O.C.G.A. § 47-1-82 (2019)

(a) As used in this Code section, the term:

(1) ‘‘Annual benefit’’ means a retirement benefit under the public retirement or pension system which is payable annually in the form of a straight life annuity.

(2) ‘‘Applicable mortality table’’ means the table prescribed by the federal Internal Revenue Code or the secretary of the treasury of the United States which prescribes the mortality table to be applied pursuant to Section 415(b)(2)(E)(v) of the federal Internal Revenue Code; provided, however, that the board of trustees of a public retirement system may adopt a different definition of such term in the retirement system plan document.

(3) ‘‘Compensation’’ means, for purposes of applying the limitations of Section 415 of the federal Internal Revenue Code and for no other purpose, a plan member’s wages as defined in Section 3401(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code (wages subject to income tax withholding at the source, but without regard to exceptions contained in Section 3401(a) of the federal Internal Revenue Code for wages based on the nature or location of the employment or the services performed). The term shall also include the following:

(A) For limitation years beginning on or after December 31, 1997, for purposes of applying the limitations of Section 415 of the federal Internal Revenue Code, amounts that would otherwise be included in compensation but for an election under Sections 125(a), 402(e)(3), 402(h)(1)(B), 402(k), and 457(b) of the federal Internal Revenue Code;

(B) For limitation years beginning after December 31, 2000, any elective amounts that are not includable in the plan member’s gross income by reason of Section 132(f ) of the federal Internal Revenue Code, relating to qualified transportation plan; and

(C) For limitation years beginning on and after January 1, 2007, compensation paid by the later of 2 1/2 months after the plan member’s severance from employment or the end of the limitation year that includes the date of the plan member’s severance from employment if:

(i) The payment is regular compensation for services during the plan member’s regular working hours or compensation for services outside the plan member’s regular working hours, including without limitation overtime or shift differential, commissions, bonuses, or other similar payments, and, absent a severance from employment, the payment would have been paid to the plan member while he or she continued in employment with the employer; or

(ii) The payment is for unused accrued bona fide sick leave, vacation leave, or the leave that the member would have been able to use if employment had continued. ‘‘Compensation’’ also includes back pay, within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.415 (c)-2(g)(8), for the limitation year to which the back pay relates to the extent the back pay represents wages and compensation that would otherwise be included in this definition.

(4) ‘‘Dollar limitation’’ means the maximum permissible amount as such term is defined in paragraph (6) of this subsection.

(5) ‘‘Limitation year’’ means the calendar year; provided, however, that the board of trustees of a public retirement system may adopt a different definition of such term in the retirement system plan document.

(6) ‘‘Maximum permissible amount’’ means:

(A) For limitation years beginning prior to January 1, 1995, 100 percent of the plan member’s average compensation for the period of three consecutive years during which the plan member has the highest aggregate compensation from the employer;

(B) For limitation years beginning on and after January 1, 1995, but before January 1, 2001, $90,000; and

(C) For limitation years beginning on and after January 1, 2002, $160,000.00, as adjusted by the secretary of the treasury of the United States for each calendar year, with the new limitation to apply to limitation years ending within the calendar year of the date of the adjustment.

(7) ‘‘Nonannuity benefit form’’ means a benefit, whether a normal form or an optional form, which is not payable in a straight life annuity for the life of the plan member.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this title to the contrary, the maximum annual additions and the maximum benefit payable to any active or retired member or beneficiary of a retirement or pension system subject to this title shall be limited to such extent as may be necessary to conform to the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of Section 415 of the federal Internal Revenue Code for a qualified retirement plan.

(c) If a plan member’s benefit is payable in a nonannuity benefit form, whether as the normal form of benefit or as an optional form which the plan member or his or her designated beneficiary elects, the nonannuity benefit form shall be adjusted to an annual benefit as described in subsections (d) and (e) of this Code section. No actuarial adjustment to the nonannuity benefit form shall be required for:

(1) The value of a qualified joint and survivor annuity; or

(2) The value of benefits that are not directly related to retirement benefits, such as a disability benefit, preretirement death benefits, and postretirement medical benefits. The determination of the annual benefit shall disregard benefits attributable to employee contributions or rollover contributions or the assets transferred from a qualified plan that was not maintained by an employer.

(d) If the annual benefit commences when the plan member has fewer than ten years of participation in the applicable public retirement or pension system or any predecessor public retirement or pension system, the dollar limitation shall be reduced by one-tenth for each year less than ten, but in no event shall be less than one-tenth of the unreduced dollar limitation.

(e)(1) If the payment of benefits under the public retirement or pension system commences before age 62 or after age 65, the dollar limitation shall be adjusted as the actuarial equivalent of the dollar limitation payable at age 62 or age 65, as follows:

(A) If the age at which the benefit is payable is less than 62, the dollar limitation shall be reduced to reflect the lesser of the following calculations:

(i) Reduce the dollar limitation using the interest rate and mortality table or tabular factors, as applicable, which are set forth in the public retirement or pension system for the reduction of benefits for early retirement benefits; or

(ii) Reduce the dollar limitation using 5 percent interest and the applicable mortality table;

(B) For limitation years beginning before January 1, 2002, nothing in this paragraph shall reduce the applicable dollar limitation below $75,000.00 if the annual benefit begins at or after age 55; and

(C) For limitation years beginning before January 1, 2002, if the annual benefit begins before age 55, nothing in this paragraph shall reduce the dollar limitation below the actuarial equivalent of the $75,000.00 limitation for age 55.

(2) If a plan member is a qualified member as such term is defined under Section 415(b)(2)(G) of the federal Internal Revenue Code, he or she may retire before age 62 without a reduction in the dollar limitation if at least 15 years of service is required to receive a full benefit under the public retirement or pension system.

(3) If the age at which the benefit is payable is greater than age 65, the age-adjusted dollar limitation shall be determined by increasing the dollar limitation on an actuarially equivalent basis. The increased age-adjusted dollar limitation shall be the amount computed using 5 percent interest and the applicable mortality table.