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(a) (1) "Annual payroll" means the total amount of wages paid during a calendar year (regardless of when earned) by an employer for employment.

(2) "Average annual payroll" means the average of the annual payrolls of any employer for the last three or five preceding calendar years, whichever average is higher, except that any year or years throughout which an employer has had no "annual payroll" because of military service shall be deleted from the reckoning; the "average annual payroll" in such case is to be determined on the basis of the prior three or five calendar years in each of which the employer had an "annual payroll" in the operation of his business, if the employer resumes his business within 12 months after separation, discharge or release from such service, under conditions other than dishonorable, and makes application to have his "average annual payroll" determined on the basis of such deletion within 12 months after he resumes his business; provided, however, that "average annual payroll" solely for the purposes of paragraph (3) of subsection (e) of R.S.43:21-7 means the average of the annual payrolls of any employer on which he paid contributions to the State disability benefits fund for the last three or five preceding calendar years, whichever average is higher; provided further that only those wages be included on which employer contributions have been paid on or before January 31 (or the next succeeding day if such January 31 is a Saturday or Sunday) immediately preceding the beginning of the 12-month period for which the employer's contribution rate is computed.