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

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Basis of Presentation— The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Ebix and its wholly owned subsidiaries. The effect of inter-company balances and transactions has been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates—The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("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 dates of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during those reporting periods. Management has made material estimates primarily with respect to revenue recognition and deferred revenue, accounts receivable, acquired intangible assets, annual impairment reviews of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets, investments, contingent earnout liabilities in connection with business acquisitions, and the provision for income taxes. Actual results may be materially different from those estimates.

Segment Reporting

Segment Reporting—Since the Company, from the perspective of its chief operating decision maker, allocates resources and evaluates business performance as a single entity that provides software and related services to various industries on a worldwide basis, the Company reports as a single segment

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase to be cash equivalents. Such investments are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. The Company does maintain cash balances in banking institutions in excess of federally insured amounts and therefore is exposed to the related potential credit risk associated with such cash deposits.

Short-term Investments

Short-term Investments—The Company’s primary short-term investments consist of certificates of deposits with established commercial banking institutions in India that have readily determinable fair values. Ebix accounts for such investments that are reasonably expected to be realized in cash, sold or consumed during the year as short-term investments that are available-for-sale. The carrying amount of investments in marketable securities approximates their fair value.

Restricted Cash

Restricted Cash— The carrying value of our restricted cash was $8.3 million and $4.0 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The balances consist of upfront cash consideration and possible future contingent earn-out payments held in escrow accounts contingent upon acquired business' achieving the minimum specified annual net revenue thresholds, which if not achieved would result in said funds being returned to Ebix and

Revenue Recognition and Deferred Revenue

Revenue Recognition and Deferred Revenue—The Company derives its revenues primarily from professional and support services, which includes revenue generated from subscription and transaction fees pertaining to services delivered over our exchanges or from our application service provider (“ASP”) platforms, software development projects and associated fees for consulting, implementation, training, and project management provided to customers using our systems, and risk compliance solutions ("RCS"). 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.

The Company follows the relevant technical accounting guidance regarding revenue recognition as issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") and the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The Company considers revenue earned and realizable when: (a) persuasive evidence of the sales arrangement exists, (b) the arrangement fee is fixed or determinable, (c) service delivery or performance has occurred, (d) customer acceptance has been received or is reasonably assured, if contractually required, and (e) collectability of the arrangement fee is probable. The Company typically uses signed contractual agreements, purchase orders, or statements of work as persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement. We apply the provisions of the relevant FASB accounting pronouncements 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 appropriate authoritative 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. Deliverables are accounted for separately if they meet all of the following criteria: a) the delivered item has value to the customer on a stand-alone basis; b) there is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value for all arrangement deliverables; and c) if the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the delivered items, the delivery or performance of the undelivered items is probable and substantially controlled by the Company. Under the relevant accounting guidance, when multiple-deliverables included in an arrangement are to be separated into different units of accounting, the arrangement consideration is allocated to the identified separate units of accounting based on their relative fair values. We determine the relative selling price for a deliverable based on vendor-specific objective evidence of selling price (“VSOE”), if available, or third-party evidence ("TPE") in the alternative if available, or finally our best estimate of selling price (“BESP”), if VSOE or TPE is not available.

The Company begins to recognize revenue from license fees for its exchange (SAAS) and ASP products upon granting customer access to the respective processing platform. Transaction services fee revenue for this use of our exchanges or ASP platforms is recognized as the transactions occur and is generally billed in arrears. Revenues from RCS arrangements, which include data entry and call center services, and insurance certificate creation and tracking services, are recognized as the services are performed. Revenues from RCS consulting arrangements are recognized as the services are delivered on a time and materials basis. Service fees for hosting arrangements are recognized over the requisite service period. Revenue derived from the licensing of third party software products in connection with sales of the Company’s software licenses is recognized upon delivery together with the Company’s licensed software products. Fees for training, data conversion, installation, and consulting services fees are recognized as revenue when the services are performed. Revenues for maintenance and support services are recognized ratably over the term of the support agreement.

Software development arrangements involving significant customization, modification or production are accounted for in accordance with the appropriate technical accounting guidance issued by the 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.

