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DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Business

Square, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, Square or the Company) creates tools that empower businesses, sellers and individuals to participate in the economy. Square enables sellers to accept card payments and also provides reporting and analytics, and next-day settlement. Square’s point-of-sale software and other business services help sellers manage inventory, locations, and employees; access financing; engage buyers; build a website or online store; and grow sales. Cash App is an easy way to send, spend, and store money. On October 31, 2019, the Company completed the sale of the Caviar business, a food ordering service. Square was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Lithuania.

Basis of Presentation

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 accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, the Company’s financial condition or operating results will be materially affected. The Company bases its estimates on current and past experience, to the extent that historical experience is predictive of future performance and other assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances. The Company evaluates these estimates on an ongoing basis.

Estimates, judgments, and assumptions in these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, those related to revenue recognition, accrued transaction losses, contingencies, valuation of the debt component of convertible senior notes, valuation of loans held for sale including loans under the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP"), valuation of goodwill and acquired intangible assets, deferred revenue, determination of income and other taxes, operating and financing lease right-of-use assets and related liabilities, assessing the likelihood of adverse outcomes from claims and disputes, and share-based compensation.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic a global pandemic. The Company operates in geographic locations that have been impacted by COVID-19 and that are subject to various mandated public health ordinances, which have impacted the business operations of the Company and its customers. As a consequence of the pandemic and evolving public health orders, the Company’s customers will continue to be exposed to various uncertainties that could negatively impact their ability to repay outstanding amounts, or even continue in business. The Company continues to revise and update the carrying values of its assets or liabilities based on estimates, judgments and circumstances it is aware of, particularly, the expected impact of COVID-19.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company’s estimates of accrued transaction losses and valuation of loans held for sale were subject to greater uncertainty. The Company's estimates were based on historical experience, adjusted for market data relevant to the current economic environment. Additionally, the Company incorporated market data for similar historical periods of unprecedented economic conditions and uncertainty in developing such estimates and assumptions. See Note 11 Other Consolidated Balance Sheet Components (Current), for further details on transaction losses and Note 5, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, for further details on amortized cost over fair value of the loans. These estimates may change, as new events develop and additional information is obtained. The Company has continued to refine its estimates for transaction and loan losses based on actual realized results. Actual results could differ from the estimates, and such differences may be material to the Company's financial statements.
The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's operational and financial performance will depend on certain developments, including, but not limited to, the duration, extent of spread and severity of the outbreak, duration and changes to local, state and federal issued public health orders, impact on our customers and our sales cycles, impact on our employees, various government stimulus assistance programs, and impact on regional and worldwide economies and financial markets in general, all of which are uncertain and cannot be predicted.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

Transaction-based revenue

The Company charges its sellers a transaction fee for managed payments solutions that is generally calculated as a percentage of the total transaction amount processed. The Company selectively offers custom pricing for certain sellers. The Company collects the transaction amount from the seller's customer's bank, net of acquiring interchange and assessment fees, processing fees, and bank settlement fees paid to third-party payment processors and financial institutions. The Company retains its fees and remits the net amount to the sellers.

The Company acts as the merchant of record for its sellers and works directly with payment card networks and banks so that its sellers do not need to manage the complex systems, rules, and requirements of the payments industry. The Company satisfies its performance obligations and therefore recognizes the transaction fees as revenue upon authorization of a transaction by the seller's customer's bank. The Company applies the optional exemption allowed under ASC 606 not to disclose consideration attributable to performance obligations for future transaction processing since the term of the contract with a seller is not defined and any future consideration on the contract would be dependent on the value and volume of transactions processed in the future, which are not determinable.

Revenue is recognized net of refunds, which arise from reversals of transactions initiated by sellers.

The transaction fees collected from sellers are recognized as revenue on a gross basis as the Company is the principal in the delivery of the managed payments solutions to the sellers. The Company has concluded it is the principal because as the merchant of record, it controls the services before delivery to the seller, it is primarily responsible for the delivery of the services to its sellers, and it has discretion in setting prices charged to sellers. The Company also has the unilateral ability to accept or reject a transaction based on criteria established by the Company. As the merchant of record, Square is liable for the costs of processing the transactions for its sellers, and records such costs within cost of revenue.

