BASIS OF PRESENTATION	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
BASIS OF PRESENTATION	BASIS OF PRESENTATION The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements ("financial statements") of EPAM Systems, Inc. (the “Company” or “EPAM”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and Article 10 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The accompanying unaudited financial statements are prepared in thousands, except share and per share amounts, and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements (and notes thereto) for the year ended December 31, 2013. In the Company’s opinion, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the accompanying financial statements have been included, and all adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected to occur for the entire year. EPAM is a leading provider of complex software engineering solutions and a leader in Central and Eastern European (“CEE”) information technology (“IT”) services delivery. The Company provides these solutions primarily to Fortune Global 2000 companies in multiple verticals, including Independent Software Vendors (“ISVs”) and Technology, Banking and Financial Services, Business Information and Media, and Travel and Consumer. Since EPAM’s inception in 1993, the Company has focused on providing software product development services, software engineering and vertically-oriented custom development solutions through its global delivery model. This has served as a foundation for the Company’s other solutions, including custom application development, application testing, platform-based solutions, application maintenance and support, and infrastructure management. The Company is incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Newtown, PA, with multiple delivery centers located in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, China, Armenia and Poland, and client management locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Australia. Emerging growth company status — In April 2012, several weeks after EPAM’s initial public offering in February 2012, President Obama signed into law the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). The JOBS Act contains provisions that relax certain requirements for “emerging growth companies” that otherwise apply to larger public companies. For as long as a company retains emerging growth company status, it will not be required to (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, otherwise required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (2) comply with any new or revised financial accounting standard applicable to public companies until such standard is also applicable to private companies, (3) comply with certain new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, (4) provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public companies or (5) hold shareholder advisory votes on matters relating to executive compensation. EPAM is currently classified as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act and is eligible to take advantage of the accommodations described above for as long as it retains this status. As of the end of the current fiscal year, EPAM's filing status will change to large accelerated filer and EPAM will no longer meet the eligibility requirements under the JOBS Act as of January 1, 2015. While EPAM is classified as an emerging growth company, it has elected not to take advantage of the transition period described in (2) above, which is the exemption provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case as amended by the JOBS Act) for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards. EPAM will therefore comply with new or revised financial accounting standards to the same extent that a non-emerging growth company is required to comply with such standards. Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience, knowledge of current conditions and its beliefs of what could occur in the future, given available information. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and such differences may be material to the financial statements. Revenue Recognition — The Company recognizes revenue when realized or realizable and earned, which is when the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred; the sales price is fixed or determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. Determining whether and when some of these criteria have been satisfied often involves assumptions and judgments that can have a significant impact on the timing and amount of revenue we report. If there is an uncertainty about the project completion or receipt of payment for the consulting services, revenues are deferred until the uncertainty is sufficiently resolved. At the time revenues are recognized, the Company provides for any contractual deductions and reduces revenues accordingly. The Company defers amounts billed to its clients for revenues not yet earned. Such amounts are anticipated to be recorded as revenues as services are performed in subsequent periods. Unbilled revenues represent services provided which are billed subsequent to the period end in accordance with the contract terms. The Company derives its revenues from a variety of service offerings, which represent specific competencies of its IT professionals. Contracts for these services have different terms and conditions based on the scope, deliverables, and complexity of the engagement, which require management to make judgments and estimates in determining appropriate revenue recognition pattern. Fees for these contracts may be in the form of time-and-materials or fixed-price arrangements. From time to time, the Company enters into multiple element arrangements with its customers. In the vast majority of cases such multiple-element arrangements represent fixed-priced arrangements to develop a customized IT solution to meet the customer’s needs combined with warranty support over a specified period of time in the future, to which it refers to as the “warranty period.” Typically, the Company’s customers retain full intellectual property (IP) rights to the results of its services, and the software element created in lieu of such services is no more than incidental to any of the service deliverables, as defined in accordance with ASC 985-605-15-13. For such arrangements the Company follows the guidance set forth in ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition – Multiple Element Arrangements, as to whether multiple deliverables exist, how the arrangement should be separated, and how the consideration should be allocated. The Company recognizes revenues related to the delivered services only if all revenue recognition criteria are met and the delivered element has a standalone value to the customer and allocates total consideration among the deliverables based on their relative selling prices. Revenues related to the software development services are recognized under the proportional performance method, as described above, while warranty support services are recognized on a straight-line basis over the warranty period. The warranty period is generally three months to two years. The Company reports gross reimbursable “out-of-pocket” expenses incurred as both revenues and cost of revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The Company makes significant assumptions about fair values of its financial instruments. Fair value is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The Company utilizes the following fair value hierarchy in determining fair values: Level 1 — Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets. Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices within Level 1 that are observable either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices in markets that are not active, quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, and observable inputs other than quoted prices such as interest rates or yield curves. Level 3 — Unobservable inputs reflecting our view about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Where the fair values of financial assets and liabilities recorded in the consolidated balance sheets cannot be derived from an active market, they are determined using a variety of valuation techniques. These valuation techniques include a net present value technique, comparison to similar instruments with market observable inputs, options pricing models and other relevant valuation models. Inputs into these models are taken from observable market data whenever possible, but in instances where it is not reasonably feasible, a degree of judgment is required to establish fair values. Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured At Fair Value on a Recurring Basis The Company had no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, other than contingent liabilities in connection with the acquisitions of businesses. At September 30, 2014, contingent liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis comprised contingent consideration payable in cash and stock, and performance-based awards issued to certain former owners of the acquired businesses in exchange for future services. The Company estimates the fair value of contingent liabilities based on certain performance milestones of the acquired businesses, and estimated probabilities of achievement, then discounts the liabilities to present value using the Company’s cost of debt for the cash component of contingent consideration, and risk free rate for the stock component of a contractual contingency. Contingent liabilities are valued using significant inputs that are not observable in the market which are defined as Level 3 inputs pursuant to fair value measurement accounting. The Company believes its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, however, there is significant judgment involved. