Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation Nicholas Financial, Inc. (“Nicholas Financial – Canada”) is a Canadian holding company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia with several wholly-owned United States subsidiaries, including Nicholas Financial, Inc., a Florida corporation (“NFI”). The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Nicholas Financial – Canada, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and with Article 8 of Regulation S-X thereunder. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes to the consolidated financial statements required by U.S. GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to ensure the information is not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending March 31, 2020. It is suggested that these consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 28, 2019. The March 31, 2019 consolidated balance sheet included herein has been derived from the March 31, 2019 audited consolidated balance sheet included in the aforementioned Form 10-K. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP 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 period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for credit losses on finance receivables and fair value of the assets and liabilities for business combination.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition Finance receivables consist of automobile finance installment contracts (“Contracts”) and direct consumer loans (“Direct Loans”). Interest income on finance receivables is recognized using the interest method. Accrual of interest income on finance receivables is suspended when a loan is contractually delinquent for 61 days or more, or the collateral is repossessed, whichever is earlier. The Company reverses the accrual of interest income when the loan is contractually delinquent 61 days or more. As of February 2019, Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts are charged-off at the time the bankruptcy status is confirmed on the account. Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts, for which the corresponding bankruptcy plan has not been confirmed by the relevant court as of December 31, 2019 are accounted for under the cost-recovery method. Interest income on Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts does not resume until all principal amounts are recovered. A dealer discount represents the difference between the finance receivable of a Contract, and the amount of money the Company actually pays for the Contract. The discount negotiated by the Company is a function of the lender, the wholesale value of the vehicle and competition in any given market. In making decisions regarding the purchase of a particular Contract the Company considers the following factors related to the borrower: place and length of residence; current and prior job status; history in making installment payments for automobiles; current income; and credit history. In addition, the Company examines its prior experience with Contracts purchased from the dealer, and the value of the automobile in relation to the purchase price and the term of the Contract. The entire amount of discount is amortized as an adjustment to yield using the interest method over the life of the loan. The average dealer discount associated with new volume for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was 7.6% and 8.1% and 7.9% and 8.3% for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, in relation to the total amount financed. Unearned insurance and fee commissions consist primarily of commissions received from the sale of ancillary products. These products include automobile warranties, roadside assistance programs, accident and health insurance, credit life insurance, involuntary unemployment insurance coverage, and forced placed automobile insurance. These commissions are amortized over the life of the contract using the interest method.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications The Company made certain reclassifications from drafts payable to accounts payable and accrued expenses on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. A portion of net assets acquired from branches, primarily loans used in investing activities was reclassified to repossessed assets used in operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Originations of finance receivables were reclassed from the payments received the cashflows from financing activities to the purchases and originations of finance receivables. Net income and shareholders’ equity were not changed.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting update to increase transparency and comparability of accounting for lease transactions. The update required: (i) all leases to be recognized on the balance sheet as lease (right-of-use) assets and lease liabilities and (ii) both quantitative and qualitative disclosures regarding key information about leasing arrangements. The update was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company completed the implementation of third-party software to facilitate compliance with the accounting and reporting requirements of the lease standard. Prior to adoption, all of the Company’s leases were classified as operating leases, with no lease assets or liabilities recorded. The Company transitioned to this accounting change on a modified retrospective basis by recording the cumulative effect of lease assets and liabilities for active leases as of April 1, 2019. The Company did not restate comparative periods in transition and elected to use the effective date of April 1, 2019 as the initial date of transition. The Company also elected to utilize the package of transition practical expedients, which included not reassessing the following: (i) whether existing contracts contain leases, (ii) the existing classification of leases as operating or financing, or (iii) the initial direct costs of leases. The Company did not use hindsight to determine the lease term or include options to extend for leases existing at the transition date. In addition, the Company elected not to apply the new lease standard to leases with terms of twelve months or less. As a result of the adoption of the new lease standard on April 1, 2019, the Company recorded $2.7 million for both lease liabilities and the corresponding lease assets. The lease liabilities were based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments using discount rates as of the effective date. There was no impact to the consolidated statements of income related to the adoption of this standard. The adoption of this standard did not require the Company to alter its debt covenants. Reconciliation of the new accounting standard was completed in the prior quarter. In August 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2017-12 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). The guidance is intended to better align an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships. This guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The impact of the adoption of this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures was not material. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In June 2016, the FASB issued an accounting update to change the impairment model for estimating credit losses on financial assets. The current incurred loss impairment model requires the recognition of credit losses when it is probable that a loss has been incurred. The incurred loss model will be replaced by an expected loss model, which requires entities to estimate the lifetime expected credit loss on such instruments and to record an allowance to offset the amortized cost basis of the financial asset. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company believes the implementation of the accounting update will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and is in the process of quantifying the potential impacts. Recently, the FASB voted to delay the implementation date for this accounting standard, for smaller reporting companies, the new effective date is beginning after December 15, 2022, and early adoption is permitted. In August 2018, the FASB issued an accounting update to provide additional guidance on the accounting for costs of implementation activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The amendments align the capitalization requirements for hosting arrangements that are service contracts with the capitalization principles for internal-use software. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. The impact of the adoption of this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures was not material. The Company does not believe there are any other recently issued accounting standards that have not yet been adopted that will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

1. Basis of Presentation

Nicholas Financial, Inc. (“Nicholas Financial – Canada”) is a Canadian holding company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia with several wholly-owned United States subsidiaries, including Nicholas Financial, Inc., a Florida corporation (“NFI”). The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of Nicholas Financial – Canada, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and with Article 8 of Regulation S-X thereunder. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes to the consolidated financial statements required by U.S. GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to ensure the information is not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending March 31, 2020. It is suggested that these consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 28, 2019. The March 31, 2019 consolidated balance sheet included herein has been derived from the March 31, 2019 audited consolidated balance sheet included in the aforementioned Form 10-K.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP 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 period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for credit losses on finance receivables and fair value of the assets and liabilities for business combination.

