Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Description of Business

TriNet Group, Inc. (TriNet, or the Company, we, our and us), a professional employer organization, provides comprehensive human resources solutions for small and medium-size businesses under a co-employment model. These HR solutions include multi-state payroll processing and tax administration, employee benefits programs, including health insurance and retirement plans, workers' compensation insurance and claims management, employment and benefit law compliance, and other HR-related services. Through the co-employment relationship, we are the employer of record for certain employment-related administrative and regulatory purposes for the worksite employees (WSEs), including:

•compensation through wages and salaries,

•certain employer payroll-related tax payments,

•employee payroll-related tax withholdings and payments,

•employee benefit programs, including health and life insurance, and others, and

•workers' compensation coverage.

Our clients are responsible for the day-to-day job responsibilities of the WSEs.

We operate in one reportable segment. All of our service revenues are generated from external clients. Less than 1% of our revenue is generated outside of the U.S.

Basis of Presentation

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial reporting and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X of the Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and note disclosures included in our annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, that are normal and recurring in nature, necessary for fair financial statement presentation. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results anticipated for the full year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (2020 Form 10-K).

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and related disclosures.

These estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable from the facts available to us. Some of the assumptions are highly uncertain at the time of estimation. To the extent actual experience differs from the assumptions used, our consolidated financial statements could be materially affected.

Revenue Recognition

Performance Obligations

In April 2020, we created our Recovery Credit program to assist in the economic recovery of our existing SMB clients and enhance our ability to retain these clients. Under this one-time program eligible clients will receive reductions against fees for future services, accounted for as a discount, over the following 12 months. This option to renew future services at a discount represents a material right and is accounted for as a performance obligation (Recovery Credit). This performance obligation will be satisfied when the clients have successfully renewed the services contracts and the future services are transferred. 

The consideration we receive that is allocated to this performance obligation is deferred as an unsatisfied performance obligation and is included in client deposits and other client liabilities on the balance sheet. The amount of consideration we defer each period is dependent on the timing of when eligible clients will receive the Recovery Credit, which is subject to a limit on the total amount of $145 million.

The change in the balance of the Recovery Credit unsatisfied performance obligation was as follows:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(in millions)	2021
Balance at beginning of period	$	92
(+) Accruals	12
(-) Distributions to clients	(27)
Balance at end of period	$	77

Variable Consideration and Pricing Allocation

Our contracts with clients generally do not include any variable consideration. However, from time to time, we may offer credits to our clients considered to be variable consideration. Incentive credits related to contract renewals are recorded as a reduction to revenue as part of the transaction price at contract inception and are allocated among the performance obligations based on their relative standalone selling prices. Credits based on the performance of our insurance costs are recorded as a reduction to insurance services revenues and included in client deposits and other client liabilities on the balance sheet. In the three months ended March 31, 2021, we accrued $25 million under our 2021 Credit Program, payable within 12 months to eligible clients as of March 31, 2021, related to the expected performance of our health insurance costs for the year.

Accrued Health Insurance Costs

We sponsor and administer a number of employee benefit plans, including group health, dental, and vision as an employer plan sponsor under section 3(5) of the ERISA. In the three months ended March 31, 2021, a majority of our group health insurance costs related to risk-based plans. Our remaining group health insurance costs were for guaranteed-cost policies.

Accrued health insurance costs are established to provide for the estimated unpaid costs of reimbursing the carriers for paying claims within the deductible layer in accordance with risk-based health insurance policies. These accrued costs include estimates for reported losses, plus estimates for claims incurred but not paid. We assess accrued health insurance costs regularly based upon external actuarial studies that include other relevant factors such as current and historical claims payment patterns, plan enrollment and medical trend rates.

In certain carrier contracts we are required to prepay the expected claims activity for subsequent periods. These prepaid balances by agreement permit net settlement of obligations and offset the accrued health insurance costs. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, prepayments and miscellaneous receivables offsetting accrued health insurance costs were $52 million and $49 million, respectively. When the prepaid amount is in excess of our recorded liability the net asset position is included in prepaid expenses. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, accrued health insurance costs offsetting prepaid expenses were $70 million and $58 million, respectively.