About the County of Marin Boards & Commissions Stipend Program

1. The stipend program applies to members of Boards and Commissions appointed by the Board of Superviors. It does not apply to other voluntary committees or working groups that may be organized by individual county departments, programs, or staff. Verify that your Board or Commission qualifies as a Board-appointed commission on the Marin County Board of Supervisors public website
2. Members will will be required to register as a vendor of Marin County in the County's vendor system in order to receive stipend payments. Being a "vendor" means that the County is able to issue you a check or electronic payment. Please inquire with your board or commission County staff liaison for assistance with vendor registration.
3. Commission members who choose to participate in the stipend program must self-certify that their total household income meets the maximum limits (see “Self-Certification of Income” below).
4. Stipend amount is $50 per public Board/Commission meeting, up to a maximum payment of 24 meetings annually. A "public meeting" is is a regular commission meeting published on the public calendar, open to the public, and subject to the Brown Act. You must attend the full duration of the meeting to qualify for a stipend payment for that meeting. 
5. Inquire with your commission's staff liaison to determine when, and how often to submit requests for payment. In general, stipends are paid either annually or semi-annually. 
6. Commission members may request payment for the current or previous Fiscal Year (July 1 through June 30). Payments for meeting dates older than one fiscal year will not be processed. 
7. Checks will be payable to the commission member only
8. This self-certification and your voluntary receipt of meeting stipends is confidential. Receipt or waiver of stipend will not affect eligibility or selection for commission appointments and this stipend self-certification is not part of the commissioner application process.
9. Knowingly providing false statements on this form may disqualify you from receiving a stipend payment. 
10. The County will issue an IRS Form 1099 (opens in new window) for stipend payments totaling more than $600 annually. Stipend payments may be taxable income. Please consult your tax professional for more information
11. In order to receive a stipend, Board-appointed commissioners must attend ethics training (AB 1234, Chapter 700, Stats. of 2005). Ethics training is provided by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (click to open link)

Instructions

1. Complete the Income Self-Certification and Request for Stipend payment below. This form will be electronically forwarded to the staff liaison assigned to your board or commission.
2. Inform the County staff liaison for your commission that you are requesting a stipend payment.. 
3. Before you can receive your first stipend payment, you must register as a vendor in the County's financial system, Munis. Registering as a "vendor" just means that the County can issue you a check or electronic payment. Please follow the instructions at the Marin Vendor Self Service Page or contact your commission's staff liaison for assistance.
4. You must also complete an IRS Form W-9 (uploaded in your Munis Vendor Registration).
5. If you have previously registered as a vendor with the County, you do not need to register again. If your banking, address, or contact information has changed, you may update this information in the Vendor Portal
6. Only request payment for commission meetings that you attended. If you missed a meeting, please skip that date on the "meeting dates" tracker below.
7. Your staff liaison will let you know if additional information is needed to process your stipend payment. 
8. Please read all instructions on this form, and in the Vendor Registration Portal carefully. 

*Self-Sufficiency Standard adapted from  The MIT Living Wage Calculator More information at https://livingwage.mit.edu/ (opens in a new tab)

**"Child/children" refers to any dependent claimed on any household members' federal or state tax return

• Please submit this form for meetings you have already attended. You will not receive payment for meetings that have not occured as of the date of your request. 

• It is recommended that commission members request payment either every six months (for meetings that occured in the previous six months) or annually (for meetings that occured in the previous 12 months)
• You many only request payment for meetings up to one previous fiscal year (fiscal year is July 1 to June 30). The deadline to request payment for the previous fiscal year is July 30 of the current fiscal year.
• Example: To request payment for meetings in FY 2025-2026 (July 1 2025 to June 30 2026), you must submit a payment request by July 30, 2026. 

• Please only list public meetings that you attended for your board/commission. Do not enter scheduled meetings that you did not attend. A "public meeting" is a regular meeting of your board or commission, listed on the public calendar, open to the public, and subject to the Brown Act. 

• Please notify your commission's staff liaison after you have completed this form. You may also print or save this form, and submit it directly to your staff liaison. If you submit this form electronically, it will be forwarded to your commissions staff liaison. 

• For questions or assistance, please contact the staff liaison assigned to your board/commission, or contact commissions@marincounty.org