Legal Definitions - in capita

The Latin term in capita means individually or per person. When something is distributed or calculated "in capita," it means that each individual receives an equal share or is counted separately, without regard to their status within a group or family unit.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Example 1: Inheritance Distribution

  A will specifies that a deceased person's estate should be divided "in capita" among their three children, Sarah, Tom, and Emily. This means that each child will receive an equal one-third share of the estate, regardless of their age, financial need, or whether they have children of their own. If the estate is worth $900,000, Sarah, Tom, and Emily would each receive $300,000.

  This illustrates "in capita" because the distribution is made individually to each named beneficiary, with each person receiving an identical share.

• Example 2: Government Grant Program

  A local government launches a relief program stating that eligible residents will receive a one-time payment of $500 "in capita." If a household consists of two eligible adults, John and Mary, they would each receive $500, totaling $1,000 for the household. If their adult child, David, also lives with them and is eligible, he would also receive $500.

  This demonstrates "in capita" because the payment is allocated to each eligible individual person, rather than a single payment per household or family unit.

• Example 3: Corporate Bonus Structure

  A small company decides to give an end-of-year bonus "in capita" to all employees who have worked there for at least one full year. If there are 20 such employees, each of those 20 individuals will receive the exact same bonus amount, for instance, $1,000, regardless of their salary, department, or position within the company.

  This shows "in capita" because the bonus is distributed equally to each qualifying employee as an individual, rather than being based on factors like seniority or performance metrics.