2023 Arizona Revised Statutes › Title 38 - Public Officers and Employees › § 38-738 - Adjustment and refund

38-738.
Adjustment and refund
A. If more than the correct amount of employer or member contributions is paid into ASRS by an employer through a mistake of fact,  ASRS shall provide the employer with an employer credit against future contributions if the employer requests an employer credit or,  if the request is made within one year after the date of overpayment,  shall return the contributions to the employer. ASRS may not pay an employer earnings attributable to the excess contributions but shall reduce the amount returned to an employer pursuant to this subsection by the amount of losses attributable to the excess contributions. If more than the correct amount of employer or member contributions is paid into ASRS by an employer through a mistake of law,  ASRS shall provide the employer with an employer credit against future contributions if the employer requests an employer credit. On receipt of an employer credit or return of contributions pursuant to this subsection,  the employer shall return any member portion of the returned contributions to the member.
B. If less than the correct amount of employer or member contributions is paid into ASRS by an employer,  the following apply:
1. The member shall pay an amount that is equal to the amount that would have been paid in member contributions for the period in question. For active members,  payments shall be made as provided in section 38-747. For members who are inactive,  retired or on long-term disability,  payments shall be made using after-tax income and a personal check,  cashier's check or money order. If the member does not make the payment within ninety days after being notified by ASRS that the employer has paid all amounts due from the employer,  the unpaid amount accrues interest until the amount is paid in full. The member is responsible for payment of the unpaid amount and interest. The interest rate is the interest rate assumption that is approved by the board for actuarial equivalency for the period in question to the date payment is received.
2. If the member contributions to ASRS made pursuant to this subsection exceed the limits prescribed in section 38-747,  subsection E when taking into account other annual additions of the member for the limitation year,  the amount to be paid by the member shall be adjusted as provided in section 38-747. For the purposes of this paragraph,  " limitation year"  has the same meaning prescribed in section 38-769.
3. The employer shall pay to ASRS an amount equal to the amount that would have been paid in employer contributions for the period in question together with accumulated interest that would have accrued on both the employer and member contributions due. If the employer does not remit full payment of all employer contributions and all interest due within ninety days after being notified by ASRS of the amount due,  the unpaid amount accrues interest until the amount is paid in full. The interest rate is the interest rate assumption that is approved by the board for actuarial equivalency for the period in question to the date payment is received.
4. On satisfaction of the requirements of this subsection,  the member's salary history on the records of ASRS shall be adjusted and any additional service credits acquired by the member shall be reinstated.
5. If the member retires before all contributions are made pursuant to this subsection,  the member's benefits shall be calculated only based on the contributions actually made.
6. Annual additions shall be determined as provided in section 38-747,  subsection O.
7. The initiator of the request for correction of salary history and service credits on records of ASRS is responsible for providing credible evidence of past employment and compensation to ASRS in a form or forms that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that a period of employment occurred under circumstances that made the employee eligible for membership in ASRS during that period. A determination of eligibility by ASRS may be appealed to the ASRS board in a manner prescribed by the board.
8. A member who previously received a return of contributions pursuant to section 38-740 may receive an adjustment of employer contributions or service credits pursuant to this section only for qualifying employment and compensation that occurred after the member's most recent return of contributions pursuant to section 38-740.
C. Subsection B of this section applies to eligible verified service that occurred less than or equal to fifteen years before the date the initiator of the request for correction of salary history and service credits on the records of ASRS provides ASRS with credible evidence in writing that less than the correct amount of contributions was paid into ASRS or ASRS otherwise determines that less than the correct amount of contributions was made.
D. Eligible verified service that is more than fifteen years before the date the initiator of the request for correction of salary history and service credits on the records of ASRS provides ASRS with credible evidence in writing that less than the correct amount of contributions was paid into ASRS or ASRS otherwise determines that less than the correct amount of contributions was made is considered public service credit. The member may purchase this service pursuant to section 38-743.
E. Notwithstanding any other law,  an employer may correct a contributions error pursuant to subsection B of this section by making payment adjustments through the employer's payroll reporting for the contributions that were not submitted if both of the following apply:
1. The adjustment is made within the same fiscal year that the contributions were due to ASRS.
2. The employer obtains written consent from the employee to make the adjustment to the employee's paycheck.
F. Notwithstanding any other law,  if an employer pays less than the correct amount of employer or member contributions into ASRS,  the correct amount of member contributions may not be paid to ASRS after the death of the member.