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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Jan. 03, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries (the Company). Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated. Columns and rows within tables may not add due to rounding. Percentages have been calculated using actual, non-rounded figures.
Description of the Company and Business Segments
The Company has approximately 134,500 employees worldwide engaged in the research and development, manufacture and sale of a broad range of products in the health care field. The Company conducts business in virtually all countries of the world and its primary focus is on products related to human health and well-being.
The Company is organized into three business segments: Consumer Health (previously referred to as Consumer), Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices. The Consumer Health segment includes a broad range of products used in the baby care, oral care, skin health/beauty, over-the-counter pharmaceutical, women’s health and wound care markets. These products are marketed to the general public and sold online (eCommerce) and to retail outlets and distributors throughout the world. The Pharmaceutical segment is focused on six therapeutic areas, including immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Products in this segment are distributed directly to retailers, wholesalers, hospitals and health care professionals for prescription use. The Medical Devices segment includes a broad range of products used in the orthopaedic, surgery, interventional solutions (cardiovascular and neurovascular) and eye health fields, which are distributed to wholesalers, hospitals and retailers, and used principally in the professional fields by physicians, nurses, hospitals, eye care professionals and clinics.

New Accounting Standards
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

ASU 2018-18: Collaborative Arrangements
The Company adopted this standard as of the beginning of the fiscal year 2020. This update clarifies the interaction between ASC 808, Collaborative Arrangements and ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The update clarifies that certain transactions between participants in a collaborative arrangement should be accounted for under ASC 606 when the counterparty is a customer. In addition, the update precludes an entity from presenting consideration from a transaction in a collaborative arrangement as revenue if the counterparty is not a customer for that transaction. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2016-13: Financial Instruments - Credit Losses
The Company adopted this standard as of the beginning of the fiscal year 2020. This update introduces the current expected credit loss (CECL) model, which requires an entity to measure credit losses for certain financial instruments and financial assets, including trade receivables. Under this update, on initial recognition and at each reporting period, an entity is required to recognize an allowance that reflects the entity’s current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of the financial instrument. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

ASU 2018-14: Compensation - Defined Benefit Plans
The Company adopted this standard in the fiscal year ended 2020. This standard revised the financial statement note disclosure requirements of ASC 715-20 for defined benefit plan sponsors. The adoption of this standard had no impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for defined benefit plan disclosures.
Accounting Standards adopted in the fiscal 2018 with a cumulative effect to the 2018 opening balance of Retained Earnings
The following table summarizes the cumulative effect adjustments made to the 2018 opening balance of retained earnings upon adoption of these accounting standards in 2018:

(Dollars in Millions)Cumulative Effect Adjustment Increase (Decrease) to Retained Earnings
ASU 2014-09 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers$(47)
ASU 2016-01 - Financial Instruments232 
ASU 2016-16 - Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Transfers(439)
Total$(254)

Recently Issued Accounting Standards
Not Adopted as of January 3, 2021
The Company assesses the adoption impacts of recently issued accounting standards by the Financial Accounting Standards Board on the Company's financial statements as well as material updates to previous assessments, if any, from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019. There were no new material accounting standards issued in fiscal 2020 that impacted the Company.
Cash Equivalents
The Company classifies all highly liquid investments with stated maturities of three months or less from date of purchase as cash equivalents and all highly liquid investments with stated maturities of greater than three months from the date of purchase as current marketable securities. The Company has a policy of making investments only with commercial institutions that have at least an investment grade credit rating. The Company invests its cash primarily in government securities and obligations, corporate debt securities, money market funds and reverse repurchase agreements (RRAs).
RRAs are collateralized by deposits in the form of Government Securities and Obligations for an amount not less than 102% of their value. The Company does not record an asset or liability as the Company is not permitted to sell or repledge the associated collateral. The Company has a policy that the collateral has at least an A (or equivalent) credit rating. The Company utilizes a third party custodian to manage the exchange of funds and ensure that collateral received is maintained at 102% of the value of the RRAs on a daily basis. RRAs with stated maturities of greater than three months from the date of purchase are classified as marketable securities.
Investments
Investments classified as held to maturity investments are reported at amortized cost and realized gains or losses are reported in earnings. Investments classified as available-for-sale debt securities are carried at estimated fair value with unrealized gains and losses recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. Available-for-sale securities available for current operations are classified as current assets otherwise, they are classified as long term. Management determines the appropriate classification of its investment in debt and equity securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such determination at each balance sheet date. The Company reviews its investments for impairment and adjusts these investments to fair value through earnings, as required. 
Property, Plant and Equipment and Depreciation
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost. The Company utilizes the straight-line method of depreciation over the estimated useful lives of the assets:
Building and building equipment
20 - 30 years
Land and leasehold improvements
10 - 20 years
Machinery and equipment
2 - 13 years

