Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

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Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 9 Months Ended
Feb. 29, 2012
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Description of business

Description of business: Paychex, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company” or “Paychex”) is a leading provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses in the United States (“U.S.”). The Company also has a subsidiary 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 was less than one percent of its total revenue for both the nine months ended February 29, 2012 and February 28, 2011. Long-lived assets in Germany are insignificant in relation to total long-lived assets of the Company as of February 29, 2012 and May 31, 2011.

Basis of presentation

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 significant 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 presentation 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, 2011 (“fiscal 2011”). Operating results and cash flows for the nine months ended February 29, 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for other interim periods or the full fiscal year ending May 31, 2012 (“fiscal 2012”). The Company has evaluated subsequent events for potential recognition and/or disclosure through the date of issuance of these financial statements.

PEO revenue recognition

PEO revenue recognition: Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”) revenue is included in service revenue and is reported net of direct costs billed and incurred which include wages, taxes, benefit premiums, and claims of PEO worksite employees. Direct costs billed and incurred were $863.9 million and $1.1 billion for the three months ended February 29, 2012 and February 28, 2011, respectively, and $2.6 billion and $3.0 billion for the nine months ended February 29, 2012 and February 28, 2011, respectively.

PEO workers' compensation insurance

PEO workers’ compensation insurance: Workers’ compensation insurance for PEO worksite employees is provided under a deductible workers’ compensation policy with a national insurance company. Reserves are established to provide for the estimated costs of paying claims underwritten by the Company. The Company’s maximum individual claims liability is $1.0 million under both its fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011 policies. As of February 29, 2012 and May 31, 2011, the Company had current liabilities of $6.6 million and $7.3 million, respectively, and long-term liabilities of $17.9 million and $20.6 million, respectively, on its Consolidated Balance Sheets for PEO workers’ compensation costs.

 

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. Adjustments to previously established reserves are reflected in the results of operations for the period in which the adjustment is identified. Such adjustments could be significant, reflecting any combination of new and adverse or favorable trends.

Stock-based compensation costs

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 as an expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income over the requisite service period and increase additional paid-in capital. Stock-based compensation costs recognized were $5.7 million and $17.6 million for the three and nine months ended February 29, 2012, as compared with $5.3 million and $18.8 million for the three and nine months ended February 28, 2011. 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 2011 Form 10-K.

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements: Effective June 1, 2011, the Company adopted the following Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) authoritative guidance, none of which had a material impact on its consolidated financial statements:

 

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Guidance on the timing and method required to perform certain steps of the periodic goodwill impairment test for public entities that may have reporting units with zero or negative carrying amounts;

 

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Guidance to clarify the reporting of pro forma financial information related to business combinations of public entities and to expand certain supplemental pro forma disclosures;

 

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Guidance for arrangements with multiple deliverables that are outside the scope of the software revenue recognition guidance; and

 

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Guidance eliminating tangible products containing both software and non-software components that operate together to deliver a product’s functionality from the scope of current GAAP for software.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

Recently issued accounting pronouncements: In September 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance on the periodic testing of goodwill for impairment. This guidance will allow companies to assess qualitative factors to determine if it is more-likely-than-not that goodwill might be impaired and whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test required under current accounting standards. This guidance is applicable for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted, and is applicable to the Company’s fiscal year beginning June 1, 2012. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance, but does not expect its adoption will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

 

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