New Mexico § 51-1-11 - Employer contribution rates; benefits chargeable; unemployment compensation fund adequate reserve; reserve factor; excess claims premium; definitions

§ 51-1-11. Employer contribution rates; benefits chargeable; unemployment compensation fund adequate reserve; reserve factor; excess claims premium; definitions

A. Benefits paid to an individual shall be charged to the individual's base-period

employers on a pro rata basis according to the proportion of the individual's total

base-period wages received from each employer, except that no benefits paid to a claimant

as extended benefits under the provisions of Section 51-1-48 NMSA 1978 shall be charged to any base-period employer who is not on a reimbursable basis and

who is not a governmental entity and, except as the secretary shall by rule prescribe

otherwise, in the case of benefits paid to an individual who: (1) left the employ of a base-period employer who is not on a reimbursable basis voluntarily

without good cause in connection with the individual's employment; (2) was discharged from the employment of a base-period employer who is not on a reimbursable

basis for misconduct connected with the individual's employment; (3) is employed part time by a base-period employer who is not on a reimbursable basis

and who continues to furnish the individual the same part-time work while the individual

is separated from full-time work for a nondisqualifying reason; or (4) received benefits based upon wages earned from a base-period employer who is not

on a reimbursable basis while attending approved training under the provisions of Subsection E of Section 51-1-5 NMSA 1978 . B. The division shall not charge a contributing or reimbursing base-period employer

with any portion of benefit amounts that the division can bill to or recover from

the federal government as either regular or extended benefits. C. The division shall not charge a contributing base-period employer with any portion

of benefits paid to an individual for dependent allowance or because the individual

to whom benefits are paid: (1) separated from employment due to domestic abuse, as “domestic abuse” is defined

in Section 40-13-2 NMSA 1978; or (2) voluntarily left work to relocate because of a spouse, who is in the military

service of the United States or the New Mexico national guard, receiving permanent

change of station orders, activation orders or unit deployment orders. D. All contributions to the fund shall be pooled and available to pay benefits to

any individual entitled thereto, irrespective of the source of the contributions. E. In the case of a transfer of an employing enterprise, notwithstanding any other

provision of law, the experience history of the transferred enterprise shall be transferred

from the predecessor employer to the successor under the following conditions and

in accordance with the applicable rules of the secretary: (1) except as otherwise provided in this subsection, for the purpose of this subsection,

two or more employers who are parties to or the subject of any transaction involving

the transfer of an employing enterprise shall be deemed to be a single employer and

the experience history of the employing enterprise shall be transferred to the successor

employer if the successor employer has acquired by the transaction all of the business

enterprises of the predecessor; provided that: (a) all contributions, interest and penalties due from the predecessor employer have

been paid; (b) notice of the transfer has been given in accordance with the rules of the secretary

during the calendar year of the transaction transferring the employing enterprise

or the date of the actual transfer of control and operation of the employing enterprise; (c) the successor shall notify the division of the acquisition on or before the due

date of the successor's first wage and contribution report. If the successor employer fails to notify the division of the acquisition within

this time limit, the division, when it receives actual notice, shall effect the transfer

of the experience history and applicable rate of contribution retroactively to the

date of the acquisition, and the successor shall pay a penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00);

and (d) where the transaction involves only a merger, consolidation or other form of reorganization

without a substantial change in the ownership and controlling interest of the business

entity, as determined by the secretary, the limitations on transfers stated in Subparagraphs

(a), (b) and (c) of this paragraph shall not apply. A party to a merger, consolidation or other form of reorganization described in

this subparagraph shall not be relieved of liability for any contributions, interest

or penalties due and owing from the employing enterprise at the time of the merger,

consolidation or other form of reorganization; (2) the applicable experience history may be transferred to the successor in the case

of a partial transfer of an employing enterprise if the successor has acquired one

or more of the several employing enterprises of a predecessor but not all of the employing

enterprises of the predecessor and each employing enterprise so acquired was operated

by the predecessor as a separate store, factory, shop or other separate employing

enterprise and the predecessor, throughout the entire period of the contribution with

liability applicable to each enterprise transferred, has maintained and preserved

payroll records that, together with records of contribution liability and benefit

chargeability, can be separated by the parties from the enterprises retained by the

predecessor to the satisfaction of the secretary or the secretary's delegate. A partial experience history transfer will be made only if the successor: (a) notifies the division of the acquisition, in writing, not later than the due date

of the successor's first quarterly wage and contribution report after the effective

