SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of presentation

The Company classifies its revenues and cost of revenues into two categories: (1) portal and (2) software & services. The portal category generally includes revenues and cost of revenues from the Company’s subsidiaries operating outsourced portals on behalf of state and local governments. The software & services category primarily includes revenues and cost of revenues from the Company’s subsidiaries that provide software development and services, other than outsourced portal services, to state and local governments as well as federal agencies. The primary categories of operating expenses include: cost of portal revenues, cost of software & services revenues, selling & administrative and depreciation & amortization. Cost of portal revenues consists of all direct costs associated with operating government portals on an outsourced basis including employee compensation and benefits (including stock-based compensation), fees required to process credit/debit card and automated clearinghouse transactions, subcontractor labor costs, telecommunications, provision for losses on accounts receivable, and all other costs associated with the provision of dedicated client service such as dedicated facilities. Cost of software & services revenues consists of all direct project costs to provide software development and services such as employee compensation and benefits (including stock-based compensation), subcontractor labor costs, and all other direct project costs including hardware, software, materials, travel and other out-of-pocket expenses. Selling & administrative expenses consist primarily of corporate-level expenses relating to human resource management, administration, information technology, security, legal, finance and accounting, internal audit and all non-customer service related costs from the Company’s software & services businesses, including compensation and benefits, information systems and office rent. Selling & administrative expenses also consist of management incentive compensation, including stock-based compensation, and corporate-level expenses for market development and public relations.

Certain amounts in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 were reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. The reclassifications had no effect on total cash flows, net income or the balance sheet as of and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015.

Basis of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include all the Company's direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Segment reporting

The Company reports segment information in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance for segment disclosures based upon the “management” approach, which designates the internal organization that is used by management for making operating decisions and assessing performance as the source of the Company’s segments. The Outsourced Portals segment is the Company’s only reportable segment and generally includes the Company’s subsidiaries operating outsourced state and local government portals. Authoritative guidance for segment disclosures also requires disclosures about products and services and major customers. See Note 11, Reportable Segments and Related Information, for additional information regarding our segment reporting.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents primarily include cash on hand in the form of bank deposits. For purposes of the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company considers all non-restricted highly liquid instruments purchased with an original maturity of one month or less to be cash equivalents.

Trade accounts receivable

The Company records trade accounts receivable at net realizable value. This value includes an appropriate allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts. The Company calculates this allowance based on its history of write-offs, the level of past-due accounts, and its relationship with, and the economic status of, its customers. Trade accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of receivables previously written off are recorded when received.

The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2017 and 2016 was approximately $0.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

Property and equipment

Property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of 8 years for furniture and fixtures, 3-10 years for equipment, 3-5 years for purchased software, and the lesser of the term of the lease or 5 years for leasehold improvements. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in results of operations for the period. The cost of maintenance and repairs is charged to expense as incurred. Significant betterments are capitalized.

The Company periodically evaluates the carrying value of property and equipment to be held and used when events and circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be fully recoverable. The carrying value of property and equipment is considered impaired when the anticipated undiscounted cash flow from the asset group is less than its carrying value. In that event, a loss is recognized based on the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset. Fair value is determined primarily using the anticipated cash flow discounted at a rate commensurate with the risk involved. Losses on assets to be disposed of are determined in a similar manner, except that fair values are reduced for the cost to dispose. The Company did not record any material impairment losses on property and equipment during the periods presented.

Software development costs and intangible assets

The Company expenses as incurred all employee costs to start up, operate, and maintain government portals on an outsourced basis as costs of performance under the contracts because, after the completion of a defined contract term, the government entity with which the Company contracts typically receives a perpetual, royalty-free license to the applications the Company developed, excluding applications provided on a Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) basis. Such costs are included in cost of portal revenues in the consolidated statements of income.

The Company accounts for the costs of developing internal use computer software in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance for internal use computer software, whereby certain costs of developing internal use computer software are capitalized and amortized over their estimated useful life. For internal use software, the estimated economic life is typically 36 months from the date the software is placed in production. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, such costs are included in intangible assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company carries intangible assets at cost less accumulated amortization. Intangible assets are generally amortized on a straight-line basis over estimated economic lives of the respective assets. At each balance sheet date, or whenever events or changes in circumstances warrant, the Company assesses the carrying value of intangible assets for possible impairment based primarily on the ability to recover the balances from expected future cash flows on an undiscounted basis. If the sum of the expected future cash flows on an undiscounted basis were to be less than the carrying amount of the intangible asset, an impairment loss would be recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the intangible asset exceeds its estimated fair value. Fair value is determined primarily using the anticipated cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the risk involved. The Company has not recorded any material impairment losses on intangible assets during the periods presented.

