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Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Unit Corporation and its subsidiaries. Our investment in limited partnerships is accounted for on the proportionate consolidation method, whereby our share of the partnerships’ assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses are included in the appropriate classification in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We consolidate the activities of Superior, a 50/50 joint venture between Unit Corporation and SP Investor Holdings, LLC, which qualifies as a VIE under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). We have concluded that we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE, as defined in the accounting standards, since we have the power, through 50% ownership, to direct those activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of Superior as further described in Note 16 – Variable Interest Entity Arrangements.Certain amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for prior periods have been reclassified to conform to current year presentations. Certain financial statement captions were expanded or combined with no impact to consolidated net income or shareholders' equity.
Accounting Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (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. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Drilling Contracts We recognize revenues and expenses generated from “daywork” drilling contracts as the services are performed, since we do not bear the risk of completion of the well. Typically, this type of contract can be used for the drilling of one well which can take from 10 to 90 days. At December 31, 2018, all of our contracts were daywork contracts of which 24 were multi-well and had durations which ranged from six months to three years, 17 of which expire in 2019 and seven expiring in 2020 and beyond. These longer term contracts may contain a fixed rate for the duration of the contract or provide for the periodic renegotiation of the rate within a specific range from the existing rate.
Cash Equivalents and Book Overdrafts We include as cash equivalents all investments with maturities at date of purchase of three months or less which are readily convertible into known amounts of cash. Book overdrafts are checks that have been issued before the end of the period, but not presented to our bank for payment before the end of the period. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, book overdrafts were $5.1 million and $12.4 million, respectively.
Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable are carried on a gross basis, with no discounting, less an allowance for doubtful accounts. We estimate the allowance for doubtful accounts based on existing economic conditions, the financial condition of our customers, and the amount and age of past due accounts. Receivables are considered past due if full payment is not received by the contractual due date. Past due accounts are generally written off against the allowance for doubtful accounts only after all collection attempts have been unsuccessful.
Financial Instruments and Concentrations Of Credit Risk and Non-Performance Risk Financial instruments, which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of trade receivables with a variety of oil and natural gas companies. We do not generally require collateral related to receivables. Our credit risk is considered to be limited due to the large number of customers comprising our customer base. Below are the third-party customers that accounted for more than 10% of our segment’s revenues:
201820172016
Oil and Natural Gas:
CVR Refining, LP14 %2 %— %
Valero Energy Corporation10 %9 %11 %
Energy Transfer Partners (formerly Sunoco Logistics Partners)3 %10 %24 %
Drilling:
QEP Resources, Inc.16 %26 %28 %
Slawson Exploration Company, Inc10 %6 %3 %
Whiting Petroleum Corp. (formerly Kodiak Oil and Gas Corp.)3 %7 %18 %
Mid-Stream:
ONEOK, Inc.45 %36 %30 %
Range Resources Corporation7 %9 %10 %
Koch Energy Services, LLC6 %8 %11 %
Tenaska Resources, LLC4 %6 %10 %

We had a concentration of cash of $11.0 million and $11.4 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively with one bank.