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities primarily result from changes in the timing and amount of specific milestone estimates and changes in probability assumptions with respect to the likelihood of achieving the various earnout criteria. These changes could cause a material impact to, and volatility in the Company’s operating results. See Note 4 for contingent liabilities activity. Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured At Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis The amounts of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, with the exceptions of employee housing loans and other employee loans described further herein, approximate fair value because of their short-term maturities. Employee Housing Loans — The housing loans were classified as Level 3 measurements within the fair value hierarchy because they were valued using significant unobservable inputs. The estimated fair value of these housing loans upon initial recognition was computed by projecting the future contractual cash flows to be received from the loans and discounting those projected net cash flows to a present value, which is the estimated fair value (the “Income Approach”). In applying the Income Approach, the Company analyzed similar loans offered by third-party financial institutions in Belarusian Rubles (“BYR”) and adjusted the interest rates charged on such loans to exclude the effects of underlying economic factors, such as inflation and currency devaluation. The Company also assessed the probability of future defaults and associated cash flows impact. In addition, the Company separately analyzed the rate of return that market participants in Belarus would require when investing in unsecured USD-denominated government bonds with similar maturities (a “risk-free rate”) and evaluated a risk premium component to compensate the market participants for the credit and liquidity risks inherent in the loans’ cash flows. As a result of the analysis performed, the Company determined the carrying values of the housing loans issued during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 approximated their fair values upon initial recognition. The Company also estimated the fair values of the housing loans that were outstanding as of September 30, 2014 using the inputs noted above and determined their fair values approximated the carrying values as of that date. Employee Loans, Other — The Company also issues short-term non-interest bearing relocation loans and other employee loans. These loans are considered Level 3 measurements. The Company’s Level 3, unobservable inputs reflect its assumptions about the factors that market participants use in pricing similar receivables, and are based on the best information available in the circumstances. Due to the short-term nature of employee loans (i.e., the relatively short time between the origination of the instrument and its expected realization), the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value. As of September 30, 2014, the carrying values of these employee loans approximated their fair values. Business Combinations — The Company accounts for its business combinations using the acquisition accounting method, which requires it to determine the fair value of net assets acquired and the related goodwill and other intangible assets. The Company identifies and attributes fair values and estimated lives to the intangible assets acquired and allocates the total cost of an acquisition to the underlying net assets based on their respective estimated fair values. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and involves the use of significant estimates, including projections of future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset lives and market multiples. There are different valuation models for each component, the selection of which requires considerable judgment. These determinations will affect the amount of amortization expense recognized in future periods. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes are reasonable, but recognizes that the assumptions are inherently uncertain. If initial accounting for the business combination has not been completed by the end of the reporting period in which the business combination occurs, provisional amounts are reported for which the accounting is incomplete, with retrospective adjustment made to such provisional amounts during the measurement period to present new information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date. Once the measurement period ends, and in no case beyond one year from the acquisition date, revisions of the accounting for the business combination are recorded in earnings. All acquisition-related costs, other than the costs to issue debt or equity securities, are accounted for as expenses in the period in which they are incurred. Changes in fair value of contingent consideration arrangements that are not measurement period adjustments are recognized in earnings. Payments to settle contingent consideration, if any, are reflected in cash flows from financing activities and the changes in fair value are reflected in cash flows from operating activities in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company’s acquisitions usually do not have significant amounts of tangible assets, as the principal assets typically acquired are customer relationships, trade names, non-competition agreements, and workforce. As a result, a substantial portion of the purchase price is allocated to goodwill and other intangible assets. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets — Goodwill and intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are treated consistently with ASC 350. They are tested annually for impairment and are not amortized. Intangible assets that have finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. When facts and circumstances indicate potential impairment of amortizable intangible assets, the Company evaluates the recoverability of the asset’s carrying value, using estimates of undiscounted future cash flows that utilize a discount rate determined by its management to be commensurate with the risk inherent in the Company’s business model over the remaining asset life. The estimates of future cash flows attributable to intangible assets require significant judgment based on the Company’s historical and anticipated results. Any impairment loss is measured by the excess of carrying value over fair value. Stock-Based Compensation — Equity-based compensation cost relating to the issuance of share-based awards to employees is based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant, which is expensed ratably over the requisite service period, net of estimated forfeitures. The forfeiture assumption is ultimately adjusted to the actual forfeiture rate. Therefore, changes in the forfeiture assumptions may affect the timing of the total amount of expense recognized over the vesting period. The service period is the period over which the employee performs the related services, which is normally the same as the vesting period. Equity-based awards that do not require future service are expensed immediately. Equity-based awards that do not meet criteria for equity classification are recorded in liabilities and adjusted to fair value at the end of each reporting period. Distributions associated with liability-classified awards not expected to vest are accounted for as compensation expense in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Off-Balance Sheet Financial Instruments — Include credit instruments, such as commitments to make employee loans and related guarantees, standby letters of credit and guarantees issued under customer contracts. The face amount for these items represents the exposure to loss, before considering available collateral or the borrower’s ability to repay. Such financial instruments are recorded when they are funded. Loss contingencies arising from off-balance sheet credit exposures are recorded as liabilities when the likelihood of loss is probable and an amount or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company does not believe there are such matters that will have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements ("financial statements") of EPAM Systems, Inc. (the “Company” or “EPAM”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and Article 10 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The accompanying unaudited financial statements are prepared in thousands, except share and per share amounts, and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements (and notes thereto) for the year ended December 31, 2013. In the Company’s opinion, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the accompanying financial statements have been included, and all adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected to occur for the entire year.

