Fiscal year 2025 executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
Each company listed discloses NNI in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named NNI in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Kruger | $906,921 | $1,150,123 | $275,114 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $57,503 | $2,389,661 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Timothy Tewes | 906,921 | 1,150,123 | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44,308 | 2,376,466 |
| President | ||||||||
| Terry Heimes | 906,921 | 1,112,592 | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73,961 | 2,368,588 |
| Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Jeffrey Noordhoek | 906,921 | 1,000,000 | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61,385 | 2,243,420 |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| DeeAnn Wenger | 500,345 | 537,531 | 500,077 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57,964 | 1,595,917 |
| President, Nelnet Business Services | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Kruger | $2,389,661 | $1,716,059 | $1,846,476 | +673,602 |
| Timothy Tewes | 2,376,466 | 1,721,387 | 1,869,226 | +655,079 |
| Terry Heimes | 2,368,588 | 1,590,294 | 1,879,387 | +778,294 |
| Jeffrey Noordhoek | 2,243,420 | 1,555,613 | 1,842,156 | +687,807 |
| DeeAnn Wenger | 1,595,917 | 1,128,766 | — | +467,151 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Every insider equity transaction reported on Form 4 after the 2025 proxy statement — acquisitions, dispositions, exercises, and withholdings — and therefore not reflected in any table in that document.
| Insider | Role | Transaction date | Code | Shares | Price | Value | Security | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William J. Munn | Secy/Chief Legal Off/Gen Coun | 2026-04-15 | A | 1,052 | $0 | $0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| William J. Munn | Secy/Chief Legal Off/Gen Coun | 2026-04-15 | D | 1,052 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| James Kruger | Chief Financial Officer | 2026-04-30 | D | 5,000 | 0 | 0 | Common, indirect | Form 4 ↗ |
| Matthew W. Dunlap | Director | 2026-06-10 | D | 15 | 131 | 1,961 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| David S. Graff | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,535 | 111 | 170,017 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Thomas E. Henning | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,738 | 111 | 192,501 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Jona M. Van Deun | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,219 | 111 | 135,016 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Kimberly K. Rath | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,535 | 111 | 170,017 | Derivative, Class A Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Kathleen A. Farrell | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,626 | 111 | 180,096 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Preeta D. Bansal | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 1,626 | 111 | 180,096 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Jona M. Van Deun | Director | 2026-06-15 | A | 407 | 111 | 45,079 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| James Kruger | Chief Financial Officer | 2026-07-09 | D | 2,500 | 0 | 0 | Common, indirect | Form 4 ↗ |
Transaction codes per Form 4: A acquisition · S open-market sale · F tax withholding · M option exercise · G gift. Value = shares × price as reported. Dividend-equivalent and fractional-share accrual rows (derivative Class A, under $10,000 and under 2,000 shares) are aggregated per date; every row appears in full below.
