Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Toll Brothers, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a Delaware corporation, and its majority owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Investments in 50% or less owned partnerships and affiliates are accounted for using the equity method unless it is determined that we have effective control of the entity, in which case we would consolidate the entity.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim financial information. The October 31, 2020 balance sheet amounts and disclosures included herein have been derived from our October 31, 2020 audited financial statements. Since the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements, they should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020 (“2020 Form 10-K”). In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary to present fairly our financial position as of January 31, 2021; the results of our operations and changes in equity for the three-month periods ended January 31, 2021 and 2020; and our cash flows for the three-month periods ended January 31, 2021 and 2020. The results of operations for such interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. In times of economic disruption when uncertainty regarding future economic conditions is heightened, these estimates and assumptions are subject to greater variability. The Company is currently subject to risks and uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to impact our results of operations as well as our business operations. As a result, actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions we make that affect the amounts reported in the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes, and such differences may be material.

Reclassifications

As discussed in our 2020 Form 10-K, effective October 31, 2020, we reclassified sales commissions paid to third-party brokers from home sales cost of revenues to selling, general and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income. The reclassification aligns the treatment of sales commissions paid to third-party brokers with the treatment of sales commissions paid to in-house salespersons, and is consistent with the manner in which the majority of the Company’s peers treat such commissions. The reclassification had the effect of lowering home sales cost of revenues (and increasing home sales gross margin) and increasing selling, general and administrative expense by the amount of third-party broker commissions, which totaled $26.8 million, or 2.1% of home sales revenues for the three months ended January 31, 2020. All prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2021 presentation.

Revenue [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

Home sales revenues: Revenues and cost of revenues from home sales are recognized at the time each home is delivered and title and possession are transferred to the buyer. For the majority of our home closings, our performance obligation to deliver a home is satisfied in less than one year from the date a binding sale agreement is signed. In certain states where we build, we are not able to complete certain outdoor features prior to the closing of the home. To the extent these separate performance obligations are not complete upon the home closing, we defer a portion of the home sales revenues related to these obligations and subsequently recognize the revenue upon completion of such obligations. As of January 31, 2021, the home sales revenues and related costs we deferred related to these obligations were immaterial. Our contract liabilities, consisting of deposits received from customers for sold but undelivered homes, totaled $523.6 million and $459.4 million at January 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020, respectively. Of the outstanding customer deposits held as of October 31, 2020, we recognized $94.0 million in home sales revenues during the three months ended January 31, 2021.

Land sales and other revenues: Our revenues from land sales and other generally consist of: (1) lot sales to third-party builders within our master planned communities; (2) land sales to joint ventures in which we retain an interest; (3) bulk sales to third

parties of land we have decided no longer meets our development criteria and (4) sales of commercial and retail properties generally located at our City Living buildings. In general, our performance obligation for each of these land sales is fulfilled upon the delivery of the land, which generally coincides with the receipt of cash consideration from the counterparty. For land sale transactions that contain repurchase options, revenues and related costs are not recognized until the repurchase option expires. In addition, when we sell land to a joint venture in which we retain an interest, we do not recognize revenue or gains on the sale to the extent of our retained interest in such joint venture.

Forfeited Customer Deposits: Forfeited customer deposits are recognized in “Home sales revenues” in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income in the period in which we determine that the customer will not complete the purchase of the home and we have the right to retain the deposit.

Sales Incentives: In order to promote sales of our homes, we may offer our home buyers sales incentives. These incentives vary by type and amount on a community-by-community and home-by-home basis. Incentives are reflected as a reduction in home sales revenues. Incentives are recognized at the time the home is delivered to the home buyer and we receive the sales proceeds.

Derivatives, Policy

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Our objective in entering into derivative transactions is to manage our exposure to interest rate movements associated with certain variable rate debt. We recognize derivatives as either assets or liabilities on the balance sheet and measures those instruments at fair value.

Since all of our derivatives are designated as cash flow hedges, the entire change in the fair value of the derivative included in the assessment of hedge effectiveness is initially reported in accumulated other comprehensive loss and subsequently reclassified to home sales cost of revenues in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income when the hedged transaction affects earnings. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective as a hedge, or if the hedged forecasted transaction is no longer probable of occurring, the amount recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive loss is released to earnings. See Note 12 “Fair Value Disclosures” for more information.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB created ASC 326 with the issuance of ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 replaces the current incurred loss impairment methodology with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to estimate credit losses. ASU 2016-13 became effective for our fiscal year beginning November 1, 2020, and we adopted the new standard under the modified retrospective transition method. As a result of the adoption, we recognized a cumulative effect adjustment, net of tax, of $0.6 million to the opening balance of retained earnings. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet or Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations or Comprehensive Income, and there have been no significant changes to our internal controls, processes, or systems as a result of implementing this new standard.