The use of derivative transactions also involves the risk that the counterparties will be unable to meet the financial terms of the transactions. We considered this non-performance risk with regard to our counterparties and our own non-performance risk in our derivative valuation at December 31, 2018 and determined there was no material risk at that time. At December 31, 2018, the fair values of the net assets (liabilities) we had with each of the counterparties with respect to all of our commodity derivative transactions are listed in the table below:
 12/31/2018
 (In millions)
Bank of Montreal$9.9 
Bank of America Merrill Lynch2.7 
Total net assets$12.6 
Property and Equipment Drilling equipment, transportation equipment, gas gathering and processing systems, and other property and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. Renewals and enhancements are capitalized while repairs and maintenance are expensed. Depreciation of drilling equipment is recorded using the units-of-production method based on estimated useful lives starting at 15 years, including a minimum provision of 20% of the active rate when the equipment is idle, except when idle for greater than 48 months, then it will be depreciated at the full active rate. We use the composite method of depreciation for drill pipe and collars and calculate the depreciation by footage actually drilled compared to total estimated remaining footage. Depreciation on our corporate building is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset for 39 years. Depreciation of other property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets ranging from 3 to 15 years. We review the carrying amounts of long-lived assets for potential impairment annually, typically during the fourth quarter, or when events occur or changes in circumstances suggest that these carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Changes that could prompt such an assessment may include equipment obsolescence, changes in the market demand for a
specific asset, changes in commodity prices, periods of relatively low drilling rig utilization, declining revenue per day, declining cash margin per day, or overall changes in general market conditions. Assets are determined to be impaired if a forecast of undiscounted estimated future net operating cash flows directly related to the asset, including disposal value if any, is less than the carrying amount of the asset. If any asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value. The estimate of fair value is based on the best information available, including prices for similar assets. Changes in these estimates could cause us to reduce the carrying value of property and equipment. Asset impairment evaluations are, by nature, highly subjective. They involve expectations about future cash flows generated by our assets and reflect management’s assumptions and judgments regarding future industry conditions and their effect on future utilization levels, dayrates, and costs. The use of different estimates and assumptions could cause materially different carrying values of our assets.

On a periodic basis, we evaluate our fleet of drilling rigs for marketability based on the condition of inactive rigs, expenditures that would be necessary to bring them to working condition and the expected demand for drilling services by rig type. The components comprising inactive rigs are evaluated, and those components with continuing utility to the Company’s other marketed rigs are transferred to other rigs or to its yards to be used as spare equipment. The remaining components of these rigs are retired. In December 2018, our Board of Directors approved a plan to sell 41 drilling rigs (29 mechanical drilling rigs and 12 SCR diesel-electric drilling rigs) and other equipment. This plan satisfies the criteria of assets held for sale under ASC 360-10-45-9. Over the last five years, only six of our drilling rigs in the fleet have not been utilized. We made a strategic decision to focus on our new BOSS drilling rigs and specific SCR drilling rigs (good candidates for modification) and sell the other drilling rigs that we now choose not to market. We estimated the fair value of the 41 drilling rigs we will no longer market based on the estimated market value from third-party assessments (Level 3 fair value measurement) less cost to sell. Based on these estimates, we recorded a non-cash write-down of approximately $147.9 million, pre-tax ($111.7 million, net of tax), the fair value of the assets held for sale at December 31, 2018 is $22.5 million. When property and equipment components are disposed of, the cost and the related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is generally reflected in operations. Our contract drilling segment had no impairments in either 2016 or 2017. For dispositions of drill pipe and drill collars, an average cost for the appropriate feet of drill pipe and drill collars is removed from the asset account and charged to accumulated depreciation and proceeds, if any, are credited to accumulated depreciation.