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeeAnn Wenger | RSU | 2025-03-10 | — | — | 10 | — | $500,077 |
| James Kruger | RSU | 2025-03-10 | — | — | 10 | — | 275,114 |
| Jeffrey Noordhoek | RSU | 2025-03-10 | — | — | 10 | — | 275,114 |
| Timothy Tewes | RSU | 2025-03-10 | — | — | 10 | — | 275,114 |
| Terry Heimes | RSU | 2025-03-10 | — | — | 10 | — | 275,114 |
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeeAnn Wenger | $500,077 | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
| James Kruger | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Jeffrey Noordhoek | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Timothy Tewes | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Terry Heimes | 275,114 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Kruger | RSU | 10,689 | — | $1,421,209 |
| Jeffrey Noordhoek | RSU | 10,689 | — | 1,421,209 |
| Terry Heimes | RSU | 10,689 | — | 1,421,209 |
| DeeAnn Wenger | RSU | 7,426 | — | 987,361 |
| Timothy Tewes | RSU | 10,689 | — | 1,421,209 |
The general compensation philosophy of the Company, as an organization that values the long-term success of its shareholders, customers, and employees, is that the Company will pay fair, competitive, and equitable compensation that is designed to encourage focus on the long-term performance objectives of the Company and is differentiated based on both the individual's performance and the performance of their respective business segment.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Towers Watson |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | True |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-14 | 123,485,112 | 184,566 | 32,879 | 99.85% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-05-15 | 126,823,158 | 123,560 | 37,152 | 99.9% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-05-16 | 127,827,846 | 328,323 | 47,149 | 99.74% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-05-18 | 128,109,990 | 138,044 | 31,890 | 99.89% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-05-19 | 128,684,073 | 265,612 | 59,073 | 99.79% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-05-20 | 132,391,044 | 123,399 | 67,324 | 99.91% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-05-14 | 99.85%a |
| 2025 | 2025-05-15 | 99.9%b |
| 2024 | 2024-05-16 | 99.74%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Although abstentions and broker "non-votes" will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum (as discussed above), they will not be counted as votes cast with respect to Proposals 2, 3, and 4 and thus will not have the effect of votes for or against Proposals 2, 3, and 4.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Although abstentions and broker "non-votes" will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum (as discussed above), they will not be counted as votes cast with respect to Proposals 2 and 3 and thu nominee has not received voting instructions from the customer and the bank, broker, or other nominee cannot vote the shares because the matter is not considered to be routine under NYSE rules.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Although abstentions and broker "non-votes" will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum (as discussed above), they will not be counted as votes cast with respect to Propos nominee has not received voting instructions from the customer and the bank, broker, or other nominee cannot vote the shares because the matter is not considered to be routine under NYSE rules.”.
Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 36 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $2,243,420 |
| Median employee compensation | $62,738 |
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas E. HenningIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit · Risk and Finance · Executive | $16,000 | $226,587 | — | $0 | $25,000 | $267,587 |
| Preeta D. BansalIndependent · Audit · People Development and Compensation · Compliance | 19,000 | 211,856 | — | 0 | 25,000 | 255,856 |
| Adam K. PetersonIndependent · Audit · Compliance · Departed during FY | 19,000 | 211,856 | — | 0 | 25,000 | 255,856 |
| Jona M. Van DeunIndependent · People Development and Compensation · Compliance · Nominating and Corporate Governance | 18,000 | 211,856 | — | 0 | 3,000 | 232,856 |
| Kathleen A. FarrellIndependent · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Risk and Finance · Executive | 14,000 | 211,856 | — | 0 | 0 | 225,856 |
| David S. GraffIndependent · Audit · Risk and Finance | 16,000 | 200,049 | — | 0 | 0 | 216,049 |
| Kimberly K. RathIndependent · People Development and Compensation (Chair) · Nominating and Corporate Governance | 14,000 | 200,049 | — | 0 | 0 | 214,049 |
| Matthew W. DunlapEmployee director · Compliance · Risk and Finance | 184,000 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 184,000 |
| Michael S. DunlapEmployee director · Board Chair · Executive | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $10,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 12,500 / 12,500 / 12,500 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $300,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $1,474,109 |
| All other compensation | $78,000 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,852,109 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelnet Inc | 2025 | Jeffrey Noordhoek | $906,921 | $275,114 | $0 | $0 | $2,243,420 |
Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, James Kruger | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Years 2025, 2024, and 2023” · page 25. As printed: 2,389,661. Filing ↗machine: r11 · c36 · span 379189–379198 |
| 2 | Section 01, Timothy Tewes | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Years 2025, 2024, and 2023” · page 25. As printed: 2,376,466. Filing ↗machine: r15 · c36 · span 387222–387231 |
