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Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Description of Business
RingCentral, Inc. (the “Company”) is an agentic voice AI–powered cloud business communication services provider, delivering an integrated platform for business phone, SMS, contact center, workforce engagement management, video collaboration, and messaging. The Company was incorporated in California in 1999 and was reincorporated in Delaware on September 26, 2013.
Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the consolidated accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
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, 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. The significant estimates made by management affect revenues, the allowance for doubtful accounts, deferred and prepaid sales commission costs, goodwill, useful lives of intangible assets, share-based compensation, capitalization of internally developed software, return reserves, derivative instruments, provision for income taxes, uncertain tax positions, change in the fair value of contingent consideration, loss contingencies, sales tax liabilities and accrued liabilities. Management periodically evaluates these estimates and will make adjustments prospectively based upon the results of such periodic evaluations. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Foreign Currency
The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is generally the local currency. Adjustments resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars are recorded as part of a separate component of stockholders’ equity and reported in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in net loss for the period. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at fair value.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, a portion of revenues were realized from credit card transactions while the remaining revenues generated accounts receivable. The Company determines provisions based on historical loss patterns, the number of days that billings are past due, and an evaluation of the potential risk of loss associated with delinquent accounts.
Below is a summary of the changes in allowance for doubtful accounts for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):
Balance at
beginning of
year
Provision,
net of
recoveries
Write-offsBalance at
end of
year
Year ended December 31, 2025
Allowance for doubtful accounts$15,131 $17,470 $14,510 $18,091 
Year ended December 31, 2024
Allowance for doubtful accounts$12,472 $8,667 $6,008 $15,131 
Year ended December 31, 2023
Allowance for doubtful accounts$9,581 $6,852 $3,961 $12,472 
Derivative Instruments and Hedging
The Company measures its derivative financial instruments at fair value and recognizes them as assets and liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company records changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges in other comprehensive income (loss). When a hedged transaction affects earnings, the Company subsequently reclassifies the net derivative gain or loss within earnings into the same line as the hedged item on the Consolidated Statements of Operations to offset the changes in the hedged transaction.
The cash flow effects related to derivative financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges are included within operating activities on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
Internal-Use Software Development Costs
The Company capitalizes qualifying internal-use software development costs that are incurred during the application development stage, provided that management with the relevant authority authorizes and commits to the funding of the project, it is probable the project will be completed, and the software will be used to perform the function intended. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Capitalized internal-use software development costs are included in property and equipment and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company capitalized $62.8 million and $59.3 million, net of impairment, of internal-use software development costs, respectively. The carrying value of internal-use software development costs was $138.2 million and $135.2 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Property and Equipment, net
Property and equipment, net is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of those assets as follows:
Computer hardware and software
3 to 5 years
Internal-use software development costs
3 to 5 years
Furniture and fixtures
3 to 5 years
Leasehold improvementsShorter of the estimated lease term or useful life
The Company evaluates the recoverability of property and equipment and intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets or asset groups may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets or asset groups is measured by comparing the carrying amounts of such assets or asset groups to the future undiscounted cash flows that such assets or asset groups are expected to generate. If this evaluation indicates that the carrying amount of the assets or asset groups is not recoverable, the carrying amount of such assets or asset groups is reduced to its estimated fair value.
Maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred.
Business Combinations
The Company uses its best estimates and assumptions to assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the acquisition date. The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. If applicable, we estimate the fair value of contingent consideration payments in determining the purchase price. These estimates are inherently uncertain and subject to refinement. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair value of these tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the fair value of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Contingent consideration is adjusted to fair value in subsequent periods as an increase or decrease to operating expenses. Acquisition-related expenses are recognized separately from the business combination and are expensed as incurred.
Leases
The Company determines if a contract is a lease or contains a lease at the inception of the contract and reassesses that conclusion if the contract is modified. All leases are assessed for classification as an operating lease or a finance lease. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets are presented separately on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. Operating lease liabilities are separated into a current portion, included within accrued liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets, and a non-current portion included within operating lease liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company does not have significant finance lease ROU assets or liabilities. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. The Company does not obtain and control its right to use the identified asset until the lease commencement date.
The Company’s lease liabilities are recognized at the applicable lease commencement date based on the present value of the lease payments required to be paid over the lease term. Because the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, the Company generally uses an incremental borrowing rate to discount the lease payments to present value. The estimated incremental borrowing rate is derived from information available at the lease commencement date. The Company factors in publicly available data for instruments with similar characteristics when calculating its incremental borrowing rates. The Company’s ROU assets are also recognized at the applicable lease commencement date. The ROU asset equals the carrying amount of the related lease liability, adjusted for any lease payments made prior to lease commencement and lease incentives provided by the lessor. Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and do not factor into the measurement of the applicable ROU asset or lease liability.
