Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 55 - Contributions
Section 5508 - Actuarial cost method

(a) Employer contribution rate on behalf of active members.--For each fiscal year, the amount of the Commonwealth and other employer contributions on behalf of all active members shall be computed by the actuary as a percentage of the total compensation of all active members during the period for which the amount is determined and shall be so certified by the board. The actuarially required contribution rate on behalf of all active members shall consist of the employer normal contribution rate, as defined in subsection (b), and the accrued liability contribution rate as defined in subsection (c). The actuarially required contribution rate on behalf of all active members shall be modified by the experience adjustment factor as calculated in subsection (f).
(b) Employer normal contribution rate.--The employer normal contribution rate shall be determined after each actuarial valuation on the basis of an annual interest rate and such mortality and other tables as shall be adopted by the board in accordance with generally accepted actuarial principles. The employer normal contribution rate shall be determined as follows:
(1) From the effective date of this paragraph through fiscal year 2021-2022, as a level percentage of the compensation of the average new active member, which percentage, if contributed on the basis of his prospective compensation through his entire period of active State service, would be sufficient to fund the liability for any prospective benefit payable to him in excess of that portion funded by his prospective member contributions, excluding shared-risk member contributions and shared-gain adjustments to regular member contributions. In no case shall the employer normal contribution rate in the aggregate or for each class of service separately be less than zero.
(2) For fiscal year 2022-2023 and each fiscal year thereafter, as a level percentage of the compensation of all active members, which percentage, if contributed from the start of their employment on the basis of their prospective compensation through their entire period of active State service, would be sufficient to fund the liability for any prospective benefit payable to them in excess of that portion funded by their prospective member contributions, excluding shared-risk member contributions and shared-gain adjustments to regular member contributions. In no case shall the employer normal contribution rate in the aggregate or for each class of service separately be less than zero.
(c) Accrued liability contribution rate.--
(1) For the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2002, and July 1, 2003, the accrued liability contribution rate shall be computed as the rate of total compensation of all active members which shall be certified by the actuary as sufficient to fund over a period of ten years from July 1, 2002, the present value of the liabilities for all prospective benefits, except for the supplemental benefits as provided in sections 5708 (relating to supplemental annuities), 5708.1 (relating to additional supplemental annuities), 5708.2 (relating to further additional supplemental annuities), 5708.3 (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 1994), 5708.4 (relating to special supplemental postretirement adjustment), 5708.5 (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 1998), 5708.6 (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 2002), 5708.7 (relating to supplemental annuities commencing 2003) and 5708.8 (relating to special supplemental postretirement adjustment of 2002), in excess of the total assets in the fund (calculated recognizing all investment gains and losses over a five-year period), excluding the balance in the supplemental annuity account, and the present value of employer normal contributions and of member contributions payable with respect to all active members on December 31, 2001, and excluding contributions to be transferred by county retirement systems or pension plans pursuant to section 5507(c) (relating to contributions to the system by the Commonwealth and other employers). The amount of each annual accrued liability contribution shall be equal to the amount of such contribution for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, except that, if the accrued liability is increased by legislation enacted subsequent to June 30, 2002, but before July 1, 2003, such additional liability shall be funded over a period of ten years from the first day of July, coincident with or next following the effective date of the increase. The amount of each annual accrued liability contribution for such additional legislative liabilities shall be equal to the amount of such contribution for the first annual payment.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, beginning July 1, 2004, and ending June 30, 2010, the outstanding balance of the increase in accrued liability due to the change in benefits enacted in 2001 shall be amortized in equal dollar annual contributions over a period that ends 30 years after July 1, 2002, and the outstanding balance of the net actuarial loss incurred in calendar year 2002 shall be amortized in equal dollar annual contributions over a period that ends 30 years after July 1, 2003. For fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2004, and ending June 30, 2010, if the accrued liability is increased by legislation enacted subsequent to June 30, 2003, but before January 1, 2009, such additional liability shall be funded in equal dollar annual contributions over a period of ten years from the first day of July coincident with or next following the effective date of the increase.
