Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [☐]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management's assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ___

As of December 2, 20212022 the registrant had 8,354,7178,240,087 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.  The aggregate market value of the common stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant, based on the closing sales price of the registrant’s common stock as quoted on the NASDAQ Global Market on March 31, 2021,2022, was $232.53$224.34 million (8,361,457(8,305,826 shares at $27.81)$27.01).  For purposes of this calculation, common stock held by officers and directors of the registrant was included.

As used throughout this report, the terms "we," "our," or "us," refer to Timberland Bancorp, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiary, unless the context otherwise requires.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any of the forward-looking statements that we make in this Form 10-K and in the other public statements we make are based upon management's beliefs and assumptions at the time they are made. We do not undertake and specifically disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this annual report to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those contained in such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking statements discussed in this document

might not occur and we caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. These risks could cause our actual results for fiscal 20222023 and beyond to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements by, or on behalf of, us, and could negatively affect the Company's consolidated financial condition and results of operations as well as its stock price performance.

___________

All construction loans must be approved by a member of one of the Bank’s Loan Committees or the Bank’s Board of Directors, or in the case of one- to four-family construction loans that meet Freddie Mac guidelines, by the Regional Manager of Community Lending, the Loan Department Supervisor or a Bank underwriter. See “Lending Activities - Loan Solicitation and Processing.”  Prior to approval of any construction loan application, an independent fee appraiser inspects the site and prepares an appraisal on an "as completed" basis, and the Bank reviews the existing or proposed improvements, identifies the market for the proposed project and analyzes the pro-forma data and assumptions on the project.  In the case of a speculative or

Loan disbursements during the construction period are made to the builder, materials supplier or subcontractor, based on a line item budget.  Periodic on-site inspections are made by qualified independent inspectors to document the reasonableness of draw requests.  For most builders, the Bank disburses loan funds by providing vouchers to borrowers, which when used by the borrower to purchase supplies are submitted by the supplier to the Bank for payment.

The Bank originates construction loan applications primarily through customer referrals, contacts in the business community and, occasionally, real estate brokers seeking financing for their clients.

Construction lending affords the Bank the opportunity to achieve higher interest rates and fees with shorter terms to maturity than does its single-family permanent mortgage lending.  Construction lending, however, is generally considered to involve a higher degree of risk than single-family permanent mortgage lending, because funds are advanced upon the collateral for the project based on an estimate of the costs that will produce a future value at completion. Because of the uncertainties inherent in estimating construction costs, as well as the market value of the completed project and the effects of governmental regulation on real property, it is relatively difficult to evaluate accurately the total funds required to complete a project and the completed project loan-to-value ratio.  With regard to loans originated to builders for speculative projects, changes in the demand, such as for new housing and higher than anticipated building costs, may cause actual results to vary significantly from those estimated. A downturn in the housing or the real estate market could increase loan delinquencies, defaults, and foreclosures, and significantly impair the value of our collateral and our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure. Some builders who have borrowed from us to fund construction projects on a speculative basis have more than one loan outstanding with us. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss.

In addition, during the term of many of our construction loans granted to builders who are building residential units for sale, no payment from the borrower is required since the accumulated interest is added to the principal of the loan through an interest reserve. As a result, these loans often involve the disbursement of funds with repayment substantially dependent on the success of the ultimate project and the ability of the borrower to sell or lease the property or obtain permanent take-out financing, rather than the ability of the borrower or guarantor to repay principal and interest. If our appraisal of the value of a completed project proves to be overstated, we may have inadequate security for the repayment of the loan upon completion of construction of the project and may incur a loss. Because construction loans require active monitoring of the building process, including cost comparisons and on-site inspections, these loans are more difficult and costly to monitor. Increases in market rates of interest may have a more pronounced effect on construction loans by rapidly increasing the end-purchasers' borrowing costs, thereby reducing the overall demand for the project. Properties under construction are often difficult to sell and typically must be completed in order to be successfully sold which also complicates the process of working out problem construction loans. This may require us to advance additional funds and/or contract with another builder to complete construction. Furthermore, in the case of speculative construction loans, there is an added risk associated with identifying an end-purchaser for the finished project.

