Compensation data a nonprofit board can actually defend.

ExemptPay turns millions of public IRS Form 990 filings into peer-matched compensation benchmarks, with the sample size, sources, and methodology shown on every figure. We built the tool we wished we’d had sitting in a board meeting, trying to answer one hard question with a stack of filings and a spreadsheet.

Why we built it

Most boards still set executive pay on last year’s number and a gut feel.

Not because they want to, because the alternative was a $5,000-to-$15,000 consulting study most small and mid-sized nonprofits can’t justify, or 40 hours pulling 990s by hand. The data was public the whole time. What was missing was the analysis: peer matching, percentiles, sample sizes, and language a board could put in its minutes.

So we built it, and made a point of showing our work. Every benchmark prints its statistical N. Every figure traces to a filing. Nothing is a black box.

What we believe

Four commitments behind every report.

Public sources, always

Every number traces to a specific IRS Form 990 or published BLS series. Your auditor, board chair, or funder can verify it independently, no proprietary black box.

Independent of management

The data answers to the board, not the executive being reviewed. No self-report, no conflict, the comparables come from outside the room.

The sample size is shown

N and organization count appear on every benchmark, tiered Strong, Adequate, or Supplementary, so the board sees the statistical weight, not just the figure.

Priced for the sector

A one-time report from $149, not a five-figure engagement or an annual subscription. Board-grade data shouldn't be a budget-line decision.

Two trusted data sources

Built on verified IRS and BLS data.

3.27M

990 salary records

330K+

Organizations

800+

BLS occupations

10+ yrs

Historical data

IRS Form 990

Officers, directors, key employees, and highest-compensated staff reported on Schedule J and Part VII, nonprofit-specific, with detailed compensation breakdowns.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covering 800+ occupations, national and state-level percentiles for general staff roles.

All statistics winsorized at the 1st/99th percentiles to remove outlier distortion. Sample sizes disclosed on every benchmark. Peer groups matched by revenue band, sector, and geography. Methodology is fully transparent in every report.

ExemptPay provides independent comparability data and documentation to support your board and its advisors. It is not legal, tax, accounting, or audit advice, and we are not your attorney, CPA, or auditor. For formal compliance guidance, including questions about the IRS rebuttable presumption of reasonableness under IRC §4958, consult your own qualified advisor.

See what a defensible report looks like.

Board-ready reports from $149. Your first salary lookup is free.

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