Company: LIN
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-007990
Chunk: 48

Company: LINDE PLC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 8
Chunk 48
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 and are nonqualified for federal tax purposes. Pension coverage for employees of certain of Linde’s non-U.S. subsidiaries generally is provided by those companies through separate plans. Obligations under such plans are primarily provided for through diversified investment portfolios, with some smaller plans provided for under insurance policies or by book reserves.Defined Benefit Pension Plans - Non-U.S.Linde has Non-U.S., defined benefit commitments primarily in Germany and the U.K that include pension plan assets comprised of a diversified mix of investments. The defined benefit commitments in Germany relate to old age pensions, invalidity pensions and surviving dependents pensions. These commitments also take into account vested rights for periods of service prior to January 1, 2002 based on earlier final-salary pension plan rules. In addition, there are direct commitments in respect of the salary conversion scheme for the form of cash balance plans. The resulting pension payments are calculated on the basis of an interest guarantee and the performance of the corresponding investment. There are no minimum funding requirements. The pension obligations in Germany are partly funded by a Contractual Trust Agreement. Defined benefit commitments in the U.K. prior to July 1, 2003 are earnings-related and dependent on the period of service. Such commitments relate to old age pensions, invalidity pensions and surviving dependents pensions. Beginning in April 1, 2011, the amount of future increases in inflation-linked pensions and of increases in pensionable emoluments was restricted. Multi-employer Pension PlansIn the United States Linde participates in eight multi-employer defined benefit pension plans ("MEPs"), pursuant to the terms of collective bargaining agreements, that cover approximately 200 union-represented employees. The collective bargaining agreements expire on different dates through 2029. In connection with such agreements, the company is required to make periodic contributions to the MEPs in accordance with the terms of the respective collective bargaining 

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agreements. Linde’s participation in these plans is not material either at the plan level or in the aggregate. For all MEPs, Linde’s contributions were less than 1% of the total contributions to each plan for 2024,  2023 and 2022. Linde has obtained the most recently available Pension Protection Act ("PPA") annual funding notices from the Trustees of the MEPs. As of December 31, 2024, there were four Red Zone plans, deemed to be in "critical" or "critical and declining" status that have implemented financial improvement or rehabilitation plans. Linde does not