(3) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, the accrued liability contribution rate shall be computed as the rate of total compensation of all active members which shall be certified by the actuary as sufficient to fund in equal dollar installments over a period of 30 years from July 1, 2010, the present value of the liabilities for all prospective benefits calculated as of the immediately prior valuation date, including the supplemental benefits as provided in sections 5708, 5708.1, 5708.2, 5708.3, 5708.4, 5708.5, 5708.6, 5708.7 and 5708.8, but excluding the benefits payable from the retirement benefit plan established pursuant to section 5941 (relating to benefits completion plan), in excess of the actuarially calculated assets in the fund (calculated recognizing all realized and unrealized investment gains and losses each year in level annual installments over five years), including the balance in the supplemental annuity account, and the present value of employer normal contributions determined without regard to any setoff the Commonwealth or any eligible employer will receive for advance payment of accrued liability contributions under section 5507(h), and of member contributions payable with respect to all active members, inactive members on leave without pay, vestees and special vestees on December 31, 2009. If the accrued liability is changed by legislation enacted subsequent to December 31, 2009, such change in liability shall be funded in equal dollar installments over a period of ten years from the first day of July following the valuation date coincident with or next following the date such legislation is enacted.
(4) For fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2018, the accrued liability contribution rate shall be computed as provided for under this section, except that the rate shall be computed as a rate of total compensation of all active members and active participants for the applicable period and the accrued liability shall be determined and the rate shall be computed without regard to the portion of any advance payment of accrued liability contributions made by the Commonwealth or any eligible employer under section 5507(h) for which an annual setoff has not been credited or recognized in a prior fiscal year. If the accrued liability is changed by legislation enacted subsequent to December 31, 2016, such change in liability shall be funded in equal dollar installments as a percentage of compensation of all active members and active participants over a period of ten years from the first day of July following the valuation date coincident with or next following the date such legislation is enacted. In addition to any employer defined contributions made to the trust, the Commonwealth and other employers of participants shall make the accrued liability contributions to the fund certified by the board.
(d) Special provisions on calculating contributions.--In calculating the contributions required by subsections (a), (b) and (c), the active members of Class C shall be considered to be members of Class A. In addition, the actuary shall determine the Commonwealth or other employer contributions required for active members of Class C and officers of the Pennsylvania State Police and enforcement officers and investigators of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board who are members of Class A to finance their benefits in excess of those to which other members of Class A are entitled. Such additional contributions shall be determined separately for officers and employees of the Pennsylvania State Police and for enforcement officers and investigators of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Such contributions payable on behalf of officers and employees of the Pennsylvania State Police shall include the amounts received by the system under the provisions of the act of May 12, 1943 (P.L.259, No.120), referred to as the Foreign Casualty Insurance Premium Tax Allocation Law, and on behalf of enforcement officers or investigators of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the amounts received by the system under the provisions of the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code.
(e) Supplemental annuity contribution rate.--
(1) For the period July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2010, contributions from the Commonwealth and other employers whose employees are members of the system required to provide for the payment of supplemental annuities as provided in sections 5708, 5708.1, 5708.2, 5708.3, 5708.4 and 5708.5 shall be paid over a period of ten years from July 1, 2002. The funding for the supplemental annuities commencing 2002 provided for in section 5708.6 shall be as provided in section 5708.6(f). The funding for the supplemental annuities commencing 2003 provided for in section 5708.7 shall be as provided in section 5708.7(f). The funding for the special supplemental postretirement adjustment of 2002 under section 5708.8 shall be as provided in section 5708.8(g). The amount of each annual supplemental annuities contribution shall be equal to the amount of such contribution for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002.
(2) For fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2010, contributions from the Commonwealth and other employers whose employees are members of the system required to provide for the payment of supplemental annuities as provided in sections 5708, 5708.1, 5708.2, 5708.3, 5708.4, 5708.5, 5708.6, 5708.7 and 5708.8 shall be paid as part of the accrued liability contribution rate as provided for in subsection (c)(3), and there shall not be a separate supplemental annuity contribution rate attributable to those supplemental annuities. In the event that supplemental annuities are increased by legislation enacted subsequent to December 31, 2009, the additional liability for the increase in benefits shall be funded in equal dollar installments as a percentage of compensation of all active members and active participants over a period of ten years from the first day of July following the valuation date coincident with or next following the date such legislation is enacted.