Subscription and services-based revenue

Subscription and services-based revenue is primarily comprised of revenue the Company generates from Instant Deposit and Cash Card, Square Capital, website hosting and domain name registration services, and various other software as a service (SaaS) products.

Instant Deposit is a functionality within the Cash App and the Company's managed payments solution that enables customers, including individuals and sellers, to instantly deposit funds into their bank accounts. The Company charges a per transaction fee which is recognized as revenue when customers instantly deposit funds to their bank account. The Company also offers Cash App customers the ability to use funds stored in the Cash App via a Visa prepaid card (Cash Card), for which the Company charges a per transaction fee that is recorded as revenue.

Square Capital facilitates a loan that is offered through a partnership with an industrial bank that is either repaid through withholding a percentage of the collections of the seller's receivables processed by the Company or a specified monthly amount. The Company generally facilitates loans to its sellers through a pre-qualification process that includes an analysis of the aggregated data of the seller’s business which includes, but is not limited to, the seller’s historical processing volumes, transaction count, chargebacks, growth, and length of time as a Square customer. The Company also facilitates loans to the customers of certain sellers as well as to the sellers of its partners who do not process payments through the Company. The loans are generally originated by a bank partner, from whom the Company purchases the loans obtaining all rights, title, and interest. The loans have no stated coupon rate but the seller is charged a one-time origination fee by the bank partner based upon their risk rating, which is derived primarily from processing activity. It is the Company’s intent to sell all
of its rights, title, and interest of these loans to third-party investors for an upfront fee when the loans are sold. The Company records the net amounts paid to the bank as the cost of the loans purchased and subsequently records a gain on sale of the loans to the third-party investors as revenue upon transfer of title. The Company is retained by the third-party investors to service the loans and earns a servicing fee for facilitating the repayment of these receivables through its managed payments solutions. The Company records servicing revenue as servicing is delivered. For the loans which are not immediately sold to third-party investors, the Company recognizes a portion of the expected seller repayments over the cost of the loans as revenue in proportion to the loan principal reduction.

The Company offers customers website hosting services for a fee that is generally billed at inception. The Company also acts as a reseller of domain names registration services for a registrar for a fee, which is also generally billed at inception. The Company considers that it satisfies its performance obligations over time and as such recognizes revenue ratably over the term of the relevant arrangements, which vary from one month to twenty four months for website hosting, and one year to ten years for domain name registration.

SaaS represents software products and solutions that provide customers with access to various technologies for a fee which is recognized as revenue ratably as the service is provided. The Company's contracts with customers are generally for a term of one month and renew automatically each month. The Company invoices its customers monthly. The Company considers that it satisfies its performance obligations over time each month as it provides the SaaS services to customers and hence recognizes revenue ratably over the month.

Subscription and services revenue also included revenue generated from Caviar, a food ordering platform that facilitated food delivery services that was sold by the Company on October 31, 2019. The performance obligations were the delivery of food orders from restaurants to customers and the provision of catered meals to corporate customers. For delivery of food orders, the Company charged fees to restaurants, as sellers, and also charged delivery and service fees to individuals. For provision of catered meals the Company charged corporate customers a fee. All fees were billed upon delivery of food orders or catered meals, when the Company considers that it has satisfied its performance obligations. Revenue was recognized upon delivery of the food orders or catered meals, net of refunds. Refunds were estimated based on historical experience.

Hardware revenue

The Company generates revenue through the sale of hardware through e-commerce and through its retail distribution channels. The Company satisfies its performance obligation upon delivery of hardware to its customers who include end user customers, distributors, and retailers. The Company allows for customer returns which are accounted for as variable consideration. The Company estimates these amounts based on historical experience and reduces revenue recognized. The Company invoices end user customers upon delivery of the products to customers, and payments from such customers are due upon invoicing. Distributors and retailers have payment terms that range from 30 to 90 days after delivery.

The Company offers hardware installment sales to customers with terms ranging from three to twenty four months. The Company allocates a portion of the consideration received from these arrangements to a financing component when it determines that a significant financing component exists. The financing component is subsequently recognized as financing revenue separate from hardware revenue, within subscription and services-based revenue, over the terms of the arrangement with the customer. Pursuant to practical expedients afforded under ASC 606, the Company does not recognize a financing component for hardware installment sales that have a term of one year or less.

