Section 409A Provisions The payment of Shares under this Agreement is intended to be exempt from the application of Section 409A of the Code by reason of the short-term deferral exemption set forth in Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(b)(4). Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent that any amount or benefit hereunder that constitutes “deferred compensation” to the Participant under Section 409A is otherwise payable or distributable to the Participant under the Plan or this Agreement solely by reason of the occurrence of a Change in Control or due to the Participant’s Disability or separation from service, such amount or benefit will not be payable or distributable to the Participant by reason of such circumstance unless the Committee determines in good faith that (i) the circumstances giving rise to such Change in Control, Disability or separation from service meet the definition of a change in ownership or control, disability, or separation from service, as the case may be, in Section 409A(a)(2)(A) of the Code and applicable final regulations, or (ii) the payment or distribution of such amount or benefit would be exempt from the application of Section 409A by reason of the short-term deferral exemption or otherwise (including, but not limited to, a payment made pursuant to an involuntary separation arrangement that is exempt from Section 409A under the “short-term deferral” exception). Any payment or distribution that constitutes deferred compensation subject to Code Section 409A and that otherwise would be made to a Participant who is a specified employee as defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(B) of the Code on account of separation from service instead shall be made on the earlier of the date that is six months and one day after the date of the specified employee’s separation from service and the specified employee’s death.
Exercisability Schedule No portion of this Stock Option may be exercised until such portion shall have become exercisable. Except as set forth below, and subject to the discretion of the Administrator (as defined in Section 2 of the Plan) to accelerate the exercisability schedule hereunder, this Stock Option shall be exercisable with respect to the following number of Option Shares on the dates indicated so long as the Optionee remains an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary on such dates: * Max. of $100,000 per yr. Once exercisable, this Stock Option shall continue to be exercisable at any time or times prior to the close of business on the Expiration Date, subject to the provisions hereof and of the Plan.
Section 409A Amendment The Award is intended to be exempt from Code Section 409A and this Award Agreement shall be administered and interpreted in accordance with such intent. The Committee reserves the right (including the right to delegate such right) to unilaterally amend this Award Agreement without the consent of the Participant in order to maintain an exclusion from the application of, or to maintain compliance with, Code Section 409A; and the Participant hereby acknowledges and consents to such rights of the Committee.
Acceleration of Vesting (a) In the event your employment with Deluxe is terminated by reason of death, Disability (as defined in the Addendum), or Approved Retirement (as defined in the Addendum) any time during the Restricted Period, all of the yet unvested Units will vest and the Units shall become non-forfeitable as of the date of such termination.
(b) Subject to Section 4(c), in the event your employment is terminated during the Restricted Period after the first anniversary of the Award Date by reason of involuntary termination without Cause, a pro rata portion of the next segment of Units scheduled to vest after the termination date (based on the number of completed days between the termination date and the scheduled vesting date immediately prior to the termination date (or the Award Date if there was no such scheduled vesting date) divided by 365) shall vest and become non-forfeitable as of the date of such termination.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement that would result in Units vesting in full or in part at a later date, if, in connection with any Change of Control, the acquiring Person, surviving or acquiring corporation or entity, or an Affiliate of such corporation or entity, elects to assume the obligations of Deluxe under this Agreement and to replace the Shares issuable upon settlement of the Units with other equity securities that are listed on a national securities exchange (including by use of American Depository Receipts or any similar method) and are freely transferable under all applicable federal and state securities laws and regulations (“Replacement Equity Securities”), the Units then subject to restriction shall continue to vest as set forth in Section 2, provided, however, the Units shall vest in full and become non-forfeitable if, within twelve months of the date of the Change of Control:
(i) Your employment with the Company is terminated by the Company without Cause,
(ii) Your employment with the Company is terminated by you for Good Reason, or
(iii) Vesting would otherwise occur on any earlier date as provided under this Agreement. In the event of any such Change of Control, the number of Replacement Equity Securities issuable under this Agreement shall be determined by the Committee in accordance with Section 4(c) of the Plan. In the event of any such Change of Control, all references herein to the Shares shall thereafter be deemed to refer to the Replacement Equity Securities, references to Deluxe or the Company shall thereafter be deemed to refer to the issuer of such Replacement Equity Securities, and all other terms of this Agreement shall continue in effect except as and to the extent modified by this subparagraph.
(d) If the Change of Control does not meet the continuation or replacement criteria specified in Section 4(c) above, all Units then subject to restriction shall vest in full immediately and become non-forfeitable upon the Change of Control.
(e) The provisions of this Section 4 shall be subject to Sections 5(b) and 8.
