1. Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Epazz, Inc. (“Epazz” or the “Company”), an Illinois corporation, included herein, presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles and stated in US dollars, have been prepared by the Company, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures are adequate to not make the information presented misleading.

These statements reflect all adjustments, which in the opinion of management, are necessary for fair presentation of the information contained therein. Except as otherwise disclosed, all such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. It is suggested that these interim condensed financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2014 and notes thereto included in the Company's 10-K annual report. The Company follows the same accounting policies in the preparation of interim reports. 

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the following entities, all of which are under common control and ownership:

	State of		Abbreviated
Name of Entity(2)	Incorporation	Relationship(1)	Reference
Epazz, Inc.	Illinois	Parent	Epazz
IntelliSys, Inc.	Wisconsin	Subsidiary	IntelliSys
Professional Resource Management, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	PRMI
Desk Flex, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	DFI
K9 Bytes, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	K9 Bytes
MS Health, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	MS Health
Terran Power, Inc.(3)	Illinois	Subsidiary	Terran
Telecorp Products, Inc.	Michigan	Subsidiary	Telecorp
Jadian, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	Jadian
Strantin, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	Strand
Interaction Technology, Inc.	Illinois	Subsidiary	Inter
ZCollars, Inc.(3)	Delaware	Subsidiary	ZCollars

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⁽¹⁾ All subsidiaries, are wholly-owned subsidiaries.

⁽²⁾ All entities are in the form of Corporations.

⁽³⁾ Entity formed for prospective purposes, but has not incurred any income or expenses to date.

The condensed consolidated financial statements herein contain the operations of the wholly-owned subsidiaries listed above. All significant inter-company transactions have been eliminated in the preparation of these financial statements. The parent company, Epazz and subsidiaries, IntelliSys, PRMI, DFI, K9 Bytes, MS Health, Terran, Telecorp, Jadian, Strantin and Inter will be collectively referred to herein as the “Company”, or “Epazz”. The Company's headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois and substantially all of its customers are within the United States.

These statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, which in the opinion of management are necessary for fair presentation of the information contained therein.

Segment Reporting

FASB ASC 280-10-50 requires annual and interim reporting for an enterprise’s operating segments and related disclosures about its products, services, geographic areas and major customers. An operating segment is defined as a component of an enterprise that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and expenses, and about which separate financial information is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources. All of the Company’s software products are considered operating segments, and will be aggregated into one reportable segment given the similarities in economic characteristics among the operations represented by the common nature of the products, customers and methods of distribution.

Reclassifications

Certain amounts in the financial statements of the prior year have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of the current year for comparative purposes.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles 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 financial statements and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Under FASB ASC 820-10-05, the Financial Accounting Standards Board establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This Statement reaffirms that fair value is the relevant measurement attribute. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements as reflected herein. The carrying amounts of cash, accounts payable and accrued expenses reported on the balance sheets are estimated by management to approximate fair value primarily due to the short term nature of the instruments. The Company had debt instruments that required fair value measurement on a recurring basis.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated period of benefit of five to fifteen years. We evaluate the recoverability of intangible assets periodically and take into account events or circumstances that warrant revised estimates of useful lives or that indicate that impairment exists. All of our intangible assets are subject to amortization. No material impairments of intangible assets have been identified during any of the periods presented. Amortization expense on intangible assets totaled $78,454 and $ 111,259 for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Goodwill

The Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill during the fourth quarter of each year and between annual evaluations if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the reporting unit below its carrying amount. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to (1) a significant adverse change in legal factors or in business climate, (2) unanticipated competition, or (3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. When evaluating whether goodwill is impaired, the Company compares the fair value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is assigned to the reporting unit's carrying amount, including goodwill. The fair value of the reporting unit is estimated using a combination of the income, or discounted cash flows, approach and the market approach, which utilizes comparable companies' data. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then the amount of the impairment loss must be measured. The impairment loss would be calculated by comparing the implied fair value of reporting unit goodwill to its carrying amount. In calculating the implied fair value of reporting unit goodwill, the fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the other assets and liabilities of that unit based on their fair values. The excess of the fair value of a reporting unit over the amount assigned to its other assets and liabilities is the implied fair value of goodwill. An impairment loss would be recognized when the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value. The Company's evaluation of goodwill completed during the year resulted in impairment losses of $1,489,078 for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Beneficial Conversion Features

From time to time, the Company may issue convertible notes that may contain an imbedded beneficial conversion feature. A beneficial conversion feature exists on the date a convertible note is issued when the fair value of the underlying common stock to which the note is convertible into is in excess of the remaining unallocated proceeds of the note after first considering the allocation of a portion of the note proceeds to the fair value of warrants, if related warrants have been granted. The intrinsic value of the beneficial conversion feature is recorded as a debt discount with a corresponding amount to additional paid in capital. The debt discount is amortized to interest expense over the life of the note using the effective interest method.

