Effective January 1, 1995, a member may purchase creditable service for periods of public employment in another state and receive creditable service for such periods of employment. Service with the Federal Government, including any active military service, may be claimed. Upon completion of each year of service earned under the Florida Retirement System, a member may purchase up to 1 year of retirement credit for his or her out-of-state service, subject to the following provisions:

(1) LIMITATIONS AND CONDITIONS.–To receive credit for the out-of-state service:

(a) The out-of-state service must have been:

1. Performed in a position of employment with the state or a political subdivision thereof or with the Federal Government;
2. Covered by a retirement or pension plan provided by the state or political subdivision, or by the Federal Government, as appropriate; and
3. Performed prior to a period of membership in the Florida Retirement System.

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 121.1115

  • Benefit: means any pension payment, lump-sum or periodic, to a member, retiree, or beneficiary, based partially or entirely on employer contributions or employee contributions, if applicable. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • Compensation: means the monthly salary paid a member by his or her employer for work performed arising from that employment. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • Employer: means any agency, branch, department, institution, university, institution of higher education, or board of the state, or any county agency, branch, department, board, district school board, municipality, metropolitan planning organization, or special district of the state which participates in the system for the benefit of certain of its employees, or a charter school or charter technical career center that participates as provided in…. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • Member: means any officer or employee who is covered or who becomes covered under this system in accordance with this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • Pension: means monthly payments to a retiree derived as provided in this chapter. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • system: means the general retirement system established by this chapter, including, but not limited to, the defined benefit program administered under this part, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Pension Plan" or "pension plan" and the defined contribution program administered under part II of this chapter, referred to as the "Florida Retirement System Investment Plan" or "investment plan. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • System Trust Fund: means the trust fund established in the State Treasury by this chapter for the purpose of holding and investing the contributions paid by members and employers and paying the benefits to which members or their beneficiaries may become entitled. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • vesting: means the guarantee that a member is eligible to receive a future retirement benefit upon completion of the required years of creditable service for the employee's class of membership, even though the member may have terminated covered employment before reaching normal or early retirement date. See Florida Statutes 121.021
  • Work year: means the period of time an employee is required to work during the plan year to receive a full year of retirement credit, as provided by rule. See Florida Statutes 121.021
(b) The member must have completed the years of creditable service required for vesting under the Florida Retirement System, excluding out-of-state service and in-state service claimed and purchased under s. 121.1122.
(c) Not more than 5 years of creditable service may be claimed for creditable service aggregated under this section and s. 121.1122.
(d) The out-of-state service credit shall be credited only as service in the Regular Class, and any benefit or pension based thereon is subject to the limitations and restrictions of s. 112.65.
(e) The member is not eligible for and may not receive a pension or benefit from a retirement or pension plan based on or including the out-of-state service. Eligibility for or the receipt of contributions to a retirement plan made by the employer on behalf of the employee is considered a benefit.
(f) To receive service credit for out-of-state service performed after leaving the Florida Retirement System, the member must complete at least 1 year of creditable service in the Florida Retirement System following the out-of-state service.
(2) COST.–For each year claimed, the member must pay into the Florida Retirement System Trust Fund an amount equal to 20 percent of the member’s annual compensation for the first full work year of creditable service earned under the Florida Retirement System, but not less than $12,000, plus interest at 6.5 percent compounded annually from the date of first annual salary earned until full payment is made. The employer may pay all or a portion of the cost of this service credit.
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