(a) The state shall pick up the employee contribution required of each of its employees by § 815.402 or 820.101, as applicable, for all compensation earned. The state shall pay to the retirement system the picked-up contributions from the same source of funds that is used in paying earnings to the employees. Such payments shall be in lieu of contributions by the employees. The state shall pick up these contributions by a corresponding reduction in the cash salary of the employees, by an offset against a future salary increase, or by a combination of a salary reduction and offset against a future salary increase. Employees do not have the option of choosing to receive the contributed amounts directly instead of having them paid by the state to the retirement system.
(b) Contributions picked up as provided by Subsection (a) shall be treated as employer contributions in determining tax treatment of the amounts under the United States Internal Revenue Code; however, the state shall continue to withhold federal income taxes on these picked-up contributions until the Internal Revenue Service determines or the federal courts rule that pursuant to Section 414(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. § 414) these picked-up contributions may not be included as gross income of the employee until such time as they are distributed or made available.

(c) Employee contributions picked up as provided by Subsection (a) shall be transmitted to the retirement system in the manner required by § 815.402 or 820.101, as applicable. Employee contributions picked up by the state and credited to the employee’s account shall be treated for all other purposes as if the amount were a part of the member’s compensation and had been deducted pursuant to § 815.403(a).