Company: LIN
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000950170-25-060925
Chunk: 67

Company: LINDE PLC
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 67
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 for other eligible U.S. employees of the Company (the “Pension Program”). The Company has an obligation to pay pension benefits according to formulas described below. The Pension Program does not include the Company’s U.S. 401(k) Plan. The 401(k) Plan is funded by employee and Company contributions, but the Company does not promise any given retirement benefit. Instead, any retirement payments will depend on employee and Company contributions and the investment return on those contributions.

The Pension Program has the following two parts:

1.The Linde U.S. Pension Plan (the “Pension Plan”)is intended to meet Federal tax law rules so that it will be considered a “tax-qualified” defined benefit retirement plan. Applicable laws require the Company to periodically set aside funds to meet its obligations under this plan. The rules also limit the amount of benefits that can be paid and do not allow using pay above certain levels to calculate retirement benefits. One or more of these limitations apply to each NEO and to certain other employees. Therefore, the Company also maintains “non-qualified” supplemental plans.

2.The Linde Inc. Equalization Benefit and Supplemental Retirement Income Plans (collectively referred to as the “SRIP”)are non-qualified deferred compensation plans under U.S. tax rules. Therefore, the Company does not set aside funds to meet these plan obligations. Instead, SRIP participants have only the Company’s promise to pay the amounts due following their separation from service with the Company. The terms of the SRIP are largely the same as those of the Pension Plan except that: (i) benefits payable under the SRIP are not limited by the Federal tax law limits, (ii) in order to comply with Federal tax law governing non-qualified deferred compensation plans, benefits accrued under the SRIP are payable at different times and in different forms than those payable under the Pension Plan, and (iii) NEOs may have additional benefits paid under the SRIP that are not the same as the standard benefits of the Pension Plan (see Note 3 following the “2024 Pension Benefits” table regarding a preexisting agreement for Mr. Bichara).

Benefits under the Pension Program are calculated under one of the following two basic designs:

| 64 | Linde plc |

Executive Compensation Matters

Executive Compensation Tables

Traditional Design (Applicable to Mr. Strauss)

| · | The Traditional Design program is applicable only to eligible U.S. employees who were hired by legacy Praxair, Inc. prior to May 1, 2002