Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation—The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and these notes have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") with the effect of inter-company balances and transactions eliminated. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP and SEC rules have been condensed or omitted as permitted by and pursuant to those rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information not misleading. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring items) necessary to fairly present the consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated results of operations and cash flows. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. The condensed consolidated December 31, 2012 balance sheet included in this interim period filing has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and related notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These condensed interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instrument—The Company follows the relevant GAAP guidance concerning fair value measurements which provides a consistent framework to define, measure, and disclose the fair value of assets and liabilities in financial statements. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction. This guidance establishes a three-level hierarchy priority for disclosure of assets and liabilities recorded at fair value. The ordering of priority reflects the degree to which objective data from external active markets are available to measure fair value. The classification of assets and liabilities within the hierarchy is based on whether the inputs to the valuation methodology used for measurement are observable or unobservable.

• Level 1 Inputs - Unadjusted quoted prices available in active markets for identical investments to the reporting entity at the measurement date

• Level 2 Inputs - Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

• Level 3 Inputs - Unobservable inputs, which are used to the extent that observable inputs are not available, and used in situations where there is little or no market activity for the asset or liability and wherein the reporting entity makes estimates and assumptions related to the pricing of the asset or liability including assumptions regarding risk.

     A financial instrument's level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

As of March 31, 2013 the Company had the following financial instruments to which it had to consider fair values and had to make fair assessments:

• Common share-based put option for which the fair value was measured as a Level 2 instrument.

• Short-term investments for which the fair values are measured as a Level 1 instrument.

• Contingent accrued earn-out business acquisition consideration liabilities for which fair values are measured as Level 3 instruments. These contingent consideration liabilities were recorded at fair value on the acquisition date and are remeasured quarterly based on the then assessed fair value and adjusted if necessary. The increases or decreases in the fair value of contingent consideration payable can result from changes in anticipated revenue levels and changes in assumed discount periods and rates. As the fair value measure is based on significant inputs that are not observable in the market, they are categorized as Level 3.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition—The Company derives its revenues primarily from subscription and transaction fees pertaining to services delivered over our exchanges or from our ASP platforms, fees for business process outsourcing services, and fees for software development projects including associated fees for consulting, implementation, training, and project management provided to customers with installed systems. Sales and value-added taxes are not included in revenues, but rather are recorded as a liability until the taxes assessed are remitted to the respective taxing authorities.

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) and SEC accounting guidance on revenue recognition, the Company considers revenue earned and realizable when: (a) persuasive evidence of the sales arrangement exists, provided that the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable, (b) delivery or performance has occurred, (c) customer acceptance has been received, if contractually required, and (d) collectability of the arrangement fee is probable. The Company uses signed contractual agreements as persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement. We apply the provisions of the relevant generally accepted accounting principles related to all transactions involving the license of software where the software deliverables are considered more than inconsequential to the other elements in the arrangement.

For contracts that contain multiple deliverables, we analyze the revenue arrangements in accordance with the relevant technical accounting guidance, which provides criteria governing how to determine whether goods or services that are delivered separately in a bundled sales arrangement should be considered as separate units of accounting for the purpose of revenue recognition. Generally these types of arrangements include deliverables pertaining to software licenses, system set-up, and professional services associated with product customization or modification. Delivery of the various contractual elements typically occurs over periods of less than eighteen months. These arrangements generally do not have refund provisions or have very limited refund terms.

Software development arrangements involving significant customization, modification or production are accounted for in accordance with the appropriate technical accounting guidance issued by FASB using the percentage-of-completion method. The Company recognizes revenue using periodic reported actual hours worked as a percentage of total expected hours required to complete the project arrangement and applies the percentage to the total arrangement fee.

Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets—Goodwill represents the cost in excess of the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. Indefinite-lived intangible assets represent the fair value of acquired contractual customer relationships for which future cash flows are expected to continue indefinitely. In accordance with the relevant FASB accounting guidance, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis or on an interim basis if an event occurs or circumstances change that would likely have reduced the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. Potential impairment indicators include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, and the sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business. The impairment evaluation process involves an assessment of certain qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances would indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units was less than its carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we were to determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the Company would not perform the two-step quantitative impairment testing described further below.