We record an asset and a liability equal to the present value of the expected future ARO associated with our oil and gas properties. The ARO asset is depreciated in a manner consistent with the depreciation of the underlying physical asset. We measure changes in the liability due to passage of time by accreting an interest charge. This amount is recognized as an increase in the carrying amount of the liability and as a corresponding accretion expense.
Capitalized Interest During 2018, 2017, and 2016, interest of approximately $16.5 million, $15.9 million, and $15.3 million, respectively, was capitalized based on the net book value associated with unproved properties not being amortized, the construction of additional drilling rigs, and the construction of gas gathering systems. Interest is being capitalized using a weighted average interest rate based on our outstanding borrowings.
Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of acquisitions over the fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but an impairment test is performed at least annually to determine whether the fair value has decreased and is performed additionally when events indicate an impairment may have occurred. For impairment testing, goodwill is evaluated at the reporting unit level. Our goodwill is all related to our contract drilling segment, and, the impairment test is generally based on the estimated discounted future net cash flows of our drilling segment, utilizing discount rates and other factors in determining the fair value of our drilling segment. Inputs in our estimated discounted future net cash flows include drilling rig utilization, day rates, gross margin percentages, and terminal value. No goodwill impairment was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, or 2016. There were no additions to goodwill in 2018, 2017, or 2016. Based on our impairment test performed as of December 31, 2018, the fair value of our drilling segment exceeded its carrying value by 37%. While the goodwill of this reporting unit is not currently impaired, there could be an impairment in the future as a result of changes in certain assumptions. For example, the fair value could be adversely affected and result in an impairment of goodwill if we do not realize the anticipated drilling rig utilization of the anticipated drilling rig dayrates, or if the estimated cash flows are discounted at a higher risk-adjusted rate or market multiples decrease. Goodwill of $0.4 million is deductible for tax purposes.
Oil and Natural Gas Operations We account for our oil and natural gas exploration and development activities using the full cost method of accounting prescribed by the SEC. Accordingly, all productive and non-productive costs incurred in connection with the acquisition, exploration and development of our oil, NGLs, and natural gas reserves, including directly related overhead costs and related asset retirement costs, are capitalized and amortized on a units-of-production method based on proved oil and natural gas reserves. Directly related overhead costs of $15.9 million, $14.8 million, and $15.4 million were
capitalized in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. Independent petroleum engineers annually audit our internal evaluation of our reserves. The average rates used for DD&A were $7.50, $6.00, and $6.24 per Boe in 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. The calculation of DD&A includes all capitalized costs, estimated future expenditures to be incurred in developing proved reserves and estimated dismantlement and abandonment costs, net of estimated salvage values less accumulated amortization, unproved properties, and equipment not placed in service. Our unproved properties and wells in progress totaling $330.2 million are excluded from the DD&A calculation.

No gains or losses are recognized on the sale, conveyance, or other disposition of oil and natural gas properties unless a significant reserve amount to our total reserves is involved. Revenue from the sale of oil and natural gas is recognized when title passes, net of royalties.

Under the full cost rules, at the end of each quarter, we review the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. The full cost ceiling is based principally on the estimated future discounted net cash flows from our oil and natural gas properties discounted at 10%. We use the unweighted arithmetic average of the commodity prices existing on the first day of each of the 12 months before the end of the reporting period to calculate discounted future revenues, unless prices were otherwise determined under contractual arrangements. In the event the unamortized cost of oil and natural gas properties being amortized exceeds the full cost ceiling, as defined by the SEC, the excess is charged to expense in the period during which such excess occurs. Once incurred, a write-down of oil and natural gas properties is not reversible.