Bitcoin revenue

The Company offers its Cash App customers the ability to purchase bitcoin, a cryptocurrency denominated asset, from the Company. The Company satisfies its performance obligation and records revenue when bitcoin is transferred to the customer's account. The Company purchases bitcoin from private broker dealers or from Cash App customers and applies a small margin before selling it to its customers. The sale amounts received from customers are recorded as revenue on a gross basis and the associated bitcoin cost as cost of revenues, as the Company is the principal in the bitcoin sale transaction. The Company has concluded it is the principal because it controls the bitcoin before delivery to the customers, it is primarily responsible for the delivery of the bitcoin to the customers, it is exposed to risks arising from fluctuations of the market price of bitcoin before delivery to customers, and has discretion in setting prices charged to customers.
Arrangements with Multiple Performance Obligations

The Company's contracts with customers generally do not include multiple performance obligations with differing patterns of revenue recognition, except for domain name registration offered with website hosting services. The Company offers its customers the option to buy website hosting bundled with domain name registration, and infrequently the Company has offered its hardware customers free managed payments solutions with the purchase of its hardware as part of a marketing promotion. For such arrangements, the Company allocates revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The Company determines standalone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers since the Company's products and services are normally sold on a stand alone basis.

Cost of Revenue

Transaction-based costs

Transaction-based costs consist primarily of interchange and assessment fees, processing fees and bank settlement fees paid to third-party payment processors and financial institutions.

Subscription and services-based costs

Subscription and services-based costs consist primarily of Caviar-related costs, which included processing fees, payments to third-party couriers for deliveries and the cost of equipment provided to sellers. Caviar-related costs for catered meals also included food costs and personnel costs. Subscriptions and services-based costs also include costs associated with Cash Card and Instant Deposit. The Caviar business was sold in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Hardware costs

Hardware costs consist of all product costs associated with contactless and chip readers, chip card readers, Square Stand, Square Register, Square Terminal and third-party peripherals. Product costs consist of third-party manufacturing costs.

Bitcoin costs

Bitcoin cost of revenue comprises of the amounts the Company pays to purchase bitcoin, which will fluctuate in line with the price of bitcoin in the market.

Other Costs

Other costs such as employee costs, rent, and occupancy charges are generally not allocated to cost of revenues and are reflected in operating expenses.


Sales and Marketing Expenses

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in sales and marketing expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Total advertising costs for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were $224.7 million, $142.7 million, and $101.9 million, respectively. In addition, services, incentives, and other costs to customers that are not directly related to a revenue generating transaction are recorded as sales and marketing expenses, as the Company considers these to be marketing costs to encourage the usage of Cash App. These expenses include, but are not limited to, Cash App peer-to-peer processing costs and related transaction losses, card issuance costs, customer referral bonuses, and promotional giveaways, and were $635.3 million, $279.7 million, and $149.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively.

Share-based Compensation

Share-based compensation expense relates to stock options, restricted stock awards (RSAs), restricted stock units (RSUs), and purchases under the Company’s 2015 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) which is measured based on the grant-date fair value. The fair value of RSAs and RSUs is determined by the closing price of the Company’s common stock on each grant date. The fair value of stock options and ESPP shares granted to employees is estimated on the date of grant
using the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model. This share-based compensation expense valuation model requires the Company to make assumptions and judgments regarding the variables used in the calculation. These variables include the expected term (weighted average period of time that the options granted are expected to be outstanding), the expected volatility of the Company’s stock, expected risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The Company uses the simplified calculation of expected term, defined as an average of the vesting term and the contractual term to maturity. Expected volatility is based on a weighted average of the historical volatilities of the Company's common stock along with several entities with characteristics similar to those of the Company. In May 2020, the Company began using its own volatility, as the Company uses its own historical stock price information, such that a peer group is no longer considered necessary. The expected risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for periods corresponding with the expected life of the option. Share-based compensation expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.

Interest Income and Expense, net
Interest income consists interest income from the Company's investment in marketable debt securities and interest expense relates to the Company's long-term debt. Interest income for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were $18.3 million, $23.4 million, and $19.8 million, respectively. Interest expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were $75.2 million, $44.9 million, and $37.8 million, respectively.

Income and Other Taxes
The Company reports income taxes under the asset and liability approach. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, as well as net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax amounts are determined by using the enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when the 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 income in the period that includes the enactment date.

