N.M. Stat. Ann. § 51-1-11
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:
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:
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:
(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:
(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:
(6) the secretary shall adopt such rules as are necessary to interpret and carry out the provisions of this subsection, including rules that:
(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:
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:
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.
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.
R. As used in this section:
History: Laws 2013, ch. 133, § 3; 2016, ch. 92, § 1; 2020 (1st S.S.), ch. 6, § 11.
Repeals and reenactments. — Laws 2013, ch. 133, § 3 repealed former 51-1-11 NMSA 1978, as enacted by Laws 2003, ch. 47, § 11, relating to future rates based on benefit experience, and enacted a new section, effective January 1, 2015. For provisions of former section, see the 2012 NMSA 1978 on NMOneSource.com.
Repeals. — Laws 2007, ch. 137, § 6, repealed Laws 2005, ch. 3, § 9, effective July 1, 2007, prior to Laws 2005, ch. 3, § 9 taking effect.
Cross references. — For Section 1202 and Title XII of the Social Security Act, see 42 U.S.C. § 1322 and 42 U.S.C. §§ 1321 to 1324, respectively.
The 2020 (1st S.S.) amendment, effective July 7, 2020, required the secretary of workforce solutions to 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, and required the secretary of workforce solutions to use the 2019 computation date reserve factor from January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 in calculating employers’ tax rates; in Subsections F, G, H, I, J and L, added "Except as provided in Subsection Q of this section"; and added a new Subsection Q and redesignated the succeeding subsection accordingly.
The 2016 amendment, effective May 18, 2016, reduced the unemployment insurance tax rate of certain employers based on the employer’s experience history, and capped the percentage point increase in an employer’s contribution and excess claims rates; in Subparagraph E(4)(d), after "new employees", deleted "were" and added "was"; in Paragraph F, after "Subsection H of this section", added "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"; added new Subsection I and redesignated former Subsection I as Subsection J; and added new Subsection K and redesignated former Subsections J through O as Subsections L through Q, respectively.
The 2013 amendment, effective January 1, 2014, extended the application of Contribution Schedule 2 through 2014; in Subparagraph (c) of Paragraph (3) of Subsection H, in the first sentence, after "with the application", deleted "a Form ES-903A or its equivalent with" and added "in a manner described by the department", in the second sentence, after "The application and", deleted "Form ES-903A" and added "schedule", and in the third sentence, after "The application and", deleted "Form ES-903A" and added "schedule"; and in Subsection I, in Paragraph (2), after "calendar year after", deleted "2013" and added "2014" and in Paragraph (6), after "December 31", deleted "2013" and added "2014".
The 2011 amendment, effective July 1, 2011, in Subsection B, required that benefits paid to full-time students be charged against the accounts of students’ base-period employers; in Subsection D, required that benefits paid to individuals enrolled in training or attending school on a full-time basis be charged to the individual’s contributing pay-period employer’s account; and in Subsection I, for calendar years after 2012, required employers to pay the rates specified in the contribution schedules and required employers to pay the rate specified in Contribution Schedule 3 for the period from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
Compiler's notes. — On December 14, 2011, the supreme court ruled that the governor's partial veto of Subsection I(6) of Section 4 in Laws 2011, ch. 184 was "unconstitutional because after the governor vetoed the language regarding the increase to the 2012 contribution schedule from schedule 1 to schedule 3, what remained was an unworkable piece of legislation" and issued a writ of mandamus ordering the reinstatement of Laws 2011, ch. 184 as passed by the legislature.
Applicability. — Laws 2011, ch. 184, § 6 provided that the amendments to Subsections B and D of Section 51-1-11 NMSA 1978 in Laws 2011, ch. 184, § 4 apply to benefit years beginning on or after July 1, 2011.
