(1)(a) An active member of the Public Employees Retirement System shall contribute to the Public Employees Retirement Fund and there shall be withheld from salary of the member six percent of that salary as an employee contribution.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, an employee who is an active member of the system on August 21, 1981, shall contribute to the fund and there shall be withheld from salary of the member, as long as the employee continues to be an active member of the system, four percent of that salary if the salary for a month is less than $500, or five percent of that salary if the salary for a month is $500 or more and less than $1,000. Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section, for the purpose of computing the percentage of salary to be withheld under this paragraph from a member who is an employee of a school district or a public university listed in ORS § 352.002 whose salary is based on an annual agreement, the agreed annual salary of the member shall be divided into 12 equal installments, and each installment shall be considered as earned and paid in separate, consecutive months, commencing with the first month that payment is actually made under the terms of the salary agreement.

(2) The contributions of each member as provided in subsection (1) of this section shall be deducted by the employer from each payroll and transmitted by the employer to the Public Employees Retirement Board, which shall cause them to be credited to the member account of the member. Salary shall be considered earned in the month in which it is paid. The date inscribed on the paycheck or warrant shall be considered as the pay date, regardless of when the salary is actually delivered to the member.

(3) An active member who is concurrently employed by more than one participating public employer, and who is a member of or entitled to membership in the system, shall make contributions to the fund on the basis of salary paid by each employer.

(4) Notwithstanding subsections (1) to (3) of this section, a member of the system, or a participating employer acting on behalf of the member pursuant to ORS § 238.205, is not permitted or required to make employee contributions to the fund for service performed on or after January 1, 2004. This subsection does not affect any contribution for the purpose of unit purchases under ORS § 238.440 or amounts paid for acquisition of creditable service under ORS § 238.105 to 238.175. [Formerly 237.071 (1) to (3); 2001 c.945 § 43; 2003 c.67 § 1; 2003 c.625 § 9; 2013 c.768 § 110]