Derivative Liability

The Company evaluates its convertible instruments, options, warrants or other contracts to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivatives to be separately accounted for under ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” The result of this accounting treatment is that the fair value of the derivative is marked-to-market each balance sheet date and recorded as a liability. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the statement of operations as other income (expense). Upon conversion or exercise of a derivative instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the conversion date and then that fair value is reclassified to equity. Equity instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification under ASC Topic 815 are reclassified to liabilities at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. We analyzed the derivative financial instruments (the Convertible Note and tainted Warrant), in accordance with ASC 815. The objective is to provide guidance for determining whether an equity-linked financial instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. This determination is needed for a scope exception which would enable a derivative instrument to be accounted for under the accrual method. The classification of a non-derivative instrument that falls within the scope of ASC 815-40-05 “Accounting for Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a Company’s Own Stock” also hinges on whether the instrument is indexed to an entity’s own stock. A non-derivative instrument that is not indexed to an entity’s own stock cannot be classified as equity and must be accounted for as a liability. There is a two-step approach in determining whether an instrument or embedded feature is indexed to an entity’s own stock. First, the instrument's contingent exercise provisions, if any, must be evaluated, followed by an evaluation of the instrument's settlement provisions. The Company utilized multinomial lattice models that value the derivative liability within the notes based on a probability weighted discounted cash flow model. The Company utilized the fair value standard set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, defined as the amount at which the assets (or liability) could be bought (or incurred) or sold (or settled) in a current transaction between willing parties, that is, other than in a forced or liquidation sale.

Basic and Diluted Net Earnings per Share

Basic net earnings (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net earnings (loss) applicable to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net earnings (loss) per common share is determined using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, adjusted for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, consisting of shares that might be issued upon exercise of common stock options. In periods where losses are reported, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding excludes common stock equivalents, because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. There were no outstanding potential common stock equivalents for the periods presented. As such, basic and diluted earnings per share resulted in the same figure for the nine months ending September 30, 2015 and 2014 and the three months ended September 30, 2014.

Stock-Based Compensation

Under FASB ASC 718-10-30-2, all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, are to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. Pro forma disclosure is no longer an alternative. Stock issued for services and compensation was $159,514 and $ 2,336,458 for the nine months ending September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Revenue Recognition

The Company designs and sells various software programs to business enterprises including, among others, hospitals, pet stores, and Government and post-secondary institutions. Prior to shipment, each software product is tested extensively to meet Company specifications. The software is shipped fully functional via electronic delivery, but some installation and setup is required. No other entities sell the same or largely interchangeable software.

Installation is a standard process, outlined in the owner's manual, consisting principally of setup, calibrating, and testing the software. A purchaser of the software could complete the process using the information in the owner's manual, although it would probably take significantly longer than it would take the Company’s technicians to perform the tasks. Although other vendors do not install the Company’s software, they do provide largely interchangeable installation services for a fee. Historically, the Company has never sold the software without installation. Most installations are performed by the Company within 7 to 24 days of shipment and are included in the overall sales price of the software. In addition, the customer must pay for support contracts and training packages, depending on their desired level of service. The Company is the only manufacturer of the software and it only sells software on a standalone basis directly to the end user.

The sales price of the arrangement consists of the software, installation, and training and support services, which the customer is obligated to pay in full upon delivery of the software. In addition, there are no general rights of return involved in these arrangements. Therefore, the software is accounted for as a separate unit of accounting.

The Company does not have vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price for the software because it does not sell the software separately (without installation services and support contracts). In addition, third-party evidence of selling price does not exist as no vendor separately sells the same or largely interchangeable software. Therefore, the Company uses its best estimate of selling price when allocating such arrangement consideration.

In estimating its selling price for the software, the Company considers the cost to produce the software, profit margin for similar arrangements, customer demand, effect of competitors on the Company’s software, and other market constraints. When applying the relative selling price method, the Company uses its best estimate of selling price for the software, and third-party evidence of selling price for the installation. Accordingly, without considering whether any portion of the amount allocable to the software is contingent upon delivery of the other items, the Company allocates the selling price to the software, support, and installation.

The Company doesn’t currently provide product warranties, but if it does in the future it will provide for specific product lines and accrue for estimated future warranty costs in the period in which the revenue is recognized.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-12, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period. The new guidance requires that share-based compensation that require a specific performance target to be achieved in order for employees to become eligible to vest in the awards and that could be achieved after an employee completes the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. Compensation costs should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. If the performance target becomes probable of being achieved before the end of the requisite service period, the remaining unrecognized compensation cost should be recognized prospectively over the remaining requisite service period. The total amount of compensation cost recognized during and after the requisite service period should reflect the number of awards that are expected to vest and should be adjusted to reflect those awards that ultimately vest. The requisite service period ends when the employee can cease rendering service and still be eligible to vest in the award if the performance target is achieved. This new guidance is effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments in this Update either (a) prospectively to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (b) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The adoption of ASU 2014-12 is not expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-10: Development Stage Entities (Topic 915): Elimination of Certain Financial Reporting Requirements, Including an Amendment to Variable Interest Entities Guidance in Topic 810, Consolidation, to improve financial reporting by reducing the cost and complexity associated with the incremental reporting requirements of development stage entities. The amendments in this update remove all incremental financial reporting requirements from U.S. GAAP for development stage entities, thereby improving financial reporting by eliminating the cost and complexity associated with providing that information. The amendments in this Update also eliminate an exception provided to development stage entities in Topic 810, Consolidation, for determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity on the basis of the amount of investment equity that is at risk. The amendments to eliminate that exception simplify U.S. GAAP by reducing avoidable complexity in existing accounting literature and improve the relevance of information provided to financial statement users by requiring the application of the same consolidation guidance by all reporting entities. The elimination of the exception may change the consolidation analysis, consolidation decision, and disclosure requirements for a reporting entity that has an interest in an entity in the development stage. The amendments related to the elimination of inception-to-date information and the other remaining disclosure requirements of Topic 915 should be applied retrospectively except for the clarification to Topic 275, which shall be applied prospectively. For public companies, those amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2014-10 is not expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.