The aforementioned two-step quantitative testing process involves comparing the reporting unit carrying values to their respective fair values; we determine fair value of our reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method using the present value of future estimated net cash flows. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, then no further testing is required. However, if a reporting unit's fair value were to be less than its carrying value, we would then determine the amount of the impairment charge, if any, which would be the amount that the carrying value of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeded its implied value. Projections of cash flows are based on our views of growth rates, operating costs, anticipated future economic conditions and the appropriate discount rates relative to risk and estimates of residual values. We believe that our estimates are consistent with assumptions that marketplace participants would use in their estimates of fair value. The use of different estimates or assumptions for our projected discounted cash flows (e.g., growth rates, future economic conditions, discount rates and estimates of terminal values) when determining the fair value of our reporting units could result in different values and may result in a goodwill impairment charge. We perform our annual goodwill impairment evaluation and testing as of September 30th of each year. This evaluation is done during the fourth quarter each year. During the year ended December 31, 2012 we had no impairment of our reporting unit goodwill balances.

Finite-lived Intangible Assets

Finite-lived Intangible Assets—Purchased intangible assets represent the estimated acquisition date fair value of customer relationships, developed technology, trademarks and non-compete agreements obtained in connection with the businesses we acquire. We amortize these intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, as follows:

Category	Life (yrs)
Customer relationships	7-20
Developed technology	3–12
Trademarks	3–15
Non-compete agreements	5
Database	10

Foreign Currency Translation

Foreign Currency Translation-Historically the functional currency for the Company's foreign subsidiaries in India and Singapore had been the Indian rupee and Singapore dollar, respectively. As a result of the Company's rapid growth, including its acquisition of PlanetSoft in 2012, the expansion of its intellectual property research and development activities in its Singapore subsidiary, and its product development activities and information technology enabled services for the insurance industry provided by its India subsidiary in support of Ebix's operating divisions across the world (both of which are transacted in U.S. dollars), management undertook a reconsideration of functional currency designations for these two foreign subsidiaries in India and Singapore, and concluded that effective July 1, 2012 the functional currency for these entities should be changed to the U.S. dollar. The Company believes that the acquisition of PlanetSoft along with the other four business acquisitions completed in 2012 during the current year combined with the cumulative effect of business acquisitions made over the last few years which necessitated the rapid growth of the Company's operations in India and Singapore, were indicative of a significant change in the economic facts and circumstances that justified the reconsideration and ultimate change in the functional currency.

The functional currency of the Company's other foreign subsidiaries is the local currency of the country in which the subsidiary operates. The assets and liabilities of these foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange at the balance sheet dates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the period. Gains and losses resulting from translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, and are included in the condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Foreign exchange transaction gains and losses that are derived from transactions denominated in a currency other than the subsidiary's functional currency are included in the determination of net income.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes—Deferred income taxes are recorded to reflect the estimated future tax effects of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets, liabilities, operating losses, and tax credit carry forwards using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the temporary differences reverse. Valuation allowances, if any, are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount management considers more likely than not to be realized. Such valuation allowances are recorded for the portion of the deferred tax assets that are not expected to be realized based on the levels of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the temporary differences will be deductible.

The Company also applies FASB accounting guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes positions. This guidance clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes by prescribing the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. In this regard we recognize the tax benefit from uncertain tax positions only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position.

Recent Relevant Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Relevant Accounting Pronouncements—The following is a brief discussion of recently released accounting pronouncements that are pertinent to the Company's business:

In July 2012, the FASB issued new Accounting Standards Update No. 2012-02, "Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment" (the revised standard). The revised standard is intended to reduce the cost and complexity of testing indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill for impairment. It allows companies to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether further impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets is necessary, similar in approach to the goodwill impairment test. The revised standard is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt this new standard in 2013 for use in its annual impairment evaluations of indefinite-lived intangible assets, which is performed as of September of each year.

In September 2011, the FASB issued technical guidance regarding an entity's evaluation of goodwill for possible impairment. Under this new guidance an entity has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step quantitative impairment test is unnecessary. This new technical guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption was permitted for annual and interim goodwill impairment evaluations performed as of a date before September 2011, if an entity's financial statements for the most recent annual or interim period had not yet been issued. The Company elected to adopt this technical guidance early and accordingly applied it to the 2011 and 2012 annual impairment evaluation of goodwill.