Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations. Robert Half International Inc. (the “Company”) provides specialized staffing and risk consulting services through such divisions as Accountemps^®, Robert Half^® Finance & Accounting, OfficeTeam^®, Robert Half^® Technology, Robert Half^® Management Resources, Robert Half^® Legal, The Creative Group^®, and Protiviti^®. The Company, through its Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Robert Half Management Resources divisions, is a specialized provider of temporary, full-time, and senior-level project professionals in the fields of accounting and finance. OfficeTeam specializes in highly skilled temporary administrative support professionals. Robert Half Technology provides project and full-time technology professionals. Robert Half Legal provides temporary, project, and full-time staffing of lawyers, paralegals and legal support personnel. The Creative Group provides creative, digital, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Protiviti is a global consulting firm that helps companies solve problems in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Revenues are predominantly derived from specialized staffing services. The Company operates in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The Company is a Delaware corporation.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of the Company are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year’s condensed consolidated financial statements to conform to the 2020 presentation. The comparative year-end Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position data presented was derived from audited financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and results of operations for the periods presented have been included. These Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of, nor comparable to, the results of operations for a full year.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation. The Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. As of March 31, 2020, such estimates include allowances for credit losses, variable consideration, workers’ compensation losses, income and other taxes, and assumptions used in the Company’s goodwill impairment assessment and in the valuation of stock grants subject to market conditions.
Service Revenues/Costs of Services	Service Revenues. The Company derives its revenues from three segments: temporary and consultant staffing, permanent placement staffing, and risk consulting and internal audit services. Revenues are recognized when promised goods or services are delivered to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. See Note C for further discussion of the revenue recognition accounting policy. Costs of Services. Direct costs of temporary and consultant staffing consist of payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs for the Company’s engagement professionals, as well as reimbursable expenses. Direct costs of permanent placement staffing services consist of reimbursable expenses. Risk consulting and internal audit direct costs of services include professional staff payroll, contract labor payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs, as well as reimbursable expenses.
Advertising Costs	Advertising Costs. The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred.
Allowance for Credit Losses	Allowance for Credit Losses. The Company is exposed to credit losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. The Company establishes an allowance for these potential credit losses based on its review of customers’ credit profiles, historical loss statistics, prepayments, recoveries, current business conditions and macro-economic trends. The Company considers risk characteristics of trade receivables based on asset type, size, term, and geographical locations to evaluate trade receivables on a collective basis. The Company applies credit loss estimates to these pooled receivables to determine expected credit losses.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy	Goodwill and Intangible Assets. Goodwill and intangible assets primarily consist of the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair market value of their net tangible assets at the date of acquisition. Identifiable intangible assets are amortized over their lives, typically ranging from two to five years. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested at least annually for impairment, or on an as needed interim basis.
Internal-use Software	Internal-use Software. The Company capitalizes direct costs incurred in the development of internal-use software. Cloud computing implementation costs incurred in hosting arrangements are capitalized and reported as a component of other assets. All other internal-use software development costs are capitalized and reported as a component of computer software within property and equipment on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.
New Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Current Expected Credit Losses Model. In June 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance amending how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. The guidance requires the application of a current expected credit loss model, which is a new impairment model based on expected losses. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has adopted the new guidance prospectively as of January 1, 2020, and the impact of adoption was not material to its financial statements. Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. In January 2017, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to simplify the goodwill impairment testing process. The new standard eliminates Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. If a company determines in Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test that the carrying value of goodwill is greater than the fair value, an impairment in that amount should be recorded to the income statement, rather than proceeding to Step 2. The new guidance is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, although early adoption is permitted. The Company has adopted the new guidance prospectively as of January 1, 2020, and the impact of adoption was not material to its financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted Reference Rate Reform. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” The amendments provide optional guidance for a limited time to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments apply only to contracts and hedging relationships that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. These amendments are effective immediately and may be applied prospectively to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated on or before December 31, 2022. The Company believes this guidance will not have a material impact on its financial statements.
Commitments and Contingencies	Legal costs associated with the resolution of claims, lawsuits and other contingencies are expensed as incurred.
Treasury Stock	The repurchased shares are held in treasury and are presented as if constructively retired. Treasury stock is accounted for using the cost method. Repurchase activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, is presented in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity.Repurchases of shares and issuances of cash dividends are applied first to the extent of retained earnings and any remaining amounts are applied to capital surplus.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Nature of Operations. Robert Half International Inc. (the “Company”) provides specialized staffing and risk consulting services through such divisions as Accountemps^®, Robert Half^® Finance & Accounting, OfficeTeam^®, Robert Half^® Technology, Robert Half^® Management Resources, Robert Half^® Legal, The Creative Group^®, and Protiviti^®. The Company, through its Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Robert Half Management Resources divisions, is a specialized provider of temporary, full-time, and senior-level project professionals in the fields of accounting and finance. OfficeTeam specializes in highly skilled temporary administrative support professionals. Robert Half Technology provides project and full-time technology professionals. Robert Half Legal provides temporary, project, and full-time staffing of lawyers, paralegals and legal support personnel. The Creative Group provides creative, digital, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Protiviti is a global consulting firm that helps companies solve problems in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Revenues are predominantly derived from specialized staffing services. The Company operates in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The Company is a Delaware corporation.

