INDEPENDENT BANK CORP

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

INDEPENDENT BANK CORP.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

March 26, 2026

Dear Fellow Shareholder:

I am pleased to invite you to our 2026 Annual Shareholder Meeting (“Annual Meeting”), which will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The 2026 Annual Meeting will be conducted solely by means of remote communication (a “virtual-only” meeting). The following pages contain information about the Annual Meeting. There will be no physical location for the Annual Meeting. Please see the Notice of Annual Shareholder Meeting and Proxy Statement for additional details. We will provide a live audio webcast of the Annual Meeting at https://meetnow.global/INDB2026. For further information on how to attend the Annual Meeting, please see “How do I attend the virtual annual meeting?” on page 3 of the proxy statement.

We are once again pleased to reduce the environmental impact of our proxy materials and lower our delivery costs by furnishing you with instructions on how to access proxy materials over the internet and vote online. On or about April 1, 2026, we will mail a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (Notice) to all holders of our common stock at the close of business on March 20, 2026, the record date for our Annual Meeting, and will post our proxy materials on the website that the Notice references. If you would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, the Notice describes how to request them.

Mary L. Lentz, who has served as an Independent Bank Corp. and Rockland Trust Company Director since 2016, will retire from the Board upon reaching the age of 72 on April 11, 2026. Mary has been steadfast in her dedication to Rockland Trust Company for a decade. On behalf of our shareholders, I thank Mary for her devoted service.

Further, Scott K. Smith, who has served as an Independent Bank Corp. and Rockland Trust Company Director since 2019, notified the Board of his voluntary decision to not stand for reelection at the Annual Meeting. On behalf of our shareholders, I thank Scott for his service and dedication to Rockland Trust Company.

Your vote is important. You can ensure that your shares are represented at the Annual Meeting by voting and submitting your proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting. Voting procedures and instructions for how to attend the virtual-only Annual Meeting are described in the proxy statement.

Cordially,

Jeffrey Tengel

President and Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

Rockland Trust Company

NOTICE OF 2026 ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING

The Annual Shareholder Meeting of Independent Bank Corp. will be held solely

by means of remote communication, in a live audio webcast format at

https://meetnow.global/INDB2026

on May 14, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time

There will be no physical location for the annual meeting.

Online access to the annual meeting will begin at 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

At the annual meeting we will ask you to:

(1) Elect James O. Morton, Daniel F. O’Brien and Leif O’Leary as Class III Directors;

(2) Ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2026;

(3) Approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers; and

(4) Transact any other business that may properly come before the annual meeting.

You may vote at the annual meeting if you were a shareholder of record at the close of business on March 20, 2026.

Attending the annual meeting:

The annual meeting will be held in a virtual meeting format only on May 14, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. You can virtually attend the live audio webcast of the annual meeting at https://meetnow.global/INDB2026. To vote and ask questions at the annual meeting, you will need to login with your 15-digit control number, which can be found on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or your proxy card.

Online access to the annual meeting will begin at 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time. There will be no physical location for the annual meeting.

Beneficial stockholders whose shares are registered in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee may need to obtain the information required to be able to participate in, and vote at, the annual meeting, including their control number, from their bank, broker or other nominee. If a beneficial holder has any questions regarding attendance at the annual meeting, they should contact their bank, broker or other nominee who holds their shares.

Important Notice Regarding Internet Availability of Proxy Materials: The Proxy Statement and our Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2025 are available at www.envisionreports.com/INDB.

By Order of the Independent Bank Corp. Board of Directors

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. Please vote your shares promptly, even if you plan to attend the annual meeting. The proxy statement describes voting procedures.

INDEPENDENT BANK CORP. PROXY STATEMENT

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