NOTE 4: RECEIVABLES

Receivables, net of their related allowance, consist of the following:



(in 000s)
As of	January 31, 2019				January 31, 2018				April 30, 2018
	Short-term		Long-term		Short-term		Long-term		Short-term		Long-term
Loans to franchisees	$	28,941	$	41,669	$	41,062	$	47,434	$	30,596	$	35,212
Receivables for U.S. assisted and DIY tax preparation and related fees	281,266		5,503		299,805		6,316		41,572		5,503
H&R Block Instant Refund^TM receivables	5,822		247		6,848		—		27,192		2,057
H&R Block Emerald Advance^TM lines of credit	362,400		7,667		353,972		9,081		15,642		5,754
Software receivables from retailers	8,396		—		7,744		—		6,769		—
Royalties and other receivables from franchisees	54,907		733		56,149		788		9,239		761
Other	16,485		2,698		26,038		3,608		15,764		3,147
	$	758,217	$	58,517	$	791,618	$	67,227	$	146,774	$	52,434

Balances presented above as short-term are included in receivables, while the long-term portions are included in other noncurrent assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

LOANS TO FRANCHISEES – Franchisee loan balances consist of term loans made primarily to finance the purchase of franchises and revolving lines of credit primarily for the purpose of funding off-season working capital needs. As of January 31, 2019 and 2018, loans with a principal balance of $0.9 million and $1.3 million, respectively, were more than 90 days past due. We had no loans to franchisees on non-accrual status.

H&R BLOCK INSTANT REFUND^TM PROGRAM – H&R Block Instant Refund^TM (formerly Instant Cash Back®) amounts are generally received from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) within 60 days of filing the client's return, with the remaining balance collectible from the client. As of January 31, 2019 and 2018, we had $19 thousand and $45 thousand, respectively, of Instant Refund balances more than 60 days old due from the CRA.

We review the credit quality of our Instant Refund receivables based on pools, which are segregated by the year of origination, with older years being deemed more unlikely to be repaid. As of January 31, 2019, gross balances of $5.2 million and $0.9 million, were related to tax returns for calendar year 2019 and 2018 and prior, respectively.

H&R BLOCK EMERALD ADVANCE^TM LINES OF CREDIT – We review the credit quality of our purchased participation interests in EA receivables based on pools, which are segregated by the year of origination, with older years being deemed more unlikely to be repaid. Balances and amounts on non-accrual status and classified as impaired, or more than 60 days past due, as of January 31, 2019, by year of origination, are as follows:



(in 000s)
Year of origination:	Balance			Non-Accrual
2019	$	365,620		$	—
2018 and prior	14,068			14,068
Revolving loans	18,896			12,221
	398,584			$	26,289
Allowance	(28,517		)
Net balance	$	370,067

ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS – Activity in the allowance for doubtful accounts for our EA and all other short-term and long-term receivables for the nine months ended January 31, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:



(in 000s)
	EAs			All Other			Total
Balances as of April 30, 2018	$	26,622		$	55,191		$	81,813
Provision	18,254			16,755			35,009
Charge-offs, recoveries and other ⁽¹⁾	(16,359		)	(55,459		)	(71,818		)
Balances as of January 31, 2019	$	28,517		$	16,487		$	45,004

Balances as of April 30, 2017	$	10,123		$	46,552		$	56,675
Provision	17,682			15,747			33,429
Charge-offs, recoveries and other ⁽¹⁾	—			(44,889		)	(44,889		)
Balances as of January 31, 2018	$	27,805		$	17,410		$	45,215

⁽¹⁾In fiscal year 2019 we charged-off older EA balances in December while in prior years, these charge-offs happened in April.