A Unique Benefit of Being a Cooperative Member
At Chariton Valley Electric Cooperative, we operate with a focus on you, our members - rather than outside investors. One of the ways we do this is through capital credits, which reflect your share of the cooperative’s margins. To date, we have returned over $4 million to our members, demonstrating our commitment to sharing the cooperative’s financial success with you.
What Are Capital Credits?
What Are Capital Credits?
Capital credits represent your share of the cooperative's margins (profits) for a given year. As a member of Chariton Valley Electric Cooperative, you are a part-owner of our cooperative. Instead of distributing profits to outside investors, we allocate a portion of these profits to our members in the form of capital credits.
How Do They Work?
How Do Capital Credits Work?
Each year, after all expenses are covered and the cooperative has earned a margin, we allocate a portion of these margins to the capital credits accounts of our members. Your share is based on your electricity usage for that year. These credits are held in your account until they are scheduled to be retired (paid out) to you.
Distributing Capital Credits
Distributing Capital Credits
Capital credits are distributed based on the cooperative's financial condition and operational needs. We periodically review our financial health and may retire (pay out) a portion of the capital credits to members, typically in conjunction with our Annual Meeting in August. The timing and amount of these retirements can vary year to year depending on the cooperative’s performance.
Have You Moved?
If you have moved, please provide us with your updated address to ensure you continue receiving your capital credits payments and notifications.
What Happens to Capital Credits if a Member Passes Away?
In the event of a member’s passing, the estate may be eligible to receive the deceased member’s capital credits. The process for early retirement of these credits is available upon request. To begin the process, the estate’s representative should contact our office and provide the necessary documentation, such as a death certificate and proof of estate representation.
We will work with the estate to ensure the capital credits are distributed according to cooperative policies and procedures.
Do You Have Unclaimed Capital Credits?
If you believe you may have unclaimed capital credits, or know someone who does, we encourage you to contact our office. Unclaimed capital credits may occur when a member moves and does not provide updated contact information, or in other cases where we are unable to reach a member.
We maintain a list of members with unclaimed capital credits and will work with you to verify any potential claims. Don’t miss out on your share of the cooperative’s margins—reach out to us to ensure you receive the capital credits you’ve earned.
For more information or questions about capital credits, contact our office at 641-932-7126. We're here to help!