Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries after elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP, for interim financial information and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual financial statements. They should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2020 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 25, 2021, or the Annual Report. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 was derived from our audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP for annual financial statements.

In the opinion of management, these condensed consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations, financial position and cash flows for the periods presented.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, we are not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require us to update our estimates, assumptions and judgments or revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. However, our estimates, judgments and assumptions are continually evaluated based on available information and experience and may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained. Because of the use of estimates inherent in the financial reporting process and in light of the continuing uncertainty arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, actual results could differ from those estimates and any such differences may be material. Estimates are used when accounting for revenue recognition, allowances for credit losses, allowance for hardware returns, estimates of obsolete inventory, long-term incentive compensation, the lease term and incremental borrowing rates for leases, stock-based compensation, income taxes, legal reserves, fair value of the debt component of convertible notes, contingent consideration and goodwill and intangible assets.

Convertible Senior Notes

Convertible Senior Notes

On January 20, 2021, we issued $500.0 million aggregate principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers due January 15, 2026. In accounting for the issuance of our convertible senior notes, we separate the notes into liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component is calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an associated convertible feature, using a discounted cash flow model with a risk adjusted yield. The carrying amount of the equity component representing the conversion option is determined by deducting the fair value of the liability component from the par value of the notes as a whole. This difference represents a debt discount that is amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the notes. The equity component is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the conditions for equity classification.

In accounting for the transaction costs related to the issuance of the notes, we allocate the total amount incurred to the liability and equity components using the same proportions as the proceeds from the notes. Transaction costs attributable to the liability component are netted with the liability component and amortized to interest expense using the effective interest method over the term of the notes. Transaction costs attributable to the equity component are netted with the equity component of the notes in additional paid-in capital in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. See Note 12 for the carrying amount and estimated fair value of our convertible senior notes as of March 31, 2021.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Adopted

On December 18, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, "Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes," which simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740. The update also simplifies GAAP for other areas of Topic 740 by clarifying and amending existing guidance to improve consistent application. The amendment in this update was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. On January 1, 2021, we adopted Topic 740. This pronouncement did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

Not Yet Adopted

On March 12, 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, "Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting," which provides optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden associated with transitioning away from reference rates that are expected to be discontinued such as the Eurodollar Base Rate, or LIBOR. The update allows entities to elect not to apply certain modification accounting requirements to contracts affected by the discontinuation of a reference rate if certain criteria are met. The amendment was effective beginning March 12, 2020 and will continue to be effective through December 31, 2022. Due to the termination of our credit facility on January 20, 2021 (see Note 12), this pronouncement is not expected to have an impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

On August 5, 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, "Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity," which simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity, including convertible instruments and contracts on an entity’s own equity. The new guidance eliminates two of the three models in Subtopic 470-20 that require separating embedded conversion features from convertible instruments. The guidance also addresses how convertible instruments are accounted for in the diluted earnings per share calculation. The amendment in this update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted, but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The guidance allows for either full retrospective adoption or modified retrospective adoption. We are currently assessing the impact this pronouncement may have on our consolidated financial statements when we adopt the pronouncement on January 1, 2022.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition

We derive our revenue from three primary sources: the sale of cloud-based SaaS services on our integrated Alarm.com platform, the sale of licenses and services on our non-hosted software platform, or Software platform, and the sale of hardware products. We sell our platform and hardware solutions to service provider partners that resell our solutions and hardware to residential and commercial property owners, who are the service provider partners’ customers. Our subscribers consist of all of the properties maintained by those residential and commercial property owners to which we are delivering at least one of our solutions. We also sell our hardware to distributors who resell the hardware to service provider partners. We enter into contracts with our service provider partners that establish pricing for access to our platform solutions and for the sale of hardware. These service provider contracts typically have an initial term of one year, with subsequent renewal terms of one year. Our service provider partners typically enter into contracts with our subscribers, which our service provider partners have indicated range from three to five years in length.