| 3 | Section 01, Terry Heimes | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Years 2025, 2024, and 2023” · page 25. As printed: 2,368,588. Filing ↗machine: r7 · c36 · span 371145–371154 |
| 4 | Section 01, Jeffrey Noordhoek | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Years 2025, 2024, and 2023” · page 25. As printed: 2,243,420. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c36 · span 363075–363084 |
| 5 | Section 01, DeeAnn Wenger | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Years 2025, 2024, and 2023” · page 25. As printed: 1,595,917. Filing ↗machine: r19 · c36 · span 395293–395302 |
| 6 | Section 03, DeeAnn Wenger RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t7 · r19 · c10 · span 394476–394483 |
| 7 | Section 03, James Kruger RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t9 · r4 · c2 · span 449572–449574 |
| 8 | Section 03, Jeffrey Noordhoek RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t9 · r2 · c2 · span 445551–445553 |
| 9 | Section 03, Timothy Tewes RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t9 · r5 · c2 · span 451501–451503 |
| 10 | Section 03, Terry Heimes RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table for Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t9 · r3 · c2 · span 447644–447646 |
| 11 | Section 07, pay ratio | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 36 : 1. Filing ↗machine: span 573615–573622 |
| 12 | Section 08, Thomas E. Henning | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 267,587. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r8 · c13 · span 249036–249043 |
| 13 | Section 08, Preeta D. Bansal | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 255,856. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r3 · c13 · span 239184–239191 |
| 14 | Section 08, Adam K. Peterson | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 255,856. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r9 · c13 · span 250997–251004 |
| 15 | Section 08, Jona M. Van Deun | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 232,856. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r11 · c13 · span 254919–254926 |
| 16 | Section 08, Kathleen A. Farrell | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 225,856. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r6 · c13 · span 245114–245121 |
| 17 | Section 08, David S. Graff | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 216,049. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r7 · c13 · span 247074–247081 |
| 18 | Section 08, Kimberly K. Rath | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 214,049. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r10 · c13 · span 252959–252966 |
| 19 | Section 08, Matthew W. Dunlap | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 184,000. Filing ↗machine: t3 · r4 · c2 · span 239878–239885 |
| 20 | Section 08, Michael S. Dunlap | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 21 | Section 02, William J. Munn 2026-04-15 | Form 4 | 2026-04-17 | 0001008886-26-000095 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 22 | Section 02, William J. Munn 2026-04-15 | Form 4 | 2026-04-17 | 0001008886-26-000095 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 23 | Section 02, James Kruger 2026-04-30 | Form 4 | 2026-05-04 | 0001008886-26-000109 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 24 | Section 02, Matthew W. Dunlap 2026-06-10 | Form 4 | 2026-06-11 | 0001008886-26-000162 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 25 | Section 02, David S. Graff 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000173 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 26 | Section 02, Thomas E. Henning 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000172 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 27 | Section 02, Jona M. Van Deun 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000175 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 28 | Section 02, Kimberly K. Rath 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000174 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 29 | Section 02, Kathleen A. Farrell 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000176 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 30 | Section 02, Preeta D. Bansal 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000177 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 31 | Section 02, Jona M. Van Deun 2026-06-15 | Form 4 | 2026-06-17 | 0001008886-26-000175 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 32 | Section 02, James Kruger 2026-07-09 | Form 4 | 2026-07-10 | 0001008886-26-000199 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 33 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-05-18 | 0001258602-26-000035 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.85% (votes for as printed: 123,485,112). Filing ↗ |
| 34 | Section 06, 2025 vote | Form 8-K | 2025-05-20 | 0001258602-25-000039 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.9% (votes for as printed: 126,823,158). Filing ↗ |
| 35 | Section 06, 2024 vote | Form 8-K | 2024-05-21 | 0001258602-24-000041 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.74% (votes for as printed: 127,827,846). Filing ↗ |
| 36 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | computed | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 37 | Section 03b vehicle mix (computed) | Computed | — | computed | RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).machine: formula: sums + PSU ratio |
| 38 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | computed | Cash 300,000 + equity 1,474,109 + all other 78,000 = 1,852,109, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,852,109 |
| 39 | Nelnet Inc (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-02 | 0001258602-26-000024 | CEO total compensation as printed in Nelnet Inc's own proxy. As printed: 2,243,420. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c36 · span 363075–363084 |