The Company capitalizes certain computer software and development costs, included in machinery and equipment, when incurred in connection with developing or obtaining computer software for internal use. Capitalized software costs are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the software, which generally range from 3 to 8 years.
The Company reviews long-lived assets to assess recoverability using undiscounted cash flows. When certain events or changes in operating or economic conditions occur, an impairment assessment may be performed on the recoverability of the carrying value of these assets. If the asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured based on the difference between
the asset’s fair value and its carrying value. If quoted market prices are not available, the Company will estimate fair value using a discounted value of estimated future cash flows.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue from product sales when obligations under the terms of a contract with the customer are satisfied; generally, this occurs with the transfer of control of the goods to customers. The Company's global payment terms are typically between 30 to 90 days. Provisions for certain rebates, sales incentives, trade promotions, coupons, product returns and discounts to customers are accounted for as variable consideration and recorded as a reduction in sales. The liability is recognized within Accrued Rebates, Returns, and Promotions on the consolidated balance sheet.
Product discounts granted are based on the terms of arrangements with direct, indirect and other market participants, as well as market conditions, including consideration of competitor pricing. Rebates are estimated based on contractual terms, historical experience, patient outcomes, trend analysis and projected market conditions in the various markets served. A significant portion of the liability related to rebates is from the sale of the Company's pharmaceutical products within the U.S., primarily the Managed Care, Medicare and Medicaid programs, which amounted to $7.2 billion and $7.0 billion as of January 3, 2021 and December 29, 2019, respectively. The Company evaluates market conditions for products or groups of products primarily through the analysis of wholesaler and other third-party sell-through and market research data, as well as internally generated information.
Sales returns are estimated and recorded based on historical sales and returns information. Products that exhibit unusual sales or return patterns due to dating, competition or other marketing matters are specifically investigated and analyzed as part of the accounting for sales return accruals.
Sales returns allowances represent a reserve for products that may be returned due to expiration, destruction in the field, or in specific areas, product recall. The sales returns reserve is based on historical return trends by product and by market as a percent to gross sales. In accordance with the Company’s accounting policies, the Company generally issues credit to customers for returned goods. The Company’s sales returns reserves are accounted for in accordance with the U.S. GAAP guidance for revenue recognition when right of return exists. Sales returns reserves are recorded at full sales value. Sales returns in the Consumer Health and Pharmaceutical segments are almost exclusively not resalable. Sales returns for certain franchises in the Medical Devices segment are typically resalable but are not material. The Company infrequently exchanges products from inventory for returned products. The sales returns reserve for the total Company has been approximately 1.0% of annual net trade sales during each of the fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Promotional programs, such as product listing allowances and cooperative advertising arrangements, are recorded in the same period as related sales. Continuing promotional programs include coupons and volume-based sales incentive programs. The redemption cost of consumer coupons is based on historical redemption experience by product and value. Volume-based incentive programs are based on the estimated sales volumes for the incentive period and are recorded as products are sold. These arrangements are evaluated to determine the appropriate amounts to be deferred or recorded as a reduction of revenue. The Company also earns profit-share payments through collaborative arrangements for certain products, which are included in sales to customers. For all years presented, profit-share payments were less than 3.0% of the total revenues and are included in sales to customers.
See Note 17 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further disaggregation of revenue.
Shipping and Handling
Shipping and handling costs incurred were $1.0 billion, $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion in fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and are included in selling, marketing and administrative expense. The amount of revenue received for shipping and handling is less than 0.5% of sales to customers for all periods presented.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value determined by the first-in, first-out method.
Intangible Assets and Goodwill
The authoritative literature on U.S. GAAP requires that goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives be assessed annually for impairment. The Company completed its annual impairment test for 2020 in the fiscal fourth quarter. Future impairment tests will be performed annually in the fiscal fourth quarter, or sooner if warranted. Purchased in-process research and development is accounted for as an indefinite lived intangible asset until the underlying project is completed, at which point the intangible asset will be accounted for as a definite lived intangible asset, or abandoned, at which point the intangible asset will be written off or partially impaired.
Intangible assets that have finite useful lives continue to be amortized over their useful lives, and are reviewed for impairment when warranted by economic conditions. See Note 5 for further details on Intangible Assets and Goodwill.
Financial Instruments
As required by U.S. GAAP, all derivative instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. Fair value is the exit price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability. Fair value is a market-based measurement determined using assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. The authoritative literature establishes a three-level hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used in measuring fair value, with Level 1 having the highest priority and Level 3 having the lowest. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded each period in current earnings or other comprehensive income, depending on whether the derivative is designated as part of a hedge transaction, and if so, the type of hedge transaction.
The Company documents all relationships between hedged items and derivatives. The overall risk management strategy includes reasons for undertaking hedge transactions and entering into derivatives. The objectives of this strategy are: (1) minimize foreign currency exposure’s impact on the Company’s financial performance; (2) protect the Company’s cash flow from adverse movements in foreign exchange rates; (3) ensure the appropriateness of financial instruments; and (4) manage the enterprise risk associated with financial institutions. See Note 6 for additional information on Financial Instruments.