EPAM is a leading provider of complex software engineering solutions and a leader in Central and Eastern European (“CEE”) information technology (“IT”) services delivery. The Company provides these solutions primarily to Fortune Global 2000 companies in multiple verticals, including Independent Software Vendors (“ISVs”) and Technology, Banking and Financial Services, Business Information and Media, and Travel and Consumer.

Since EPAM’s inception in 1993, the Company has focused on providing software product development services, software engineering and vertically-oriented custom development solutions through its global delivery model. This has served as a foundation for the Company’s other solutions, including custom application development, application testing, platform-based solutions, application maintenance and support, and infrastructure management.

The Company is incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Newtown, PA, with multiple delivery centers located in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, China, Armenia and Poland, and client management locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Russia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Australia.

Emerging growth company status — In April 2012, several weeks after EPAM’s initial public offering in February 2012, President Obama signed into law the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). The JOBS Act contains provisions that relax certain requirements for “emerging growth companies” that otherwise apply to larger public companies. For as long as a company retains emerging growth company status, it will not be required to (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, otherwise required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (2) comply with any new or revised financial accounting standard applicable to public companies until such standard is also applicable to private companies, (3) comply with certain new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, (4) provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger public companies or (5) hold shareholder advisory votes on matters relating to executive compensation.

EPAM is currently classified as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act and is eligible to take advantage of the accommodations described above for as long as it retains this status. As of the end of the current fiscal year, EPAM's filing status will change to large accelerated filer and EPAM will no longer meet the eligibility requirements under the JOBS Act as of January 1, 2015. While EPAM is classified as an emerging growth company, it has elected not to take advantage of the transition period described in (2) above, which is the exemption provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (in each case as amended by the JOBS Act) for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards. EPAM will therefore comply with new or revised financial accounting standards to the same extent that a non-emerging growth company is required to comply with such standards.

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience, knowledge of current conditions and its beliefs of what could occur in the future, given available information. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and such differences may be material to the financial statements.