Loans secured by undeveloped land or improved lots involve greater risks than one- to four-family residential mortgage loans because these loans are more difficult to evaluate.  If the estimate of value proves to be inaccurate, in the event of default and foreclosure, the Bank may be confronted with a property the value of which is insufficient to assure full

repayment. Land loans also pose additional risk because of the lack of income being produced by the property and potential illiquid nature of the collateral. These risks can be significantly impacted by supply and demand conditions.  The Bank attempts to minimize these risks by generally limiting the maximum loan-to-value ratio on land loans to 75%.

Home equity lines of credit and second mortgage loans are made for purposes such as the improvement of residential properties, debt consolidation and education expenses, among others.  The majority of these loans are made to existing customers and are secured by a first or second mortgage on residential property.  The loan-to-value ratio is typically 90% or less, when taking into account both the first and second mortgage loans.  Second mortgage loans typically carry fixed interest rates with a fixed payment over a term between five and 15 years.  Home equity lines of credit are generally made at interest rates tied to the Prime Rate.  Second mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit have greater credit risk than one- to four-family residential mortgage loans in which the Bank is in the first lien position, because they are generally secured by mortgages subordinated to the existing first mortgage on the property. For those second mortgage loans and home equity lines credit on which the Bank does not hold the existing first mortgage on the property, it is unlikely that the Bank will be successful in recovering all or a portion of the loan balance in the event of default unless the Bank is prepared to repay the first mortgage loan and such repayment and the costs associated with a foreclosure are justified by the value of the property.

    

Consumer loans entail greater risk than do residential mortgage loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans that are unsecured or secured by rapidly depreciating assets such as automobiles.  In such cases, any repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance as a result of the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation.  The remaining deficiency often does not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower beyond obtaining a deficiency judgment.  In addition, consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability and are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness or personal bankruptcy.  Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws, including federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit the amount that can be recovered on such loans.  The Bank believes that these risks are not as prevalent in the case of the Bank’s consumer loan portfolio, because a large percentage of the portfolio consists of second mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit that are underwritten in a manner such that they result in credit risk that is substantially similar to one- to four-family residential mortgage loans.  At September 30, 2021, seven2022, three consumer loans totaling $533,000$255,000 were on non-accrual status. See “Lending Activities - Non-performing Loans and Delinquencies.”

    

The Bank has increased commercial business loan originations made under the U.S. Small Business Administration ("SBA") 7(a) program. Loans made by the Bank under the SBA 7(a) program generally are made to small businesses to provide working capital or to provide funding for the purchase of businesses, real estate, or equipment. These loans generally are secured by a combination of assets that may include equipment, receivables, inventory, business real property, and sometimes a lien on the personal residence of the borrower. The terms of these loans vary by purpose and type of underlying collateral. The loans are primarily underwritten on the basis of the borrower's ability to service the loan from income. Under the SBA 7(a) program, the loans carry aan SBA guaranty for up to 85% of the loan. Typical maturities for this type of loan vary but can be up to ten years. SBA 7(a) loans are all adjustable rate loans based on the Prime Rate. Under the SBA 7(a) program, the Bank can sell in the secondary market the guaranteed portion of its SBA 7(a) loans and retain the related unguaranteed

Within Timberland's commercialCommercial business loans also include loans originated under the PPP, a specialized low-interest (1%) forgivable loan portfolio are restaurantprogram funded by the U.S. Treasury Department and administered by the SBA. The SBA guarantees 100% of the PPP loans made to eligible borrowers. The program was instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended May 31. 2021. The Bank is now working with its remaining PPP borrowers on the forgiveness phase of the program. The entire

principal amount of the borrower's PPP loans, including any accrued interest, is eligible to other retailbe forgiven and service businesses totaling $9.20repaid by the SBA. SBA PPP loans totaled $1.00 million at September 30, 2021 that were originated in conjunction with a third-party firm. As additional security for these loans, the Company holds cash collateral of 25% of the outstanding loan balance. Unless prior arrangements are made, and the Company consents, loans falling more than four weeks delinquent are eligible for purchase in accordance with a Marketing and Servicing Agreement in existence since March 6, 2014. As an accommodation, the Company has agreed to temporarily extend the purchase requirement to 12 weeks before a purchase is required from the loan portfolio. All of these loans were performing at September 30, 2021.2022.

