Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

NOTE 2 – SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Management’s Plans

We have incurred operating losses since inception and historically relied on debt and equity financing for working capital. Throughout the next 12 months, the Company intends to fund its operations through revenue from operations, the remaining capital raised through public securities offerings described in Notes 1 and 5, respectively, as well as under its ATM program. We continue to believe the Company has sufficient resources to continue as a going concern.

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and the reported amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates. It is reasonably possible that changes in estimates will occur in the near term. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated upon consolidation.

The Company’s most significant estimates and judgments involve recognition of revenue and estimates for future contingent customer incentive obligations, insurance reserves, and the measurement of the Company’s stock-based compensation.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date. Applicable accounting guidance provides an established hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the factors that market participants would use in valuing the asset or liability. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1  - Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

Level 2  - Include other inputs that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.

Level 3  - Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value.

Fair-value estimates discussed herein are based upon certain market assumptions and pertinent information available to management as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. The respective carrying value of certain on-balance-sheet financial instruments approximated their fair values. These financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities. Fair values for these items were assumed to approximate carrying values because of their short-term nature or they are payable on demand.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purpose of the consolidated statement of cash flows, the Company considers institutional money market funds and all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash

Restricted Cash Restricted cash consist primarily of amounts held in a restricted bank account at Cogent Bank as collateral for the amount pledged by the Company to secure a revolving line of credit made by Cogent Bank to AmeriDrive, as well as escrow accounts held for our insurance claims processing partner to pay out claims in a timely fashion. These restricted cash amounts are still owned by HyreCar but the Company does not have full immediate control or the ability to dispose freely of them at least in the short term.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are reported net of allowance for expected losses. It represents the amount management expects to collect from outstanding balances. Differences between the amount due and the amount management expects to collect are charged to operations in the year in which those differences are determined, with an offsetting entry to a valuation allowance. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had respectively $50,079 and $0 as reserve allowance for accounts receivable outstanding balances.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. The Company’s fixed assets are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life ranging from three to five years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the useful life or lease life. Maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. Significant renewals and betterments are capitalized. At the time of retirement or other disposition of property and equipment, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operations. Property and equipment at December 31, 2021 was made up of equipment and software. Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $3,160 and $2,960, respectively.

Offering Costs

The Company accounts for offering costs in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 340, Other Assets and Deferred Costs. Prior to the completion of an offering, offering costs were capitalized as deferred offering costs on the consolidated balance sheets. The deferred offering costs are netted against the proceeds of the offering in consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) or the related debt. There are no deferred offering costs as of  December 31, 2021.

Internal Use Software

We incur software development costs to develop software programs to be used solely to meet our internal needs and cloud-based applications used to deliver our services. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350-40, Internal-Use Software, we capitalize development costs related to these software applications once a preliminary project stage is complete, funding has been committed, and it is probable that the project will be completed, and the software will be used to perform the function intended. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company has capitalized $588,057 and $221,623 of internal software related costs respectively, which is included in intangible assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and is being amortized over three years. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $73,874 and $73,874, respectively. Accumulated amortization for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $215,466 and $141,592, respectively.

Impairment of Long-Lived assets

The long-lived assets held and used by the Company are reviewed for impairment no less frequently than annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. In the event facts and circumstances indicate that the cost of any long-lived assets may be impaired, an evaluation of recoverability is performed. There were no impairment losses during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. There can be no assurance, however, that market conditions will not change or demand for the Company’s products and services will continue, which could result in impairment of long-lived assets in the future. 

Deferred Rent

The Company recognizes rental expense on a straight-line basis from the time of the lease commencement date through the end of the lease. As of December 31, 2021 the Company's rental lease with Brookfield property has expired and a new lease agreement was entered into as of January 1, 2022. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized deferred rent resulting from future escalating lease payments and abated rent totaling $0 and $46,261, respectively which is included in accrued liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. 

Insurance Reserves 

The Company records a loss reserve for physical damage and other liability coverage caused to owner vehicles up to the Company's insurance deductibles or relevant limits. This reserve represents an estimate for both reported accidents, claims not yet paid, and claims incurred but not yet reported and are recorded on a non-discounted basis. The lag time in reported claims for physical damage is minimal and as such represents a low risk of unreported claims being excluded from the loss reserve assessment. The adequacy of the reserve is monitored quarterly and is subject to adjustment in the future based upon changes in claims experience, including the number of incidents for which the Company is ultimately responsible and changes in the cost per claim, or changes to the Company’s insurance policy which dictates what amounts of a claim will be paid by the Company. Effective March 1, 2021, the Company entered into a two-year claim adjusting agreement with Sedgwick which included an escrow account requirement of $1,750,000 to be held by Sedgwick for claim payments. This escrow account is replenished by the Company on a quarterly basis dependent on the actual claims paid during that quarter.