We determined the value of certain unproved oil and gas properties were diminished (in part or in whole) based on an impairment evaluation and our anticipated future exploration plans. Those determinations resulted in $7.6 million and $10.5 million in 2016 and 2017, respectively of costs being added to the total of our capitalized costs being amortized. We did not have any in 2018. In 2016, we incurred non-cash ceiling test write-downs of our oil and natural gas properties of $161.6 million pre-tax ($100.6 million net of tax) due to the reduction of the 12-month average commodity prices during the first three quarters of the year. We had no non-cash ceiling test write-downs during 2017 or 2018.
Our contract drilling segment provides drilling services for our exploration and production segment. Depending on the timing of the drilling services performed on our properties those services may be deemed, for financial reporting purposes, to be associated with the acquisition of an ownership interest in the property. Revenues and expenses for these services are eliminated in our statement of operations, with any profit recognized reducing our investment in our oil and natural gas properties. The contracts for these services are issued under the similar terms and rates as the contracts entered into with unrelated third parties. By providing drilling services for the oil and natural gas segment, we eliminated revenue of $22.5 million and $13.4 million during 2018 and 2017, respectively, from our contract drilling segment and eliminated the associated operating expense of $19.5 million and $11.8 million during 2018 and 2017, respectively, yielding $3.0 million and $1.6 million during 2018 and 2017, respectively, as a reduction to the carrying value of our oil and natural gas properties. We eliminated no revenue or expenses in our contract drilling segment during 2016.
ARO We record the fair value of liabilities associated with the future plugging and abandonment of wells. In our case, when the reserves in each of our oil or gas wells deplete or otherwise become uneconomical, we must incur costs to plug and abandon the wells. These costs are recorded in the period in which the liability is incurred (at the time the wells are drilled or acquired). We have no assets restricted to settle these ARO liabilities. Our engineering staff uses historical experience to determine the estimated plugging costs considering the type of well (either oil or natural gas), the depth of the well, the physical location of the well, and the ultimate productive life to determine the estimated plugging costs. A risk-adjusted discount rate and an inflation factor are used on these estimated costs to determine the current present value of this obligation. To the extent any change in these assumptions affect future revisions and impact the present value of the existing ARO, a corresponding adjustment is made to the full cost pool.
Gas Gathering and Processing Revenue Our gathering and processing segment recognizes revenue from the gathering and processing of natural gas and NGLs in the period the service is provided based on contractual terms.
Insurance We are self-insured for certain losses relating to workers’ compensation, control of well and employee medical benefits. Insured policies for other coverage contain deductibles or retentions per occurrence that range from zero to $1.0 million. We have purchased stop-loss coverage in order to limit, to the extent feasible, per occurrence and aggregate exposure to certain types of claims. There is no assurance that the insurance coverages we have will adequately protect us against liability from all potential consequences. If insurance coverage becomes more expensive, we may choose to self-insure, decrease our limits, raise our deductibles, or any combination of these rather than pay higher premiums.
Derivative Activities All derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet and measured at fair value with the exception of normal purchase and normal sales which are expected to result in physical delivery. Any changes in our derivatives' fair value occurring before their maturity (i.e., temporary fluctuations in value) are reported in gain (loss) on derivatives in our Consolidated Statements of Operations.We document our risk management strategy and do not engage in derivative transactions for speculative purposes.
Limited Partnerships Unit Petroleum Company is a general partner in 13 oil and natural gas limited partnerships sold privately and publicly. Some of our officers, directors, and employees own the interests in most of these partnerships. We share in each partnership’s revenues and costs in accordance with formulas set out in each of the limited partnership agreement. The partnerships also reimburse us for certain administrative costs incurred on behalf of the partnerships.
Income Taxes During the fourth quarter of 2017, the U.S. government enacted the Tax Act. Among other provisions, the Tax Act reduces the federal corporate tax rate from the existing maximum rate of 35% to 21%, effective January 1, 2018. The change in tax law required the Company to remeasure existing net deferred tax liabilities using the lower rate in the period of enactment resulting in the Company recording a tax benefit of $81.3 million in 2017 due to a revaluation of our net deferred tax liability. Measurement of net deferred tax liabilities is based on provisions of enacted tax law (including the Tax Act); the effects of future changes in tax laws or rates are not included in the measurement. Valuation allowances are established where necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Income tax expense is the tax payable for the year and the change during that year in deferred tax assets and liabilities.The accounting for uncertainty in income taxes prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a return. Guidance is also provided on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure, and transition.
Natural Gas Balancing We account for revenue transactions under ASC 606 for recording natural gas sales, which may be more or less than its share of pro-rata production from certain wells. We estimate our December 31, 2018 balancing position to be approximately 3.8 Bcf on under-produced properties and approximately 3.7 Bcf on over-produced properties. We have recorded a receivable of $2.9 million on certain wells where we estimate that insufficient reserves are available for us to recover the under-production from future production volumes. We have also recorded a liability of $3.3 million on certain properties where we believe there are insufficient reserves available to allow the under-produced owners to recover their under-production from future production volumes. Our policy is to expense the pro-rata share of lease operating costs from all wells as incurred. Such expenses relating to the balancing position on wells in which we have imbalances are not material.
Employee And Director Stock Based Compensation We recognize in our financial statements the cost of employee services received in exchange for awards of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of those awards. The amount of our equity compensation cost relating to employees directly involved in exploration activities of our oil and natural gas segment is capitalized to our oil and natural gas properties. Amounts not capitalized to our oil and natural gas properties are recognized in general and administrative expense and operating costs of our business segments. We utilize the Black-Scholes option pricing model to measure the fair value of stock options and SARs. The value of our restricted stock grants is based on the closing stock price on the date of the grants.
New Accounting Standards
Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The FASB issued ASU 2018-13 to modify the disclosure requirements in Topic 820. Part of the disclosures were removed or modified and other disclosures were added. The amendment will be effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. Also it is permitted to early adopt any removed or modified disclosure and delay adoption of the additional disclosures until their effective date. This amendment will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

