1. THE COMPANY AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Company

NIC is a leading provider of eGovernment services that helps governments use the Internet to reduce internal costs, increase efficiencies and provide a higher level of service to businesses and citizens. The Company accomplishes this currently through two channels: its primary outsourced portal businesses and its software & services businesses.

In its primary outsourced portal businesses, the Company generally designs, builds, and operates Internet-based portals on an enterprise-wide basis on behalf of state and local governments desiring to provide access to government information and to complete secure government-based transactions through multiple online channels, including mobile devices. These portals consist of websites and applications the Company has built that allow businesses and citizens to access government information online and complete transactions, such as applying for a permit, retrieving government records, or filing a government-mandated form or report. Operating under multiple-year contracts (see Note 2), NIC markets the services and solicits users to complete government-based transactions and to enter into subscriber contracts permitting users to access the portal and the government information contained therein in exchange for transactional and/or subscription user fees. The Company typically manages operations for each contractual relationship through separate local subsidiaries that operate as decentralized businesses with a high degree of autonomy. NIC’s self-funded business model allows the Company to generate revenues by sharing in the fees the Company collects from eGovernment transactions. The Company’s government partners benefit through reducing their financial and technology risks, increasing their operational efficiencies, and gaining a centralized, customer-focused presence on the Internet, while businesses and citizens receive a faster, more convenient, and more cost-effective means to interact with governments. The Company is typically responsible for funding up-front investment and ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the outsourced government portals.

The Company’s software & services businesses primarily include its subsidiaries that provide software development and services, other than enterprise-wide outsourced portal services, to state and local governments as well as federal agencies (see Note 2).

Basis of presentation

The Company classifies its revenues and cost of revenues into two categories: (1) portal and (2) software & services. The portal category generally includes revenues and cost of revenues from the Company’s subsidiaries operating enterprise-wide outsourced portals on behalf of state and local governments. The software & services category primarily includes revenues and cost of revenues from the Company’s subsidiaries that provide software development and services, other than enterprise-wide outsourced portal services, to state and local governments as well as federal agencies. The primary categories of operating expenses include: cost of portal revenues, cost of software & services revenues, selling & administrative, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, and depreciation & amortization. Cost of portal revenues consists of all direct costs associated with operating government portals on an outsourced basis including employee compensation (including stock-based compensation), subcontractor labor costs, telecommunications, fees required to process credit/debit card and automated clearinghouse transactions, and all other costs associated with the provision of dedicated client service such as dedicated facilities. For the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2013, cost of portal revenues also includes a non-cash pre-tax charge of approximately $5.1 million (approximately $0.05 per share on an after-tax basis) to write-off accounts receivable due from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for eGovernment services provided from January 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013, as further discussed below. Cost of software & services revenues consists of all direct project costs to provide software development and services such as employee compensation (including stock-based compensation), subcontractor labor costs, and all other direct project costs including hardware, software, materials, travel and other out-of-pocket expenses. Selling & administrative costs consist primarily of corporate-level expenses relating to human resource management, administration, information technology, security, legal, finance and accounting, internal audit and all costs of non-customer service personnel from the Company’s software & services businesses, including information systems and office rent. Selling & administrative costs also consist of stock-based compensation and corporate-level expenses for market development and public relations. In addition, selling & administrative costs include legal fees and other third-party costs, net of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance received, incurred in connection with the previously disclosed SEC matter (see Note 5).

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the 2013 presentation.

Trade accounts receivable

The Company records trade accounts receivable at net realizable value. This value includes an appropriate allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts. The Company calculates this allowance based on its history of write-offs, the level of past-due accounts, and its relationship with, and the economic status of, its customers. Trade accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of receivables previously written off are recorded when received.

As previously disclosed in prior filings with the SEC, the Company had not collected amounts due from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the “Commonwealth”) totaling approximately $5.1 million for eGovernment services provided by the Company’s subsidiary, Pennsylvania Interactive, LLC, from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013. At June 30, 2013, the Company believed these amounts were fully collectible based upon legal review and preliminary discussions with Commonwealth administration officials. Due to the preliminary nature of those discussions, the Company was unable to estimate the amount or range of amounts, if any, that it would not be able to collect from the Commonwealth, as of June 30, 2013. On September 9, 2013, the Company filed a Form 8-K with the SEC disclosing that, due to certain developments, including further discussions with Commonwealth officials, on September 6, 2013, the Company elected not to pursue collection of outstanding accounts receivable from the Commonwealth and recorded a non-cash pre-tax charge of approximately $5.1 million (approximately $0.05 per share on an after-tax basis) in the third quarter of 2013 to write-off amounts due from the Commonwealth through June 30, 2013. The charge is included in cost of portal revenues of the Company’s Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Income for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2013. The Company continues to provide eGovernment services under the contract with the Commonwealth, but will not recognize revenues under the contract subsequent to June 30, 2013 until the contract becomes self-funded, which occurred in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts at both September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012 was $0.6 million.

Earnings per share

Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are considered participating securities and are included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method for all periods presented. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that treats a participating security as having rights to undistributed earnings that would otherwise have been available to common stockholders. The Company’s service-based restricted stock awards contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and are considered participating securities. Accordingly, service-based restricted stock awards were included in the calculation of earnings per share using the two-class method for all periods presented. Unvested service-based restricted shares totaled approximately 0.7 million at both September 30, 2013 and 2012. Basic earnings per share is calculated by first allocating earnings between common stockholders and participating securities. Earnings attributable to common stockholders are divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated by giving effect to dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. The dilutive effect of shares related to the Company’s employee stock purchase plan is determined based on the treasury stock method. The dilutive effect of service-based restricted stock awards is based on the more dilutive of the treasury stock method or the two-class method assuming a reallocation of undistributed earnings to common stockholders after considering the dilutive effect of potential common shares other than the participating unvested restricted stock awards. The dilutive effect of performance-based restricted stock awards is based on the treasury stock method.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):

	Three months ended						Nine months ended
	September 30,						September 30,
	2013			2012			2013			2012
Numerator:
Net income	$	5,093		$	5,995		$	25,857		$	17,716
Less: Income allocated to participating securities		(47	)		(62	)		(271	)		(214	)
Net income available to common stockholders	$	5,046		$	5,933		$	25,586		$	17,502
Denominator:
Weighted average shares - basic		64,961			64,586			64,854			64,458
Performance-based restricted stock awards		8			18			7			17
Weighted average shares - diluted		64,969			64,604			64,861			64,475

Basic net income per share:
Net income	$	0.08		$	0.09		$	0.39		$	0.27

Diluted net income per share:
Net income	$	0.08		$	0.09		$	0.39		$	0.27

Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and accounts receivable. The Company limits its exposure to credit loss by depositing its cash with high credit quality financial institutions. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) provides deposit insurance coverage up to $250,000 per depositor for deposit accounts at each FDIC-insured depository institution. At September 30, 2013, the amount of cash covered by FDIC deposit insurance was approximately $9.8 million, and approximately $81.1 million of cash was above the FDIC deposit insurance limit. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally requires no collateral to secure accounts receivable.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new guidance regarding the financial statement presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit (“UTB”) when a net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. The new guidance requires that an entity must present a UTB, or a portion of a UTB, in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for an NOL carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward except when certain conditions exist. The new guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2014. The guidance must be applied to all UTBs that exist as of the effective date and may be applied retrospectively to prior reporting periods presented. The Company is currently evaluating the requirements of this new guidance and has not yet determined the impact, if any, that such new guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.