Note A: Description of Business, Basis of Presentation, and Significant Accounting Policies



Description of business: Paychex, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company” or “Paychex”) is a leading provider of integrated human capital management solutions for payroll, human resource, retirement, and insurance services for small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States (“U.S.”). The Company also has operations in Germany.



Paychex, a Delaware corporation formed in 1979, reports as one segment. Substantially all of the Company’s revenue is generated within the U.S. The Company also generates revenue within Germany, which represented less than one percent of the Company's total revenue for each of the six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015. Long-lived assets in Germany are insignificant in relation to total long-lived assets of the Company as of November 30, 2016 and May 31, 2016. In addition, the Company has an equity method investment for a joint-venture in Brazil, which is insignificant.



Basis of presentation: The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statement presentation. The consolidated financial statements include the consolidated accounts of the Company with all intercompany transactions eliminated. In the opinion of management, the information furnished herein reflects all adjustments (consisting of items of a normal recurring nature), which are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim period. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements presented in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) as of and for the year ended May 31, 2016 (“fiscal 2016”). Operating results and cash flows for the six months ended November 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or the full fiscal year ending May 31, 2017 (“fiscal 2017”).



Accounts Receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts:  Accounts receivable balances are shown on the Consolidated Balance Sheets net of the allowance for doubtful accounts of $6.0 million as of November 30, 2016 and $4.2 million as of May 31, 2016.  Accounts receivable balances, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, include:  1) trade receivables for services provided to clients of $295.0 million as of November 30, 2016 and $221.6 million as of May 31, 2016; and 2) purchased receivables related to payroll funding arrangements with clients in the temporary staffing industry of $233.9 million as of November 30, 2016 and $187.0 million as of May 31, 2016.  



PEO insurance reserves: As part of the professional employer organization (“PEO”), the Company offers workers' compensation insurance and health insurance to client companies for the benefit of client employees. For workers' compensation insurance, reserves are established to provide for the estimated costs of paying claims underwritten by the Company. The Company’s maximum individual claims liability is $1.3 million under both its fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016 policies.



Under the minimum premium plan health insurance offering within the PEO, the Company's health benefits insurance reserves are established to provide for the payment of claims liability charges in accordance with its service contract with the carrier. The Company's maximum individual claims liability is $0.3 million under both its calendar 2016 and 2015 policies.



Estimating the ultimate cost of future claims is an uncertain and complex process based upon historical loss experience and actuarial loss projections, and is subject to change due to multiple factors, including economic trends, changes in legal liability law, and damage awards, all of which could materially impact the reserves as reported in the consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, final claim settlements may vary from the present estimates, particularly with workers' compensation insurance where those payments may not occur until well into the future. The Company regularly reviews the adequacy of its estimated insurance reserves. Adjustments to previously established reserves are reflected in the results of operations for the period in which such adjustments are identified. Such adjustments could be significant, reflecting any combination of new and adverse or favorable trends.



Stock-based compensation costs: The Company has issued stock-based awards to employees and directors consisting of stock options, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance shares, and performance stock options. The Company accounts for all stock-based awards to employees and directors as compensation costs in the consolidated financial statements based on the fair value measured as of the date of grant. These costs are recognized over the requisite service period. Stock-based compensation costs recognized were $8.5 million and $17.6 million for the three and six months ended November 30, 2016, respectively, as compared with $8.7 million and $17.5 million for the three and six months ended November 30, 2015, respectively. The methods and assumptions used in the determination of the fair value of stock-based awards are consistent with those described in the Company’s fiscal 2016 Form 10-K.



Recently adopted accounting pronouncements: In June 2016, the Company early-adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).  ASU No. 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. 



Amendments related to accounting for excess tax benefits have been adopted prospectively, resulting in the recognition of $14.1 million of excess tax benefits within income taxes rather than additional paid in capital for the six months ended November 30, 2016.  This increased diluted earnings per share by approximately $0.04 per share for the period. Excess tax benefits related to share-based payments are now included in operating cash flows rather than financing cash flows.  This change has been applied prospectively in accordance with the ASU and prior periods have not been adjusted.  We have previously classified cash paid for tax withholding purposes as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows, therefore there is no change related to this requirement.  The amendments allow for a one-time accounting policy election to either account for forfeitures as they occur or continue to estimate forfeitures as required by current guidance.  The Company has elected to continue estimating forfeitures under the current guidance.



In June 2016, the Company also adopted the following ASUs, none of which had a material impact on its consolidated financial statements:













Recently issued accounting pronouncements: In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash: a Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force.”  ASU No. 2016-18 will require a company’s cash flow statement to explain the changes during a reporting period of the totals for cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents.  Additionally, amounts for restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents are to be included with cash and cash equivalents if the cash flow statement includes a reconciliation of the total cash balances for a reporting period.  ASU No. 2016-18 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early application permitted. This guidance is applicable to the Company's fiscal year beginning June 1, 2018. The Company does not anticipate that this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.” ASU No. 2016-16 will require that entities recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs instead of when the asset is sold.  ASU No. 2016-16 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early application permitted. This guidance is applicable to the Company's fiscal year beginning June 1, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements.



In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments.” ASU No. 2016-15 clarifies and provides specific guidance on eight cash flow classification issues that are not currently addressed by current GAAP and thereby reduce the current diversity in practice.  ASU No. 2016-15 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early application permitted. This guidance is applicable to the Company's fiscal year beginning June 1, 2018. The Company does not anticipate that this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” ASU No. 2016-02 improves transparency and comparability among companies by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and by disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU No. 2016-02 is effective for public business entities for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early application permitted. This guidance is applicable to the Company's fiscal year beginning June 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).”  This guidance, as amended by subsequent ASUs on the topic, supersedes current guidance on revenue recognition in Topic 605, “Revenue Recognition.”  This guidance will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods. Early application of the guidance is permitted for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016.  This guidance is applicable to the Company's fiscal year beginning June 1, 2018.  The Company has substantially completed its initial analysis identifying the areas that will be impacted by the new guidance and is currently analyzing the impact to its consolidated financial statements.



Other recent authoritative guidance issued by the FASB (including technical corrections to the Accounting Standards Codification), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) did not, or are not expected to, have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.