diff --git a/src/uu/ls/src/display.rs b/src/uu/ls/src/display.rs
index d1c35e45c..74180ea1e 100644
--- a/src/uu/ls/src/display.rs
+++ b/src/uu/ls/src/display.rs
@@ -86,6 +86,10 @@ pub(crate) struct PaddingCollection {
     #[cfg(unix)]
     pub(crate) minor: usize,
     pub(crate) block_size: usize,
+    /// True if any listed item has an ACL or non-trivial security context,
+    /// which requires reserving one extra column for the `+`/`.` indicator
+    /// so link-count columns align across items with and without it.
+    pub(crate) has_alt_access: bool,
 }
 
 pub(crate) struct DisplayItemName {
@@ -905,9 +909,10 @@ fn display_item_long(
             state.display_buf.push(b' ');
         }
 
-        state
-            .display_buf
-            .extend_pad_left(&display_symlink_count(md), padding.link_count);
+        state.display_buf.extend_pad_left(
+            &display_symlink_count(md),
+            padding.link_count + usize::from(padding.has_alt_access),
+        );
 
         if config.long.owner {
             state.display_buf.push(b' ');
@@ -1058,7 +1063,10 @@ fn display_item_long(
             state.display_buf.push(b'.');
         }
         state.display_buf.push(b' ');
-        state.display_buf.extend_pad_left("?", padding.link_count);
+        state.display_buf.extend_pad_left(
+            "?",
+            padding.link_count + usize::from(padding.has_alt_access),
+        );
 
         if config.long.owner {
             state.display_buf.push(b' ');
@@ -1241,6 +1249,7 @@ fn calculate_padding_collection(
         major: 1,
         minor: 1,
         block_size: 1,
+        has_alt_access: false,
     };
 
     for item in items {
@@ -1272,7 +1281,8 @@ fn calculate_padding_collection(
                 padding_collections.context = context_len.max(padding_collections.context);
             }
 
-            // correctly align columns when some files have capabilities/ACLs and others do not
+            // Track whether any item has an ACL or non-trivial security context so
+            // rendering can reserve a single extra column for the `+`/`.` indicator.
             {
                 #[cfg(any(not(unix), target_os = "android", target_os = "macos"))]
                 // TODO: See how Mac should work here
@@ -1280,7 +1290,7 @@ fn calculate_padding_collection(
                 #[cfg(all(unix, not(any(target_os = "android", target_os = "macos"))))]
                 let is_acl_set = has_acl(item.display_name());
                 if context_len > 1 || is_acl_set {
-                    padding_collections.link_count += 1;
+                    padding_collections.has_alt_access = true;
                 }
             }
 
@@ -1321,6 +1331,7 @@ fn calculate_padding_collection(
         context: 1,
         size: 1,
         block_size: 1,
+        has_alt_access: false,
     };
 
     for item in items {
diff --git a/tests/by-util/test_ls.rs b/tests/by-util/test_ls.rs
index fb9a00fa2..5058de3e0 100644
--- a/tests/by-util/test_ls.rs
+++ b/tests/by-util/test_ls.rs
@@ -6214,6 +6214,56 @@ fn test_acl_display() {
         .stdout_matches(&re_without_acl);
 }
 
+// Regression test for https://github.com/uutils/coreutils/issues/10980
+// Each file with an ACL must not inflate the link-count column width.
+#[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "macos")))]
+#[test]
+fn test_acl_padding_not_inflated() {
+    use std::process::Command;
+
+    let scene = TestScenario::new(util_name!());
+    let at = &scene.fixtures;
+
+    let uid = unsafe { libc::getuid() };
+    let names = ["file1", "file2", "file3", "file4", "file5"];
+    for name in &names {
+        at.touch(name);
+        let status = Command::new("setfacl")
+            .args(["-m", &format!("u:{uid}:rw"), &at.plus_as_string(name)])
+            .status()
+            .map(|s| s.code());
+        if !matches!(status, Ok(Some(0))) {
+            println!("test skipped: setfacl failed");
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+
+    let out = scene
+        .ucmd()
+        .current_dir(at.as_string())
+        .arg("-l")
+        .succeeds()
+        .stdout_move_str();
+
+    // Each line with an ACL file should look like:
+    //   -rw-------+ 1 user group 0 <date> fileN
+    // i.e. single space between the `+` and the link count `1`.
+    // The bug inflates that gap to one extra space per ACL file.
+    let mut checked = 0;
+    for line in out.lines() {
+        if line.starts_with('-') && line.contains('+') {
+            let after_plus = line.split('+').nth(1).unwrap();
+            let leading_spaces = after_plus.len() - after_plus.trim_start().len();
+            assert_eq!(
+                leading_spaces, 1,
+                "expected exactly 1 space between '+' and link count, got {leading_spaces} in line: {line:?}"
+            );
+            checked += 1;
+        }
+    }
+    assert!(checked > 0, "no ACL lines were validated");
+}
+
 // Make sure that "ls --color" correctly applies color "normal" to text and
 // files. Specifically, it should use the NORMAL setting to format non-file name
 // output and file names that don't have a designated color (unless the FILE