Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The consolidated balance sheet of Geospace Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) at September 30, 2019 was derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements at that date. The consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2020 and the consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 were prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were made. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year or of future operations. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America were omitted pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications Certain amounts previously presented in the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net loss, stockholders’ equity or cash flows.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP’) requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. The Company considers many factors in selecting appropriate operational and financial accounting policies and controls, and in developing the estimates and assumptions that are used in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements. The Company continually evaluates its estimates, including those related to bad debt reserves, inventory obsolescence reserves, self-insurance reserves, product warranty reserves, impairment of long-lived assets and deferred income tax assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. While management believes current estimates are reasonable and appropriate, actual results may differ from these estimates under different conditions or assumptions.
Cash and Cash Equivalents	Cash and Cash Equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original or remaining maturity at the time of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At June 30, 2020, cash and cash equivalents included $6.0 million held by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries and branch offices. If the Company were to repatriate the cash held by its foreign subsidiaries, it could be required to accrue and pay taxes on any amount repatriated. The Tax and Jobs Act (“2017 Tax Act”) creates new taxes on certain foreign earnings and also requires entities to pay a one-time transition tax on undistributed earnings of their foreign subsidiaries which were previously tax deferred. The Company has determined it is not required to pay transition tax on the undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries since it had no accumulated foreign earnings on a consolidated basis.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance requiring a lessee to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The recognition, measurement and presentation of expense and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification of the lease as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike prior guidance, which requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, the new guidance requires operating leases of the lessee to be recognized on the balance sheet if the operating lease term is more than 12 months. The guidance also requires lessors to (i) write-off any lease receivables when assessment of collectability of future lease payments changes (irrespective of the probability of their collectability), and (ii) the write-off must be recorded as a reduction of lease income as opposed to bad debt expense. The guidance also requires disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users to better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements, providing additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019 using the optional transition method, which allows it to initially apply the new guidance at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. No adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings was required upon adoption. As a lessor of rental equipment, the adoption of this guidance had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as it is now required to write-off existing operating lease receivables as a reduction of lease income when collectability of an operating lease receivable becomes less than probable. In June 2018, the FASB issued guidance expanding the scope of ASC Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have any material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance requiring certain existing disclosure requirements in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, to be modified or removed, and certain new disclosure requirements to be added to this standard. In addition, the guidance allows entities to exercise more discretion when considering fair value measurement disclosures. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance simplifying the current two-step goodwill impairment test by eliminating Step 2 of the test. The guidance requires a one-step impairment test in which an entity compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognizes an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, if any. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years, and should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for the interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company will adopt this standard during the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 and is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its financial statements. In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance surrounding credit losses for financial instruments that replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in generally accepted accounting principles. The new impairment model requires immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur for most financial assets and certain other financial instruments. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, credit losses will be recognized as allowances rather than reductions in the amortized cost of the securities. As a small reporting company, the Company must adopt this standard no later than the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The standard’s provisions will be applied as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company intends to adopt this standard during the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 and is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

The consolidated balance sheet of Geospace Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) at September 30, 2019 was derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements at that date. The consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2020 and the consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 were prepared by the Company without audit. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows were made. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year or of future operations.

Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America were omitted pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts previously presented in the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net loss, stockholders’ equity or cash flows.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP’) requires the use of estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. The Company considers many factors in selecting appropriate operational and financial accounting policies and controls, and in developing the estimates and assumptions that are used in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements. The Company continually evaluates its estimates, including those related to bad debt reserves, inventory obsolescence reserves, self-insurance reserves, product warranty reserves, impairment of long-lived assets and deferred income tax assets. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. While management believes current estimates are reasonable and appropriate, actual results may differ from these estimates under different conditions or assumptions.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original or remaining maturity at the time of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At June 30, 2020, cash and cash equivalents included $6.0 million held by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries and branch offices. If the Company were to repatriate the cash held by its foreign subsidiaries, it could be required to accrue and pay taxes on any amount repatriated. The Tax and Jobs Act (“2017 Tax Act”) creates new taxes on certain foreign earnings and also requires entities to pay a one-time transition tax on undistributed earnings of their foreign subsidiaries which were previously tax deferred. The Company has determined it is not required to pay transition tax on the undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries since it had no accumulated foreign earnings on a consolidated basis.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance requiring a lessee to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The recognition, measurement and presentation of expense and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification of the lease as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike prior guidance, which requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, the new guidance requires operating leases of the lessee to be recognized on the balance sheet if the operating lease term is more than 12 months. The guidance also requires lessors to (i) write-off any lease receivables when assessment of collectability of future lease payments changes (irrespective of the probability of their collectability), and (ii) the write-off must be recorded as a reduction of lease income as opposed to bad debt expense.

The guidance also requires disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users to better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements, providing additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019 using the optional transition method, which allows it to initially apply the new guidance at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. No adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings was required upon adoption. As a lessor of rental equipment, the adoption of this guidance had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as it is now required to write-off existing operating lease receivables as a reduction of lease income when collectability of an operating lease receivable becomes less than probable.

In June 2018, the FASB issued guidance expanding the scope of ASC Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from non-employees. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have any material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued guidance requiring certain existing disclosure requirements in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, to be modified or removed, and certain new disclosure requirements to be added to this standard. In addition, the guidance allows entities to exercise more discretion when considering fair value measurement disclosures. The Company adopted this guidance on October 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2017, the FASB issued guidance simplifying the current two-step goodwill impairment test by eliminating Step 2 of the test. The guidance requires a one-step impairment test in which an entity compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognizes an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, if any. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those fiscal years, and should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for the interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company will adopt this standard during the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 and is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance surrounding credit losses for financial instruments that replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in generally accepted accounting principles. The new impairment model requires immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur for most financial assets and certain other financial instruments. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, credit losses will be recognized as allowances rather than reductions in the amortized cost of the securities. As a small reporting company, the Company must adopt this standard no later than the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. Early adoption is permitted. The standard’s provisions will be applied as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first effective reporting period. The Company intends to adopt this standard during the first quarter of its fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 and is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial statements.