Title 41 — Title 41 PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, CIVIL SERVICE, AND PENSIONS

The payments of the city due the retirement fund as provided for in this chapter are hereby made obligations of the city as defined in this chapter. The board shall annually, on or before the tenth day of July each year, prepare and submit to the city council or city commission a…

(1) Should the service of a member be discontinued, except by death or retirement, he or she shall be paid not later than six months after the day of discontinuance such part of his or her accumulated contributions as he or she shall demand: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That a member may a…

Retirement of member for service shall be made by the board of administration as follows:(1) Each member in the city service on June 8, 1967, who, on or before such effective date, has attained the age of sixty-five years or over, shall be forthwith retired on the first day of th…

(1) A member, upon retirement from service, shall receive a retirement allowance subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this section, which shall consist of:(a) An annuity which shall be the actuarial equivalent of his or her accumulated contributions at the time of his or…

Any member while in city service may be retired by the board of administration for permanent and total disability, either ordinary or accidental, upon examination, as follows:(1) Any member who has not attained the age of sixty-five years and who has at least ten years of city se…

(1) Upon retirement for disability, as hereinabove provided: PROVIDED, The disability is not due to intemperance, willful misconduct or violation of law, of which the board shall be the judge, a member shall receive a retirement allowance which shall consist of:(a) An annuity whi…

(1) The board of administration may at its pleasure require any disability beneficiary under age sixty-two years to undergo medical examination to be made by a physician or surgeon appointed by the board, at a place to be designated by the board. Upon the basis of such examinatio…

A member may elect to receive, in lieu of the retirement allowance provided for in RCW 41.28.130, its actuarial equivalent in the form of a lesser retirement allowance, payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of one of the options set forth below in this section. Elec…

Upon the death of any person who has not been retired, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, there shall be paid to his or her estate, or to such persons having an insurable interest in his or her life as he or she shall have nominated by written designation duly executed a…

A pension annuity or a retirement allowance granted under the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise specified herein, shall be payable in monthly installments, and each installment shall cover for the current calendar month.[ 1939 c 207 s 20; RRS s 9592-120.]

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6346-S.SL) ***The right of a person to a pension, an annuity or a retirement allowance, to the return of contributions, the pension, annuity or retirement allowance itself, any optional benefit, any other right accrued or accruing to any person under t…

Benefits under this chapter shall be payable to a spouse or ex-spouse to the extent expressly provided for in any court decree of dissolution or legal separation or in any court order or court-approved property settlement agreement incident to any court decree of dissolution or l…

(1) If the board of administration makes payments to a spouse or ex spouse to the extent expressly provided for in any court decree of dissolution or legal separation or in any court order or court-approved property settlement agreement incident to a court decree of dissolution o…

If it shall be impracticable for the board of administration to determine from the records the length of service, the compensation, or the age of any member, the said board may estimate for the purpose of this chapter, such length of service, compensation or age.[ 1939 c 207 s 22…

The payment of any retirement allowance to a member who has been retired from service shall be suspended during the time that the beneficiary is in receipt of other pension or of other compensation for state or public service paid from direct or indirect state or municipal taxes …

The city council or city commission shall appropriate annually from the retirement fund the amount it deems necessary for the purpose of paying the expenses of administering the retirement system. The board of administration shall annually submit to the city council or city commi…

Nothing in this chapter shall repeal, supersede, alter, amend or be regarded as a substitute for any existing retirement or pension system, duly established by city ordinance.[ 1939 c 207 s 28; RRS s 9592-128.]

All laws and parts of laws in conflict herewith be and the same are hereby repealed.[ 1939 c 207 s 26.]

The retirement system shall become effective on July 1, 1939, as provided in RCW 41.28.020.[ 1939 c 207 s 27.]

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …

(1) On January 1, 2004, and on January 1st of even-numbered years thereafter, the member account of a person meeting the requirements of this section shall be credited by the extraordinary investment gain amount.(2) The following persons, hired prior to July 1, 2007, shall be eli…

RCW 41.32.010 through 41.32.067 shall apply to members of plan 1, plan 2, and plan 3.[ 1995 c 239 s 101; 1992 c 72 s 4; 1991 c 35 s 30; 1990 c 274 s 16. Prior: 1989 c 273 s 15; 1989 c 272 s 4; 1977 ex.s. c 293 s 19.]Notes:Effective date—1995 c 239: "This act shall take effect Jul…

As used in this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:(1)(a) "Accumulated contributions" for plan 1 members, means the sum of all regular annuity contributions and, except for the purpose of withdrawal at the time of retirement, any amount paid un…

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …

Substitute teachers may apply to the department to receive service credit or credit for earnable compensation or both after the end of the last day of instruction of the school year during which the service was performed.(1) The application must:(a) Include a list of the employer…

The name of the retirement system provided for in this chapter shall be the "Washington State Teachers' Retirement System" and by this name all of its business shall be transacted and all of its funds invested and all of its cash, securities and other property held.[ 1947 c 80 s …