A valuation allowance reduces the deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company considers historical information, tax planning strategies, the expected timing of the reversal of existing temporary differences, and may rely on financial projections to support its position on the recoverability of deferred tax assets. The Company’s judgment regarding future profitability contains significant assumptions and estimates of future operations. If such assumptions were to differ significantly from actual future results of operations, it may have a material impact on the Company’s ability to realize its deferred tax assets. At the end of each period, the Company assesses the ability to realize the deferred tax assets. If it is more likely than not that the Company would not realize the deferred tax assets, then the Company would establish a valuation allowance for all or a portion of the deferred tax assets.

The Company recognizes the effect of uncertain income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company records interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in the provision for income tax expense on the consolidated statements of operations.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid investments, including money market funds, with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, restricted cash of $30.3 million and $38.9 million, respectively, is related to pledged cash deposited into savings accounts at the financial institutions that process the Company's sellers' payment transactions and as collateral pursuant to an agreement with the originating bank for the Company's loan product. The Company uses the restricted cash to secure letters of credit with the financial institution to provide collateral for cash flow timing differences in the processing of these payments. The Company has recorded this amount as a current asset on the consolidated balance sheets due to the short-term nature of these cash flow timing differences and that there is no minimum time frame during which the cash must remain restricted. Additionally, this balance includes certain amounts held as
collateral pursuant to multi-year lease agreements, discussed in the paragraph below that we expect to become unrestricted within the next year.

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the remaining restricted cash of $13.5 million and $12.7 million, respectively, is primarily related to cash held as collateral pursuant to multi-year lease agreements (Note 18). The Company has recorded this amount as a non-current asset on the consolidated balance sheets as the terms of the related leases extend beyond one year.

Concentration of Credit Risk

For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company had no customer that accounted for greater than 10% of total net revenue.

The Company had two third-party payment processors that represented approximately 59% and 27% of settlements receivable as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2019, there were three parties that represented approximately 48%, 29%, and 9% of settlements receivable. All other third-party processors were insignificant.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, marketable debt securities, settlements receivable, customer funds, and loans held for sale. The associated risk of concentration for cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash is mitigated by banking with creditworthy institutions. At certain times, amounts on deposit exceed federal deposit insurance limits. The associated risk of concentration for marketable debt securities is mitigated by holding a diversified portfolio of highly rated investments. Settlements receivable are amounts due from well-established payment processing companies and normally take one or two business days to settle which mitigates the associated risk of concentration. The associated risk of concentration for loans held for sale is partially mitigated by credit evaluations that are performed prior to facilitating the offering of loans and ongoing performance monitoring of the Company’s loan customers. The risk associated with the PPP loans is considered low due to government guarantees on those loans.

Investments in marketable debt securities

The Company's short-term and long-term investments include marketable debt securities such as government and agency securities, corporate bonds, commercial paper and municipal securities. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments in marketable debt securities at the time of purchase and reevaluates such designation at each balance sheet date. The Company has classified and accounted for its marketable debt securities as available-for-sale and carries these investments at fair value, reporting the unrealized gains and losses, net of taxes, as a component of stockholders’ equity. The U.S. government and U.S. agency securities are either explicitly or implicitly guaranteed by the U.S. government and are highly rated by major rating agencies. The corporate bonds are issued by highly rated entities. The foreign government securities are issued by highly rated international entities. The Company has the ability and intent to hold these investments with unrealized losses for a reasonable period of time sufficient for the recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity. The Company determines any realized gains or losses on the sale of marketable debt securities on a specific identification method, and records such gains and losses as a component of other expense (income), net.

Investments in equity securities

The Company holds marketable and non-marketable equity investments, over which the Company does not have a controlling interest or significant influence. Marketable equity investments are measured using quoted prices in active markets with changes recorded in other expense (income), net on the consolidated statements of operations. Non-marketable equity investments have no readily determinable fair values and are measured using the measurement alternative, which is defined as cost, less impairment, adjusted for observable price changes from orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer. Adjustments are recorded in other expense (income), net on the consolidated statements of operations.