date of the acquisition; (b) files an application provided by the division that contains the endorsement of

the predecessor within thirty days from the delivery or mailing of such application

by the division to the successor's last known address; and (c) files with the application a form with a schedule of the name and social security

number of and the wages paid to and the contributions paid for each employee for the

three and one-half-year period preceding the computation date through the date of

transfer or such lesser period as the enterprises transferred may have been in operation. The application and form shall be supported by the predecessor's permanent employment

records, which shall be available for audit by the division. The application and form shall be reviewed by the division and, upon approval, the

percentage of the predecessor's experience history attributable to the enterprises

transferred shall be transferred to the successor. The percentage shall be obtained by dividing the taxable payrolls of the transferred

enterprises for such three and one-half-year period preceding the date of computation

or such lesser period as the enterprises transferred may have been in operation by

the predecessor's entire payroll; (3) if, at the time of a transfer of an employing enterprise in whole or in part,

both the predecessor and the successor are under common ownership, then the experience

history attributable to the transferred business shall also be transferred to and

combined with the experience history attributable to the successor employer. The rates of both employers shall be recalculated and made effective immediately

upon the date of the transfer; (4) whenever a person, who is not currently an employer, acquires the trade or business

of an employing enterprise, the experience history of the acquired business shall

not be transferred to the successor if the secretary or the secretary's designee finds

that the successor acquired the business solely or primarily for the purpose of obtaining

a lower rate of contributions. Instead, the successor shall be assigned the applicable new employer rate pursuant

to this section. In determining whether the business was acquired solely or primarily for the purpose

of obtaining a lower rate of contribution, the secretary or the secretary's designee

shall consider: (a) the cost of acquiring the business; (b) whether the person continued the business enterprise of the acquired business; (c) how long such business enterprise was continued; and (d) whether a substantial number of new employees was hired for performance of duties

unrelated to those that the business activity conducted prior to acquisition; (5) if, following a transfer of experience history pursuant to this subsection, the

department determines that a substantial purpose of the transfer of the employing

enterprise was to obtain a reduced liability for contributions, then the experience

rating accounts of the employers involved shall be combined into a single account

and a single rate assigned to the combined account; (6) the secretary shall adopt such rules as are necessary to interpret and carry out

the provisions of this subsection, including rules that: (a) describe how experience history is to be transferred; and (b) establish procedures to identify the type of transfer or acquisition of an employing

enterprise; and (7) a person who knowingly violates or attempts to violate a rule adopted pursuant

to Paragraph (6) of this subsection, who transfers or acquires, or attempts to transfer

or acquire, an employing enterprise for the sole or primary purpose of obtaining a

reduced liability for contributions or who knowingly advises another person to violate

a rule adopted pursuant to Paragraph (6) of this subsection or to transfer or acquire

an employing enterprise for the sole or primary purpose of obtaining a reduced liability

for contributions is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not

less than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) or more than three thousand dollars

($3,000) or, if an individual, by imprisonment for a definite term not to exceed ninety

days or both. In addition, such a person shall be subject to the following civil penalty imposed

by the secretary: (a) if the person is an employer, the person shall be assigned the highest contribution

rate established by the provisions of this section for the calendar year in which

the violation occurs and the three subsequent calendar years; provided that, if the

difference between the increased penalty rate and the rate otherwise applicable would

be less than two percent of the employer's payroll, the contribution rate shall be

increased by two percent of the employer's payroll for the calendar year in which

the violation occurs and the three subsequent calendar years; or (b) if the person is not an employer, the secretary may impose a civil penalty not

to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000). F. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, for each calendar year, if,

as of the computation date for that year, an employer has been a contributing employer

throughout the preceding twenty-four months, the contribution rate for that employer

shall be determined by multiplying the employer's benefit ratio by the reserve factor

as determined pursuant to Subsection H of this section and, for each calendar year

beginning in calendar year 2017, then multiplying that product by the employer's experience

history factor as determined under Subsection I of this section; provided that an

employer's contribution rate shall not be less than thirty-three hundredths percent

or more than five and four-tenths percent. An employer's benefit ratio is determined by dividing the employer's benefit charges

during the immediately preceding fiscal years, up to a maximum of three fiscal years,

by the total of the annual payrolls of the same time period, calculated to four decimal

places, disregarding any remaining fraction. G. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, for each calendar year, if,

as of the computation date of that year, an employer has been a contributing employer

for less than twenty-four months, the contribution rate for that employer shall be

the average of the contribution rates for all contributing employers in the employer's

industry, as determined by administrative rule, but shall not be less than one percent

or more than five and four-tenths percent; provided that an individual, type of organization

or employing unit that acquires all or part of the trade or business of another employing

unit, pursuant to Paragraphs (2) and (3) of Subsection E of Section 51-1-42 NMSA 1978 , that has a rate of contribution less than average of the contribution rates for

all contributing employers in the employer's industry, shall be entitled to the transfer

of the contribution rate of the other employing unit to the extent permitted under

