2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 19. Public Retirement Systems › Chapter 20. Teachers' Retirement › Part 8. Superannuation Retirement › 19-20-805. Calculation of average final compensation

19-20-805. Calculation of average final compensation.
(1) Except as limited by this section, average final compensation is calculated by averaging the earned compensation paid to:
(a) a tier one member in 3 consecutive fiscal years of full-time service that yields the highest average; or
(b) a tier two member in 5 consecutive fiscal years of full-time service that yields the highest average.
(2) (a) The earned compensation of a tier one member who retires under 19-20-802, 19-20-804, or 19-20-902 and has less than 3 consecutive years of full-time service during the 5 years immediately preceding the member's termination is the compensation that the member would have earned in the 3 years used to calculate average final compensation had the member's part-time service during the 5 years preceding termination been full-time service.
(b) The earned compensation of a tier two member who retires under 19-20-802, 19-20-804, or 19-20-902 and has less than 5 consecutive years of full-time service during the 7 years immediately preceding the member's termination is the compensation that the member would have earned in the 5 years used to calculate average final compensation had the member's part-time service during the 7 years preceding termination been full-time service.
(3) To determine the compensation that the member would have earned under subsection (2), the compensation reported must be divided by the part-time service credited to the member's account.
(4) (a) Subject to subsection (4)(b), if a member has transferred service from the public employees' retirement system as provided under 19-20-409 and does not have 3 consecutive years of full-time service if a tier one member or 5 consecutive years of full-time service if a tier two member reported to the teachers' retirement system, the member's average final compensation must be calculated as follows:
(i) if the member's part-time service credit in the public employees' retirement system plus the member's part-time service credit in the teachers' retirement system equals 1 year in any of the fiscal years used in determining average final compensation, then the member's annual salary for that fiscal year must be the member's salary as a member of the public employees' retirement system plus the member's salary as a member of the teachers' retirement system; or
(ii) if the member's part-time service credit in the public employees' retirement system plus the member's part-time service credit in the teachers' retirement system equals less than 1 year in any of the fiscal years used to determine average final compensation, then the member's part-time salary as a member of the public employees' retirement system plus the member's part-time salary as a member of the teachers' retirement system must be divided by the sum of the member's part-time teachers' retirement system service credit and the member's part-time public employees' retirement system service credit.
(b) Compensation reported to the public employees' retirement system used to calculate average final compensation must be adjusted to exclude any compensation that would be considered termination pay under this chapter.
(5) (a) The earned compensation reported in each year that is used to calculate the average final compensation may not be greater than 110% of the earned compensation for the next prior year of service reported to the teachers' retirement system. This limitation does not apply to an increase that results from movement on the employer's adopted salary matrix but does apply to an increase that results from additions to or adjustments of the employer's salary matrix or initial implementation of a salary matrix.
(b) Earned compensation in excess of the amount specified in subsection (5)(a) must be included in the calculation of average final compensation in the same manner as termination pay option 2 as provided in 19-20-716(1)(b).
History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 442, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 12, Ch. 174, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 17, Ch. 90, L. 2007; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 59, L. 2011; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 366, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 16, Ch. 389, L. 2013; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 39, L. 2017; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 245, L. 2023.