Effective May 15, 2021 the Company entered into a new policy term for its automobile liability insurance program. As part of this program the Company has paid deposit premiums of $1,500,000 and $250,000 for the primary and excess, respectively which will be available to offset premiums due during the final quarter or offset past due premiums during the policy period. For presentation purposes, premium deposits were netted against outstanding premium liabilities. In addition, effective June 15, 2021, a separate primary automobile liability policy was placed related only to California operations, which required a $300,000 deposit premium that was used to pay for and offset premiums due during the policy period.

While certain liability claims may take several years to completely settle, the Company's liability exposure limit is generally met in the near term. Due to our limited operational history, the Company makes certain assumptions based on both currently available information to estimate the insurance reserves as well as third party claims adjuster data provided on existing claims. A number of factors can affect the actual cost of a claim, including the length of time the claim remains open, economic and healthcare cost trends, venue, and the results of similar litigation. Furthermore, claims may emerge in future periods for events that occurred in a prior period that differs from expectations. Accordingly, actual losses may vary significantly from the estimated amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Reserves are reviewed quarterly and adjusted as necessary as experience develops or new information becomes known. However, ultimate results may differ from the Company’s estimates, which could result in losses over the Company’s reserved amounts. Such adjustments are recorded in costs of revenue.

The Company has analyzed, reviewed and made several adjustments to the claims settlement process and related processing guidelines during both the quarter ended September 30, 2021 and the quarter ended in December 31, 2021 which reduced insurance claims costs over those two quarters compared to the quarter ended June 30, 2021. We will continue to monitor the claims process and claims portfolio to make future adjustments to our processes that will further improve our claims adjusting performance.

Preferred Stock

ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, includes standards for how an issuer of equity classifies and measures on its consolidated balance sheets certain financial instruments with characteristics of both liabilities and equity.

Management is required to determine the presentation for the preferred stock because of the redemption and conversion provisions, among other provisions. Specifically, management is required to determine whether the embedded conversion feature in the preferred stock is clearly and closely related to the host instrument, and whether the bifurcation of the conversion feature is required and whether the conversion feature should be accounted for as a derivative instrument. If the host instrument and conversion feature are determined to be clearly and closely related (both more akin to equity), derivative liability accounting under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, is not required. 

Costs incurred directly for the issuance of the preferred stock are recorded as a reduction of gross proceeds received by the Company, resulting in a discount to the preferred stock.

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates the majority of its revenue from its car-sharing marketplace that connects vehicle owners and drivers and the related insurance fees connected to each rental. Vehicle owners and drivers enter into terms of service with the Company in order to use the HyreCar platform and enter into a rental contract that governs each rental. In entering into a rental agreement, the driver is charged in a single transaction: the base rental fee as agreed upon between the driver and vehicle owner, a 10%-20% HyreCar fee on the base rental fee, and a daily insurance charge (“Insurance and administrative fees”), all based on the number of days the vehicle is to be rented within the contract. HyreCar retains 15-30% of the base rental fee and remits the remaining portion to the vehicle owner. The 10%-20% fee collected from the driver and 15-30% retained from the owner are considered “Transaction Fees” and the recorded on a net basis as described below. The Company recognizes revenue daily during the rental periods as the Company is required to maintain insurance underlying the transaction and as a customary business practice, a driver can return a vehicle early for a refund of the unused rental period. Insurance and transaction fees are charged to a driver in a single transaction. Drivers currently do not have an option to decline insurance at any point during the transaction.

The Company also recognizes revenue from other sources such as referrals, motor vehicle record fees (application fees), late rental fees, and other fees charged to drivers in specific situations.

In applying the guidance of ASC 606, the Company 1) identifies the contract with the customer 2) identifies the performance obligations in the contract 3) determines the transaction price 4) determines if an allocation of that transaction price is required to the performance obligations in the contract and 5) recognizes revenue when or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

Refunds may occur when the driver returns the owner vehicle early based on the terms of the original contract or cancels the rental prior to completing the exchange. In limited circumstances, the Company provides contingent consideration in the form of a rebate that is redeemable only if the customer completes a specific level of transaction over a specific time period. In such cases, the rebate or refund obligation is recognized as a reduction of revenues. The Company defers revenue in all instances when the earnings process is not yet complete.

The following is a breakout of revenue components by subcategory for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

	2021			2020
Insurance and administration fees	$	18,603,759		$	12,819,157
Transaction fees		15,808,972			11,391,090
Other fees		1,662,170			1,441,012
Incentives and rebates		(358,870	)		(419,518	)
Net revenue	$	35,716,031		$	25,231,741

Principal Agent Considerations

The Company evaluates our service offerings to determine if we are acting as the principal or as an agent, which we consider in determining if revenue should be reported gross or net. One of our primary revenue source is a transaction fee made from a confirmed booking of a vehicle on our platform. Key indicators that we evaluate to reach this determination include:

●  the terms and conditions of our contracts;

●  whether we are paid a fixed percentage of the arrangement’s consideration or a fixed fee for each transaction;

●  the party which sets the pricing with the end-user, has the credit risk and provides customer support; and

●  the party responsible for delivery/fulfilment of the product or service to the end consumer.