Financial exchange revenue is comprised of primarily transaction based fees, recognized at the completion of the transactions, for facilitating financial, travel, and transport transactions through our EbixCash network. Financial and insurance transaction revenue is based on a percentage of payment value processed for inward and outward remittances, foreign exchange conversions, lending and wealth management, insurance, corporate and retail gift vouchers, and consumer payments. Gift voucher revenue is recognized at full purchase value at time of sale with the corresponding cost of vouchers recorded under direct expenses. Travel revenue is typically either a fixed or percentage fee for facilitating the booking for air, hotels, trains, buses, and cabs for both corporate and private travel along with event planning. Travel revenue for the corporate MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) packages is recognized at full purchase value at the completion of the obligation with the corresponding costs recorded under direct expenses. The transport transactions are focused on logistics for the trucking industry, bus management for local India governments, and inter-city cab management with revenue recorded at the full trip value and corresponding costs recorded as direct expenses.

Deferred revenue includes payments or billings that have been received or made prior to performance and, in certain cases, cash collections and primarily pertain to maintenance and support fees, initial setup or registration fees under hosting agreements, software license fees received in advance of delivery and acceptance, and software development fees paid in advance of completion and delivery. Approximately $10.2 million and $5.2 million of deferred revenue were included in billed accounts receivable at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("Topic 606"). Topic 606 outlines a single comprehensive model for companies to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers, and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, Principal Versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross Versus Net), which amends the principal-versus-agent implementation guidance and in April 2016 the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, which amends the guidance in those areas in the new revenue recognition standard.

Under Topic 606, revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:


•	identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;


•	identification of the performance obligations in the contract;


•	determination of the transaction price;


•	allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and


•	recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation.

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 performance obligations for the purpose of revenue recognition. These types of arrangements include obligations pertaining to software licenses, system set-up, and professional services associated with product customization or modification. Delivery of the various contractual obligations typically occurs over periods of less than eighteen months. These arrangements generally do not have refund provisions or have very limited refund terms.

The Company adopted Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method and applying the new standard to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Therefore, the comparative financial information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. The adoption resulted in a decrease to retained earnings, net of tax effect, of $8.8 million for the cumulative effect of applying the Topic 606. This decrease was principally driven by the deferral of certain services revenues associated with programming, setup, and implementation activities related to our SaaS offering and changes related to costs to obtain customers, including the related amortization period.

Impact of New Revenue Recognition Standard on Financial Statement Line Items

The cumulative effect of applying Topic 606 to all contracts was recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings as of the adoption date. As a result of applying the modified retrospective method to adopt the new revenue guidance, the following adjustments were made to accounts on the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2018:



	Impact of Change in Accounting Policy
(In thousands)	As Reported December 31, 2017	Adjustments			Adjusted January 1, 2018
Other Current Assets	33,532	$	898		$	34,430
Current Assets	252,932	898			253,830
Deferred tax asset, net	43,529	2,843			46,372
Other Assets	11,720	1,502			13,222
Total Assets	1,113,013	5,243			1,118,256
Current Deferred Revenue	22,562	5,124			27,686
Current Liabilities	146,932	5,124			152,056
Long Term Deferred Revenue	1,423	8,921			10,344
Total Liabilities	579,254	14,045			593,299
Retained Earnings	510,975	(8,802		)	502,173

The following tables present the impact of adopting Topic 606 on the Company’s unaudited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2018:



	Impact of Change in Accounting Policy
	As Reported For the Year Ended December 31, 2018			Adjustments			Balances without adoption of Topic 606
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income	(In thousands)
Operating Revenue	$	497,826		$	(538	)	$	497,288
Costs of Services Provided	168,415			(134		)	168,281
Total Operating Expenses	344,847			(134		)	344,713
Operating Income	152,979			(404		)	152,575
Income before income taxes	125,582			(404		)	125,178
Income tax (expense) benefit	(32,501		)	99			(32,402		)
Net income including non-controlling interest	93,081			(305		)	92,776
Net income attributable to Ebix, Inc.	93,139			(305		)	92,834
Basic earnings per common share attributable to Ebix, Inc.	2.97			(0.01		)	2.96
Diluted Earnings per common share attributable to Ebix, Inc.	2.95			(0.01		)	2.94

	As Reported December 31, 2018			Adjustments			Balances without adoption of Topic 606
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet	(In thousands)
Other current assets	$	59,274		$	(862	)	$	58,412
Total current assets	427,380			(862		)	426,518
Deferred tax asset, net	54,629			(1,811		)	52,818
Other assets	26,714			(1,376		)	25,338
Total assets	1,610,947			(4,049		)	1,606,898
Current Deferred Revenue	35,609			(4,792		)	30,817
Total current liabilities	317,428			(4,792		)	312,636
Long Term Deferred Revenue	9,051			(7,530		)	1,521
Total liabilities	1,066,510			(12,322		)	1,054,188
Retained earnings	535,118			8,273			543,391