Revenue Recognition — The Company recognizes revenue when realized or realizable and earned, which is when the following criteria are met: persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; delivery has occurred; the sales price is fixed or determinable; and collectability is reasonably assured. Determining whether and when some of these criteria have been satisfied often involves assumptions and judgments that can have a significant impact on the timing and amount of revenue we report. If there is an uncertainty about the project completion or receipt of payment for the consulting services, revenues are deferred until the uncertainty is sufficiently resolved. At the time revenues are recognized, the Company provides for any contractual deductions and reduces revenues accordingly. The Company defers amounts billed to its clients for revenues not yet earned. Such amounts are anticipated to be recorded as revenues as services are performed in subsequent periods. Unbilled revenues represent services provided which are billed subsequent to the period end in accordance with the contract terms.

The Company derives its revenues from a variety of service offerings, which represent specific competencies of its IT professionals. Contracts for these services have different terms and conditions based on the scope, deliverables, and complexity of the engagement, which require management to make judgments and estimates in determining appropriate revenue recognition pattern. Fees for these contracts may be in the form of time-and-materials or fixed-price arrangements.

From time to time, the Company enters into multiple element arrangements with its customers. In the vast majority of cases such multiple-element arrangements represent fixed-priced arrangements to develop a customized IT solution to meet the customer’s needs combined with warranty support over a specified period of time in the future, to which it refers to as the “warranty period.” Typically, the Company’s customers retain full intellectual property (IP) rights to the results of its services, and the software element created in lieu of such services is no more than incidental to any of the service deliverables, as defined in accordance with ASC 985-605-15-13. For such arrangements the Company follows the guidance set forth in ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition – Multiple Element Arrangements, as to whether multiple deliverables exist, how the arrangement should be separated, and how the consideration should be allocated. The Company recognizes revenues related to the delivered services only if all revenue recognition criteria are met and the delivered element has a standalone value to the customer and allocates total consideration among the deliverables based on their relative selling prices. Revenues related to the software development services are recognized under the proportional performance method, as described above, while warranty support services are recognized on a straight-line basis over the warranty period. The warranty period is generally three months to two years.

The Company reports gross reimbursable “out-of-pocket” expenses incurred as both revenues and cost of revenues in the condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The Company makes significant assumptions about fair values of its financial instruments. Fair value is determined based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The Company utilizes the following fair value hierarchy in determining fair values:

Level 1 — Quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices within Level 1 that are observable either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices in markets that are not active, quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, and observable inputs other than quoted prices such as interest rates or yield curves.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs reflecting our view about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

Where the fair values of financial assets and liabilities recorded in the consolidated balance sheets cannot be derived from an active market, they are determined using a variety of valuation techniques. These valuation techniques include a net present value technique, comparison to similar instruments with market observable inputs, options pricing models and other relevant valuation models. Inputs into these models are taken from observable market data whenever possible, but in instances where it is not reasonably feasible, a degree of judgment is required to establish fair values.

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured At Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The Company had no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, other than contingent liabilities in connection with the acquisitions of businesses.

At September 30, 2014, contingent liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis comprised contingent consideration payable in cash and stock, and performance-based awards issued to certain former owners of the acquired businesses in exchange for future services.

The Company estimates the fair value of contingent liabilities based on certain performance milestones of the acquired businesses, and estimated probabilities of achievement, then discounts the liabilities to present value using the Company’s cost of debt for the cash component of contingent consideration, and risk free rate for the stock component of a contractual contingency. Contingent liabilities are valued using significant inputs that are not observable in the market which are defined as Level 3 inputs pursuant to fair value measurement accounting. The Company believes its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, however, there is significant judgment involved. Changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities primarily result from changes in the timing and amount of specific milestone estimates and changes in probability assumptions with respect to the likelihood of achieving the various earnout criteria. These changes could cause a material impact to, and volatility in the Company’s operating results. See Note 4 for contingent liabilities activity.

Financial Assets and Liabilities Measured At Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis

The amounts of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, with the exceptions of employee housing loans and other employee loans described further herein, approximate fair value because of their short-term maturities.