Non-marketable equity investments are valued using significant unobservable inputs or data in an inactive market and the valuation requires our judgment due to the absence of market prices and inherent lack of liquidity. The carrying value for these investments is not adjusted if there are no observable transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer or if there are no identified events or changes in circumstances that may indicate impairment. Valuations of non-marketable equity investments are inherently complex due to the lack of readily available market data. In addition, the determination of whether an orderly transaction is for an identical or similar investment requires significant management
judgment, including understanding the differences in the rights and obligations of the investments and the extent to which those differences would affect the fair values of those investments.

The Company assesses the impairment of its non-marketable equity investments on a quarterly basis. The impairment analysis encompasses an assessment of the severity and duration of the impairment and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of other key factors including the investee’s financial metrics, market acceptance of the investee’s product or technology, other competitive products or technology in the market, general market conditions, and the rate at which the investee is using its cash. If the investment is considered to be impaired, the Company will record an impairment in other income (expense), net on the consolidated statements of operations and establish a new carrying value for the investment.

Customer funds

Customer funds held in deposit represent customers' stored balances that customers would later use to send money or make payments, or customers cash in transit. The Company invests a portion of these stored balances in short-term marketable debt securities (Note 4). The Company determines the appropriate classification of the investments in marketable debt securities within customer funds at the time of purchase and reevaluates such designation at each balance sheet date. The Company has classified and accounted for its marketable debt securities within customer funds as available-for-sale.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis. Fair value accounting establishes a three-level hierarchy priority for disclosure of assets and liabilities recorded at fair value. The ordering of priority reflects the degree to which objective prices in external active markets are available to measure fair value. The classification of assets and liabilities within the hierarchy is based on whether the inputs to the valuation methodology used for measurement are observable or unobservable.

The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible. The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels:

Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date.

Level 2 Inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 Inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date.

Loans Held for Sale

The Company classifies customer loans as held for sale upon purchase from an industrial bank partner, as there is an available market for such loans and it is the Company’s intent to sell all of its rights, title, and interest in these loans to third-party investors. Loans held for sale are recorded at the lower of amortized cost or fair value determined on an individual loan basis. To determine the fair value the Company utilizes industry-standard valuation modeling, such as discounted cash flow models, taking into account the estimated timing and amounts of periodic repayments. In estimating the expected timing and amounts of the future periodic repayments for the loans outstanding as of December 31, 2020, the Company considered other relevant market data, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the conditions and uncertainty experienced during similar historical periods of recessionary economic conditions. With respect to PPP loans, the Company also considers the impact of government guarantees and loan forgiveness on the timing and amounts of future cash flows. The Company recognizes a charge within transaction and loan losses in the consolidated statement of operations whenever the amortized cost of a loan exceeds its fair value, with such charges being reversed for subsequent increases in fair value, but only to the extent that such reversals do not result in the amortized cost of a loan exceeding its fair value. A loan that is initially
designated as held for sale may be reclassified to held for investment if and when the Company's intent for that loan changes. There have been no reclassifications made to date.

Settlements Receivable
    
Settlements receivable represents amounts due from third-party payment processors for customer transactions. Settlements receivable are typically received within one or two business days of the transaction date. No valuation allowances have been established, as funds are due from large, well-established financial institutions with no historical collections issue.

Inventory

Inventory is comprised of contactless and chip readers, chip card readers, Square Stand, Square Register, Square Terminal and third-party peripherals, as well as component parts that are used to manufacture these products. Inventory is stated at the lower of cost (generally on a first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. Inventory that is obsolete or in excess of forecasted usage is written down to its net realizable value based on the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business. The Company's inventory is held at third party warehouses and contract manufacturer premises.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue is primarily comprised of payments for website hosting and domain name registration received from customers at inception of the arrangements prior to the services being rendered. Deferred revenue also includes unearned revenue related to managed payments services offered in conjunction with hardware sales for which the cash payments from customers are received and due upon the sale of the hardware.