The term of the Company’s leases is equal to the non-cancellable period of the lease, including any rent-free periods provided by the lessor, and also include options to renew or extend the lease (including by not terminating the lease) that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The Company establishes the term of each lease at lease commencement and reassesses that term in subsequent periods when one of the triggering events outlined in Topic 842, Leases, occurs. Operating lease cost for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
The Company’s lease contracts often include lease and non-lease components. For facility leases, the Company has elected the practical expedient offered by the standard to not separate lease from non-lease components and accounts for them as a single lease component. For the Company’s other contracts that include leases, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components separately.
The Company has elected, for all classes of underlying assets, not to recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities for leases with a term of twelve months or less. Lease cost for short-term leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at a minimum on an annual basis or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Goodwill is considered impaired if the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value. The Company conducted its annual impairment test of goodwill in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 2024 and determined that no adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill was required.
Intangible assets consist of purchased customer relationships and developed technology. Intangible assets are amortized over the period of estimated benefit using the straight-line method and estimated useful lives ranging from two to five years. No residual value is estimated for intangible assets.
Convertible Debt
Convertible senior notes, net are accounted as a liability and measured at amortized cost. The carrying amount of the convertible senior notes is calculated as the proceeds at issuance, net of debt discounts and debt issuance costs. The difference between the principal amount and carrying amount is amortized to interest expense over the term of the convertible senior notes using the effective interest rate method and is included in other (expense) income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Revenue Recognition
The Company derives its revenues primarily from subscriptions, sale of products, and professional services. Revenues are recognized when control is transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services or products.
The Company determines revenue recognition through the following steps:
identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;
identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
determination of the transaction price;
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
recognition of revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation.
The Company recognizes revenues as follows:
Subscriptions revenue
Subscriptions revenue is generated from fees that provide customers access to one or more of the Company’s software applications and related services. These arrangements have contractual terms typically ranging from one month to five years and include recurring fixed plan subscription fees, usage-based fees, one-time fees, recurring license and other fees, derived from sales through our direct and indirect sales channels, including resellers and distributors, strategic partners and global service providers.
The Company generally bills its subscription fees in advance.
Arrangements with customers do not provide the customer with the right to take possession of the Company’s software at any time. Instead, customers are granted continuous access to the services over the contractual period. The Company transfers control evenly over the contractual period by providing stand-ready service. Accordingly, the fixed consideration related to subscription is recognized over time on a straight-line basis over the contract term beginning on the date the Company’s service is made available to the customer. The Company may offer its customer services for no consideration during the initial months. Such discounts are recognized ratably over the term of the contract.
Fees for additional minutes of usage in excess of plan limits are deemed to be variable consideration that meet the allocation exception for variable consideration as they are specific to the month that the usage occurs.
The Company’s subscription contracts typically allow the customers to terminate their services within the first 30 to 60 days and receive a refund for any amounts paid for the remaining contract period. After the end of the termination period, the contract is non-cancellable and the customer is obligated to pay for the remaining term of the contract. Accordingly, the Company considers the non-cancellable term of the contract to begin after the expiration of the termination period.
The Company records reductions to revenue for estimated sales returns and customer credits at the time the related revenue is recognized. Sales returns and customer credits are estimated based on the Company’s historical experience, current trends and the Company’s expectations regarding future experience. The Company monitors the accuracy of its sales reserve estimates by reviewing actual returns and credits and adjusts them for its future expectations to determine the adequacy of its current and future reserve needs. If actual future returns and credits differ from past experience, additional reserves may be required.
Other revenue
Other revenue primarily includes revenue generated from sale of pre-configured phones and professional implementation services.
Phone revenue is recognized upon transfer of control to the customer which is generally upon shipment from the Company’s or its designated agents’ warehouse.
The Company offers professional services to support implementation and deployment of its subscription services. Professional services do not result in significant customization of the product and are generally short-term in duration. The majority of the Company’s professional services contracts are on a fixed price basis and revenue is recognized as and when services are delivered.
Principal vs. Agent
A portion of the Company’s subscriptions and product revenues are generated through sales by resellers, strategic partners, and global service providers. When the Company controls the performance of contractual obligations to the customer, it records these revenues at the gross amount paid by the customer with amounts retained by the resellers recognized as sales and marketing expenses. The Company assesses control of goods or services when it is primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the good or service, has inventory risk and has discretion in establishing the price.
Deferred and prepaid sales commission costs
The Company capitalizes sales commission expenses and associated payroll taxes paid to internal sales personnel and resellers, who sell the Company’s offerings. The resellers are selling agents for the Company and earn sales commissions which are directly tied to the value of the contracts that the Company enters with the end-user customers. These sales commissions are incremental costs the Company incurs to obtain contracts with its end-user customers. The Company pays sales commissions on initial contracts and contracts for increased purchases with existing customers (expansion contracts). The Company generally does not pay sales commissions for contract renewals.