We have determined we act as the agent in the transaction for vehicle bookings (Transaction Fees), as we are not the primary obligor of the arrangement and receive a fixed percentage of the transaction. Therefore, revenue is recognized on a net basis.

For other fees such as insurance, referrals, and motor vehicle records (application fees) we have determined revenue should be recorded on a gross basis. In such arrangements, the Company sets pricing, has risk of economic loss, has certain credit risk, provides support services related to these transactions, and has decision making ability about service providers used.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue primarily include direct fees paid for insurance to cover the vehicle driver and owner, insurance claim payments and estimated liabilities based on the policy in effect at the time of loss, merchant processing fees, technology and hosting costs, and motor vehicle record fees incurred for paid driver applications. General liability insurance that covers corporate risk from activity on our platform is included in general and administrative costs.

Advertising

The Company expenses the cost of advertising and promotions as incurred. Advertising expense was $3,136,068 and $2,143,079 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Research and Development

We incur research and development costs during the process of researching and developing our technologies and future offerings. Our research and development costs consist primarily of non-capitalized development and maintenance costs. We expense these costs as incurred unless such costs qualify for capitalization under applicable guidance. During 2021, the Company capitalized $366,435 in expenditures related to the development of a vehicle verification software that was internally developed. This project will validate the authenticity and quality of vehicles on the platform and will significantly reduce on-fleeting time and increase fleet quality standards to overall increase the owner/driver experience on the platform . 

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock awards issued under ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. Under ASC 718, stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the estimated fair value of the award. Stock-based compensation is recognized as expense over the employee’s requisite vesting period and over the non-employee's period of providing goods or services. The fair value of each stock option or warrant award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Restricted shares are measured based on the fair market value of the underlying stock on the grant date.

Stock-based compensation is included in operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations as follows:

	Year Ended December 31, 2021		Year Ended December 31, 2020
General and administrative	$	5,614,679	$	2,532,311
Sales and marketing		1,335,160		383,388
Research and development	$	1,227,102	$	387,512

Income Taxes

The Company applies ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their consolidated financial statements reported amounts at each period end, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. The provision for income taxes represents the tax expense for the period, if any, and the change during the period in deferred tax assets and liabilities. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company has established a full allowance against all deferred tax assets.

ASC 740 also provides criteria for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of uncertain tax positions. A tax benefit from an uncertain position is recognized only if it is “more likely than not” that the position is sustainable upon examination by the relevant taxing authority based on its technical merit.

Loss per Common Share

The Company presents basic loss per share (“EPS”) and diluted EPS on the face of the consolidated statements of operations. Basic loss per share is computed as net loss divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. For periods in which we incur a net loss, the effects of potentially dilutive securities would be antidilutive and would be excluded from diluted EPS calculations. For the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were 680,255 and 1,138,379 options or warrants excluded, and 769,486 and 794,325 restricted stock units excluded, respectively.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company maintains its cash with a major financial institution located in the United States of America which it believes to be credit worthy.  Balances are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000. At times, the Company maintains balances in excess of the federally insured limits.

Other Concentrations

The Company has historically relied on a single insurance broker and underwriter at any given time to provide all automobile insurance on vehicles rentals on the HyreCar platform. There are multiple brokers and carriers who issue this type of insurance coverage, and the Company is regularly reviewing leading insurers in the transportation and mobility sectors as this is an important part of our operations. The Company does not believe the loss of our current broker or underwriter would have a material effect on our operations.  

New Accounting Standards

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), specifying the accounting for leases, which supersedes the leases requirements in Topic 840, Leases. The objective of Topic 842 is to establish the principles that lessees and lessors shall apply to report useful information to users of consolidated financial statements about the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from a lease. Lessees are permitted to make an accounting policy election to not recognize the asset and liability for leases with a term of twelve months or less. Lessors’ accounting is largely unchanged from the previous accounting standard. In addition, Topic 842 expands the disclosure requirements of lease arrangements. Lessees and lessors will use a modified retrospective transition approach, which includes several practical expedients. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2021 for emerging growth companies, with early adoption permitted. The Company has reviewed the provisions of the new standard and will apply it going forward into the new lease agreement signed November 16, 2021. See Other section of Note 3  - Commitments and Contingencies for breakdown of lease Liability for the term of the lease.

In December 2019, the FASB issued guidance that simplifies the accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions in existing guidance and improves consistency in application by clarifying and amending existing guidance. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those annual periods, where the transition method varies depending upon the specific amendment. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. An entity that elects to early adopt the amendments in an interim period should reflect any adjustments as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period, and all amendments must be adopted in the same period. The Company has reviewed the provisions of the new standard, but it is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company.

The FASB issues ASUs to amend the authoritative literature in ASC. There have been several ASUs to date, including those above, that amend the original text of ASC. Management believes that those issued to date either (i) provide supplemental guidance, (ii) are technical corrections, (iii) are not applicable to us, or (iv) are not expected to have a significant impact our consolidated financial statements.