(a) “Compensation earnable” by a member means the payrate and special compensation of the member, as defined by subdivisions (b), (c), and (g), and as limited by Section 21752.5.

(b) (1) “Payrate” means the normal monthly rate of pay or base pay of the member paid in cash to similarly situated members of the same group or class of employment for services rendered on a full-time basis during normal working hours, pursuant to publicly available pay schedules. “Payrate,” for a member who is not in a group or class, means the monthly rate of pay or base pay of the member, paid in cash and pursuant to publicly available pay schedules, for services rendered on a full-time basis during normal working hours, subject to the limitations of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e).

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(2) “Payrate” shall include an amount deducted from a member’s salary for any of the following:

(A) Participation in a deferred compensation plan.

(B) Payment for participation in a retirement plan that meets the requirements of Section 401(k) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(C) Payment into a money purchase pension plan and trust that meets the requirements of Section 401(a) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(D) Participation in a flexible benefits program.

(3) The computation for a leave without pay of a member shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member at the beginning of the absence.

(4) The computation for time before entering state service shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member in the position first held by the member in state service.

(c) (1) Special compensation of a member includes a payment received for special skills, knowledge, abilities, work assignment, workdays or hours, or other work conditions.

(2) Special compensation shall be limited to that which is received by a member pursuant to a labor policy or agreement or as otherwise required by state or federal law, to similarly situated members of a group or class of employment that is in addition to payrate. If an individual is not part of a group or class, special compensation shall be limited to that which the board determines is received by similarly situated members in the closest related group or class that is in addition to payrate, subject to the limitations of paragraph (2) of subdivision (e).

(3) Special compensation shall be for services rendered during normal working hours and, when reported to the board, the employer shall do all of the following:

(A) Identify the pay period in which the special compensation was earned.

(B) Identify each item of special compensation and the category under which that item is listed, as described in regulations promulgated by the board pursuant to paragraph (6), for example, the item of Uniform Allowance would be reported under the category of Statutory Items.

(C) Report each item of special compensation separately from payrate.

(4) Special compensation may include the full monetary value of normal contributions paid to the board by the employer, on behalf of the member and pursuant to Section 20691, if the employer’s labor policy or agreement specifically provides for the inclusion of the normal contribution payment in compensation earnable.

(5) The monetary value of a service or noncash advantage furnished by the employer to the member, except as expressly and specifically provided in this part, is not special compensation unless regulations promulgated by the board specifically determine that value to be “special compensation.”

(6) The board shall promulgate regulations that delineate more specifically and exclusively what constitutes “special compensation” as used in this section. A uniform allowance, the monetary value of employer-provided uniforms, holiday pay, and premium pay for hours worked within the normally scheduled or regular working hours that are in excess of the statutory maximum workweek or work period applicable to the employee under Section 201 and following of Title 29 of the United States Code shall be included as special compensation and appropriately defined in those regulations.

(7) Special compensation does not include any of the following:

(A) Final settlement pay.

(B) Payments made for additional services rendered outside of normal working hours, whether paid in lump sum or otherwise.

(C) Other payments the board has not affirmatively determined to be special compensation.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, payrate and special compensation schedules, ordinances, or similar documents shall be public records available for public scrutiny.

(e) (1) As used in this part, “group or class of employment” means a number of employees considered together because they share similarities in job duties, work location, collective bargaining unit, or other logical work-related grouping. A single employee is not a group or class.

(2) Increases in compensation earnable granted to an employee who is not in a group or class shall be limited during the final compensation period applicable to the employees, as well as the two years immediately preceding the final compensation period, to the average increase in compensation earnable during the same period reported by the employer for all employees who are in the same membership classification, except as may otherwise be determined pursuant to regulations adopted by the board that establish reasonable standards for granting exceptions.

(f) As used in this part, “final settlement pay” means pay or cash conversions of employee benefits that are in excess of compensation earnable, that are granted or awarded to a member in connection with, or in anticipation of, a separation from employment. The board shall promulgate regulations that delineate more specifically what constitutes final settlement pay.

(g) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), “compensation earnable” for state members means the average monthly compensation, as determined by the board, upon the basis of the average time put in by members in the same group or class of employment and at the same rate of pay, and is composed of the payrate and special compensation of the member. The computation for an absence of a member shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member at the beginning of the absence and for time before entering state service shall be based on the compensation earnable by the member in the position first held by the member in that state service.

(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), “payrate” for state members means the average monthly remuneration paid in cash out of funds paid by the employer to similarly situated members of the same group or class of employment, in payment for the member’s services or for time during which the member is excused from work because of holidays, sick leave, vacation, compensating time off, or leave of absence, pursuant to publicly available pay schedules. “Payrate” for state members shall include:

(A) An amount deducted from a member’s salary for any of the following:

(i) Participation in a deferred compensation plan established pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 19993) of Part 2.6.

(ii) Payment for participation in a retirement plan that meets the requirements of Section 401(k) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(iii) Payment into a money purchase pension plan and trust that meets the requirements of Section 401(a) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(iv) Participation in a flexible benefits program.

