FRANKLIN ELECTRIC CO INC

11. INCOME TAXES

The Company’s effective tax rate for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2025 was 25.3 percent as compared to 22.9 percent for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2024. The effective tax rate differs from the U.S. statutory rate of 21 percent primarily due to U.S state taxes and foreign earnings taxed at rates higher than the U.S. statutory rate partially offset by the recognition of the U.S. foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) provisions. For the third quarter of 2025, the effective tax rate was 26.9 percent compared to 23.6 percent for the third quarter of 2024.

The increase in the effective tax rate for the third quarter and first nine months of 2025 compared to the comparable periods in the prior year was primarily due to mix of foreign earnings taxed at rates different than the U.S. statutory rate, a decreased benefit in the U.S. foreign-derived intangible income (FDII) provision related to a prior year prepayment of inventory from foreign subsidiaries, and less favorable discrete events in 2025, primarily related to excess tax benefits from share-based compensation.

On July 4, 2025, the reconciliation bill, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBB") was signed into law, which includes a broad range of tax reform provisions. The OBBB allows an elective deduction for domestic Research and Development (R&D), a reinstatement of elective 100% first-year bonus depreciation, and a more favorable tax rate on Foreign-derived Deduction Eligible Income and income from non-U.S. subsidiaries, among other provisions. The impact of those tax provisions in the OBBB will depend on the Company's facts in each year and anticipated guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Company has recorded impact from OBBB in the third quarter that is not material, nor does the Company expect material impact in the future.