UPBOUND GROUP INC

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(RULE 14a-101)

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934

UPBOUND GROUP, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

UPBOUND GROUP, INC.

5501 Headquarters Drive

Plano, Texas 75024

Dear Fellow Stockholder:

It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2025 Annual Meeting”) of Upbound Group, Inc. The 2025 Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., Central Time, at the Upbound Group, Inc. Field Support Center, which is located, along with our principal executive offices, at 5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024.

In connection with the 2025 Annual Meeting, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement describe the business items we plan to address at the meeting. We also plan to have a question and answer session during which our stockholders will have the opportunity to ask questions of management regarding our business.

In accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s “Notice and Access” model, we are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders via the Internet. On or about April 22, 2025, we began mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials detailing how to access the proxy materials electronically and how to submit your proxy via the Internet. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials also provides instructions on how to request and obtain paper copies of the proxy materials and proxy card or voting instruction form, as applicable. We believe this process provides our stockholders with a convenient way to access the proxy materials and submit their proxies online, while allowing us to reduce our environmental impact as well as the costs of printing and distribution.

Your vote is very important, so we encourage you to review the information contained in the proxy materials and submit your proxy, regardless of the number of shares you own. It is important that beneficial owners of our common stock instruct their brokers on how they want to vote their shares. Please note that you will need the control number provided on your Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in order to submit your proxy online.

We look forward to seeing you on June 3, 2025.

Sincerely,

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

8:00 a.m., Central Time

The 2025 annual meeting of stockholders of Upbound Group, Inc. will be held on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 8:00 a.m., Central Time, at the Upbound Group, Inc. Field Support Center, which is located, along with our principal executive offices, at 5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024, for the following purposes:

To elect the seven directors nominated by our board of directors;

​

To ratify the Audit & Risk Committee’s selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2025;

​

To conduct an advisory vote approving the compensation of the named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2024, as set forth in the proxy statement; and

​

To transact other business that properly comes before the meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

​

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement, which is attached to, and made a part of, this notice. Our board of directors has fixed the close of business on April 8, 2025 as the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the 2025 Annual Meeting and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof.

We are using the “Notice and Access” method of furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders via the Internet. Instructions on how to access and review the proxy materials on the Internet can be found on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) mailed to stockholders of record on or about April 22, 2025. The Notice also contains instructions on how to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials.

Your vote is important, and whether or not you plan to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting, please vote as promptly as possible. We encourage you to submit your proxy via the Internet, as it is the most convenient and cost-effective method of voting. You may also submit your proxy by telephone or by mail (if you receive paper copies of the proxy materials or request a paper proxy card). Instructions regarding all three methods of voting are included in the Notice, the proxy card and the proxy statement.

Thank you in advance for voting and for your support of Upbound Group, Inc.

By Order of the Board of Directors,​

/s/ Bryan Pechersky

Bryan Pechersky

Executive Vice President – General Counsel

and Corporate Secretary

Upbound Group, Inc.

5501 Headquarters Drive, Plano, Texas 75024

April 22, 2025​

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS

FOR THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 3, 2025

This Notice of Annual Meeting, the proxy statement and our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “2024 Form 10-K”) (which we are distributing in lieu of a separate annual report to stockholders) are available on our website atinvestor.upbound.com, in the “Financials and Filings — Annual Reports and Proxies” subsection. Additionally, you may access the Notice of Annual Meeting, the proxy statement and the 2024 Form 10-K atwww.proxyvote.com.