The 2010 amendment, effective July 1, 2010, in Subsection I(2), after "calendar year after", changed "2010" to "2011"; in Subsections I(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g), at the beginning of each sentence, added "Contribution"; deleted Subsection I(5), which provided employer contribution rates for the period from July 1, 2007 through December 31, 2010; and added Paragraphs (5) and (6) of Subsection I.
The 2007 amendment, effective July 1, 2007, added Paragraph (3) of Subsection D, deleted the standard rate of contribution of five and four-tenths percent, provided for the classification of an employer and the determination of an employer’s contribution rate if the employer’s account has been chargeable with benefits during the preceding thirty-six months, prescribed contribution rates for calendar years after 2010, and prescribed contribution rates from July 1, 2007 through December 31, 2010.
Laws 2005, ch. 255, § 2, effective June 17, 2005, amended that version of 51-1-11 NMSA 1978 that was enacted by Laws 2003, ch. 47, § 11, as amended by Laws 2005, ch. 3, § 4, to provide in Subsection H that in case of a transfer, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the experience history shall be transferred; provided in Subsection H(1)(a) that an employing enterprise includes the employer's workforce; added the definition of "common ownership" in Subsection H(e); added the definition of "knowingly" in Subsection H(f); added the definition of "violates or attempts to violate" in Subsection H(g); provided in Subsection H(2) that except as otherwise provided in this subsection, for the purpose of this subsection, two or more employers involved in the transfer or an employing enterprise shall be a single employer; changed "within four years" to "during the calendar year" in Subsection H(2)(b); deleted the former qualification in Subsection H(2)(c) that in the case of a transfer of an employing enterprise, the successor shall notify the division; added Subsection H(4) to provide that if the predecessor and successor employing enterprise are under common ownership, then the experience history shall be transferred and combined with the experience history at the successor enterprise and the rates of both employers shall be recalculated; added Subsection H(5) to provide that if a person acquires an employing enterprise to obtain a lower rate of contributions, the experience history of the acquired business shall not be transferred to the successor business and the successor shall be assigned the applicable new employer rate and to provide the criteria for determining whether a business was acquired to obtain a lower rate; added Subsection H(6) to provide that if the department determines that a purpose of the transfer of experience history is to obtain a reduced liability for contributions, then the experience rating accounts of the employers shall be combined and a single rate assigned; added Subsection H(7) to provide that the secretary shall adopt rules that include a description of how experience history is transferred and that establish procedures to identify the type of transfer or acquisition of an employing enterprise; and added Subsection H(8) to provide criminal and civil penalties for violations of or inducing others to violate the secretary's rules or for transferring, acquiring or attempting to transfer or acquire an employing enterprise to obtain a reduced liability for contributions.
Laws 2005, ch. 3, § 4, effective February 8, 2005, in Subsection B(4), added "or school on a full-time basis"; added a new Subsection D; added new Paragraphs (4) and (5) of relettered Paragraph D (former Paragraph D); added a new Subparagraph (f) of Subsection H(2) (former Subsection G); increased the employer's rate in Paragraph (2) of Subsection I (former Subsection H); and inserted a new "Contribution Schedule 0" in the "Table of employer reserves and contribution rate schedules" in Paragraph (4) of Subsection H (former Subsection G).
The 2003 amendment, effective March 19, 2003, rewrote the section.
Laws 2003, ch. 47, § 15 provided that the effective date of Laws 2003, ch. 47, §§ 8 through 12 was the earliest of the following: 1) June 30, 2007; or 2) the date that the unemployment compensation fund is less than three and three-fourths percent of total payrolls pursuant to the computation provided in Paragraph (1) of Subsection I of 51-1-11 NMSA 1978.
The compiler was informed that the event described in Laws 2003, ch, 47, § 15 occurred prior to the enactment of the 2005 amendment.
