Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000036
Chunk: 38

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-04-11
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 38
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 beneficially own, within five years of their initial election to the Board, common stock of the Company equal to at least five times the annual cash retainer. The annual equity grant for non-employee Directors is required to be deferred until Board membership ends. All non-employee Directors either meet the stock ownership guideline or are expected to meet the guideline within the allowed timeframe.

#### Director Deferred Compensation Plan
The annual equity grant to the independent Directors is required to be deferred in shares of common stock. The shares are not distributed until membership on the Board ends. The deferral is made under the Director Deferred Compensation Plan and earns dividends which are reinvested in additional shares of common stock until distribution. Upon leaving the Board, distributions are made in common stock.

In addition, Directors may elect to defer up to 100% of their remaining compensation in the Director Deferred Compensation Plan until membership on the Board ends. Such deferred compensation may be invested as follows, at the Director’s election:

4 in common stock units which earn dividends as if invested in common stock and are distributed in shares of common stock or cash upon leaving the Board; or

4 at the prime interest rate which is paid in cash upon leaving the Board.

All investments and earnings in the Director Deferred Compensation Plan are fully vested. Beginning with compensation earned during 2022, each Director may annually elect the manner of distribution of compensation deferred through the Director Deferred Compensation Plan for a calendar year, either a lump-sum payment or up to 10 annual distributions. A distribution election must be made no later than December 31 of the year prior to the year in which the compensation will be earned.

#### Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement39
| 4As described in the CD&A beginning onpage41, we believe our compensation program provides the appropriate mix of fixed and at-risk compensation. 
 4Our short- and long-term performance-based compensation program for our CEO:                                                                     
 •Ties pay to overall Company performance;                                                                                                         
 •Rewards achievement of financial and operational goals, relative TSR performance and progress toward meeting our GHG reduction goals; and        
 •Is aligned with stockholder interests while remaining competitive with our industry peers.                                                       |     |                                             |
|                                                                                                                                                   |     | The Board recommends a voteFORthis proposal |

We design our compensation program to attract, engage, competitively compensate and retain our employees. We target the total direct compensation for our executives to approximate the market median and place a very significant portion of that target compensation at risk, subject to achieving both short-term and