Employee Housing Loans — The housing loans were classified as Level 3 measurements within the fair value hierarchy because they were valued using significant unobservable inputs. The estimated fair value of these housing loans upon initial recognition was computed by projecting the future contractual cash flows to be received from the loans and discounting those projected net cash flows to a present value, which is the estimated fair value (the “Income Approach”). In applying the Income Approach, the Company analyzed similar loans offered by third-party financial institutions in Belarusian Rubles (“BYR”) and adjusted the interest rates charged on such loans to exclude the effects of underlying economic factors, such as inflation and currency devaluation. The Company also assessed the probability of future defaults and associated cash flows impact. In addition, the Company separately analyzed the rate of return that market participants in Belarus would require when investing in unsecured USD-denominated government bonds with similar maturities (a “risk-free rate”) and evaluated a risk premium component to compensate the market participants for the credit and liquidity risks inherent in the loans’ cash flows. As a result of the analysis performed, the Company determined the carrying values of the housing loans issued during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 approximated their fair values upon initial recognition. The Company also estimated the fair values of the housing loans that were outstanding as of September 30, 2014 using the inputs noted above and determined their fair values approximated the carrying values as of that date.

Employee Loans, Other — The Company also issues short-term non-interest bearing relocation loans and other employee loans. These loans are considered Level 3 measurements. The Company’s Level 3, unobservable inputs reflect its assumptions about the factors that market participants use in pricing similar receivables, and are based on the best information available in the circumstances. Due to the short-term nature of employee loans (i.e., the relatively short time between the origination of the instrument and its expected realization), the carrying amount is a reasonable estimate of fair value. As of September 30, 2014, the carrying values of these employee loans approximated their fair values.

Business Combinations — The Company accounts for its business combinations using the acquisition accounting method, which requires it to determine the fair value of net assets acquired and the related goodwill and other intangible assets. The Company identifies and attributes fair values and estimated lives to the intangible assets acquired and allocates the total cost of an acquisition to the underlying net assets based on their respective estimated fair values. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and involves the use of significant estimates, including projections of future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset lives and market multiples. There are different valuation models for each component, the selection of which requires considerable judgment. These determinations will affect the amount of amortization expense recognized in future periods. The Company bases its fair value estimates on assumptions it believes are reasonable, but recognizes that the assumptions are inherently uncertain.

If initial accounting for the business combination has not been completed by the end of the reporting period in which the business combination occurs, provisional amounts are reported for which the accounting is incomplete, with retrospective adjustment made to such provisional amounts during the measurement period to present new information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date. Once the measurement period ends, and in no case beyond one year from the acquisition date, revisions of the accounting for the business combination are recorded in earnings.

All acquisition-related costs, other than the costs to issue debt or equity securities, are accounted for as expenses in the period in which they are incurred. Changes in fair value of contingent consideration arrangements that are not measurement period adjustments are recognized in earnings. Payments to settle contingent consideration, if any, are reflected in cash flows from financing activities and the changes in fair value are reflected in cash flows from operating activities in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

The Company’s acquisitions usually do not have significant amounts of tangible assets, as the principal assets typically acquired are customer relationships, trade names, non-competition agreements, and workforce. As a result, a substantial portion of the purchase price is allocated to goodwill and other intangible assets.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets — Goodwill and intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are treated consistently with ASC 350. They are tested annually for impairment and are not amortized.

Intangible assets that have finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. When facts and circumstances indicate potential impairment of amortizable intangible assets, the Company evaluates the recoverability of the asset’s carrying value, using estimates of undiscounted future cash flows that utilize a discount rate determined by its management to be commensurate with the risk inherent in the Company’s business model over the remaining asset life. The estimates of future cash flows attributable to intangible assets require significant judgment based on the Company’s historical and anticipated results. Any impairment loss is measured by the excess of carrying value over fair value.

Stock-Based Compensation — Equity-based compensation cost relating to the issuance of share-based awards to employees is based on the fair value of the award at the date of grant, which is expensed ratably over the requisite service period, net of estimated forfeitures. The forfeiture assumption is ultimately adjusted to the actual forfeiture rate. Therefore, changes in the forfeiture assumptions may affect the timing of the total amount of expense recognized over the vesting period. The service period is the period over which the employee performs the related services, which is normally the same as the vesting period. Equity-based awards that do not require future service are expensed immediately. Equity-based awards that do not meet criteria for equity classification are recorded in liabilities and adjusted to fair value at the end of each reporting period. Distributions associated with liability-classified awards not expected to vest are accounted for as compensation expense in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

Off-Balance Sheet Financial Instruments — Include credit instruments, such as commitments to make employee loans and related guarantees, standby letters of credit and guarantees issued under customer contracts. The face amount for these items represents the exposure to loss, before considering available collateral or the borrower’s ability to repay. Such financial instruments are recorded when they are funded. Loss contingencies arising from off-balance sheet credit exposures are recorded as liabilities when the likelihood of loss is probable and an amount or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company does not believe there are such matters that will have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.