Section 24-7-612 - Service credit purchase(a) A member who purchases service credit in the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System shall pay the actuarial equivalent of both the employee and employer contributions, as calculated by the system.(b)(1) If a member has an existing service purchase account with the system before July 1, 2011, the member shall pay the balance of the account to the system according to the payment schedule agreed upon by the member and the system.(2) The member shall agree to a reasonable payment schedule with the system on or before June 30, 2012, or the member payments, if any, shall be returned to the member by the system without interest on the member payments as allowed by law.(3) The service purchase account shall be closed after the system has returned the member payments.(c) Beginning July 1, 2011, service purchase accounts shall not be created for the purchase of service credit in the system.(d) The Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System may promulgate rules regarding service purchase accounts consistent with this section.(e) All payments for service credit purchases shall be received by the system before the member's first annuity installment or T-DROP deposit occurs.Amended by Act 2021, No. 279,§ 16, eff. 7/1/2021.