Your Slice Of The Pie
YVEA is a not-for-profit electric co-op and we belong to the communities we serve. Which means we're not in the business of making profits, we're in the business of serving you, our member. We return margins in the form of member credits - paid directly to our members by a check in the mail or a bill credit.
Members! Do You Have Unclaimed Capital Credits?
The yearly capital credit retirement process has been completed thanks to the Board of Directors authorizing the retirement of the remaining 2003 in capital credits, in the amount of $365,618. This represents completion of the allocated amounts from 2003. Additionally, the board has approved a retirement of 60% of the 2004 capital credits, which amounts to $3,634,382. Anyone who was a member in 2003 and 2004 will receive a capital credit retirement refund through several possible ways.
- Active members
- Should have received a check if their retirement is over $50 (checks will be mailed from St. Louis, MO on December 11).
- Should have received a credit on their electric bill if their retirement is under $50. These credits started being applied to bills as of the December 3rd billing cycle.
- Inactive Members
- Will receive a check once their accumulated capital credit refund reaches $25 (checks will be mailed from St. Louis on December 11).
New for 2022 - instead of a payment or bill credit twice a year, members will now receive one check during the year, in December. The board decided to move to a one-payment system to increase efficiency to and to be more cost effective.
If you should have any questions, please call 970-879-1160 or email capitalcredits@yvea.com
Allocation vs. Retirement
Allocation. Every spring, the Board of Directors looks at the prior year and allots any funds remaining after all expenses are paid into a budget item called patronage capital. This designated pool of money is then “allocated” to members, based on the prior year’s electric consumption. In this case, the more power you use, the larger your allocation. The allocation is not a check, but a bookkeeping of the amount of money you have invested in the Co-op’s electric system based on your electric consumption. This allocation amount is notified to members on bills every year.
Retirement. Every year the Board takes a hard look at the operation, and decides if a member credit payout or "retirement" is feasible. If they decide to retire member credits, the money is paid out or “retired” from each member’s account, based on their past allocations. The credits members receive are tangible evidence of each member’s investment into the co-op.
For any tax questions regarding your member credits, please refer to your tax adviser.
Capital Credits at YVEA
Capital Credit FAQ's
At the end of each year, after all of the cooperative’s bills have been paid and all expenses considered, the amount of money that is left over is called a margin. Margins provide equity for the cooperative and are allocated to the members in proportion to their purchases of electricity during the year. Member credits, otherwise known as capital credits, are your share of the margin. Member credits are allocated annually to each member and are retired in accord with the cooperative’s bylaws.
If you have questions regarding your member credits, please contact our Member Services Department at 1-888-873-9832 or to find out more about member credits or YVEA, click here to contact us.
To search our most recent list of unclaimed member credits, click here.
You will still receive your member credit checks from previous years of membership with YVEA. When you close your account with us, we ask for your forwarding address so we can mail your member credit retirement checks to your new address.
Our co-op uses these funds as working capital to maintain the existing distribution system and to build new infrastructure without having to borrow any money to do so. This is why we allocate funds, and in later years pay out the member credit funds back to you. It's part of your economic participation in the co-op.
Call the co-op at 1-888-873-9832 and we will be able to help you out.
Every spring, after the previous year's accounting is finalized, any funds remaining after all expenses are paid (margins) are allocated to members that purchased power in the previous year. These funds are called patronage capital and are later paid out as member credits. Members are typically notified of their allocation on their bills in the spring.
YVEA uses these funds as working capital to maintain the existing distribution system and to build new infrastructure without having to borrow any money to do so.
Every year the co-op takes a hard look at our financial situation and determines how much the cooperative can retire, or pay out, in member credits. The credits members receive either by check or a bill credit, typically in December, are tangible evidence of each member's investment into the cooperative.
We are required by our lending institutions to meet certain financial requirements to show that the cooperative is financially stable. However, all margins are allocated back to our membership, and later paid out as member credits.
We suggest that you seek the advice of a tax professional for any specific questions regarding taxation.
Every spring, after the previous year's accounting is finalized, any funds remaining after all expenses are paid (margins) are allocated to members that purchased power in the previous year. These funds are called patronage capital, and are based on prior year's electric use - the more electricity you use, the larger your allocation. Your allocations build up over the years, and are later paid out as member credits.
Upon the death of either spouse in a joint membership, the name of the deceased person is removed and the membership is then held solely by the surviving spouse. A joint membership is not eligible for an early discounted estate retirement upon the death of one of its members. The Association does not pay allocated capital credits out of the normal rotation other than to estates of deceased individuals, and we do not pay interest on capital credits allocated and not yet retired. To attain a copy of the deceased capital credit member form, click on the blue highlighted text.
An individual member or both joint members may assign the undistributed capital credits account in writing only to successors in occupancy of all or part of your premises served by YVEA. Use the Affidavit of Transfer form to assign the credits. For more information see notice pertaining to capital credit equity accounts.