Compensation—Stock Compensation: Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The FASB issued ASU 2018-07, to improve financial reporting for nonemployee share-based payments. The amendment expands Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation to include share-based payments issued to nonemployees for goods or services. The amendment will be effective for years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those years. This amendment will not have a material impact on our financial statements.
Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The FASB issued ASU 2017-04, to simplify the measurement of goodwill. The amendment eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The amendment will be effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. This amendment will not have a material impact on our financial statements.

Leases. The FASB has issued several accounting standards updates and amendments related to leases in the past two years, which are codified within Topic 842. For public companies, these are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods. The standard requires lessees to recognize at the commencement date of a lease a lease liability, which represents the lessee's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease, measured on a discounted basis; and a right-of-use asset, which represents the lessee's right to use a specified asset for the lease term. Other recently issued amendments to Topic 842 have provided clarifying guidance regarding land easements, an additional modified retrospective transition method, and added several practical expedients to apply Topic 842 for both lessees and lessors. The standard will not apply to leases of mineral rights.

We established an implementation team working through the provisions of the new guidance including a review of different types of contracts to document our lease portfolio and assess the impact on our accounting, disclosures, processes, internal control over financial reporting, and the election of certain practical expedients. Our evaluation of the impact of the new guidance is substantially complete.

We have made certain accounting policy decisions including that we plan to adopt the short-term lease recognition exemption, accounting for certain asset classes at a portfolio level, and establishing a balance sheet recognition capitalization threshold. Our transition will utilize the modified retrospective approach to adopting the new standard, and will be applied at the beginning of the period adopted (January 1, 2019) in accordance with ASU 2018-11. We have elected the transition practical expedient, which allows us to not evaluate land easements that existed prior to January 1, 2019, and the optional transition method to record our immaterial adoption impact through a cumulative adjustment to equity. We expect for certain lessee asset classes to elect the practical expedient and not separate lease and nonlease components. For these asset classes, we will account for the agreements as a single lease component.

We have determined that Unit Drilling Company lessor drilling rig contracts will be accounted for under ASC 606 as the service has been deemed the predominate component of the contract.

For both lessee and lessor practical expedients, we considered quantitative and qualitative factors when determining if an asset class qualified for the application of the practical expedient.

The adoption of this guidance will result in the addition of right-of-use assets and corresponding lease obligations to the consolidated balance sheet and will not have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or cash flows. Upon adoption, the Company expects to record operating lease right-of-use assets and the corresponding operating lease liabilities in the range of approximately $3.0 million to $4.5 million, representing the present value of future lease payments under operating leases. The Company is in the process of finalizing its catalog of existing lease contracts and implementing changes to its processes. There would be no impact to the Superior credit agreement debt covenants and an immaterial impact to the Unit credit agreement debt covenants as a result of adopting this standard.

Adopted Standards

As of January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2018-02 Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. We adopted this amendment early and it had no material effect to our financial statements. We previously used 37.75% to calculate the tax effect on AOCI and we now use 24.5%. This change is reflected in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and in Note 17 - Equity.

Also, as of January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2014-09 Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Topic 606 (ASC 606) and all later amendments that modified ASC 606. We elected to apply this standard on the modified retrospective approach method to contracts not completed as of January 1, 2018, where the cumulative effect on adoption, which only affected our mid-stream segment, is recognized as an adjustment to opening retained earnings at January 1, 2018. This adjustment related to the timing of revenue recognition for certain demand fees. Our oil and natural gas and contract drilling segments had no retained earnings adjustment. Comparative prior periods have not been adjusted and continue to be reported under ASC 605.

The additional disclosures required by ASC 606 have been included in Note 3 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

Our internal control framework did not materially change because of this standard, but the existing internal controls have been modified to consider our new revenue recognition policy effective January 1, 2018. As we implement the new standard,
we have added internal controls to ensure that we adequately evaluate new contracts under the five-step model under ASU 2014-09.