Commercial business lending generally involves greater risk than residential mortgage lending and involves risks that are different from those associated with residential and commercial real estate lending.  Real estate lending is generally considered to be collateral based lending with loan amounts based on predetermined loan to collateral values, and liquidation of the underlying real estate collateral is viewed as the primary source of repayment in the event of borrower default.  Although commercial business loans are often collateralized by equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and/or other business assets, the liquidation of collateral in the event of a borrower default is often an insufficient source of repayment because accounts receivable may be uncollectible and inventories and equipment may be obsolete or of limited use, among other things.  Accordingly, the repayment of a commercial business loan depends primarily on the creditworthiness of the borrower (and any guarantors), while liquidation of collateral is a secondary and often insufficient source of repayment.

_____________

(1)    Includes $109.15$119.24 million of customer and owner/building construction/permanent loans, a portion of which may convert to permanent mortgage loans once construction is completed.

    

Scheduled contractual principal repayments of loans do not reflect the actual life of these assets.  The average life of loans is substantially less than their contractual terms because of prepayments.  In addition, due-on-sale clauses on loans generally give the Bank the right to declare loans immediately due and payable in the event, among other things, that the borrower sells the real property subject to the mortgage and the loan is not repaid.  The average life of mortgage loans tends to increase when current mortgage loan interest rates are substantially higher than interest rates on existing mortgage loans and, conversely, decrease when interest rates on existing mortgage loans are substantially higher than current mortgage loan interest rates.

Loan applications are initiated by loan officers and are required to be approved by an authorized loan officer or Bank underwriter, one of the Bank’s Loan Committees or the Bank’s Board of Directors.  The Bank’s Consumer Loan Committee consists of several underwriters, each of whom can approve one- to four-family mortgage loans and other consumer loans up to and including the current Freddie Mac single-family limit. Loan officers may also be granted individual approval authority for certain loans up to a maximum of $250,000. The approval authority for individual loan officers is granted on a case by case basis by the Bank's Chief Credit Administrator or President.Chief Executive Officer.  All construction loans must be approved by a member of one of the Bank's Loan Committees or the Bank's Board of Directors, or in the case of one- to four- family construction loans that meet Freddie Mac guidelines, by the Regional Manager of Community Lending, the Loan Department Supervisor or a Bank underwriter, subject to their individual or Loan Committee loan limit. The Bank’s Commercial Loan Committee, which consists of the Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Credit Administrator, Executive Vice President of Lending, a commercial underwriter, and two Senior Vice Presidents of Commercial Lending, may approve commercial real estate loans and commercial business loans up to and including $3.00 million. The Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Credit Administrator and Executive Vice President of Lending also have individual lending authority for loans up to and including $750,000. The Bank’s Board Loan Committee, which consists of two rotating non-employee Directors and the Bank’s President,Chief Executive Officer may approve loans up to and including $5.00 million.  Loans in excess of $5.00 million, as well as loans of any amount granted to a single borrower whose aggregate loans exceed $5.00 million, must be approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors.

Consistent with its asset/liability management strategy, the Bank’s policy generally is to retain in its portfolio all ARM loans originated and to sell fixed-rate one- to four-family mortgage loans in the secondary market to Freddie Mac; however, from time to time, a portion of fixed-rate loans may be retained in the Bank’s portfolio to meet its asset-liability objectives. The Bank also began sellingsells the guaranteed portion of some of its SBA 7(a) loans in the secondary market during the year ended September 30, 2016.market.  Loans sold in the secondary market are generally sold on a servicing retained basis.  At September 30, 2021,2022, the Bank’s loan servicing portfolio, which is not included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements, totaled $419.68$410.29 million.

The Bank also periodically sells participation interests in construction loans, commercial real estate loans, multi-family and commercial business loans to other lenders.  These sales are usually made to avoid concentrations in a particular loan type or concentrations to a particular borrower and to generate fee income.  During the years ended September 30, 2022, 2021 2020 and 2019,2020, the Bank sold loan participation interests of $14.4 million, $10.0 million $6.26 million and $5.43$6.26 million, respectively.

The following table shows total loans originated, purchased, sold and repaid during the years indicated.

  Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") require fees received and certain loan origination costs for originating loans to be deferred and amortized into interest income over the contractual life of the loan.  Net deferred fees or costs associated with loans that are prepaid are recognized as income/expense at the time of prepayment.  Unamortized net deferred loan origination fees totaled $5.14$4.32 million (including $1.83 million$42,000 for SBA PPP loans) at September 30, 2021.2022.