	As Reported for the Year Ended December 31, 2018			Adjustments			Balances without adoption of Topic 606
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows	(In thousands)
Net income attributable to Ebix, Inc.	$	93,139		$	(305	)	$	92,834
Other assets	(8,486		)	(134		)	(8,620		)
Deferred Revenue	(8,740		)	1,723			(7,017		)
Net cash provided by operating activities	89,869			1,284			91,153

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following tables present revenue disaggregated by primary geographical regions and product channels for the years ended December 31, 2018 , 2017 and 2016:



	Year Ended December 31, 2018		Year Ended December 31, 2017		Year Ended December 31, 2016
	in thousands
United States	$	196,984	$	211,895	$	213,516
Canada	5,611		7,522		6,328
Latin America	19,866		21,128		8,179
Australia	35,770		34,366		31,156
Singapore*	7,674		6,330		5,848
New Zealand	2,015		1,933		1,903
India*	196,372		61,857		14,153
Europe	15,387		17,062		17,211
Indonesia*	7,482		1,055		—
Philippines*	6,483		623		—
United Arab Emirates*	1,042		200		—
Mauritius*	3,140		$	—	$	—
	$	497,826	$	363,971	$	298,294

*India led businesses, except for portion of Singapore which is not part of EbixCash and United Arab Emirate long-lived assets pertain to intellectual property research and development activities located in Dubai which is not part of EbixCash either. Total revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018 for India led businesses was $65.9 million.

The Company’s revenues are derived from four product/service groups. Presented in the table below is the breakout of our revenue streams for each of those product/service groups for the years ended December 31, 2018 , 2017 and 2016.



	For the Year Ended
	December 31,
(dollar amounts in thousands)		2018		2017		2016
Exchanges		396,457		259,470		206,427
Broker P&C Systems		14,379		14,674		14,105
RCS		79,976		86,832		74,196
Carrier P&C Systems		7,014		2,995		3,566
Totals		$	497,826	$	363,971	$	298,294

(1) Prior period amounts have not been adjusted under the modified retrospective method.

Costs to Obtain and Fulfill a Contract

The Company capitalizes certain costs in order to maintain the ability to obtain and fulfill new contracts and contract renewals. These costs are primarily related to the setup and customization of our SaaS based platforms and such costs are amortized over the benefit period. Under our treatment prior to implementing Topic 606, these costs were expensed as incurred. As of December 31, 2018 the Company had $862 thousand of contract costs in “Other current assets” and $1.4 million in “Other Assets” on the Company's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.



(In thousands)	December 31, 2018
Balance, beginning of period	$	—
Topic 606 adjustment	2,401
Adjusted beginning balance	$	2,401
Costs recognized from adjusted beginning balance	(898		)
Additions, net of costs recognized	735
Balance, end of period	$	2,238

Deferred Revenue

The Company records deferred revenue when it receives payments or invoices in advance of the performance of services. A significant portion of this balance relates to contracts where the customer has paid in advance for the use of our SaaS platforms over a specified period of time. This portion is recognized as the related performance obligation is fulfilled (generally less than one year). The remaining portion of the deferred revenue balance consists primarily of customer-specific customizations that are not distinct from related performance obligations that transfer over time. This portion is recognized over the expected useful life of the customizations.



(In thousands)	December 31, 2018
Balance, beginning of period	$	23,985
Topic 606 adjustment	14,045
Adjusted beginning balance	$	38,030
Revenue recognized from adjusted beginning balance	(21,697		)
Additions from business acquisitions	16,273
Additions, net of revenue recognized and currency translation	12,054
Balance, end of period	$	44,660

Revenue Allocated to Remaining Performance Obligations

The following table presents our estimated revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations for contracted revenue that has not yet been recognized, representing our “contractually committed” revenue as of December 31, 2018 that we will transfer from deferred revenue and recognize in future periods:



Estimated Revenue (in thousands):
For the year ending December 31, 2019	4,865
For the year ending December 31, 2020	3,586
For the year ending December 31, 2021	2,385
For the year ending December 31, 2022	1,180
For the year ending December 31, 2023	592

	$	12,608

Our contractually committed revenue, for purposes of the tabular presentation above, is generally limited to service customer contracts with significant programming, setup, and implementation activities related to our SaaS offerings. Our contractually committed revenue amounts generally exclude, based on the following practical expedients that we elected to apply, remaining performance obligations for: (i) contracts with an original expected duration of one year or less; and (ii) contracts for which we recognize revenue at the amount for which we have the right to invoice for services performed.