(B) A payment in cash by the member’s employer to one other than an employee for the purpose of purchasing an annuity contract for a member under an annuity plan that meets the requirements of Section 403(b) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(C) Employer “pick up” of member contributions that meets the requirements of Section 414(h)(2) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(D) Disability or workers’ compensation payments to safety members in accordance with § 4800 of the Labor Code.

(E) Temporary industrial disability payments pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 19869) of Chapter 2.5 of Part 2.6.

(F) Other payments the board may determine to be within “payrate.”

(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), “special compensation” for state members shall mean all of the following:

(A) The monetary value, as determined by the board, of living quarters, board, lodging, fuel, laundry, and other advantages of any nature furnished to a member by their employer in payment for the member’s services.

(B) Compensation for performing normally required duties, such as holiday pay, bonuses (for duties performed on regular work shift), educational incentive pay, maintenance and noncash payments, out-of-class pay, marksmanship pay, hazard pay, motorcycle pay, paramedic pay, emergency medical technician pay, Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certificate pay, and split shift differential.

(C) Compensation for uniforms, except as provided in Section 20632.

(D) Other payments the board may determine to be within “special compensation.”

(4) “Payrate” and “special compensation” for state members do not include any of the following:

(A) The provision by the state employer of a medical or hospital service or care plan or insurance plan for its employees (other than the purchase of annuity contracts as described below in this subdivision), a contribution by the employer to meet the premium or charge for that plan, or a payment into a private fund to provide health and welfare benefits for employees.

(B) A payment by the state employer of the employee portion of taxes imposed by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

(C) Amounts not available for payment of salaries and that are applied by the employer for the purchase of annuity contracts including those that meet the requirements of Section 403(b) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(D) Benefits paid pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 19878) of Chapter 2.5 of Part 2.6.

(E) Employer payments that are to be credited as employee contributions for benefits provided by this system, or employer payments that are to be credited to employee accounts in deferred compensation plans. The amounts deducted from a member’s wages for participation in a deferred compensation plan are not “employer payments.”

(F) Payments for unused vacation, annual leave, personal leave, sick leave, or compensating time off, whether paid in lump sum or otherwise.

(G) Final settlement pay.

(H) Payments for overtime, including pay in lieu of vacation or holiday.

(I) Compensation for additional services outside regular duties, such as standby pay, callback pay, court duty, allowance for automobiles, and bonuses for duties performed after the member’s regular work shift.

(J) Amounts not available for payment of salaries and that are applied by the employer for any of the following:

(i) The purchase of a retirement plan that meets the requirements of Section 401(k) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(ii) Payment into a money purchase pension plan and trust that meets the requirements of Section 401(a) of Title 26 of the United States Code.

(K) Payments made by the employer to or on behalf of its employees who have elected to be covered by a flexible benefits program, where those payments reflect amounts that exceed the employee’s salary.

(L) Other payments the board may determine are not “payrate” or “special compensation.”

(5) If the provisions of this subdivision, including the board’s determinations pursuant to subparagraph (F) of paragraph (2) and subparagraph (D) of paragraph (3), are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 3517.5 or 3560, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, those provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act. A memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 3517.5 or 3560 shall not exclude from the definition of either “payrate” or “special compensation” a member’s base salary payments or payments for time during which the member is excused from work because of holidays, sick leave, vacation, compensating time off, or leave of absence. If items of compensation earnable are included by memorandum of understanding as “payrate” or “special compensation” for retirement purposes for represented and higher education employees pursuant to this paragraph, the Department of Human Resources or the Trustees of the California State University shall obtain approval from the board for that inclusion.

(6) (A) Subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) prescribes that compensation earnable includes compensation for performing normally required duties, such as holiday pay, bonuses (for duties performed on regular work shift), educational incentive pay, maintenance and noncash payments, out-of-class pay, marksmanship pay, hazard pay, motorcycle pay, paramedic pay, emergency medical technician pay, POST certificate pay, and split shift differential; and includes compensation for uniforms, except as provided in Section 20632; and subparagraph (I) of paragraph (4) excludes from compensation earnable compensation for additional services outside regular duties, such as standby pay, callback pay, court duty, allowance for automobile, and bonuses for duties performed after regular work shift.

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Department of Human Resources shall determine which payments and allowances that are paid by the state employer shall be considered compensation for retirement purposes for an employee who either is excluded from the definition of state employee in Section 3513, or is a nonelected officer or employee of the executive branch of government who is not a member of the civil service.

(C) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Trustees of the California State University shall determine which payments and allowances that are paid by the trustees shall be considered compensation for retirement purposes for a managerial employee, as defined in Section 3562, or supervisory employee as defined in Section 3580.3.

(7) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), a state employer shall, when reporting payrate and special compensation, do all of the following:

(A) Identify the pay period in which the special compensation was earned.

(B) Identify each item of special compensation, as permitted pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (5).

(C) Report each item of special compensation separately from payrate.

(h) This section does not apply to a new member, as defined in Section 7522.04.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 330, Sec. 7. (SB 782) Effective January 1, 2020.)