Leases
The Company determines whether an arrangement is a lease at contract inception by establishing if the contract conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant, or equipment for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Right of Use (ROU) Assets and Lease Liabilities for operating leases are included in Other assets, Accrued liabilities, and Other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The ROU Assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Commitments under finance leases are not significant, and are included in Property, plant and equipment, Loans and notes payable, and Long-term debt on the consolidated balance sheet.
ROU Assets and Lease Liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of all minimum lease payments over the lease term. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments, when the implicit rate is not readily determinable. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease. These options are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Operating lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has elected the following policy elections on adoption: use of portfolio approach on leases of assets under master service agreements, exclusion of short term leases on the balance sheet, and not separating lease and non-lease components.
The Company primarily has operating lease for space, vehicles, manufacturing equipment and data processing equipment. The ROU asset pertaining to operating leases was $1.0 billion and $1.0 billion in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The lease liability was $1.1 billion and $1.0 billion in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The operating lease costs were $0.3 billion, $0.3 billion and $0.3 billion in 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities were $0.3 billion and $0.3 billion in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Product Liability
Accruals for product liability claims are recorded, on an undiscounted basis, when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on existing information and actuarially determined estimates where applicable. The accruals are adjusted periodically as additional information becomes available. The Company accrues an estimate of the legal defense costs needed to defend each matter when those costs are probable and can be reasonably estimated. To the extent adverse verdicts have been rendered against the Company, the Company does not record an accrual until a loss is determined to be probable and can be reasonably estimated.
The Company has self insurance through a wholly-owned captive insurance company. In addition to accruals in the self insurance program, claims that exceed the insurance coverage are accrued when losses are probable and amounts can be reasonably estimated.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses are expensed as incurred in accordance with ASC 730, Research and Development. Upfront and milestone payments made to third parties in connection with research and development collaborations are expensed as incurred up to the point of regulatory approval. Payments made to third parties subsequent to regulatory approval are capitalized and amortized over the remaining useful life of the related product. Amounts capitalized for such payments are included in other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization.
The Company enters into collaborative arrangements, typically with other pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies, to develop and commercialize drug candidates or intellectual property. These arrangements typically involve two (or more) parties who are active participants in the collaboration and are exposed to significant risks and rewards dependent on the commercial success of the activities. These collaborations usually involve various activities by one or more parties, including research and development, marketing and selling and distribution. Often, these collaborations require upfront, milestone and royalty or profit share payments, contingent upon the occurrence of certain future events linked to the success of the asset in development.
Amounts due from collaborative partners related to development activities are generally reflected as a reduction of research and development expense because the performance of contract development services is not central to the Company’s operations. In general, the income statement presentation for these collaborations is as follows:

Nature/Type of Collaboration Statement of Earnings Presentation
Third-party sale of product & profit share payments receivedSales to customers
Royalties/milestones paid to collaborative partner (post-regulatory approval)*Cost of products sold
Royalties received from collaborative partnerOther income (expense), net
Upfront payments & milestones paid to collaborative partner (pre-regulatory approval)Research and development expense
Research and development payments to collaborative partnerResearch and development expense
Research and development payments received from collaborative partner or government entityReduction of Research and development expense

