Basis of Presentation of Interim Period Statements	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation of Interim Period Statements	Note 1 - Basis of Presentation of Interim Period Statements The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by Barrett Business Services, Inc. (“Barrett”, “BBSI”, the “Company”, “our” or “we”), pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures typically included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results may differ from such estimates and assumptions. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K at pages F1 – F29. The results of operations for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for a full year. Revenue recognition We recognize revenue as services are rendered by our workforce. Professional employer services are normally used by organizations to satisfy ongoing human resource management needs and typically involve contracts with a minimum term of one year, which cover all employees at a particular work site. Our client services agreements are renewable on an annual basis and typically require 30 days’ written notice to cancel or terminate the contract by either party. Our client services agreements provide for immediate termination upon any default of the client regardless of when notice is given. We report professional employer services revenues on a net basis because we are not the primary obligor for the services provided by our co-employed clients to their customers pursuant to our client services agreements. Consequently, our professional employer service revenues represent the gross margin generated from our professional employer services after deducting the amounts invoiced to clients for direct payroll expenses such as salaries and wages and safety incentives. These amounts are also excluded from cost of revenues. Professional employer service revenues also include amounts invoiced to our clients for employer payroll-related taxes and workers’ compensation coverage. Staffing services are engaged by customers to meet short-term and long-term personnel needs. Marketable securities As of June 30, 2014, the Company’s marketable securities consisted of tax-exempt municipal securities, U.S. Treasuries, variable rate demand notes (VRDN) and corporate bonds. The Company classifies municipal securities, U.S. Treasuries, VRDN and corporate bonds as available for sale; they are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, net of taxes, shown as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. In the event a loss is determined to be other-than-temporary, the loss will be recognized in the statement of operations. Allowance for doubtful accounts The Company had an allowance for doubtful accounts of $313,000 and $242,000 at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The Company must make estimates of the collectability of accounts receivable. Management analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer creditworthiness, current economic conditions and changes in customers’ payment trends when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company deems an account balance uncollectible only after it has pursued all available assets of the customer and, where applicable, the assets of the personal guarantor. Workers’ compensation claims The Company is a self-insured employer with respect to workers’ compensation coverage for all of its employees (including employees co-employed through our client service agreements) working in California, Oregon, Maryland, Delaware and Colorado, except as described below. In the state of Washington, state law allows only the Company’s staffing services and internal management employees to be covered under the Company’s self-insured workers’ compensation program. Additionally, the Company operates a wholly-owned fully licensed insurance company, Ecole Insurance Company (“Ecole”), in Arizona to provide workers’ compensation coverage to our employees in Arizona. To manage our financial exposure, in the event of catastrophic injuries or fatalities, the Company maintains excess workers’ compensation insurance through our wholly owned captive insurance company, Associated Insurance Company for Excess (“AICE”), with a per occurrence retention of $5.0 million, except in Maryland and Colorado, where our per occurrence retention is $1.0 million and $2.0 million, respectively. AICE maintains excess workers’ compensation insurance coverage with ACE Group (“ACE”), between $5.0 million and $15.0 million per occurrence, except in Maryland, where coverage with ACE is between $1.0 million and $25.0 million per occurrence, and in Colorado, where the coverage with ACE is between $2.0 million and statutory limits per occurrence. The Company continues to evaluate the financial capacity of its insurers to assess the recoverability of the related insurer receivables. The Company has provided a total of $122.5 million and $112.4 million at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, as an estimated future liability for unsettled workers’ compensation claims liabilities. The estimated liability for unsettled workers’ compensation claims represents management’s best estimate, which includes an evaluation of information provided by the Company’s internal claims adjusters and our third-party administrators for workers’ compensation claims coupled with management’s evaluations of historical claims development and other trends. Included in the claims liabilities are case reserve estimates for reported losses, plus additional amounts based on projections for incurred but not reported claims and anticipated increases in case reserve estimates. Also included in these estimates are amounts for unallocated loss adjustment expenses, including legal costs. These estimates are continually reviewed and adjustments to liabilities are reflected in current operating results as they become known. In February, 2014, the Company entered into a workers’ compensation insurance arrangement with ACE to provide coverage to BBSI employees in California beginning in the first quarter of 2014. The agreement will be effective through January 2015 with the potential for annual renewals thereafter. The arrangement, typically known as a fronted program, provides BBSI a licensed, admitted insurance carrier in California to issue policies on behalf of BBSI without the intention of transferring any of the worker’s compensation risk for the first $5.0 million per claim. The risk of loss up to the first $5.0 million per claim is retained by BBSI through an indemnity agreement. While this portion of the risk of loss remains with BBSI, ACE assumes credit risk should BBSI be unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations to ACE. ACE also bears the economic burden for all costs in excess of $5.0 million per claim. The arrangement with ACE addresses the requirements of legislation enacted in California in 2012 (Senate Bill 863) under which the Company cannot continue its self-insurance program in California beyond January 1, 2015. During the first quarter of 2014, the Company made an initial deposit of $20.0 million into a trust account established between the Company and ACE related to the new ACE fronted insurance program. The Company began making monthly payments in April 2014 into the trust account comprised of premium costs to be set aside for the payment of future claims. The balance in the trust account as of June 30, 2014 totaled $21.9 million. The $21.9 million is included in the $34.7 million of restricted marketable securities and workers’ compensation deposits in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Safety incentives liability Safety incentives represent cash incentives paid to certain client companies under client service agreements for maintaining safe-work practices in order to minimize workplace injuries, thereby meeting agreed-upon loss objectives. The Company has provided $12.7 million at June 30, 2014 and $13.1 million at December 31, 2013 as an estimate of the liability for unpaid safety incentives. The incentive is based on a percentage of annual payroll and is paid annually to customers who meet predetermined workers’ compensation claims cost objectives. Safety incentive payments are made only after closure of all workers’ compensation claims incurred during the customer’s contract period. The liability is estimated and accrued each month based upon the incentive earned less the then-current amount of the customer’s estimated workers’ compensation claims reserves as established by the Company’s internal and third-party claims administrators, and the expected payout as determined by historical incentive payment trends. Safety incentive expense is netted against professional employer services revenue in our consolidated statements of operations. Statements of cash flows Interest paid during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 did not materially differ from interest expense. Income taxes paid by the Company during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 totaled $1.3 million and $5.9 million, respectively. Reclassifications Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with the 2014 presentation. Such reclassifications had no impact on the Company’s financial condition, operating results, cash flows, working capital or stockholders’ equity. Accounting estimates The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Estimates are used for carrying values of marketable securities, allowance for doubtful accounts, deferred income taxes, carrying values for goodwill and property and equipment, accrued workers’ compensation liabilities and safety incentive liabilities. Actual results may or may not differ from such estimates.