Fiduciary Funds-Restricted

Fiduciary Funds - Restricted—Due to the EbixHealth JV being a third party administrator (“TPA”), the Company collects premiums from insureds and, after deducting its fees, remits these premiums to insurance companies. Unremitted insurance premiums and/or claim funds established for the benefit of various carriers are held in a fiduciary capacity until disbursed by the Company. The use of premiums collected from insureds but not yet remitted to insurance companies is restricted by law in certain states. The total assets held on behalf of others, $6.5 million, are recorded as an asset and offsetting fiduciary funds - restricted liability.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair Value Measurements—The Company follows the relevant GAAP guidance regarding the determination and measurement of the fair value of assets/liabilities in which 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 valuation hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value. The guidance describes the following three levels of inputs that may be used in the methodology to measure fair value:


•	Level 1 — Quoted prices available in active markets for identical investments as of the reporting date;


•	Level 2 — Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reporting date; and,


•	Level 3 — Unobservable inputs, which are to be 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 December 31, 2018 and 2017 the Company has the following financial instruments to which it had to consider fair values and had to make fair assessments:


•	Short-term investments (commercial bank certificates of deposits and mutual funds), 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 periodically 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 or 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.

Other financial instruments not measured at fair value on the Company's consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2018 and 2017 but which require disclosure of their fair values include: cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, accrued payroll and related benefits, capital lease obligations, and debt under the credit facility with Regions Bank. The estimated fair value of such instruments at December 31, 2018 and 2017 reasonably approximates their carrying value as reported on the consolidated balance sheets.

Accounts Receivable and the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable

he unbilled receivables pertain to certain professional service engagements and system development projects for which the timing of billing is tied to contractual milestones. The Company adheres to such contractually stated performance milestones and accordingly issues invoices to customers as per contract billing schedules. Accounts receivable are written off against the allowance for doubtful accounts receivable when the Company has exhausted all reasonable collection efforts. Management specifically analyzes the aging of accounts receivable and historical bad debts, write-offs, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, current economic trends, and changes in our customer payment patterns when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts receivable.

Costs of Services Provided

osts of Services Provided—Costs of services provided consist of data processing costs, customer support costs including personnel costs to maintain our proprietary databases, costs to provide customer call center support, hardware and software expense associated with transaction processing systems and exchanges, telecommunication and computer network expense, and occupancy costs associated with facilities where these functions are performed. Depreciation expense is not included in costs of services provided.

Capitalized Software Development Costs

apitalized Software Development Costs—In accordance with the relevant FASB accounting guidance regarding the development of software to be sold, leased, or marketed, the Company expenses such costs as they are incurred until technological feasibility has been established, at and after which time those costs are capitalized until the product is available for general release to customers. Costs incurred to enhance our software products, after general market release of the services using the products, is expensed in the period they are incurred. The periodic expense for the amortization of previously capitalized software development costs is included in costs of services provided.

Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

rojections of cash flows are based on our views of revenue growth rates, operating costs, anticipated future economic conditions, the appropriate discount rates relative to risk, and estimates of residual values and terminal 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., revenue 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. As a practice, the Company closely monitors any reporting units that do not have a significantly higher fair value in excess of their carrying value.

oodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets—Goodwill represents the cost in excess of the fair value of the identifiable net assets from the businesses that we acquire. In accordance with the relevant FASB accounting guidance, goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis or on an interim basis if an event occurred or circumstances change that would indicate that fair value of a reporting unit decreased below its carrying value. Potential impairment indicators include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, customer retention and the sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business. The Company applies the technical accounting guidance concerning goodwill impairment evaluation whereby the Company first assesses 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 its carrying amount. If after assessing the totality of events and circumstances, we were to determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then we would 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. We perform our annual goodwill impairment evaluation and testing as of September 30 each year. In 2018 the goodwill residing in all four channels, the Broker reporting unit , the Exchange reporting unit, the RCS reporting unit, and the Carrier reporting unit were evaluated for impairment using step-one of the quantitative testing process described above. The fair value of all of these reporting units was found to be greater than their carrying value, thus there was no impairment indicated.