Subsection E of this section. H. The division shall ensure that the fund sustains an adequate reserve. An adequate reserve shall be determined to mean that the funds in the fund available

for benefits equal the total amount of funds needed to pay between eighteen and twenty-four

months of benefits at the average of the five highest years of benefits paid in the

last twenty-five years. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, for the purpose of sustaining

an adequate reserve, the division shall determine a reserve factor to be used when

calculating an employer's contribution rate pursuant to Subsection F of this section

by rule promulgated by the secretary. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, the rules shall set forth a

formula that will set the reserve factor in proportion to the difference between the

amount of funds available for benefits in the fund, as of the computation date, and

the adequate reserve, within the following guidelines: (1) 1.0000 if, as of the computation date, there is an adequate reserve; (2) between 0.5000 and 0.9999 if, as of the computation date, there is greater than

an adequate reserve; and (3) between 1.0001 and 4.0000 if, as of the computation date, there is less than an

adequate reserve. I. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, for each calendar year beginning

in calendar year 2017, if, as of the computation date for that calendar year, an employer

has been a contributing employer throughout the preceding twenty-four months, the

employer's experience history factor shall be determined as of the computation date

and shall be based on the employer's reserve. The employer's reserve shall be calculated as the difference between all of the

employer's previous years' contribution payments and all of the employer's previous

years' benefit charges, divided by the average of the employer's annual payrolls for

the immediately preceding fiscal years, up to a maximum of three fiscal years. If an employer's reserve is: The employer's experience history factor is: 6.0% and over 0.4000 5.0%-5.9% 0.5000 4.0%-4.9% 0.6000 3.0%-3.9% 0.7000 2.0%-2.9% 0.8000 1.0%-1.9% 0.9000 0.0%-0.9% 0.9500 Under 0.0% 1.0000. J. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, if an employer's contribution

rate pursuant to Subsection F of this section is calculated to be greater than five

and four-tenths percent, notwithstanding the limitation pursuant to Subsection F of

this section, the employer shall be charged an excess claims premium in addition to

the contribution rate applicable to the employer; provided that an employer's excess

claims premium shall not exceed one percent of the employer's annual payroll. The excess claims premium shall be determined by multiplying the employer's excess

claims rate by the employer's annual payroll. An employer's excess claims rate shall be determined by multiplying the difference

of the employer's contribution rate, notwithstanding the limitation pursuant to Subsection

F of this section, less five and four-tenths percent by ten percent. K. Effective calendar year 2017, any other provision of law notwithstanding, an employer's

contribution rate plus the employer's excess claims rate, if any, shall increase by

no more than two percentage points from one calendar year to the next. L. Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section, the division shall promptly

notify each employer of the employer's rate of contributions and excess claims premium

as determined for any calendar year pursuant to this section. Such notification shall include the amount determined as the employer's annual payroll,

the total of all of the employer's contributions paid on the employer's behalf for

all past years and total benefits charged to the employer for all such years. Such determination shall become conclusive and binding upon the employer unless,

within thirty days after the mailing of notice thereof to the employer's last known

address or in the absence of mailing, within thirty days after the delivery of such

notice, the employer files an application for review and redetermination, setting

forth the employer's reason therefor. The employer shall be granted an opportunity for a fair hearing in accordance with

rules prescribed by the secretary, but an employer shall not have standing, in any

proceeding involving the employer's rate of contributions or contribution liability,

to contest the chargeability to the employer of any benefits paid in accordance with

a determination, redetermination or decision pursuant to Section 51-1-8 NMSA 1978 , except upon the ground that the services on the basis of which such benefits were

found to be chargeable did not constitute services performed in employment for the

employer and only in the event that the employer was not a party to such determination,

redetermination or decision, or to any other proceedings under the Unemployment Compensation

