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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Payee Services Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 412209098
WI · NTEE P990
FY ending 2024-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karen Hurtgen, Executive Director / CEO ($2,463) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 193 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 1st percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations

Benchmarked executive: Karen Hurtgen — reported title “PRESIDENT”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

193 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 193 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$724 total compensation of comparable organizations → $529,249 $2,463
$19,84010th
$39,07825th
$63,261Median
$82,40075th
$112,32090th
$2,463This org · 1st
p10$19,840
p25$39,078
p50$63,261
p75$82,400
p90$112,320
$2,463

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to WI cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Micronesia Climate Change Alliance Inc GU$456,651 Director Of Adminitrative Affairs $28,000 $28,827 2023
Stand In Peace International CA$459,834 Ceo $93,000 $79,166 2023
United Steelworkers Union Local 13-12 LA$453,386 Business Manager $79,897 $84,240 2024
Lawrence Ltd MA$461,183 Vp $96,600 $85,574 2023
Children's Advocacy Center Of Erie PA$461,530 Executive Di $71,813 $68,572 2024
A Touch Of Understanding CA$461,630 Executive Dire $63,407 $53,975 2023
The Unforgettables Foundation CA$452,164 President & Ceo $84,072 $69,512 2024
Ally S Wish Inc TX$450,435 President $112,000 $107,276 2024
Compassionate Sharing Inc OK$464,459 Director $31,500 $34,193 2023
Kings Daughters Ministry NC$464,639 President Founder $12,000 $12,223 2023
Penfield Hope Inc NY$449,331 Secretary $41,310 $36,799 2023
Ignis Community Inc - Sunyang Hana TX$464,774 Us Operations Manager & Secretary $23,671 $22,673 2024
The Dawson Community Empowerment Corporation GA$466,722 President $18,000 $17,842 2023
Project Sweet Peas RI$469,835 Executive Dir. $35,000 $32,135 2024
Loudoun Cares VA$443,401 Executive Di $72,333 $68,850 2023
Revive & Thrive Project MI$471,002 Executive Director $78,000 $77,089 2024
Hope Diamond Services Inc GA$472,606 Director $15,060 $14,928 2023
Homeless Angels MI$472,709 Director $22,432 $22,170 2024
John Hobson Ministries Inc KY$473,480 President $88,200 $90,734 2024
Taunton Community Access & Media Inc MA$440,530 President $9,000 $7,744 2024
Random Acts Of Flowers Indianapolis Inc IN$440,376 Executive Director $75,420 $74,193 2025
Lend A Hand Foundation CA$473,847 Executive Dir. $62,330 $51,536 2024
Three Rivers Commons Inc PA$438,483 President & Ceo $5,667 $5,411 2024
City Lights Ministry NC$476,444 President $39,520 $40,255 2023
Compassionate Care Management Inc OH$436,756 President $56,400 $57,199 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WI cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to WI cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default1st
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)1st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted6th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted1st

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Karen Hurtgen) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 193 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (P99), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $2,463 is reasonable (approximately the 1st percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.