he Company’s indefinite-lived assets are associated with the estimated fair value of the contractual customer relationships existing with the property and casualty insurance carriers in Australia using our property and casualty ("P&C") data exchange and with certain large corporate customers using our client relationship management (“CRM”) platform in the United States. Prior to these underlying business acquisitions Ebix had pre-existing contractual relationships with these carriers and corporate clients. The contracts are renewable at little or no cost, and Ebix intends to continue to renew these contracts indefinitely and has the ability to do so. The proprietary technology supporting the P&C data exchange and CRM platform that is used to deliver services to these carriers and corporate clients, cannot feasibly be effectively replaced in the foreseeable future, and accordingly the cash flows forthcoming from these customers are expected to continue indefinitely. With respect to the determination of the indefinite life, the Company considered the expected use of these intangible assets, historical experience in renewing or extending similar arrangements, and the effects of competition, and concluded that there were no indications from these factors to suggest that the expected useful life of these customer relationships would be finite. The Company concluded that no legal, regulatory, contractual, or competitive factors limited the useful life of these intangible assets and therefore their life was considered to be indefinite, and accordingly the Company expects these customer relationships to remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Additionally based on the final purchase price allocation valuation report of the EbixHealth JV, See Note 3 and 17 for further explanations, it was concluded that the value of the indefinite-lived intangibles identified as indefinite-lived customer relationships to be $11.2 million. The EbixHealth JV is a full-service third-party administrator (“TPA”) that specializes in the management, administration, and distribution of health benefit plans. Services include marketing support, underwriting, billing, claims processing, and cost containment such as utilization review and medical case management for fully-insured, self-funded and partially self-funded benefit plans, as well as international groups and individuals. As a TPA, the Company collects premiums from insureds and, after deducting its fees, remits these premiums to insurance companies. Unremitted insurance premiums and/or claim funds established for the benefit of various carriers are held in a fiduciary capacity until disbursed by the Company. The Company administers and collects the insurance premiums for the products of three affiliated insurance carriers which is part of the consolidated company IHC Health Holdings Corporation ("IHC") a 49% shareholder of the EbixHealth JV. The administrative agreements with the three affiliates accounted for approximately 75% of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2018. IHC is therefore considered a major customer of the EbixHealth JV and therefore considered indefinite-lived. The churn expected for indefinite-lived customers is assumed at 0%. The fair values of these indefinite-lived intangible assets were based on the analysis of discounted cash flow (“DCF”) models extended out fifteen years with a terminal value. In that indefinite-lived does not imply an infinite life, but rather means that the subject customer relationships are expected to extend beyond the foreseeable time horizon, we utilized fifteen year DCF projections with a terminal value, as the valuation models that were applied consider this time frame to be an indefinite period. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized, but rather are tested for impairment annually. We perform our annual impairment testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets as of September 30th of each year. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, we had no impairments to the recorded balances of our indefinite-lived intangible assets. We perform the impairment test for our indefinite-lived intangible assets by comparing the asset’s fair value to its carrying value. An impairment charge is recognized if the asset’s estimated fair value is less than its carrying value.

Purchased Intangible Assets

urchased Intangible Assets—Purchased intangible assets represent the estimated fair value of acquired intangible assets from the businesses that we acquire in the U.S. and foreign countries in which we operate. These purchased intangible assets include customer relationships, developed technology, informational databases, and trademarks. We amortize these intangible assets on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, as follows:



	Life
Category	(yrs)
Customer relationships	7-20
Developed technology	3-12
Airport Contract	9
Store Networks	5
Dealer networks	15-20
Brand	15
Trademarks	3-15
Non-compete agreements	5
Database	10

Income Taxes

ncome Taxes— The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes pursuant to the pertinent guidance issued by the FASB. Deferred income taxes are recorded to reflect the tax consequences on future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities, and operating loss and tax credit carry forwards, and their financial reporting amounts at each period end using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. In assessing the realizability of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. A valuation allowance is recorded, if necessary, 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 follows the provisions of FASB accounting guidance on accounting for uncertain income tax positions. The guidance utilizes a two-step approach for evaluating tax positions. Recognition (“Step 1”) occurs when an enterprise concludes that a tax position, based solely on its technical merits is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination. Measurement (“Step 2”) is only addressed if Step 1 has been satisfied. Under Step 2, the tax benefit is measured at the largest amount of benefit, determined on a cumulative probability basis that is more likely than not to be realized upon final settlement. As used in this context, the term “more likely than not” is interpreted to mean that the likelihood of occurrence is greater than 50%.

