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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:
 
Payroll Taxes
 
From 2006 through 2009, DLH received notices from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) claiming taxes, interest and penalties due related to payroll taxes predominantly from its former PEO operations which were sold in fiscal 2003. DLH also received notices from the IRS reporting overpayments of taxes. Management believes that these notices are predominantly the result of misapplication of payroll tax payments between its legal entities. Until the sale of certain assets related to the former PEO operations, DLH operated through 17 subsidiaries, and management believes that the IRS has not correctly identified payments made through certain of the different entities, therefore leading to the notices. Through the fiscal year ended September 30, 2009, DLH worked with the IRS to resolve these discrepancies and had certain interest and penalty claims abated. DLH also received notices from the Social Security Administration claiming variances in wage reporting compared to IRS transcripts. DLH believes the notices from the Social Security Administration are directly related to the IRS notices received. DLH believes it has fully responded to the notices issued.  DLH believes that after the IRS applies all the funds correctly, any significant interest and penalties will be abated; however, there can be no assurance that each of these matters will be resolved favorably. In settling various years for specific subsidiaries with the IRS, the Company received refunds for those specific periods; however, as the process of settling and concluding on other periods and subsidiaries is not yet completed, the potential exists for related penalties and interest. The remaining liability ($1.4 million at June 30, 2013 and $1.3 million at September 30, 2012) has been recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and includes estimated accrued penalties and interest totaling approximately $600,000.

The Company believes it has accrued for the entire estimated remaining liability, inclusive of interest and penalties through the date of the financial statements. The Company may incur additional interest and may incur possible additional penalties through the future date that this obligation is settled. However, it is not currently possible to estimate what, if any, additional amount(s) may be due in the future, given the uncertain timing and nature of any future settlement negotiations. No payments were made in fiscal 2012 or year to date in fiscal 2013. Management believes that the ultimate resolution of these remaining payroll tax matters will not have a significant adverse effect on its financial position or future results of operations. The Company’s intention is that it will in due course seek to negotiate a mutually satisfactory payment plan with the IRS, but there is no assurance that it would be successful in doing so and the Company’s future cash flows and liquidity could therefore be materially affected by this matter.

Legal Proceedings
 
As the Company has previously reported, it was advised of a claim by the U.S. Attorney based on an alleged failure to pay certain classes of employees the prevailing wages as required by the Service Contract Act during the years 2003-2010. The Company is continuing to review the data allegedly supporting the claims with the U.S. Department of Justice and has provided additional data as requested in an effort to determine whether any wage adjustment is required. These claims appear, in part, to be part of the claims previously disclosed by the Company and related to services provided to the Department of Veterans Affairs by DLH. Until the analysis of the data is complete, we cannot finally determine either the merits of the claim or the potential impact on the Company; however, the Company continues to believe it has acted in conformity with its contractual commitments and no wage adjustment is required. Additionally, the Company also believes it has fully responded to all requests related to these claims.  Nevertheless, there can be no assurance that an adverse decision or settlement would not have a material adverse impact on the Company.
 
As a commercial enterprise and employer, the Company is subject to various claims and legal actions in the ordinary course of business. These matters can include professional liability, employment-relations issues, workers’ compensation, tax, payroll and employee-related matters, other commercial disputes arising in the course of its business, and inquiries and investigations by governmental agencies regarding our employment practices or other matters. Other than as reported elsewhere in this report, the Company is not aware of any pending or threatened litigation that it believes is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
 
Employment Agreements
 
From time to time, we enter into employment agreements with certain key executives which provide for fixed compensation, criterion for earning bonuses and other incentives and, in certain instances, issuance of share based equity grants. These agreements generally continue until terminated by the employee or the Board of Directors or, upon the occurrence of defined certain events or circumstances (including a defined change in control), and provide for salary continuance for specified periods of generally no more than a year and or lump sum payments in the event of a change of control of up to 150% of annual salary.