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of the Company are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year’s condensed consolidated financial statements to conform to the 2020 presentation. The comparative year-end Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position data presented was derived from audited financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and results of operations for the periods presented have been included. These Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of, nor comparable to, the results of operations for a full year.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation. The Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. As of March 31, 2020, such estimates include allowances for credit losses, variable consideration, workers’ compensation losses, income and other taxes, and assumptions used in the Company’s goodwill impairment assessment and in the valuation of stock grants subject to market conditions.

Service Revenues/Costs of Services

Service Revenues. The Company derives its revenues from three segments: temporary and consultant staffing, permanent placement staffing, and risk consulting and internal audit services. Revenues are recognized when promised goods or services are delivered to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. See Note C for further discussion of the revenue recognition accounting policy.

Costs of Services. Direct costs of temporary and consultant staffing consist of payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs for the Company’s engagement professionals, as well as reimbursable expenses. Direct costs of permanent placement staffing services consist of reimbursable expenses. Risk consulting and internal audit direct costs of services include professional staff payroll, contract labor payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs, as well as reimbursable expenses.

Advertising Costs

Advertising Costs. The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred.

Allowance for Credit Losses

Allowance for Credit Losses. The Company is exposed to credit losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. The Company establishes an allowance for these potential credit losses based on its review of customers’ credit profiles, historical loss statistics, prepayments, recoveries, current business conditions and macro-economic trends. The Company considers risk characteristics of trade receivables based on asset type, size, term, and geographical locations to evaluate trade receivables on a collective basis. The Company applies credit loss estimates to these pooled receivables to determine expected credit losses.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy

Goodwill and Intangible Assets. Goodwill and intangible assets primarily consist of the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair market value of their net tangible assets at the date of acquisition. Identifiable intangible assets are amortized over their lives, typically ranging from two to five years. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested at least annually for impairment, or on an as needed interim basis.

Internal-use Software

Internal-use Software. The Company capitalizes direct costs incurred in the development of internal-use software. Cloud computing implementation costs incurred in hosting arrangements are capitalized and reported as a component of other assets. All other internal-use software development costs are capitalized and reported as a component of computer software within property and equipment on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Current Expected Credit Losses Model. In June 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance amending how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net

income. The guidance requires the application of a current expected credit loss model, which is a new impairment model based on expected losses. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has adopted the new guidance prospectively as of January 1, 2020, and the impact of adoption was not material to its financial statements.

Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. In January 2017, the FASB issued authoritative guidance to simplify the goodwill impairment testing process. The new standard eliminates Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. If a company determines in Step 1 of the goodwill impairment test that the carrying value of goodwill is greater than the fair value, an impairment in that amount should be recorded to the income statement, rather than proceeding to Step 2. The new guidance is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, although early adoption is permitted. The Company has adopted the new guidance prospectively as of January 1, 2020, and the impact of adoption was not material to its financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Reference Rate Reform. In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting.” The amendments provide optional guidance for a limited time to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The amendments apply only to contracts and hedging relationships that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. These amendments are effective immediately and may be applied prospectively to contract modifications made and hedging relationships entered into or evaluated on or before December 31, 2022. The Company believes this guidance will not have a material impact on its financial statements.

Commitments and Contingencies

Legal costs associated with the resolution of claims, lawsuits and other contingencies are expensed as incurred.

Treasury Stock

The repurchased shares are held in treasury and are presented as if constructively retired. Treasury stock is accounted for using the cost method. Repurchase activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, is presented in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity.Repurchases of shares and issuances of cash dividends are applied first to the extent of retained earnings and any remaining amounts are applied to capital surplus.