When determining the amount of consideration we expect to be entitled to for the sale of our hardware, we estimate the variable consideration associated with customer returns. We record a reserve against revenue for hardware returns based on historical returns. For the twelve months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, our reserve against revenue for hardware returns was 1%. We evaluate our hardware reserve on a quarterly basis or if there is an indication of significant changes in return experience. Historically, our returns of hardware have not significantly differed from our estimated reserve. Additionally, we provide warranties related to the intended functionality of the products and services provided and those warranties typically allow for the return of hardware up to one year past the date of sale. We determined that these warranties are not separate performance obligations as they cannot be purchased separately and do not provide a service in addition to an assurance the hardware will function as expected.

Our hardware and other revenue also includes our revenue from the sale of perpetual licenses that provide our customers in the commercial market the right to use our OpenEye video surveillance software for an indefinite period of time in exchange for a one-time license fee, which is generally paid at contract inception. Our hardware and other revenue also includes our revenue from Shooter Detection Systems related to the sale of licenses that provide our customers the right to use our indoor gunshot detection solution in exchange for license fees, which are generally paid at contract inception. Our perpetual licenses and licenses to our indoor gunshot detection solution provide a right to use intellectual property that is functional in nature and has significant stand-alone functionality. Accordingly, for licenses of functional intellectual property, revenue is recognized at the point-in-time when control has been transferred to the customer, which occurs once the software has been made available to the customer.

Hardware and other revenue may also include activation fees charged to some of our service provider partners for activation of a new subscriber account on our platforms, as well as fees paid by service provider partners for our marketing services. Our service provider partners use services on our platforms, such as support tools and applications, to assist in the installation of our solutions in subscriber properties. This installation marks the beginning of the service period on our platforms and, on occasion, we earn activation revenue for fees charged for this service. The activation fee is non-refundable, separately negotiated and specified in our contractual arrangements with our service provider partners and is charged to the service provider partner for each subscriber activated on our platforms. The decision whether to charge an activation fee is based in part on the expected number of subscribers to be added by our service provider partners and as a result, many of our largest service provider partners do not pay an activation fee. Activation fees are not offered on a stand-alone basis separate from our SaaS offering and are billed and received at the beginning of the arrangement. We record activation fees initially as deferred revenue and we recognize these fees ratably over the expected term of the subscribers’ account which we estimate is ten years based on our annual attrition rate. The portion of these activation fees included in current and long-term deferred revenue as of our balance sheet date represents the amounts that will be recognized ratably as revenue over the following twelve months, or longer as appropriate, until the ten-year expected term is complete. The balance of deferred revenue for activation fees was $6.8 million and $7.0 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively, which combines current and long-term balances.

SaaS and license revenue associated with our contracts is invoiced and revenue is recognized at an amount that corresponds directly with the value of the performance completed to date. Additionally, the consideration received from hardware sales corresponds directly with the stand-alone selling price of the hardware. As a result, we have elected to use the practical expedient related to the amount of transaction price allocated to the unsatisfied performance obligations and therefore, we have not disclosed the total remaining revenue expected to be recognized on all contracts or the expected period over which the remaining revenue would be recognized.

Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities

Contract Assets

At contract inception, we assess the goods and services promised in our contracts with customers and identify a performance obligation for each distinct promise to transfer a good or service, or bundle of goods or services. To identify the performance obligations, we consider all of the goods or services promised in the contract, whether explicitly stated or implied

based on customary business practices. We record a contract asset when we satisfy a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service. Contract assets can be conditional or unconditional depending on whether another performance obligation must be satisfied before payment can be received. We receive payments from our service provider partners based on the billing schedule established in our contracts. All of the accounts receivable presented in the condensed consolidated balance sheets represent unconditional rights to consideration. We do not have any assets from contracts containing conditional rights and we do not have any assets from satisfied performance obligations that have not been invoiced.

