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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Paynes Water Association Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 640629559
MS · NTEE Y22
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Megan Cox, Executive Director / CEO ($5,400) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 89 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 54th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Megan Cox — reported title “METER READER”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

89 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 89 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$71 total compensation of comparable organizations → $240,660 $5,400
$40810th
$1,03125th
$4,333Median
$13,53075th
$49,12890th
$5,400This org · 54th
p10$408
p25$1,031
p50$4,333
p75$13,530
p90$49,128
$5,400

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 MS 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
Mumford Rural Cemetery Association NY$92,598 President $6,000 $5,012 2023
New Bedford Lodge No 914 Loyal Order Of Moose MA$93,202 Administrator $1,551 $1,251 2024
Allendale Waldwick Pba NJ$93,386 State Delegate $1,950 $1,523 2025
Free And Accepted Masons Willow Glen-fraternity399 CA$93,422 Secretary $3,600 $2,791 2024
Bluff Dale Water Supply Corporation TX$90,859 Secretary/tr $10,370 $9,314 2024
Vfw Post 1449 Inc NY$94,121 Quartermaster $15,600 $13,031 2023
Blueberry Aerie 4090 Foe MI$89,983 Secretary $1,182 $1,095 2024
Japanese Mutual Aid Society Of Chicago IL$89,085 Executive Director $8,000 $7,062 2024
Sheffield Cemetery Association PA$88,963 Sexton $6,101 $5,624 2023
Chevra Ahavas Chesed Inc MD$96,228 Executive Director $15,000 $12,591 2024
Independent Royal Arch Lodge No 2 NY$87,003 Secretary $1,800 $1,460 2024
Rhode Island State Fop Foundation Inc RI$98,822 President $4,800 $4,026 2025
Cahp Retired Employees Medical Trust CA$98,902 Trustee $41,152 $31,906 2024
Sailmail Association CA$99,465 Secretary $25,200 $19,538 2024
Ivanhoe Firemens Relief Association MN$85,281 Gambling Man $11,695 $10,376 2024
Marilla Cemetery Association Inc NY$99,787 President $575 $467 2024
Real Estate Cyber Consortium DC$100,000 Executive Director $38,537 $30,364 2024
Rockville Firemens Relief Association MN$83,987 President $200 $177 2024
Nashwauk Fire Relief Association MN$102,081 President $7,200 $6,388 2024
Higher Education Consortium For Student DC$103,327 Ex-officio Executive Director $163,570 $132,684 2023
Blackduck Volunteer Fireman's MN$81,347 President $449 $410 2023
Deming Water Association WA$80,750 President $500 $402 2024
Greenfield Moose Family Center 997 Loom MA$104,541 Administrator $18,200 $14,306 2025
The Amt Health Benefits Trust VA$79,661 President $55,862 $48,429 2024
Middle Creek Cemetery Association Inc TN$79,467 Secretary $12,500 $12,146 2023

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MS 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 MS 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 default54th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)51st
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted61st
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted54th

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 (Megan Cox) 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 89 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE major group (Y), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $5,400 is reasonable (approximately the 54th 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.