*Milestones are capitalized as intangible assets and amortized to cost of products sold over the useful life.
For all years presented, there was no individual project that represented greater than 5% of the total annual consolidated research and development expense.
The Company has a number of products and compounds developed in collaboration with strategic partners including XARELTO®, co-developed with Bayer HealthCare AG and IMBRUVICA®, developed in collaboration and co-marketed with Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company.
Separately, the Company has a number of licensing arrangements for products and compounds including DARZALEX®, licensed from Genmab A/S.
Advertising
Costs associated with advertising are expensed in the year incurred and are included in selling, marketing and administrative expenses. Advertising expenses worldwide, which comprised television, radio, print media and Internet advertising, were $2.1 billion, $2.2 billion and $2.6 billion in fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are recorded based on amounts refundable or payable for the current year and include the results of any difference between U.S. GAAP accounting and tax reporting, recorded as deferred tax assets or liabilities. The Company estimates deferred tax assets and liabilities based on enacted tax regulations and rates. Future changes in tax laws and rates may affect recorded deferred tax assets and liabilities in the future.
The Company has unrecognized tax benefits for uncertain tax positions. The Company follows U.S. GAAP which prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Management believes that changes in these estimates would not have a material effect on the Company's results of operations, cash flows or financial position.
In 2017, the United States enacted into law new U.S. tax legislation, the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). This law included provisions for a comprehensive overhaul of the corporate income tax code, including a reduction of the statutory corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective on January 1, 2018. The TCJA included a provision for a tax on all previously undistributed earnings of U.S. companies located in foreign jurisdictions. Undistributed earnings in the form of cash and cash equivalents were taxed at a rate of 15.5% and all other earnings were taxed at a rate of 8.0%. This tax is payable over 8 years and will not accrue interest. These payments began in 2018 and will continue through 2025. The remaining balance at the end of the 2020 was approximately $7.7 billion, of which $6.9 billion is classified as noncurrent and reflected as “Long-term taxes payable” on the Company’s balance sheet. The balance of this account is related to receivables from tax authorities not expected to be received in the next 12 months.
The TCJA also includes provisions for a tax on global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI). GILTI is described as the excess of a U.S. shareholder’s total net foreign income over a deemed return on tangible assets, as provided by the TCJA. In January 2018, the FASB issued guidance that allows companies to elect as an accounting policy whether to record the tax effects of GILTI in the period the tax liability is generated (i.e., “period cost”) or provide for deferred tax assets and liabilities related to basis differences that exist and are expected to effect the amount of GILTI inclusion in future years upon reversal (i.e., “deferred method”). In 2018, the Company elected to account for GILTI under the deferred method. The deferred tax amounts recorded are based on the evaluation of temporary differences that are expected to reverse as GILTI is incurred in future periods.
The Company has recorded deferred tax liabilities on all undistributed earnings prior to December 31, 2017 from its international subsidiaries. The Company has not provided deferred taxes on the undistributed earnings subsequent to January 1, 2018 from certain international subsidiaries where the earnings are considered to be indefinitely reinvested. The Company
intends to continue to reinvest these earnings in those international operations. If the Company decides at a later date to repatriate these earnings to the U.S., the Company would be required to provide for the net tax effects on these amounts. The Company estimates that the total tax effect of this repatriation would be approximately $0.7 billion under current enacted tax laws and regulations and at current currency exchange rates.
See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding income taxes.
Net Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net earnings available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities were exercised or converted into common stock using the treasury stock method.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported. Estimates are used when accounting for sales discounts, rebates, allowances and incentives, product liabilities, income taxes, withholding taxes, depreciation, amortization, employee benefits, contingencies and intangible asset and liability valuations. Actual results may or may not differ from those estimates.
The Company follows the provisions of U.S. GAAP when recording litigation related contingencies. A liability is recorded when a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. The best estimate of a loss within a range is accrued; however, if no estimate in the range is better than any other, the minimum amount is accrued.
The extent to which COVID-19 impacts the Company’s business and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors including, but not limited to: the magnitude and duration of COVID-19, the extent to which it will impact worldwide macroeconomic conditions including interest rates, employment rates and health insurance coverage, the speed of the anticipated recovery, and governmental and business reactions to the pandemic. The Company assessed certain accounting matters that generally require consideration of forecasted financial information in context with the information reasonably available to the Company and the unknown future impacts of COVID-19 as of January 3, 2021 and through the date of this report. The accounting matters assessed included, but were not limited to, the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts and credit losses, inventory and related reserves, accrued rebates and associated reserves, and the carrying value of the goodwill and other long-lived assets. While there was not a material impact to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2021, the Company’s future assessment of the magnitude and duration of COVID-19, as well as other factors, could result in material impacts to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in future reporting periods.
Annual Closing Date
The Company follows the concept of a fiscal year, which ends on the Sunday nearest to the end of the month of December. Normally each fiscal year consists of 52 weeks, but every five or six years the fiscal year consists of 53 weeks, and therefore includes additional shipping days, as was the case in fiscal year 2020, and will be the case again in fiscal year 2026.
Reclassification
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.