Law in which the character of such services was determined. The employer shall be promptly notified of the decision on the employer's application

for redetermination, which shall become final unless, within fifteen days after the

mailing of notice thereof to the employer's last known address or in the absence of

mailing, within fifteen days after the delivery of such notice, further appeal is

initiated pursuant to Subsection D of Section 51-1-8 NMSA 1978 . M. The division shall provide each contributing employer, within ninety days of the

end of each calendar quarter, a written determination of benefits chargeable to the

employer. Such determination shall become conclusive and binding upon the employer for all

purposes unless, within thirty days after the mailing of the determination to the

employer's last known address or in the absence of mailing, within thirty days after

the delivery of such determination, the employer files an application for review and

redetermination, setting forth the employer's reason therefor. The employer shall be granted an opportunity for a fair hearing in accordance with

rules prescribed by the secretary, but an employer shall not have standing in any

proceeding involving the employer's contribution liability to contest the chargeability

to the employer of any benefits paid in accordance with a determination, redetermination

or decision pursuant to Section 51-1-8 NMSA 1978 , except upon the ground that the services on the basis of which such benefits were

found to be chargeable did not constitute services performed in employment for the

employer and only in the event that the employer was not a party to such determination,

redetermination or decision, or to any other proceedings under the Unemployment Compensation

Law in which the character of such services was determined. The employer shall be promptly notified of the decision on the employer's application

for redetermination, which shall become final unless, within fifteen days after the

mailing of notice thereof to the employer's last known address or in the absence of

mailing, within fifteen days after the delivery of such notice, further appeal is

initiated pursuant to Subsection D of Section 51-1-8 NMSA 1978 . N. The contributions and excess claims premiums, together with interest and penalties

thereon imposed by the Unemployment Compensation Law, shall not be assessed nor shall

action to collect the same be commenced more than four years after a report showing

the amount of the contributions was due. In the case of a false or fraudulent contribution report with intent to evade contributions

or a willful failure to file a report of all contributions due, the contributions

and excess claims premiums, together with interest and penalties thereon, may be assessed

or an action to collect such contributions may be begun at any time. Before the expiration of such period of limitation, the employer and the secretary

may agree in writing to an extension thereof and the period so agreed on may be extended

by subsequent agreements in writing. In any case where the assessment has been made and action to collect has been commenced

within four years of the due date of any contribution, excess claims premium, interest

or penalty, including the filing of a warrant of lien by the secretary pursuant to Section 51-1-36 NMSA 1978 , such action shall not be subject to any period of limitation. O. The secretary shall correct any error in the determination of an employer's rate

of contribution during the calendar year to which the erroneous rate applies, notwithstanding

that notification of the employer's rate of contribution may have been issued and

contributions paid pursuant to the notification. Upon issuance by the division of a corrected rate of contribution, the employer

shall have the same rights to review and redetermination as provided in Subsection

L of this section. P. Any interest required to be paid on advances to this state's unemployment compensation

fund under Title 12 of the Social Security Act 1 shall be paid in a timely manner as required under Section 1202 of Title 12 2 of the Social Security Act and shall not be paid, directly or indirectly, by the

state from amounts in the state's unemployment compensation fund. Q. The secretary shall omit data for March 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 from calculations

of an employing enterprise's experience history, excess claims premiums and excess

claims rates. The secretary shall use the 2019 computation date reserve factor from January 1,

2020 through June 30, 2021. R. As used in this section: (1) “ annual payroll ” means the total taxable amount of remuneration from an employer for employment during

a twelve-month period ending on a computation date; (2) “ base-period employers ” means the employers of an individual during the individual's base period; (3) “ base-period wages ” means the wages of an individual for insured work during the individual's base period

on the basis of which the individual's benefit rights were determined; (4) “ common ownership ” means that two or more businesses are substantially owned, managed or controlled

by the same person or persons; (5) “ computation date ” for each calendar year means the close of business on June 30 of the preceding calendar

year; (6) “ employing enterprise ” means a business activity engaged in by a contributing employing unit in which one

or more persons have been employed within the current or the three preceding calendar

quarters. An “ employing enterprise ” includes the employer's workforce; (7) “ experience history ” means the benefit charges and payroll experience of the employing enterprise; (8) “ knowingly ” means having actual knowledge of or acting with deliberate ignorance of or reckless

disregard for the prohibition involved; (9) “ predecessor ” means the owner and operator of an employing enterprise immediately prior to the

transfer of such enterprise; (10) “ successor ” means any person that acquires an employing enterprise and continues to operate

such business entity; and (11) “ violates or attempts to violate ” includes an intent to evade, a misrepresentation or a willful nondisclosure. 1

42 U.S.C.A. § 1321 et seq. 2

42 U.S.C.A. § 1322.