(Effective through December 31, 2025) 1.    Each governmental unit shall contribute an amount equal to four and twelve-hundredths percent of the monthly salary or wage of a participating member.

Governmental unit contributions increase by one percent of the monthly salary or wage of a participating member beginning with the monthly reporting period of January 2012; with an additional increase of one percent, beginning with the reporting period of January 2013; with an additional increase of one percent, beginning with the monthly reporting period of January 2014; and with an additional increase of one percent, beginning with the monthly reporting period of January 2024. For a participating member who first enrolls after December 31, 2019, the governmental unit shall contribute an additional amount equal to one and fourteen-hundredths percent of the monthly salary or wage of the participating member.

2.    For those members who elect to exercise their rights under section 54-52-17.14, the employing governmental unit, or in the case of a member not presently under covered employment the most recent employing governmental unit, shall pay the associated employer contribution. If the employee’s contribution is paid by the governmental unit under subsection 3 of section 54-52-05, the employer unit shall contribute, in addition, an amount equal to the required employee’s contribution. Each governmental unit shall pay the contribution monthly, or in the case of an election made pursuant to section 54-52-17.14 a lump sum, into the retirement fund from the governmental unit’s funds appropriated for payroll and salary or any other funds available for these purposes. Any governmental unit failing to pay the contributions monthly, or in the case of an election made pursuant to section 54-52-17.14 a lump sum, or failing to otherwise comply with the board’s established wage reporting or payroll reporting process requirements, is subject to a civil penalty of fifty dollars and, as interest, one percent of the amount due for each month of delay or fraction of a month after the payment became due. In lieu of assessing a civil penalty or one percent per month, or both, interest at the actuarial rate of return may be assessed for each month the contributions are delinquent. If contributions are paid within ninety days of the date the contributions became due, penalty and interest to be paid on delinquent contributions may be waived.

3.    An employer is required to submit contributions for any past eligible employee who was employed after July 1, 1977, for which contributions were not made if the employee would have been eligible to become vested had the employee participated and if the employee elects to join the public employees retirement system. Employer contributions may not be assessed for eligible service that an employee has waived pursuant to subsection 1 of section 54-52-05.

4.    Annually, the board shall report to the employee benefits programs committee the contributions necessary, as determined by the actuarial study, to maintain the fund’s actuarial soundness.

Employer’s contribution to retirement plan – Report to the employee benefits programs committee. (Effective after December 31, 2025) 1.     a.    As determined by actuarial valuations, each state governmental unit shall contribute to the defined benefit plan an amount on a level percent of compensation basis for all main system defined benefit retirement plan employees and all defined contribution retirement plan employees sufficient under the actuarial valuation to meet both the normal cost plus the actuarially determined amount required to amortize the unfunded accrued liability of the main plan over a closed period of thirty and one-half years, beginning January 1, 2026, and continuing through June 30, 2056. By November fifteenth of each even-numbered year the board shall publish the contribution rate required under this subsection. The board shall calculate this rate based on the July first actuarial report of that year.

b.    Each participating political subdivision shall contribute an amount equal to eight and twelve-hundredths percent of the monthly salary or wage of a participating member.

c.    For a participating member who first enrolls after December 31, 2019, a participating political subdivision shall contribute an additional amount equal to one and fourteen-hundredths percent of the monthly salary or wage of the participating member.

2.    For those members who elect to exercise their rights under section 54-52-17.14, the employing governmental unit, or in the case of a member not presently under covered employment the most recent employing governmental unit, shall pay the associated employer contribution. If the employee’s contribution is paid by the governmental unit under subsection 3 of section 54-52-05, the employer unit shall contribute, in addition, an amount equal to the required employee’s contribution. Each governmental unit shall pay the contribution monthly, or in the case of an election made pursuant to section 54-52-17.14 a lump sum, into the retirement fund from the governmental unit’s funds appropriated for payroll and salary or any other funds available for these purposes. Any governmental unit failing to pay the contributions monthly, or in the case of an election made pursuant to section 54-52-17.14 a lump sum, or failing to otherwise comply with the board’s established wage reporting or payroll reporting process requirements, is subject to a civil penalty of fifty dollars and, as interest, one percent of the amount due for each month of delay or fraction of a month after the payment became due. In lieu of assessing a civil penalty or one percent per month, or both, interest at the actuarial rate of return may be assessed for each month the contributions are delinquent. If contributions are paid within ninety days of the date the contributions became due, penalty and interest to be paid on delinquent contributions may be waived.

3.    An employer is required to submit contributions for any past eligible employee who was employed after July 1, 1977, for which contributions were not made if the employee would have been eligible to become vested had the employee participated and if the employee elects to join the public employees retirement system. Employer contributions may not be assessed for eligible service that an employee has waived pursuant to subsection 1 of section 54-52-05.

4.    Annually, the board shall report to the employee benefits programs committee the contributions necessary, as determined by the actuarial study, to maintain the fund’s actuarial soundness.