(f) Experience adjustment factor.--
(1) For each fiscal year after the establishment of the accrued liability contribution rate and the supplemental annuity contribution rate for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, any increase or decrease in the unfunded accrued liability and any increase or decrease in the liabilities and funding for supplemental annuities, due to actual experience differing from assumed experience (recognizing all realized and unrealized investment gains and losses over a five-year period), changes in contributions caused by the final contribution rate being different from the actuarially required contribution rate, State employees making shared-risk member contributions or having shared-gain adjustments to their regular member contributions, payment of additional accrued liability contributions under section 5507(g), changes in actuarial assumptions or changes in the terms and conditions of the benefits provided by the system by judicial, administrative or other processes other than legislation, including, but not limited to, reinterpretation of the provisions of this part, shall be amortized in equal dollar annual contributions as a percentage of compensation of all active members and active participants over a period of 30 years beginning with the July 1 succeeding the actuarial valuation determining said increases or decreases. The experience adjustment factor calculated under this paragraph shall be determined without regard to any advance payment of accrued liability contributions made by the Commonwealth or any eligible employer under section 5507(h).
(2) The actuarially required contribution rate shall be the sum of the normal contribution rate, the accrued liability contribution rate and the supplemental annuity contribution rate, modified by the experience adjustment factor as calculated in paragraph (1).
(g) Determination of liability for special vestee.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this part or other law, the total additional accrued actuarial liability resulting from eligibility of special vestees for benefits upon the attainment of superannuation age shall be determined by the actuary as part of the first annual valuation made after June 30, 1997. The resulting additional accrued actuarial liability shall be paid by The Pennsylvania State University to the board in one lump sum payment within 90 days of the board's certification of the amount to The Pennsylvania State University.
(h) Temporary application of collared contribution rate.--The collared contribution rate for each fiscal year shall be determined by comparing the actuarially required contribution rate calculated without regard for costs added by legislation to the prior year's final contribution rate. If, for any of the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2011, July 1, 2012, and on or after July 1, 2013, the actuarially required contribution rate calculated without regard for costs added by legislation is more than 3%, 3.5% and 4.5%, respectively, of the total compensation of all active members greater than the prior year's final contribution rate, then the collared contribution rate shall be applied and be equal to the prior year's final contribution rate increased by the respective percentage above of total compensation of all active members. Otherwise, and for all subsequent fiscal years, the collared contribution rate shall not apply. In no case shall the collared contribution rate be less than 4% of total compensation of all active members.
(i) Final contribution rate.--For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, the final contribution rate shall be 5% of total compensation of all active members. For each subsequent fiscal year for which the collared contribution rate is applicable, the final contribution rate shall be the collared contribution rate plus the costs added by legislation. For all other fiscal years, the final contribution rate shall be the actuarially required contribution rate, provided that the final contribution rate shall not be less than the employer normal contribution rate, as defined in subsection (b).
(June 29, 1984, P.L.450, No.95, eff. imd.; Oct. 21, 1988, P.L.844, No.112, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Aug. 5, 1991, P.L.183, No.23, eff. imd.; Apr. 29, 1994, P.L.159, No.29, eff. 60 days; June 25, 1997, P.L.369, No.41, eff. imd.; May 17, 2001, P.L.26, No.9, eff. July 1, 2002; Apr. 23, 2002, P.L.272, No.38, eff. imd.; Dec. 10, 2003, P.L.228, No.40, eff. imd.; June 27, 2007, P.L.32, No.8, eff. imd.; Nov. 23, 2010, P.L.1269, No.120, eff. imd.; June 12, 2017, P.L.11, No.5, eff. imd.; Nov. 27, 2019, P.L.723, No.105, eff. imd.)

2019 Amendment. Act 105 amended subsecs. (c)(3) and (4) and (f)(1). See section 9 of Act 105 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to applicability.
2017 Amendment. Act 5 amended subsecs. (a), (b), (c)(1), (e)(2), (f) and (h) and added subsec. (c)(4). See section 404 of Act 5 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to accrued liability funding.
2010 Amendment. See section 27 of Act 120 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to changes in accrued liability of State Employees' Retirement System.
2007 Amendment. See section 2 of Act 8 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to recertification of employer contribution rates.
1997 Amendment. See section 6 of Act 41 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to limitation of special vestee status.
Special Provisions in Appendix. See section 6.1 of Act 72 of 2019 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to accrued liability.
Cross References. Section 5508 is referred to in sections 5301, 5303.2, 5501.1, 5501.2, 5505.1, 5507, 5508.1, 5705, 5706, 5708.1, 5708.2, 5708.3, 5708.5, 5708.6, 5708.7, 5708.8, 5902 of this title.