On December 22, 2017, the 2017 TCJA was enacted into law and the new legislation contains several key tax provisions that affected us, including a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among others. We are required to recognize the effect of the tax law changes in the period of enactment, such as determining the transition tax, re-measuring our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities as well as reassessing the net realizability of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued SAB No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (SAB 118), which allows us to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. The Company is required to complete its tax accounting for the TCJA within a one-year period when it has obtained, prepared, and analyzed the information to complete the income tax accounting. Due to insufficient guidance, as well as the availability of information to accurately analyze the impact of the TCJA, we have made a reasonable estimate of the effects, as described in Note 8, and in other cases we have not been able to make a reasonable estimate and continue to account for those items based on our existing accounting under FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes and the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately prior to enactment.

In March 2018, the FASB Issued ASU No. 2018-05, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC SAB No. 118. ASU 2018-05 was issued to incorporate into Topic 740 recent SEC guidance related to the income tax accounting implications of the TCJA. Due to the complexities involved in accounting for the enactment of the TCJA, the SEC Staff had issued SAB No. 118 which allowed the Company to record provisional amounts in earnings for the year ended December 31, 2017. ASU 2018-05 became effective immediately and permitted companies to use provisional amounts for certain income tax effects of the TCJA during a one-year measurement period. The Transition Tax is based on the Company’s total post-1986 earnings and profits that were previously deferred from U.S. income taxes. The Company did not recorded an amount for the Transition Tax expense in 2017, as they did not have the necessary information to determine a reasonable estimate to include as a provisional amount.The Company completed its tax accounting for the TCJA during Q4 2018 and recorded an adjustment related to the transition tax after taking into consideration carried forward NOLs and other tax attributes available for set-off, as described in Note 8.

Foreign Currency Translation

oreign Currency Translation—The functional currency for the Company's main foreign subsidiaries in India, Singapore and Dubai is the U.S. dollar because the intellectual property research and development activities provided by its Singapore and Dubai subsidiaries, and the product development and information technology enabled services activities for the insurance industry provided by its India subsidiary, both in support of Ebix's operating divisions across the world, are transacted in U.S. dollars.

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 accumulated other comprehensive loss 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.

Advertising

dvertising—With the exception of certain direct-response costs in connection with our business services of providing medical continuing education to physicians, dentists and healthcare professionals, advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising costs amounted to $7.5 million, $6.1 million, and 6.2 million in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and are included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income. In 2017 reported sales and marketing expenses included $3.9 million of amortization of certain direct-response advertising costs associated with our medical education services, which had been capitalized in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 340. These costs were being amortized to advertising expense over periods ranging from twelve to twenty-four months based on the type of product the customer purchased. Deferred advertising costs amounted to $1.9 million at December 31, 2017.

Effective January 1, 2018 Subtopic 340-40 replaced that guidance to require the costs of direct-response advertising to be expensed as they are incurred or the first time the advertising takes place. The Company was required to recognize a cumulative effective change to opening retained earnings in the year of adoption of the standard. The Company recorded a one-time $1.9 million adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2018 and is expensing all future costs from this date forward. Under the new guidance Subtopic 340-40, the Company's expense decreased by $522 thousand during 2018 from what would have been recorded under legacy US GAAP 340-20.

Sales Commissions

ales Commissions —Certain sales commission paid with respect to subscription-based revenues are deferred and subsequently amortized into operating expenses ratably over the term of the related customer subscription contracts. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, $661 thousand and $574 thousand, respectively, of sales commissions were deferred and included in other current assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 the Company amortized $1.0 million and $1.1 million, respectively, of previously deferred sales commissions and included this expense in sales and marketing costs on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

Property and Equipment

roperty and Equipment—Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are computed using the straight-line method over the assets estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the expected life of the improvements or the remaining lease term. Repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred and major improvements that extend the life of the asset are capitalized and depreciated over the expected remaining life of the related asset. Gains and losses resulting from sales or retirements are recorded as incurred, at which time related costs and accumulated depreciation are removed from the Company’s accounts. Fixed assets acquired in acquisitions are recorded at fair value. The estimated useful lives applied by the Company for property and equipment are as follows:



	Life
Asset Category	(yrs)
Buildings	39
Building Improvements	15
Computer equipment	5
Furniture, fixtures and other	7
Software	3
Land Improvements	20
Land	Unlimited life
Leasehold improvements	Life of the lease

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

ecent Relevant Accounting Pronouncements—The following is a brief discussion of recently released accounting pronouncements that are pertinent to the Company's business:

In August 2018 the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 is intended to improve the effectiveness of ASC 820’s disclosure requirements. The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The Company has yet to assess the impact that the adoption of this ASU will have on Ebix's consolidated income statement and balance sheet.