Accrued expenses

As of each balance sheet date, the Company estimates expenses which have been incurred but not yet paid or for which invoices have not yet been received. Significant components of accrued expenses consist primarily of payment processing fees, employee compensation and benefits (including incentive compensation, bonuses, vacation, health insurance and employer 401(k) contributions), third-party professional service fees, and miscellaneous other accruals.

Revenue recognition

Portal revenues

The Company recognizes revenue from providing outsourced digital government services (primarily transaction-based information access fees and filing fees) net of the transaction fees due to the government when the services are provided at the time of the transactions. The fees that the Company must remit to state agencies for data access and other statutory fees are accrued as accounts payable when the services are provided at the time of the transactions. The Company must remit a certain amount or percentage of these fees to government agencies regardless of whether the Company ultimately collects the fees. As a result, trade accounts receivable and accounts payable reflect the gross amounts outstanding at the balance sheet dates.

Revenue from service contracts to provide portal consulting, application development, and management services to governments are recognized as the services are provided at rates provided for in the contract.

Amounts received prior to providing services are recorded as unearned revenue. At each balance sheet date, the Company determines the portion of unearned revenue that will be earned within one year and records that amount in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The remainder, if any, is recorded in other long-term liabilities. Unearned revenues at December 31, 2017 and 2016 were approximately $1.4 million and $1.1 million, respectively.

Software & services revenues

The Company’s software & services revenues primarily include revenues from subsidiaries that provide software development and services, other than outsourced portal services, to state and local governments as well as federal agencies. The Company’s subsidiary, NIC Federal, LLC (“NIC Federal”) currently earns a significant portion of its revenues from its contract with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”) to develop and manage the FMCSA’s Pre-Employment Screening Program (“PSP”) for motor carriers nationwide, using a transaction-based business model. NIC Federal recognizes revenue from its contract with the FMCSA (primarily transaction-based information access fees) when the services are provided at the time of the transactions. NIC Federal also earns a portion of its revenues from fixed fee and time and materials application development and outsourced maintenance contracts with other government agencies and recognizes revenues as the services are provided.

Stock-based compensation

The Company measures stock-based compensation cost for service-based restricted stock awards at the grant date based on the calculated fair value of the award, and recognizes an expense on a straight-line basis over the employee’s requisite service period for the entire award (generally the vesting period of the grant). The Company measures stock-based compensation cost for performance-based restricted stock awards at the date of grant, based on the fair value of shares expected to be earned at the end of the performance period, and recognizes an expense ratably over the performance period based upon the probable number of shares expected to vest. See Note 10, Stock-based Compensation and Employee Benefit Plans, for additional information.

Income taxes

The Company, along with its wholly owned subsidiaries, files a consolidated federal income tax return. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at each year-end based on enacted laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts expected to be realized.

The Company does not recognize a tax benefit for uncertain tax positions unless management’s assessment concludes that it is “more likely than not” that the position is sustainable, based on its technical merits. If the recognition threshold is met, the Company recognizes a tax benefit based upon the largest amount of the tax benefit that is more likely than not probable, determined by cumulative probability, of being realized upon settlement with the taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

Fair value of financial instruments

The carrying values of the Company’s accounts receivable and accounts payable approximate fair value.

Comprehensive income

The Company has no components of other comprehensive income or loss and, accordingly, the Company’s comprehensive income is the same as its net income for all periods presented.

Earnings per share

Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities and are included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method for all periods presented. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that treats a participating security as having rights to undistributed earnings that would otherwise have been available to common stockholders. The Company’s service-based restricted stock awards contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and are participating securities. Accordingly, service-based restricted stock awards were included in the calculation of earnings per share using the two-class method for all periods presented. Unvested service-based restricted shares totaled approximately 0.6 million at December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. Basic earnings per share is calculated by first allocating earnings between common stockholders and participating securities. Earnings attributable to common stockholders are divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by giving effect to dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. The dilutive effect of shares related to the Company’s employee stock purchase plan is determined based on the treasury stock method. The dilutive effect of service-based restricted stock awards is based on the more dilutive of the treasury stock method or the two-class method assuming a reallocation of undistributed earnings to common stockholders after considering the dilutive effect of potential common shares other than the participating unvested restricted stock awards. The dilutive effect of performance-based restricted stock awards is based on the treasury stock method.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (amounts in thousands except per share amounts):