Revenue Recognition

Finance receivables consist of automobile finance installment contracts (“Contracts”) and direct consumer loans (“Direct Loans”). Interest income on finance receivables is recognized using the interest method. Accrual of interest income on finance receivables is suspended when a loan is contractually delinquent for 61 days or more, or the collateral is repossessed, whichever is earlier. The Company reverses the accrual of interest income when the loan is contractually delinquent 61 days or more.

As of February 2019, Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts are charged-off at the time the bankruptcy status is confirmed on the account. Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts, for which the corresponding bankruptcy plan has not been confirmed by the relevant court as of December 31, 2019 are accounted for under the cost-recovery method. Interest income on Chapter 13 bankruptcy accounts does not resume until all principal amounts are recovered.

A dealer discount represents the difference between the finance receivable of a Contract, and the amount of money the Company actually pays for the Contract. The discount negotiated by the Company is a function of the lender, the wholesale value of the vehicle and competition in any given market. In making decisions regarding the purchase of a particular Contract the Company considers the following factors related to the borrower: place and length of residence; current and prior job status; history in making installment payments for automobiles; current income; and credit history. In addition, the Company examines its prior experience with Contracts purchased from the dealer, and the value of the automobile in relation to the purchase price and the term of the Contract.

The entire amount of discount is amortized as an adjustment to yield using the interest method over the life of the loan. The average dealer discount associated with new volume for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was 7.6% and 8.1% and 7.9% and 8.3% for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, in relation to the total amount financed.

Unearned insurance and fee commissions consist primarily of commissions received from the sale of ancillary products. These products include automobile warranties, roadside assistance programs, accident and health insurance, credit life insurance, involuntary unemployment insurance coverage, and forced placed automobile insurance. These commissions are amortized over the life of the contract using the interest method.

Reclassifications

The Company made certain reclassifications from drafts payable to accounts payable and accrued expenses on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. A portion of net assets acquired from branches, primarily loans used in investing activities was reclassified to repossessed assets used in operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Originations of finance receivables were reclassed from the payments received the cashflows from financing activities to the purchases and originations of finance receivables. Net income and shareholders’ equity were not changed.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting update to increase transparency and comparability of accounting for lease transactions. The update required: (i) all leases to be recognized on the balance sheet as lease (right-of-use) assets and lease liabilities and (ii) both quantitative and qualitative disclosures regarding key information about leasing arrangements. The update was effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company completed the implementation of third-party software to facilitate compliance with the accounting and reporting requirements of the lease standard. Prior to adoption, all of the Company’s leases were classified as operating leases, with no lease assets or liabilities recorded. The Company transitioned to this accounting change on a modified retrospective basis by recording the cumulative effect of lease assets and liabilities for active leases as of April 1, 2019. The Company did not restate comparative periods in transition and elected to use the effective date of April 1, 2019 as the initial date of transition. The Company also elected to utilize the package of transition practical expedients, which included not reassessing the following: (i) whether existing contracts contain leases, (ii) the existing classification of leases as operating or financing, or (iii) the initial direct costs of leases. The Company did not use hindsight to determine the lease term or include options to extend for leases existing at the transition date. In addition, the Company elected not to apply the new lease standard to leases with terms of twelve months or less.

As a result of the adoption of the new lease standard on April 1, 2019, the Company recorded $2.7 million for both lease liabilities and the corresponding lease assets. The lease liabilities were based on the present value of the remaining minimum rental payments using discount rates as of the effective date. There was no impact to the consolidated statements of income related to the adoption of this standard. The adoption of this standard did not require the Company to alter its debt covenants. Reconciliation of the new accounting standard was completed in the prior quarter.

In August 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2017-12 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815). The guidance is intended to better align an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships. This guidance was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The impact of the adoption of this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures was not material.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued an accounting update to change the impairment model for estimating credit losses on financial assets. The current incurred loss impairment model requires the recognition of credit losses when it is probable that a loss has been incurred. The incurred loss model will be replaced by an expected loss model, which requires entities to estimate the lifetime expected credit loss on such instruments and to record an allowance to offset the amortized cost basis of the financial asset. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company believes the implementation of the accounting update will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and is in the process of quantifying the potential impacts. Recently, the FASB voted to delay the implementation date for this accounting standard, for smaller reporting companies, the new effective date is beginning after December 15, 2022, and early adoption is permitted.

In August 2018, the FASB issued an accounting update to provide additional guidance on the accounting for costs of implementation activities performed in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The amendments align the capitalization requirements for hosting arrangements that are service contracts with the capitalization principles for internal-use software. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of this update on its consolidated financial statements. The impact of the adoption of this guidance on its Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures was not material.

The Company does not believe there are any other recently issued accounting standards that have not yet been adopted that will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.