Investments in bitcoin

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency that is considered to be an indefinite lived intangible asset because bitcoin lacks physical form and there is no limit to its useful life. Accordingly, bitcoin is not subject to amortization but is tested for impairment continuously to assess if it is more likely than not that it is impaired. The Company has concluded bitcoin is traded in an active market where there are observable prices, a decline in the quoted price below cost is generally viewed as an impairment indicator, in which case the fair value is determined to assess whether an impairment loss should be recorded. If the fair value of bitcoin decreases below the carrying value during the assessed period an impairment charge is recognized at that time. After an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying amount of bitcoin becomes its new accounting basis. A subsequent reversal of a previously recognized impairment loss is prohibited until the sale of the asset. In the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company acquired $50 million of bitcoin that it expects to hold as an investment for the foreseeable future. There was no impairment loss recorded on bitcoin for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at historical cost less accumulated depreciation, which is computed on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life. The estimated useful lives of property and equipment are described below:
Property and EquipmentUseful Life
Capitalized software18 months
Computer and data center equipment
Two to three years
Furniture and fixturesSeven years
Leasehold improvements
Lesser of ten years or remaining lease term

When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from their respective accounts, and any gain or loss on such sale or disposal is reflected in operating expenses.

Capitalized Software

The Company capitalizes certain costs incurred in developing internal-use software when capitalization
requirements have been met. Costs prior to meeting the capitalization requirements are expensed as incurred. Capitalized costs are included in property and equipment, net, and amortized on a straight-lined basis over the estimated useful life of the software and included in product development costs on the consolidated statements of operations. The Company capitalized $42.0 million and $22.5 million of internally developed software during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and recognized $19.8 million, $18.9 million and $10.6 million of amortization expense during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Leases

The Company leases office space and equipment under non-cancellable finance and operating leases with various expiration dates.

The Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 842, Leases (ASC 842) on January 1, 2019, and elected the optional transition method to apply the transition provisions from the effective date of adoption, which requires the Company to report the cumulative effect of the adoption of the standard on the date of adoption with no changes to the prior period balances. Pursuant to the practical expedients, the Company elected not to reassess: (i) whether expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, or, (iii) initial direct costs for any existing leases. The Company elected to apply the short-term lease measurement and recognition exemption to its leases where applicable. Operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized at the present value of the future lease payments, generally for the base noncancellable lease term, at the lease commencement date for each lease. The interest rate used to determine the present value of the future lease payments is the Company's incremental borrowing rate because the interest rate implicit in most of the Company's leases is not readily determinable. The Company's incremental borrowing rate is estimated to approximate the interest rate that the Company would pay to borrow on a collateralized basis with similar terms and payments as the lease, and in economic environments where the leased asset is located. Operating lease right-of-use assets also include any prepaid lease payments and lease incentives. The Company's lease agreements generally contain lease and non-lease components. Non-lease components, which primarily include payments for maintenance and utilities, are combined with lease payments and accounted for as a single lease component. The Company includes the fixed non-lease components in the determination of the right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities. The Company records the amortization of the right of use asset and the accretion of lease liability as a component of rent expense in the consolidated statement of operations. The accounting for finance leases remained substantially unchanged.

Upon adoption of ASC 842, the Company recognized $112.0 million of operating right-of-use lease assets and $135.6 million of operating lease liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet. Additionally, the Company derecognized $149.0 million related to the build-to-suit asset and liability upon adoption of this standard because the Company was no longer deemed to be the owner of the related asset under construction under the new standard.

When lease agreements provide allowances for leasehold improvements, the Company assesses whether it is the owner of the leasehold improvements for accounting purposes. When the Company concludes that it is the owner, it capitalizes the leasehold improvement assets and recognizes the related depreciation expense on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset. Additionally, the Company recognizes the amounts of allowances to be received from the lessor as a reduction of the lease liability and the associated right of use asset. When the Company concludes that it is not the owner, the payments that the Company makes towards the leasehold improvements are accounted as a component of the lease payments.

The Company records a liability for the estimated fair value for any asset retirement obligation (ARO) associated with its leases, with an offsetting asset. In the determination of the fair value of AROs, the Company uses various assumptions and judgments, including such factors as the existence of a legal obligation, estimated amounts and timing of settlements, and discount and inflation rates. The liability is subsequently accreted while the asset is depreciated. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a liability for AROs, gross of accretion, of $3.7 million and an associated asset, net of depreciation, of $1.1 million.
Business Combinations

The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values at the acquisition dates. The excess of total consideration over the fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed is recorded as goodwill. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the values of assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments would be recorded on the consolidated statements of operations.

Long-Lived Assets, including Goodwill and Acquired Intangibles

The Company evaluates the recoverability of property and equipment and finite lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset or an asset group to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated. If the carrying amount of the long–lived asset or asset group is not recoverable on an undiscounted cash flow basis, an impairment is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined through various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values, and third–party independent appraisals, as considered necessary. For the periods presented, the Company had recorded no impairment charges.

