Capital Credits

Did you know as a member of Lincoln Electric Cooperative, you get certain benefits? One of the primary benefits of membership is receiving capital credits. LEC is a cooperative, which is a non-profit organization. Instead of profits, we have margins. Margins are any revenue we have in excess of our expenses each year. The total yearly margins are allocated to all members who were billed during the year.

Allocations are based on the dollar amount each member contributed during the year by paying their electric bill. For example, if you contributed one percent of our total yearly revenue, you would be allocated one percent of the total margins for that year.

Since 1975, your Board of Trustees has approved the retirement of capital credits. This year they authorized approximately two and half percent (2.55%) of our total member equity to be retired this year. This amounts to more than $400,000 in capital credits returned in 2026 to our current and former members. Capital credit checks will be issued to members who contributed to margins in 2007, 2008, and/or 2024. The board elected to retire capital credits as a 60/40 split between the oldest and newest contributions.

If you were an active LEC member in 2007, 2008, and/or 2024, you may have a check mailed in 2026 or a credit on your bill. Please note that checks are only written for capital credits of $10 or more. If your capital credit retirement was less than that amount, it will be issued to you once your retired capital credit balance exceeds $10.

Since our incorporation in 1948, LEC has proudly returned over $15.1 million in capital credits to our members.