Income Taxes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2025

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

Our tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimated annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items arising in that quarter, including excess tax benefits or shortfall tax expenses from share-based compensation and changes in unrecognized tax benefits. In each quarter, we update the estimated annual effective tax rate and make a year-to-date adjustment to the provision. The estimated annual effective tax rate is subject to significant volatility due to several factors, including our ability to accurately predict the proportion of our income (loss) before provision for income taxes in multiple jurisdictions, the U.S. tax benefits from foreign derived intangible income, and the effects of tax law changes.

Our gross unrecognized tax benefits were $16.78 billion and $15.13 billion as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. These unrecognized tax benefits primarily related to the uncertainties with our research tax credits and transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries, which include licensing of intellectual property, providing services and other transactions. If the gross unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2025 were realized in a future period, this would result in a tax benefit of $10.98 billion within our provision for income taxes at such time. The amount of interest and penalties accrued was $2.60 billion and $2.21 billion as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. We expect to continue to accrue unrecognized tax benefits for certain recurring tax positions.

Facebook, Inc. v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue

In July 2016, we received a Statutory Notice of Deficiency (Notice) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) related to transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries in conjunction with the examination of the 2010 tax year. While the Notice applies only to the 2010 tax year, the IRS stated that it will also apply its position for tax years subsequent to 2010 and has done so in years covered by the second Notice described below. We did not agree with the position of the IRS and filed a petition in the Tax Court challenging the Notice (Facebook, Inc. v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue (2010 tax year)). On January 15, 2020, the IRS's amendment to answer was filed stating that it planned to assert at trial an adjustment that is higher than the adjustment stated in the Notice. The first session of the trial was completed in March 2020 and the final trial session was completed in August 2022.

In March 2018, we received a second Notice from the IRS in conjunction with the examination of our 2011 through 2013 tax years. The IRS applied its position from the 2010 tax year to each of these years and also proposed new adjustments related to other transfer pricing with our foreign subsidiaries and certain tax credits that we claimed. We do not agree with the positions of the IRS in the second Notice and have filed a petition in the Tax Court challenging the second Notice (Facebook, Inc. v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue (2011-2013 tax years)).

On May 22, 2025, the Tax Court issued its opinion in Facebook, Inc. v. Comm'r of Internal Revenue (2010 tax year). The Tax Court opinion provided a value of $7.79 billion for the intellectual property transferred to our international subsidiary, which is $1.48 billion higher than we reported. We estimated the net tax effects based on the revised value, and our provision for income taxes increased due to the remeasurement of unrecognized tax benefits. The Tax Court will review tax estimates submitted by both parties and determine the tax due in its forthcoming Tax Court decision. We will reassess any remeasurement of unrecognized tax benefits in the period in which the Tax Court decision is entered. At that time, we and the IRS will each have the option to file an appeal to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.