We recognize an asset related to the costs incurred to obtain a contract only if we expect to recover those costs and we would not have incurred those costs if the contract had not been obtained. We recognize an asset from the costs incurred to fulfill a contract if the costs (i) are specifically identifiable to a contract, (ii) enhance resources that will be used in satisfying performance obligations in future and (iii) are expected to be recovered. Our contract assets consist of capitalized commission costs and upfront payments made to a customer. Based on the policy above, we capitalize a portion of our commission costs as an incremental cost of obtaining a contract. When calculating the incremental cost of obtaining a contract, we exclude any commission costs related to metrics that could be satisfied without obtaining a contract, including training-related metrics. We amortize our commission costs over a period of three years, which is consistent with the period over which the products and services related to the commission are transferred to the customer. The three-year period was determined based on our review of historical enhancements and upgrades to our products and services. We applied the portfolio approach to account for the amortization of contract costs for those contracts that have similar characteristics. Upfront payments made to a customer are capitalized and amortized over the expected period of benefit and are recorded as a reduction to revenue.

Contract Liabilities

Contract liabilities include payments received in advance of performance under the contract and are realized with the associated revenue recognized under the contract. All of the deferred revenue presented in the condensed consolidated balance sheets represents contract liabilities resulting from advance cash receipts from customers or amounts billed in advance to customers from the sale of services. Changes in deferred revenue are due to our performance under the contract as well as to cash received from new contracts for which services have not been provided.

Allowance for Credit Losses - Accounts Receivable

Allowance for Credit Losses - Accounts Receivable

The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the accounts receivable and notes receivable amortized cost basis (see Note 8) to present the net amount expected to be collected. We estimate the allowance balance by applying the loss-rate method using relevant available information from internal and external sources, including historical write-off activity, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Historical credit loss experience provides the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. Adjustments to historical loss information are made for changes in economic conditions, such as changes in unemployment rates. We use projected economic conditions over a period no more than twelve months based on data from external sources. For periods beyond the twelve-month reasonable and supportable forecast period, we revert to historical loss information immediately.

The allowance for credit losses is measured on a pooled basis when similar risk characteristics exist. When assessing whether to measure certain financial assets on a pooled basis, we considered various risk characteristics, including the financial asset type, size and the historical or expected credit loss pattern. We identified the following two portfolio segments for our accounts receivable: (i) outstanding accounts receivable balances within Alarm.com and certain subsidiaries and (ii) outstanding accounts receivable balances within all other subsidiaries. There were no changes to our portfolio segments for our accounts receivable during the three months ended March 31, 2021, and no changes to our policies or practices that influenced our estimate of expected credit losses for accounts receivable. There were no significant changes in the amount of accounts receivable write-offs during the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to historical periods other than a partial write-off of $0.7 million related to one of our distribution partners' outstanding balance during the three months ended March 31, 2021, upon the distributor being acquired by a third party.

Expected credit losses are estimated over the contractual term of the financial assets and we adjust the term for expected prepayments when appropriate. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we recorded a reduction of credit loss expense for accounts receivable and notes receivable of less than $0.1 million and for the three months ended March 31, 2020, we recorded credit loss expense for accounts receivable and notes receivable of $1.4 million in general and administrative expense in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. The contractual term excludes expected extensions, renewals and modifications because extension and renewal options are unconditionally cancelable by us. Write-offs of the amortized cost basis are recorded to the allowance for credit losses. Any subsequent recoveries of previously written off balances are recorded as a reduction to credit loss expense.

Income Taxes

We recognize a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, both positive and negative, it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of net deferred tax assets will not be realized. Due to the uncertainty of realization of certain deferred tax assets acquired in 2017 related to our Canadian net operating losses and research and development tax credits, we established a valuation allowance of $0.3 million during the second quarter of 2019, which remained at $0.3 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020. During 2020, we established a valuation allowance of $1.3 million for state research and development tax credit carryforwards, which remained at $1.3 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.We apply guidance for uncertainty in income taxes that requires the application of a more likely than not threshold to the recognition and de-recognition of uncertain tax positions. If the recognition threshold is met, this guidance permits us to recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is more likely than not to be realized upon settlement.