Note 1 - Basis of Presentation of Interim Period Statements

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared by Barrett Business Services, Inc. (“Barrett”, “BBSI”, the “Company”, “our” or “we”), pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures typically included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results may differ from such estimates and assumptions. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K at pages F1 – F29. The results of operations for an interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for a full year.

Revenue recognition

We recognize revenue as services are rendered by our workforce. Professional employer services are normally used by organizations to satisfy ongoing human resource management needs and typically involve contracts with a minimum term of one year, which cover all employees at a particular work site. Our client services agreements are renewable on an annual basis and typically require 30 days’ written notice to cancel or terminate the contract by either party. Our client services agreements provide for immediate termination upon any default of the client regardless of when notice is given. We report professional employer services revenues on a net basis because we are not the primary obligor for the services provided by our co-employed clients to their customers pursuant to our client services agreements. Consequently, our professional employer service revenues represent the gross margin generated from our professional employer services after deducting the amounts invoiced to clients for direct payroll expenses such as salaries and wages and safety incentives. These amounts are also excluded from cost of revenues. Professional employer service revenues also include amounts invoiced to our clients for employer payroll-related taxes and workers’ compensation coverage. Staffing services are engaged by customers to meet short-term and long-term personnel needs.

Marketable securities

As of June 30, 2014, the Company’s marketable securities consisted of tax-exempt municipal securities, U.S. Treasuries, variable rate demand notes (VRDN) and corporate bonds. The Company classifies municipal securities, U.S. Treasuries, VRDN and corporate bonds as available for sale; they are reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, net of taxes, shown as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity. In the event a loss is determined to be other-than-temporary, the loss will be recognized in the statement of operations.

Allowance for doubtful accounts

The Company had an allowance for doubtful accounts of $313,000 and $242,000 at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The Company must make estimates of the collectability of accounts receivable. Management analyzes historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer creditworthiness, current economic conditions and changes in customers’ payment trends when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company deems an account balance uncollectible only after it has pursued all available assets of the customer and, where applicable, the assets of the personal guarantor.