Change in Control Provisions Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Terms and Conditions, the following provisions shall apply to all Stock Units granted under the attached Award Agreement.
Additional Section 409A Provisions Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary—
(a) Any payment otherwise required to be made hereunder to Executive at any date as a result of the termination of Executive’s employment shall be delayed for such period of time as may be necessary to meet the requirements of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code (the “Delay Period”). On the first business day following the expiration of the Delay Period, Executive shall be paid, in a single cash lump sum, an amount equal to the aggregate amount of all payments delayed pursuant to the preceding sentence, and any remaining payments not so delayed shall continue to be paid pursuant to the payment schedule set forth herein.
(b) Each payment in a series of payments hereunder shall be deemed to be a separate payment for purposes of Section 409A of the Code.
(c) To the extent that any right to reimbursement of expenses or payment of any benefit in-kind under this Agreement constitutes nonqualified deferred compensation (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code), (i) any such expense reimbursement shall be made by the Company no later than the last day of the taxable year following the taxable year in which such expense was incurred by Executive, (ii) the right to reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit, and (iii) the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefits provided during any taxable year shall not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefits to be provided in any other taxable year; provided, that the foregoing clause shall not be violated with regard to expenses reimbursed under any arrangement covered by Section 105(b) of the Code solely because such expenses are subject to a limit related to the period the arrangement is in effect.
(d) While the payments and benefits provided hereunder are intended to be structured in a manner to avoid the implication of any penalty taxes under Section 409A of the Code, in no event whatsoever shall the Company or any of its affiliates be liable for any additional tax, interest, or penalties that may be imposed on Executive as a result of Section 409A of the Code or any damages for failing to comply with Section 409A of the Code (other than for withholding obligations or other obligations applicable to employers, if any, under Section 409A of the Code).
Vesting Provisions Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 below, the option shall vest 33⅓% on each of July 31, 2020, July 31, 2021 and July 31, 2022, except as follows:
Special Acceleration of Option (a) In the event of a Change in Control, this option, to the extent outstanding at that time but not otherwise fully exercisable, shall automatically accelerate so that this option shall, immediately prior to the effective date of the Change in Control, become exercisable for all of the Option Shares at the time subject to this option and may be exercised for any or all of those Option Shares as fully-vested shares of Common Stock. No such acceleration of this option, however, shall occur if and to the extent: (i) this option is, in connection with the Change in Control, assumed or otherwise continued in full force and effect by the successor corporation (or parent thereof) pursuant to the terms of the Change in Control or (ii) this option is replaced with a cash incentive program of the successor corporation which preserves the spread existing at the time of the Change in Control on the Option Shares for which this option is not otherwise at that time exercisable (the excess of the Fair Market Value of those Option Shares over the aggregate Exercise Price payable for such shares) and provides for subsequent pay-out in accordance with the same option exercise schedule set forth in the Grant Notice.
(b) Immediately following the consummation of the Change in Control, this option shall terminate and cease to be outstanding, except to the extent assumed by the successor corporation (or parent thereof) or otherwise expressly continued in full force and effect pursuant to the terms of the Change in Control.
(c) If this option is assumed in connection with a Change in Control, then this option shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such Change in Control, to apply to the number and class of securities which would have been issuable to Optionee in consummation of such Change in Control had the option been exercised immediately prior to such Change in Control, and appropriate adjustments shall also be made to the Exercise Price, provided the aggregate Exercise Price shall remain the same.
(d) This Agreement shall not in any way affect the right of the Corporation to adjust, reclassify, reorganize or otherwise change its capital or business structure or to merge, consolidate, dissolve, liquidate or sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.
Acceleration of Options One hundred (100%) percent of the Executive’s outstanding, unvested options, restricted stock and/or equity awards (“Equity Awards”) shall, immediately prior to the consummation of the Change in Control, become fully and immediately vested to the extent not already so provided under the terms of such Equity Awards; provided, however, that if the acquirer in a Change in Control grants Equity Awards having (in the reasonable opinion of the Board) a value at least equal to the value of Executive’s then-unvested Company Equity Awards, then 50% of the Executive’s outstanding, unvested Company Equity Awards shall become fully and immediately vested immediately prior to the consummation of the Change in Control (and the remaining 50% shall terminate upon the consummation of the Change in Control). Notwithstanding any provisions of the stock option plan or stock option agreement pursuant to which any stock options subject to the preceding sentence were granted, the Executive shall be entitled to exercise such Equity Awards until three years from the date of termination of employment or the expiration of the stated period of the Equity Award, whichever period is the shorter.
Vesting Schedule Except as provided in Section 4, and subject to Section 5, the Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in Participant in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.
