Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

422A.15 Service allowance; contributing employees.

Subdivision 1. Formula pension and annuity. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision 3, each contributing member who, at the time of retirement, fulfills the conditions necessary to enable the member to retire is entitled to receive a "formula pension and annuity" equal to two percent for each year of allowable service for the first ten years and thereafter 2.5 percent per year of allowable service of the average salary, multiplied by the years of service credited by the retirement fund. The formula pension and annuity must be computed on the single life plan but subject to the option selections provided for in section 422A.17.

In order to be entitled to the formula pension and annuity herein provided for, the retiring employee at the time of cessation of employment and of actual retirement must have attained the age of 60 years or have been employed by the city not less than 30 years, or meet the qualifications provided for in section 422A.16, and in addition thereto have contributed to the retirement fund at the percentage rate prescribed by the retirement law applicable when the salary, wages or compensation was paid on all salaries, wages, or compensation received from the city or from an applicable employing unit. The years of service to be applied in the formula pension and annuity must be found and determined by the retirement board, except that no credit may be allowed for any year in which a back charge is owing at time of retirement and the earnings from any year in which a back charge is owing may not be used in determining the average salary.

Subd. 2. Withdrawal of voluntary contributions. Voluntary additions to the employee's deposits made by the employee under section 422A.10 may be withdrawn by the retiring employee or, with the approval of the retirement board, applied to the purchase of an additional annuity computed and determined under a procedure specified by the actuary retained by the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement utilizing the appropriate mortality table established by the board of trustees based on the experience of the fund as recommended by the commission-retained actuary and using the applicable postretirement interest rate assumption specified in section 356.215, subdivision 8.

Subd. 3. Optional defined contribution annuity. In lieu of the formula pension and annuity, a person who was a contributing member on April 28, 1973, who is eligible to retire and who ceases to be employed and who qualifies for retirement shall have the option of electing to receive a retirement allowance known as "the $2 bill and annuity."

If a member of the contributing class makes the election provided for in this section, the member shall receive a minimum pension of $2 per month for each year of service. The pension shall be the actuarial equivalent of the accumulated amounts of the annual installments as may be fixed and designated by law throughout the period of service of the retiring employee, not to exceed 25 years, accumulated to the date of retirement at six percent compound interest, and such extra credit to be provided by the city as will produce the minimum pension of $2 per month for each year of service. The pension shall be in addition to the annuity. The annuity shall be in the actuarial equivalent of the net accumulated contributions to the credit of the retiring employee, calculated at the date of retirement. For the purposes of this chapter, the "service allowance" for members of the contributing class shall consist of an "annuity" and a "pension."

The pension provided for herein shall be the actuarial equivalent of the accumulated annual installments of $2 per month for each year of service. The sum of $2 shall be computed as a single life annuity and subject to the option selections provided for in section 422A.17. The pension and annuity provided for in this subdivision shall be first paid from the contributing member's own contributions and normal earned credits, plus interest, until those credits are exhausted.

The retirement allowance provided under this subdivision or any optional annuity form of the retirement allowance shall be computed and determined under a procedure specified by the commission-retained actuary utilizing the appropriate mortality table established by the board of trustees based on the experience of the fund as recommended by the actuary retained by the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement and using the applicable postretirement interest rate assumption specified in section 356.215, subdivision 8.

Subd. 4. Service. Except as otherwise provided in sections 422A.01 to 422A.25, the service of each contributing member shall be calculated from the date of original appointment. Said service shall include periods of service at different times and service for one or more departments, branches or independent boards of the city. In computing length of service of contributing employees for the purpose of sections 422A.01 to 422A.25, periods of separations from the service shall not be included, provided, that any contributing employee who heretofore or hereafter shall serve as a duly elected member of the Minnesota state legislature and who at the time of entrance into the service herein outlined was a contributing member of the retirement fund, shall receive credit for the time spent in such service as though actually employed by such city. In order to receive credit as herein outlined, such employee shall contribute to the retirement fund the amount that would have been contributed by the employee if actually employed by the city. The amount of salary, wages or compensation received by the employee immediately prior to entering the service herein set forth, shall be the dollar amount used in determining the contributions to be made to the retirement fund, and also the amount to be used in determining the arithmetical average annual compensation otherwise provided for in sections 422A.01 to 422A.25.

Subd. 5. Payment. All retirement allowances as herein provided shall be paid in monthly installments and checks shall be issued and mailed to the last known address of each beneficiary by the first business day of the month succeeding the month in which the allowance is authorized. Where a beneficiary is under legal guardianship, monthly installments may be paid to the guardian.

HIST: 1973 c 133 s 15; 1973 c 770 s 4-6; 1974 c 73 s 3; 1980 c 607 art 16 s 17 subd 2; 1981 c 224 s 188; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 259 s 71,72; 2002 c 392 art 11 s 52; 1Sp2005 c 8 art 1 s 26

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes