. 121.081(2).
(d) If a member or former member of the pension plan receives an invalid refund from the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund, such person must repay the full amount of the invalid refund, plus interest at 6.5 percent compounded annually on each June 30 from the date of refund until full payment is made to the trust fund. The invalid refund must be repaid before the member retires or, if applicable, transfers to the investment plan.
(e) The contributions required of a member of the Teachers’ Retirement System who transfers to the Florida Retirement System must be adjusted, based on the rate of 6.25 percent of salary earned while a member of the Teachers’ Retirement System. Any overpayment that results from this adjustment will be refunded to the member, while any amount due, plus interest compounded annually, must be paid by the member prior to retirement. Effective upon the date of transfer to the Florida Retirement System, contributions shall be paid as required under this chapter.
(7) Benefits, including employee contributions, are not payable under the pension plan for employee hardships, unforeseeable emergencies, loans, medical expenses, educational expenses, purchase of a principal residence, payments necessary to prevent eviction or foreclosure on an employee’s principal residence, or any other reason except a requested distribution for retirement, a mandatory de minimis distribution authorized by the administrator, or a required minimum distribution provided pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.
History.—s. 7, ch. 70-112; ss. 4, 13, ch. 74-302; s. 1, ch. 74-376; s. 2, ch. 77-467; s. 5, ch. 78-308; s. 4, ch. 81-307; s. 2, ch. 82-169; s. 6, ch. 83-76; ss. 7, 8, ch. 84-266; s. 3, ch. 86-137; s. 8, ch. 87-373; s. 1, ch. 88-238; s. 11, ch. 88-382; s. 1, ch. 89-220; s. 12, ch. 90-274; s. 57, ch. 92-279; s. 55, ch. 92-326; s. 7, ch. 93-193; s. 8, ch. 94-259; s. 1426, ch. 95-147; s. 6, ch. 96-423; s. 7, ch. 98-138; s. 6, ch. 98-413; s. 35, ch. 99-255; s. 9, ch. 99-392; s. 2, ch. 2000-167; ss. 3, 11, 16, ch. 2001-262; s. 4, ch. 2002-177; s. 6, ch. 2002-273; s. 7, ch. 2009-209; s. 13, ch. 2011-68; s. 5, ch. 2012-222; s. 4, ch. 2013-53; s. 4, ch. 2014-54; s. 4, ch. 2015-227.