If the borrower is chronically delinquent and all reasonable means of obtaining payment on time have been exhausted, foreclosure is initiated according to the terms of the security instrument and applicable law.  Interest income on loans in foreclosure is reduced by the full amount of accrued and uncollected interest.

When a consumer loan borrower or commercial business borrower fails to make a required payment on a loan by the payment due date, the Bank institutes similar collection procedures as for its mortgage loan borrowers.  All loans becoming 90 days or more past due are placed on non-accrual status, with any accrued interest reversed against interest income, unless they are well secured and in the process of collection.

The Bank’s Board of Directors is updated monthly as to the status of loans that are delinquent by more than 30 days and the status of all foreclosed and repossessed property owned by the Bank.

The following table sets forth information with respect to the Company's non-performing assets at the dates indicated:

_______________

$150,0, $150 and $0 and $100 as of September 30, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 2018 and 2017,2018, respectively.

recorded as non-accrual loans as of September 30, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 2018 and 2017,2018, respectively.

The categories of non-accrual loans and impaired loans overlap, although they are not identical.  The Bank considers all circumstances regarding the loan and borrower on an individual basis when determining whether an impaired loan should be placed on non-accrual status, such as the financial strength of the borrower, the collateral value, reasons for delay, payment record, the amount past due and the number of days past due.  At September 30, 2021,2022, the Bank had $5.23$4.53 million in impaired loans.  For additional information on impaired loans, see Note 54 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The aggregate amounts of the Bank’s classified and special mention loans (as determined by the Bank), and the allowance for loan losses at the dates indicated, were as follows:

_____________

       

substandard at September 30, 20212022 had a balance of $494,000$4.83 million and was secured by a commercial real estate property in Grays Harbor County and equipment.King County. This loan was not on non-accrual status at September 30, 2021.2022, as the loan was making payments in accordance with its repayment terms and was adequately collateralized.  The next largest loan classified as substandard at September 30, 20212022 had a balance of $362,000$488,000 and was secured by landa commercial real estate property in Grays Harbor County. This loan was on non-accrual status at September 30, 2021.2022.

In originating loans, the Bank recognizes that losses will be experienced and that the risk of loss will vary with, among other things, the type of loan being made, the creditworthiness of the borrower over the term of the loan, general economic conditions and, in the case of a secured loan, the quality of the security for the loan.  The Bank increases its allowance for loan losses by charging provisions for loan losses against the Bank's operating income.

The Board of Directors reviews the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses at least quarterly based on management's assessment of current economic conditions, past loss and collection experience, and risk characteristics of the loan portfolio.

The Bank’s allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans receivable and non-performing loans was 1.20% and 665.52%, respectively, at September 30, 2022 and 1.37% and 471.93%, respectively, at September 30, 2021 and 1.31% and 461.76%, respectively, at September 30, 2020.2021. The $40.92$1.00 million balance of SBA PPP loans was omitted from the allowance for loan loss calculation at September 30, 20212022, as these loans are fully guaranteed by the SBA and management expects that the great majority of PPP borrowers will seek full or partial forgiveness of their loan obligations from the SBA within a short time frame, which will in turn reimburse the Bank for the amount forgiven.SBA.

Based on its comprehensive analysis, management believes that the amount maintained in the allowance for loan losses is adequate to absorb probable losses inherent in the portfolio. Although management believes that it uses the best information available to make its determinations, future adjustments to the allowance for loan losses may be necessary, and results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected if circumstances differ substantially from the assumptions used in making the determinations.

While the Bank believes that it has established its existing allowance for loan losses in accordance with GAAP, there can be no assurance that regulators, in reviewing the Bank's loan portfolio, will not request the Bank to increase significantly its allowance for loan losses.  In addition, because future events affecting borrowers and collateral cannot be predicted with certainty, there can be no assurance that the existing allowance for loan losses is adequate or that substantial increases will not be necessary should the quality of any loans deteriorate.  A further decline in national and local economic conditions, as a result of the effects of inflation, a potential recession or slowing economic growth, and any governmental or societal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, oramong other factors could result in a material increase in the allowance for loan losses which may adversely affect the Company's financial condition and results of operations.