Company: DLX
Filing Date: 2025-03-10
Form Type: DEF 14A
Source: 0000027996-25-000107
Chunk: 43

Company: DELUXE CORP
Filing Date: 2025-03-10
Form: DEF 14A
Chunk 43
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-based plans, equates to the amount that would otherwise result from the broad-based plan if the salary were uncapped.

#### Compensation Design Process
The Committee meets several times annually to fulfill duties and responsibilities set forth in its charter, including evaluating and approving compensation philosophies, policies, plans, and programs for NEOs. The Committee reviews total compensation packages (base salary, annual cash incentives, long-term incentives, and benefits) and compares them to market standards. In the first quarter, it determines any salary increases, verifies annual incentive results and PSU payouts, sets performance measures and incentive targets for the year, and grants long-term equity awards.The President and CEO's performance is reviewed by the Committee, with input from the other non-employee members of the board.

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Role of our CEO and our Human Resources Organization

Our President and CEO evaluates the performance of other NEOs and makes compensation recommendations to the Committee. Our Human Resources team collaborates with FW Cook to provide information and to aid in the design and management of our compensation programs.

#### Compensation Consultant Services and Independence
The Committee has the authority to engage independent advisors to assist it in fulfilling its responsibilities. The Committee has retained FW Cook, a national executive compensation consulting firm, to provide advice with respect to compensation for our NEOs and other officers. FW Cook performs services solely on behalf of the Committee and does not provide any other services to us.

FW Cook performed the following services for the Committee in 2024: prepared and reviewed market benchmarking data for the President and CEO and other NEOs to assist the Committee in determining appropriate levels of compensation; reviewed the methodology on which compensation is based and designed, including reviewing the Peer Group for continued appropriateness; prepared and reviewed market data on the design and competitiveness of non-employee director compensation; informed the Committee of current updates regarding trends in executive and director compensation; reviewed tally sheets; assessed incentive risk and other proxy disclosures; and reviewed regulatory and governance guidance. FW Cook attended meetings upon invitation and participated in executive sessions without management present.

Management has no separate relationship with FW Cook. We make regular payments to FW Cook for its services around executive and non-employee director compensation, including meeting preparation and attendance, advice, and best practice information, as well as competitive data. Pursuant to SEC rules, the Committee assessed the independence of FW Cook, including based on information provided by FW Cook, and concluded that no conflict of interest exists that would prevent FW Cook from independently representing the Committee.

### Management of Compensation-Related