	December 31,
	2017			2016			2015
Numerator:
Net income	$	51,614		$	55,833		$	41,979
Less: Income allocated to participating securities	(479		)	(492		)	(385		)
Net income available to common stockholders	$	51,135		$	55,341		$	41,594
Denominator:
Weighted average shares - basic	66,209			65,913			65,555
Performance-based restricted stock awards	57			53			85
Weighted average shares - diluted	66,266			65,966			65,640

Basic net income per share:
Net income	$	0.77		$	0.84		$	0.63

Diluted net income per share:
Net income	$	0.77		$	0.84		$	0.63

Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of accounts receivable. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally requires no collateral to secure accounts receivable. At December 31, 2017 and 2016, LexisNexis Risk Solutions accounted for approximately 16% and 21%, respectively, of the Company’s total accounts receivable.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

Credit Losses

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), to replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. For trade and other receivables, the Company will be required to use a forward-looking expected loss model rather than the incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses which reflects losses that are probable. The ASU will be effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted beginning January 1, 2019. Application of the amendments is through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the new standard and the estimated impact it will have on the Company’s financial statements.

Stock Compensation

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies several aspects of accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. As part of the adoption of this standard on January 1, 2017, the Company was required to recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment associated with the Company’s policy election to account for forfeitures of awards as they occur, on a modified retrospective basis which resulted in a decrease in retained earnings of approximately $0.4 million and a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital. Previously, the Company estimated and excluded compensation cost related to awards not expected to vest based on estimated forfeitures. Furthermore, the Company applied the retrospective method for the presentation of excess tax deductions and cash paid by the Company when directly withholding shares for tax withholdings. As a result, both cash provided by operating activities and cash used in financing activities increased by $2.7 million and $2.3 million in the consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Upon adoption of the standard, excess tax benefits or deductions from share-based award activity are reflected in the consolidated statement of income prospectively as a component of the provision for income taxes, whereas previously such benefits or deductions were recognized in additional paid-in capital in the consolidated balance sheet. Excess tax benefits resulted in a reduction of the Company’s provision for income taxes of approximately $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which will update the existing guidance on accounting for leases and require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures about the Company’s leasing activities. The new standard requires the recognition of right-of-use (“ROU”) assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. Most prominent among the changes in the standard is the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under current U.S. GAAP. The ASU is effective for the annual reporting period beginning January 1, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company will be required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. Early application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effects that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements, which the Company anticipates could be significant, due mainly to its non-cancellable operating leases for office space. As further described in Note 7, Commitments and Contingencies, as of December 31, 2017, the Company had minimum lease commitments under non-cancellable operating leases totaling $16.0 million.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard related to revenue recognition (“ASC 606”). Under the new standard, revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration which the entity expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, the standard requires expanded disclosure of the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The FASB has issued several amendments to the standard, including clarification on accounting for licenses of intellectual property and identifying performance obligations.

ASC 606 permits two methods of adoption: retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized in retained earnings on the Company’s balance sheet at the date of initial application (the modified retrospective approach). The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective approach on January 1, 2018.

The Company established an implementation team that has completed an impact assessment of ASC 606. Based upon its assessment, the Company identified three primary revenue sources:


•	Transaction-based: this source primarily consists of transaction-based fees from interactive government services (“IGS”), driver history records (“DHR”) and other revenues streams. Transaction-based fees accounted for approximately 95% of the Company’s total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017.


•	Portal software development and services: this source primarily consists of the performance of project-based, application development and other time & materials services for the Company’s government partners. These services accounted for approximately 3% of the Company’s total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017.


•	Portal management and other fixed fee services: this source primarily consists of recurring fixed fee portal management services for the Company’s government partner in Indiana. These services accounted for approximately 2% of the Company’s total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The Company completed contract reviews for each of its three primary revenue sources and concluded that its revenue recognition policies for transaction-based fees and portal management and other fixed fees will remain substantially unchanged under ASC 606. Based on the varying terms of the Company’s portal software development and services contracts, revenue may be recognized under the new standard either over time using an input or output method as services are provided or upon completion of a project, depending upon the terms of the specific contract. Recognizing such revenue over time (as opposed to at a point in time) will represent a change under ASC 606. However, because the Company’s portal software development and services projects are typically short-term in nature and represent a relatively small portion of its total consolidated revenues, the Company does not currently expect any changes to its revenue recognition policy to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements in any annual or quarterly period. The Company did not have any significant software development and services contracts not substantially complete as of December 31, 2017 and, therefore, there is not a significant cumulative adjustment to retained earnings on the Company’s balance sheet upon adoption of ASC 606 as of January 1, 2018.