These sales commission costs are deferred and then amortized over the expected period of benefit, which is estimated to be five years. The Company has determined the period of benefit taking into consideration the expected subscription term and expected renewal periods of its customer contracts, the duration of its relationships with its customers considering historical and expected customer retention, technology life-cycle and other factors. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company evaluates its deferred and prepaid sales commission costs for possible recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of subscriptions revenue primarily consists of costs of network capacity purchased from third-party telecommunications providers, network operations, costs to build out and maintain data centers, including co-location fees for the right to place the Company’s servers in data centers owned by third parties, depreciation of the servers and equipment, along with related utilities and maintenance costs, amortization of acquired technology related intangible assets, integrated third-party services, personnel costs associated with customer care and support of the functionality of the Company’s platform and data center operations, including share-based compensation expenses, and allocated costs of facilities and information technology. Cost of subscriptions revenue is expensed as incurred.
Cost of other revenue is comprised primarily of the cost associated with purchased phones, personnel costs for employees and contractors, including share-based compensation expenses, shipping costs, costs of professional services, and allocated costs of facilities and information technology related to the procurement, management and shipment of phones. Cost of other revenue is expensed in the period product is delivered to the customer.
Asset Write-down Charges
Asset write-down charges consist of write-offs related to our assets, including deferred and prepaid sales commission. The Company performs periodic reviews to assess the recoverability of such assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying value of deferred commission asset exceeds the amount of consideration that the Company expects to receive in the future in exchange for goods or services to which the asset relates, less the costs that relate directly to providing those goods or services that have not yet been recognized. Asset write-down charges are included in sales and marketing expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Share-Based Compensation
Share-based compensation expense resulting from options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based awards (“PSUs”), and employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) rights granted is measured at the grant date fair value of the award and is generally recognized using the straight-line attribution method over the requisite service period of the award, which is generally the vesting period. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options and ESPP rights using the Black-Scholes-Merton option-pricing model. The Company estimates the fair value of RSUs as the closing market value of its Class A
Common Stock on the grant date. The Company estimates the fair value of its market condition performance stock units (“PSUs”) using the Monte Carlo simulation model. For awards with performance-based and service-based conditions, compensation cost is recognized using the graded attribution method over the requisite service period if it is probable that the performance condition will be satisfied. The expense for performance-based awards is evaluated each quarter based on the achievement of the performance conditions. The effect of a change in the estimated number of performance-based awards expected to be earned is recognized in the period those estimates are revised. Compensation expense is recognized net of estimated forfeiture activity, which is based on historical forfeiture rates.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses consist primarily of third-party contractor costs, personnel costs, technology license expenses, and depreciation associated with research and development equipment. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs, which include various forms of e-commerce such as search engine marketing, search engine optimization and online display advertising, as well as more traditional forms of media advertising such as radio and billboards, are expensed as incurred and were $93.8 million, $96.0 million, and $97.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Restructuring Costs
Restructuring costs generally include employee-related severance charges which are largely based upon substantive severance plans, while some are mandated requirements in certain foreign jurisdictions. Severance costs generally include severance payments, outplacement services, health insurance coverage and legal costs. One-time employee termination benefits are recognized when the plan of termination has been communicated to employees and certain other criteria are met. Other severance and employee costs, primarily pertaining to ongoing employee benefit arrangements, are recognized when it is probable that the employees are entitled to the severance benefits and the amounts can be reasonably estimated.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount of future tax benefit that is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2025, except for deferred tax assets associated with certain foreign subsidiaries, the Company recorded a full valuation allowance against substantially all of its net deferred tax assets due to its history of operating losses. The Company classifies interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
Related Party Transactions
In the ordinary course of business, the Company purchased health insurance services from UnitedHealthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, a provider of health insurance services to the Company. One of the Company’s directors, who was recently added to the Board in December 2025, serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of UnitedHealth Group. There were no material amounts payable to or receivable from UnitedHealthcare as of December 31, 2025. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company incurred total expenses of $29.2 million with UnitedHealthcare.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In November 2024, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2024-03: Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (ASU 2024-03), which requires disaggregation of certain costs in a separate note to the financial statements, such as the amounts of employee compensation, depreciation and intangible asset amortization, included in each relevant expense caption in annual and interim financial statements. This ASU also requires disclosure of the total amount of selling expenses and our definition of selling expenses. ASU 2024-03 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027 on a retrospective or prospective basis, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2024-03 on its financial statement disclosures.
In July 2025, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2025-05: Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses for Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets (ASU 2025-05), providing a practical expedient to calculating current expected credit losses for current accounts receivable and contract assets by assuming that the current conditions as of the balance sheet date will not change for the remaining life of the asset. This update is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2025 and for interim periods within those annual periods, and is applied prospectively. The adoption of ASU 2025-05 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or liquidity or its related financial statement disclosures.
In September 2025, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2025-06: Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Internal-Use Software, which simplifies the capitalization guidance by removing all references to software development project stages so that the guidance is neutral to different software development methods. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027, and interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update permit an entity to apply the new guidance using a prospective, retrospective or modified transition approach. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2025-06 on its financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2023, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2023-09: Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (ASU 2023-09), which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the rate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2023-09 effective January 1, 2025 and applied the guidance prospectively. The adoption of ASU 2023-09 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, as the amendments primarily affect income tax disclosures. For more details, refer to Note 13 - Income Taxes of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.