Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

6. Income taxes

The Company is subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States. The Company’s tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimate of its annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items arising in that quarter, unless a reliable estimate of ordinary income or the related tax expense/benefit cannot be made or the Company is in cumulative losses for which the benefit cannot be realized. In each quarter, the Company updates its estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if its estimated annual tax rate changes, the Company makes a cumulative adjustment in that quarter. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, the Company released the valuation allowance previously recorded on its deferred tax assets. The Company concluded that, due to its established historical cumulative positive income before income taxes plus permanent differences for the recent years, projections of future taxable income and the reversal of taxable temporary differences, the realization of the deferred tax assets as of September 30, 2023 is more likely than not.

The Company’s effective income tax rate was (492%) and 1% for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and (236%) and 10% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, differing from the U.S. corporate statutory federal income tax rate of 21%. The difference is primarily the result of the release of the valuation allowance, recognition of credit for increasing research activities, state income taxes and permanent differences.

The Company assesses its income tax positions and records tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon its evaluation of the facts, circumstances and information available at the reporting date. For those tax positions where it is more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will be sustained, the Company has recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more-likely-than-not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the Company’s financial statements.

The Company continually evaluates expiring statutes of limitations, audits, proposed settlements, changes in tax law and new authoritative rulings. Due to the existence of net operating loss carryforwards since inception, all of the Company’s income tax filings remain open for tax examinations.

The Company does not have any material unrecognized tax benefits as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.