Workers’ compensation claims

The Company is a self-insured employer with respect to workers’ compensation coverage for all of its employees (including employees co-employed through our client service agreements) working in California, Oregon, Maryland, Delaware and Colorado, except as described below. In the state of Washington, state law allows only the Company’s staffing services and internal management employees to be covered under the Company’s self-insured workers’ compensation program. Additionally, the Company operates a wholly-owned fully licensed insurance company, Ecole Insurance Company (“Ecole”), in Arizona to provide workers’ compensation coverage to our employees in Arizona.

To manage our financial exposure, in the event of catastrophic injuries or fatalities, the Company maintains excess workers’ compensation insurance through our wholly owned captive insurance company, Associated Insurance Company for Excess (“AICE”), with a per occurrence retention of $5.0 million, except in Maryland and Colorado, where our per occurrence retention is $1.0 million and $2.0 million, respectively. AICE maintains excess workers’ compensation insurance coverage with ACE Group (“ACE”), between $5.0 million and $15.0 million per occurrence, except in Maryland, where coverage with ACE is between $1.0 million and $25.0 million per occurrence, and in Colorado, where the coverage with ACE is between $2.0 million and statutory limits per occurrence. The Company continues to evaluate the financial capacity of its insurers to assess the recoverability of the related insurer receivables.

The Company has provided a total of $122.5 million and $112.4 million at June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, as an estimated future liability for unsettled workers’ compensation claims liabilities. The estimated liability for unsettled workers’ compensation claims represents management’s best estimate, which includes an evaluation of information provided by the Company’s internal claims adjusters and our third-party administrators for workers’ compensation claims coupled with management’s evaluations of historical claims development and other trends. Included in the claims liabilities are case reserve estimates for reported losses, plus additional amounts based on projections for incurred but not reported claims and anticipated increases in case reserve estimates. Also included in these estimates are amounts for unallocated loss adjustment expenses, including legal costs. These estimates are continually reviewed and adjustments to liabilities are reflected in current operating results as they become known.

In February, 2014, the Company entered into a workers’ compensation insurance arrangement with ACE to provide coverage to BBSI employees in California beginning in the first quarter of 2014. The agreement will be effective through January 2015 with the potential for annual renewals thereafter.

The arrangement, typically known as a fronted program, provides BBSI a licensed, admitted insurance carrier in California to issue policies on behalf of BBSI without the intention of transferring any of the worker’s compensation risk for the first $5.0 million per claim. The risk of loss up to the first $5.0 million per claim is retained by BBSI through an indemnity agreement. While this portion of the risk of loss remains with BBSI, ACE assumes credit risk should BBSI be unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations to ACE. ACE also bears the economic burden for all costs in excess of $5.0 million per claim. The arrangement with ACE addresses the requirements of legislation enacted in California in 2012 (Senate Bill 863) under which the Company cannot continue its self-insurance program in California beyond January 1, 2015.

During the first quarter of 2014, the Company made an initial deposit of $20.0 million into a trust account established between the Company and ACE related to the new ACE fronted insurance program. The Company began making monthly payments in April 2014 into the trust account comprised of premium costs to be set aside for the payment of future claims. The balance in the trust account as of June 30, 2014 totaled $21.9 million. The $21.9 million is included in the $34.7 million of restricted marketable securities and workers’ compensation deposits in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

Safety incentives liability

Safety incentives represent cash incentives paid to certain client companies under client service agreements for maintaining safe-work practices in order to minimize workplace injuries, thereby meeting agreed-upon loss objectives. The Company has provided $12.7 million at June 30, 2014 and $13.1 million at December 31, 2013 as an estimate of the liability for unpaid safety incentives. The incentive is based on a percentage of annual payroll and is paid annually to customers who meet predetermined workers’ compensation claims cost objectives. Safety incentive payments are made only after closure of all workers’ compensation claims incurred during the customer’s contract period. The liability is estimated and accrued each month based upon the incentive earned less the then-current amount of the customer’s estimated workers’ compensation claims reserves as established by the Company’s internal and third-party claims administrators, and the expected payout as determined by historical incentive payment trends. Safety incentive expense is netted against professional employer services revenue in our consolidated statements of operations.

Statements of cash flows

Interest paid during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 did not materially differ from interest expense. Income taxes paid by the Company during the six months ended June 30, 2014 and 2013 totaled $1.3 million and $5.9 million, respectively.

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform with the 2014 presentation. Such reclassifications had no impact on the Company’s financial condition, operating results, cash flows, working capital or stockholders’ equity.

Accounting estimates

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Estimates are used for carrying values of marketable securities, allowance for doubtful accounts, deferred income taxes, carrying values for goodwill and property and equipment, accrued workers’ compensation liabilities and safety incentive liabilities. Actual results may or may not differ from such estimates.