The department is empowered within the limits of this chapter and, with regard to restoration of service credit under RCW 41.50.165(2), to decide on all questions of eligibility covering membership, service credit, and benefits.[ 1994 c 197 s 13; 1991 c 35 s 35; 1955 c 274 s 3; 1…

(1) Any teacher, as defined under RCW 41.32.010, who is first employed by a public school on or after June 7, 1984, shall become a member of the retirement system if otherwise eligible.(2) Any person who before June 7, 1984, has established service credit under chapter 41.40 RCW …

This section designates charter schools established under chapter 28A.710 RCW as employers and charter school employees as members, and applies only if the department of retirement systems receives determinations from the internal revenue service and the United States department …

The amount paid by each employer shall be computed by applying the rates established under chapter 41.45 RCW to the total earnable compensation of the employer's members as shown on the current payrolls of the employer. The employer's contribution shall be paid at the end of each…

The deductions from salaries of members of the retirement system for their contributions to the system are not considered diminution of pay and every member is conclusively presumed to consent thereto as a condition of employment. All contributions to the member reserve shall be …

A retired teacher upon returning to service in the public schools of Washington may elect to again become a member of the retirement system: PROVIDED, That if such a retired teacher elects to be restored to membership he or she must establish two full years of service credit befo…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6346-S.SL) ***(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3) of this section, the right of a person to a pension, an annuity, a retirement allowance, or disability allowance, to the return of contributions, any optional benefit or death benefit, any other righ…

(1) A one hundred fifty thousand dollar death benefit shall be paid to the member's estate, or such person or persons, trust or organization as the member has nominated by written designation duly executed and filed with the department. If no such designated person or persons are…

A member shall not receive a disability retirement benefit under RCW 41.32.540, 41.32.550, 41.32.790, or 41.32.880 if the disability is the result of criminal conduct by the member committed after April 21, 1997.[ 1997 c 103 s 2.]Notes:Severability—Effective date—1997 c 103: See …

(1) Any person who shall knowingly make false statements or shall falsify or permit to be falsified any record or records of the retirement system, except under subsection (2) of this section, in any attempt to defraud such system as a result of such act, is guilty of a class B f…

RCW 43.01.044 shall not result in any increase in retirement benefits. The rights extended to state officers and employees under RCW 43.01.044 are not intended to and shall not have any effect on retirement benefits under this chapter.[ 1983 c 283 s 3. Formerly RCW 41.32.850.]

(1) The annual compensation taken into account in calculating retiree benefits under this system shall not exceed the limits imposed by section 401(a)(17) of the federal internal revenue code for qualified trusts.(2) The department shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this…

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, persons who fail to:(1) Establish allowable membership service not previously credited;(2) Restore all or a part of that previously credited membership service represented by withdrawn contributions; or(3) Restore service credit repr…

Those members subject to this chapter who became disabled in the line of duty and who received or are receiving benefits under Title 51 RCW or a similar federal workers' compensation program shall receive or continue to receive service credit subject to the following:(1) No membe…

A member who has not purchased service credit under the provisions of RCW 41.32.813 or 41.32.868 may elect under this section to apply service credit earned in an out-of-state retirement system that covers teachers in public schools solely for the purpose of determining the time …

(1) A member eligible to retire under RCW 41.32.480, 41.32.765, or 41.32.875 may, at the time of filing a written application for retirement with the department, apply to the department to make a one-time purchase of up to five years of additional service credit.(2) To purchase a…

A member may purchase additional benefits subject to the following:(1) The member shall pay all reasonable administrative and clerical costs; and(2) The member shall make a member reserve contribution to be actuarially converted to a monthly benefit at the time of retirement.[ 19…

RCW 41.32.240 through * 41.32.575 shall apply only to members of plan 1.[ 1992 c 72 s 5; 1991 c 35 s 103.]Notes:*Reviser's note: RCW 41.32.575 was repealed by 1995 c 345 s 11.Intent—1991 c 35: See note following RCW 41.26.005.

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2632.SL) ***(1) All teachers employed full time in the public schools shall be members of the system except alien teachers who have been granted a temporary permit to teach as exchange teachers.(2) A minimum of ninety days or the equivalent of ninety d…

Any member whose public school service is interrupted by active service to the United States as a member of its uniformed services, or to the state of Washington, as a member of the legislature, may upon becoming reemployed in the public schools, receive credit for that service u…

A member of the retirement system who is a member of the state legislature or a state official eligible for the combined pension and annuity provided by RCW 41.32.497, or 41.32.498, as now or hereafter amended shall have deductions taken from his or her salary in the amount of se…

(1) A member who is on a paid leave of absence authorized by a member's employer shall continue to receive service credit as provided under the provisions of RCW 41.32.240 through * 41.32.575.(2) A member who receives compensation from an employer while on an authorized leave of …

Service rendered for four-fifths or more of the official school year of the school district or institution in which a teacher is employed shall be credited as a year's service regardless of the length of the school term, but in no case shall more than one year of service be credi…

(1) Henceforth a total of not more than four years of service outside of the state shall be credited to a member who establishes or reestablishes credit for out-of-state public school employment in this state subsequent to July 1, 1961. Foreign public school teaching service shal…