In June 2018 the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. ASU 2018-07 is intended to reduce cost and complexity and to improve financial reporting for share-based payments to nonemployees. The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that fiscal year. The adoption of ASU 2018-07 did not impact our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In February 2018, the FASB issued 2018-02, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The ASU provides that the stranded tax effects from the Tax Act in accumulated other comprehensive loss may be reclassified to retained earnings. The amendments in this ASU are effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of ASU 2018-02 did not impact our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In January 2017 the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. To simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, the FASB eliminated Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. In computing the implied fair value of goodwill under Step 2, an entity had to perform procedures to determine the fair value at the impairment testing date of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities). Instead, under the amendments in this ASU, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. A public business entity filer should adopt the amendments in this ASU for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company has yet to assess the impact that the adoption of this ASU will have on Ebix's consolidated income statement and balance sheet.

In January 2017 the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805) Clarifying the Definition of a Business which amended the existing FASB ASC. The standard provides additional guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting, including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. ASU 2017-01 is effective for fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The adoption of ASU 2018-01 did not impact our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In November 2016 the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flow (Topic 230) Restricted Cash (A Consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) which amends ASC 230 to add or clarify guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments in this ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2018 with no material impact to its statement of cash flows. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company held $8.3 million and $4.0 million, respectively, in "Restricted cash" and $3.5 million and $2.9 million, respectively, in "Other long-term assets" of the Company's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

In October 2016 the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. Current GAAP prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. This prohibition on recognition is an exception to the principle of comprehensive recognition of current and deferred income taxes in GAAP. The amendments specified by ASU 2016-16 require an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The amendments eliminate the exception for an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory. Two common examples of assets included in the scope of the amendments are intellectual property, and property, plant and equipment. The amendments do not include new disclosure requirements; however, existing disclosure requirements might be applicable when accounting for the current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory. The amendments align the recognition of income tax consequences for intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory with International Financial Reporting Standards. IAS 12, Income Taxes, requires recognition of current and deferred income taxes resulting from an intra-entity transfer of any asset (including inventory) when the transfer occurs. The amendments are effective for public business entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within those annual reporting periods. Early adoption is permitted for all entities in the first interim period if an entity issues interim financial statements. The amendments should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2018 with no material impact to its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016 the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15 Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. This ASU addresses the following eight specific cash flow issues: Contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; distributions received from equity method investees; debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies and bank-owned life insurance policies; and beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and also addresses separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The amendments in this ASU apply to all entities, including both business entities and not-for-profit entities that are required to present a statement of cash flows under Topic 230. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The amendments should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. If it is impracticable to apply the amendments retrospectively for some of the issues, the ASU for those issuers would be applied prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2018 with no material impact to its consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016 the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This new accounting guidance is intended to improve financial reporting about leasing transactions. The ASU affects all companies and other organizations that lease assets such as real estate, airplanes, and manufacturing equipment. The ASU will require organizations that lease assets referred to as “Lessees” to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases. An organization is to provide disclosures designed to enable users of financial statements to understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements concerning additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements. Under the new guidance, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than twelve months. Consistent with current GAAP, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike current GAAP which requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet the new ASU will require both types of leases (i.e., operating and capital) to be recognized on the balance sheet. The FASB lessee accounting model will continue to account for both types of leases. The capital lease will be accounted for in substantially the same manner as capital leases are accounted for under existing GAAP. For operating leases there will have to be the recognition of a lease liability and a lease asset for all such leases greater than one year in term. Public companies will be required to adopt the new leasing standard for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted for all companies and organizations. For calendar year-end public companies, this means an adoption date of January 1, 2019 and retrospective application to previously issued annual and interim financial statements for 2018 and 2017. Lessees with a large portfolio of leases are likely to see a significant increase in balance sheet assets and liabilities. See Note 5 for the Company’s current lease commitments.