Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Foreign Currency Disclosure [Text Block]

Foreign Currency Translation-Historically the functional currency for the Company's foreign subsidiaries in India and Singapore had been the Indian rupee and Singapore dollar, respectively. As a result of the Company's rapid growth, including its recent acquisition of PlanetSoft, and the expansion of its intellectual property research and development activities in its Singapore subsidiary, and its product development activities and information technology enabled services for the insurance industry provided by its India subsidiary in support of Ebix's operating divisions across the world (both of which are transacted in U.S. dollars), management undertook a reconsideration of functional currency designations for these two foreign subsidiaries in India and Singapore, and concluded that effective July 1, 2012 the functional currency for these entities should be changed to the U.S. dollar. Management believes that the acquisition of PlanetSoft in combination with the other four business acquisitions completed during the current year and the cumulative effect of business acquisitions made over the last few years which in turn has necessitated the rapid growth of the Company's operations in India and Singapore, were indicative of a significant change in the economic facts and circumstances that justified the reconsideration and ultimate change in the functional currency. Had the change in the functional currency designation for our India and Singapore subsidiaries not been made, the Company would have incurred and recognized approximately $1.25 million of foreign currency exchange losses for the three months ended September 30, 2012. Furthermore, a portion of monetary assets and liabilities for these two foreign subsidiaries that are denominated in foreign currencies are re-measured into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates in effect at each reporting date. These corresponding re-measurement gains and losses are included as a component of foreign currency exchange gains and losses in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income and amounted to a $422 thousand loss for the three months ended September 30, 2012.

The functional currency of the Company's other foreign subsidiaries is the local currency of the country in which the subsidiary operates. The assets and liabilities of these foreign subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange at the balance sheet dates. Income and expense accounts are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the period. Gains and losses resulting from translation adjustments are included as a component of other comprehensive income in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Foreign exchange transaction gains and losses that are derived from transactions denominated in a currency other than the subsidiary's functional currency are included in the determination of net income.

I

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value of Financial Instrument—The Company follows the relevant GAAP guidance concerning fair value measurements which provides a consistent framework to define, measure, and disclose the fair value of assets and liabilities in financial statements. 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. This guidance 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 data from 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.

• Level 1 Inputs - Unadjusted quoted prices available in active markets for identical investments 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, which are used to the extent that observable inputs are not available, and used in situations where there is little or no market activity for the asset or liability and wherein the reporting entity makes estimates and assumptions related to the pricing of the asset or liability including assumptions regarding risk.

     A financial instrument's level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

As of September 30, 2012 the Company has the following financial instruments to which it had to consider fair values and had to make fair assessments:

• Common share-based put option for which the fair value was measured as Level 2 instrument.

• Short-term investments for which the fair values are measured as a Level 1 instrument.

• Contingent accrued earn-out business acquisition consideration liabilities for which fair values are measured as Level 3 instruments. These contingent consideration liabilities were recorded at fair value on the acquisition date and are remeasured quarterly based on the then assessed fair value and adjusted if necessary. The increases or decreases in the fair value of contingent consideration payable can result from changes in anticipated revenue levels and changes in assumed discount periods and rates. As the fair value measure is based on significant inputs that are not observable in the market, they are categorized as Level 3.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue Recognition—The Company derives its revenues primarily from subscription and transaction fees pertaining to services delivered over our exchanges or from our ASP platforms, fees for business process outsourcing services, and fees for software development projects including associated fees for consulting, implementation, training, and project management provided to customers with installed systems. Sales and value-added taxes are not included in revenues, but rather are recorded as a liability until the taxes assessed are remitted to the respective taxing authorities.

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) and Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") accounting guidance on revenue recognition, the Company considers revenue earned and realizable when: (a) persuasive evidence of the sales arrangement exists, provided that the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable, (b) delivery or performance has occurred, (c) customer acceptance has been received, if contractually required, and (d) collectability of the arrangement fee is probable. The Company uses signed contractual agreements as persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement. We apply the provisions of the relevant generally accepted accounting principles related to all transactions involving the license of software where the software deliverables are considered more than inconsequential to the other elements in the arrangement.

For contracts that contain multiple deliverables, we analyze the revenue arrangements in accordance with the relevant technical accounting guidance, which provides criteria governing how to determine whether goods or services that are delivered separately in a bundled sales arrangement should be considered as separate units of accounting for the purpose of revenue recognition. Generally these types of arrangements include deliverables pertaining to software licenses, system set-up, and professional services associated with product customization or modification. Delivery of the various contractual elements typically occurs over periods of less than eighteen months. These arrangements generally do not have refund provisions or have very limited refund terms.

Software development arrangements involving significant customization, modification or production are accounted for in accordance with the appropriate technical accounting guidance issued by FASB using the percentage-of-completion method. The Company recognizes revenue using periodic reported actual hours worked as a percentage of total expected hours required to complete the project arrangement and applies the percentage to the total arrangement fee.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets—Goodwill represents the cost in excess of the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. Indefinite-lived intangible assets represent the fair value of acquired contractual customer relationships for which future cash flows are expected to continue indefinitely. In accordance with the relevant FASB accounting guidance, goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis or on an interim basis if an event occurs or circumstances change that would likely have reduced the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. Potential impairment indicators include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, and the sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business. The impairment evaluation process involves an assessment of certain qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances would indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units was less than their than its carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we were to determine that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then we would not perform the two-step quantitative impairment testing described further below.

The aforementioned two-step quantitative testing process involves comparing the reporting unit carrying values to their respective fair values; we determine fair value of our reporting units by applying the discounted cash flow method using the present value of future estimated net cash flows. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, then no further testing is required. However, if a reporting unit's fair value were to be less than its carrying value, we would then determine the amount of the impairment charge, if any, which would be the amount that the carrying value of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeded its implied value. Projections of cash flows are based on our views of growth rates, operating costs, anticipated future economic conditions and the appropriate discount rates relative to risk and estimates of residual values. We believe that our estimates are consistent with assumptions that marketplace participants would use in their estimates of fair value. The use of different estimates or assumptions for our projected discounted cash flows (e.g., growth rates, future economic conditions, discount rates and estimates of terminal values) when determining the fair value of our reporting units could result in different values and may result in a goodwill impairment charge. We perform our annual goodwill impairment evaluation and testing as of September 30th of each year. This evaluation is done during the fourth quarter each year. During the year ended December 31, 2011 we had no impairment of our reporting unit goodwill balances.

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets

Finite-lived Intangible Assets—Purchased intangible assets represent the estimated acquisition date fair value of customer relationships, developed technology, trademarks and non-compete agreements obtained in connection with the businesses we acquire. We amortize these intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, as follows:

Category	Life (yrs)
Customer relationships	7-15
Developed technology	3–20
Trademarks	3–15
Non-compete agreements	5
Database	10

Income Taxes

Income Taxes—Deferred income taxes are recorded to reflect the estimated future tax effects of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets, liabilities, operating losses, and tax credit carry forwards using the tax rates expected to be in effect when the temporary differences reverse. Valuation allowances, if any, are recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount management considers more likely than not to be realized. Such valuation allowances are recorded for the portion of the deferred tax assets that are not expected to be realized based on the levels of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods in which the temporary differences will be deductible.

The Company also applies FASB accounting guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes positions. This guidance clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes by prescribing the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. In this regard we recognize the tax benefit from uncertain tax positions only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position.