The 2000 amendment, effective July 1, 2000, deleted former Subsection B(3), relating to benefits paid in connection with a work-release program, and redesignated former Subsections B(4) and B(5) as present Subsections B(3) and B(4); substituted "three and four-tenths" for "four" in Subsection H(2)(a); substituted "less than three and four-tenths percent and not less than two and seven-tenths" for "between four percent and three percent" in Subsection H(2)(b); substituted "less than two and seven-tenths percent and not less than" for "between three percent and two" in Subsection H(2)(c); substituted "less than" for "between" and inserted "not less than" in Subsections H(2)(d) and H(2)(e); and reduced employer compensation rate schedule 1 for all employers with an employer reserve of 0% or greater and schedule 2 for all employers with a 1.0% or greater reserve in Subsection H(4).
The 1998 amendment, effective July 1, 1998, inserted "through the date of transfer" following "of this section" in Subparagraph G(3)(c), added Subsection N and made minor stylistic changes throughout the section.
The 1993 amendment, effective April 5, 1993, substituted "this paragraph" for "Paragraph (2) of Subsection C of this section" in the first sentence of Subsection G(2)(d); inserted "throughout the entire period of his contribution with liability applicable to each enterprise transferred" near the middle of the first sentence of Subsection G(3); and, in Subsection G(3)(c), substituted the language "for the three and one-half year" for "from the inception of the enterprise transferred or for the three and one-half year period preceding the date of computation as defined in Subparagraph D of Paragraph (3) of Subsection H of Section 51-1-11 NMSA 1978, whichever is less" at the end of the first sentence, in the second sentence substituted "percentage" for "actual share" and deleted "for the period set forth on Form ES-903A" following "enterprises transferred", and added the last sentence.
The 1991 amendment, effective April 3, 1991, substituted "division" for "department" throughout the section; added Paragraphs (3) to (5) in Subsection B; in Subsection G, added Subparagraph (d) in Paragraph(1), substituted "fifty dollars ($50.00)" for "thirty dollars ($30.00)" at the end of Subparagraph (c) in Paragraph (2), deleted "the business or" preceding "the employing enterprises of the predecessor" and "throughout the entire period of his contribution liability applicable to each enterprise transferred" preceding "has maintained" in the first sentence in Paragraph (3) and rewrote Subparagraph (c) of Paragraph (3), which read "the successor files with the application a Form ES-903A or its equivalent with a schedule of the name and social security number of, and the wages paid to each employee and the contributions paid with respect to each calendar quarter from the inception of the enterprises being transferred prepared from, and supported by, the predecessor's permanent employment records which must be available for audit by the department"; substituted "Paragraph (4)" for "Paragraph 5" where the reference appears throughout Subsection H; substituted "further appeal is initiated pursuant to Subsection D of Section 51-1-8 NMSA 1978" for "a petition for judicial review is filed in the district court of the county in which he resides" at the end of Subsection I; substituted "determination" for "notice" in the first sentence and added the succeeding sentences in Subsection J; and made related and other minor stylistic changes.
Partial veto rendered the act unworkable and incomplete. — Where the legislature amended Subsection I of Section 51-1-11 NMSA 1978 to change the effective date of a formula-based contribution schedule to calendar years after 2012 and to set a fixed contribution schedule for the year 2012 at Schedule 3; the governor vetoed the provision that fixed the 2012 contribution schedule at Schedule 3; and the partial veto resulted in the elimination of a contribution schedule for 2012, which effectively exempted established employers from making mandatory contributions to the unemployment compensation fund for calendar year 2012, the partial veto was unconstitutional because what remained after the partial veto was an unworkable piece of legislation and the court ordered that the legislation be reinstated as passed by the legislature. State of N.M. ex rel. Stewart v. Martinez, 2011-NMSC-045, 270 P.3d 96.
Law reviews. — For article, "Unemployment Compensation in New Mexico," see 11 N.M.L. Rev. 327 (1981).
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 76 Am. Jur. 2d Unemployment Compensation §§ 104 to 109.
81 C.J.S. Social Security and Public Welfare § 294.