The Company performs a goodwill impairment test annually on December 31 and more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. An impairment loss is recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. Effective June 30, 2020, the Company changed its operating and reporting segments to reflect the manner in which the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) reviews and assesses performance. Accordingly, the Company has two operating and reportable segments, which are Seller and Cash App. The Company has the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether events or circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount and determine whether further action is needed. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, the Company determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. For the periods presented, the Company had recorded no impairment charges.

Acquired intangibles consist of acquired technology and customer relationships associated with various acquisitions. Acquired technology is amortized over its estimated useful life on a straight-line basis within cost of revenue. Customer relationships acquired are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives within operating expenses. The Company evaluates the remaining estimated useful life of its intangible assets being amortized on an ongoing basis to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization.

Customers Payable

Customers payable represents the transaction amounts, less revenue earned by the Company, owed to sellers or Cash App customers. The payable amount comprises amounts owed to customers due to timing differences as the Company typically settles within one business day, amounts held by the Company in accordance with its risk management policies, and amounts held for customers who have not yet linked a bank account. This balance also includes the Company's liability for customer funds held on deposit in the Cash App.

Accrued Transaction Losses

The Company is exposed to potential credit losses related to transactions processed by sellers that are subsequently subject to chargebacks when the Company is unable to collect from the sellers primarily due to insolvency, disputes between a seller and their customer, or due to fraudulent transactions. Accrued transaction losses also include estimated losses on Cash App activity related to peer-to-peer payments sent from a credit card, Cash for Business, and Cash Card. Generally, the Company estimates the potential loss rates based on historical experience that is continuously adjusted for new information and incorporates, where applicable, reasonable and supportable forecasts about future expectations. The Company also considers other relevant market data in developing such estimates and assumptions, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the conditions and uncertainty experienced during similar historical periods of recessionary economic conditions. Additions to the reserve are reflected in current operating results, while realized losses are offset against the
reserve. These amounts are classified within transaction and loan losses on the consolidated statements of operations, except for the amounts associated with the peer-to-peer service offered to Cash App customers for free that are classified within sales and marketing expenses.

Segments

Effective on June 30, 2020, the Company changed its operating segments to reflect the manner in which the Company's CODM reviews and assesses performance. The Company has two reportable segments, which are Seller and Cash App. Seller includes managed payment services, software solutions, hardware and financial services products offered to sellers, while Cash App includes financial tools available to individuals such as P2P (peer-to-peer) payments, Cash Card transactions, bitcoin and stock investing that enable customers to easily send, spend, and store money.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2020-06, Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity's Own Equity, as part of its overall simplification initiative to reduce costs and complexity of applying accounting standards while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. Among other changes, the new guidance removes from GAAP separation models for convertible debt that require the convertible debt to be separated into a debt and equity component, unless the conversion feature is required to be bifurcated and accounted for as a derivative or the debt is issued at a substantial premium. As a result, after adopting the guidance, entities will no longer separately present such embedded conversion features in equity, and will instead account for the convertible debt wholly as debt. The new guidance also requires use of the "if-converted" method when calculating the dilutive impact of convertible debt on earnings per share, which is consistent with the Company’s current accounting treatment under the current guidance. The guidance is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted, but only at the beginning of the fiscal year. The Company plans to early adopt the new guidance on January 1, 2021 using the modified retrospective approach and expects to record a cumulative effect of adoption of $103.5 million reduction to retained earnings. The Company expects the impact of adoption to result in a reduction to other paid in capital of $502.7 million related to amounts attributable to conversion options that had previously been recorded in equity. Additionally, the Company also expects to record an increase to its convertible notes balance by an aggregate amount of $399.2 million as a result of reversal of the separation of the convertible debt between debt and equity. There is no expected impact to the Company’s statements of operations or cash flows as the result of the adoption of this ASU.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted
In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-10, Codification Improvements. The update provides incremental improvements on various topics in the Codification to provide clarification, correct errors in, and simplification on a variety of topics. Among other things, the guidance includes presentation disclosures for the amount of income tax expense or benefit related to other comprehensive income. The amendments are effective for public entities in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect of adopting this new accounting guidance, but does not expect adoption to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.