5. (1) Any member in service who has attained age 55 years may retire on a service retirement allowance upon filing a written and duly executed application to the retirement system, setting forth at what time, not less than one month subsequent to the filing thereof, he desires to be retired. Any member in service who attains age 65 years shall be retired on a service retirement allowance forthwith on the first day of the next calendar month, except that a member hired prior to January 1, 1987 may remain a member of the system until the member attains age 68 years or 25 years of creditable service, whichever comes first.

(2) Upon retirement for service a member shall receive a service retirement allowance which shall consist of:

(a) An annuity which shall be the actuarial equivalent of his aggregate contributions and

(b) A pension in the amount which, when added to the member’s annuity, will provide a total retirement allowance of one-sixtieth of his average final compensation multiplied by the number of years of his creditable service, or 2% of his average final compensation multiplied by the number of years of his creditable service up to 30 plus 1% of his average final compensation multiplied by the number of years of creditable service over 30, or 50% of his final compensation if the member has established 20 or more years of creditable service, whichever is greater.

(3) (a) Any member of the retirement system as of the effective date of P.L.1999, c.428 who has 20 or more years of creditable service at the time of retirement shall be entitled to receive a retirement allowance equal to 50% of the member’s final compensation plus, in the case of a member required to retire pursuant to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, 3% of final compensation multiplied by the number of years of creditable service over 20 but not over 25.

(b) Any member of the retirement system who was enrolled prior to the effective date of P.L.2021, c.52 and who is a member on that effective date may retire on or after the effective date of P.L.2021, c.52 but no later than the first day of the 61st month following that effective date on a service retirement allowance, regardless of age, upon attaining 20 or more years of creditable service and shall be entitled to receive a service retirement allowance equal to 50% of the member’s final compensation.

(4) Upon the receipt of proper proofs of the death of a member who has retired on a service retirement allowance, there shall be paid to his beneficiary an amount equal to one-half of the compensation upon which contributions by the member to the annuity savings fund were based in the last year of creditable service.

L.1944, c.255, s.5; amended 1953, c.266, s.1; 1964, c.241, s.2; 1967, c.250, s.5; 1971, c.175, s.2; 1973, c.109, s.1; 1999, c.428, s.2; 2005, c.381; 2021, c.52; 2023, c.92.