As a Cooperative, any profits over and above expenses go back to you - our member/owners.
As of December 2020, over $25M has been returned to Callaway Electric Cooperative members.
By signing up as a member of Callaway Electric Cooperative, you are considered a part owner. Therefore you have a share in the margins or capital credits remaining at the end of the year.
Each year, after all expenses of furnishing electricity to the membership have been satisfied, any money left over is set aside as capital credits. It is allocated to each member based on the amount of electricity that was used for the year.
The capital credits allocated to you can also be considered the cooperative's equity, or working capital. It allows the cooperative to secure loans for new construction and also maintain existing facilities and services.
Each year the board of directors reviews the financial status of the cooperative and determines if a portion of the capital credits can be returned to the membership. If a return is authorized it is either applied to eligible members accounts or mailed in the form of a check.
Any time the cooperative has capital credits to allocate, eligible members will receive a notice of their portion of the allocation after the close of the fiscal year. The notice is included as part of the cooperative billing statement (typically in April). The amount is not a bill and cannot be credited to the electric account. It is for information only until authorized for return.
What are capital credits?
Revenue - Expenses = Capital Credits