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Note C - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Notes to Financial Statements  
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]
NOTE C — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
1.
  Principles of Consolidation
 
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") and include the accounts of Milestone Scientific and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries, including, Wand Dental (wholly owned), Milestone Advanced Cosmetic (majority owned) and Milestone Medical (majority owned).  All significant, intra-entity transactions and balances have been eliminated in the consolidation.
 
2.
  Reclassifications
 
Certain reclassifications have been made to the
2019
 financial statements to conform to the condensed consolidated
2020
 financial statement presentation. These reclassifications had
no
effect on net loss or cash flows as previously reported.
 
3.
  Use of Estimates
 
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The most significant estimates relate to the allowance for doubtful accounts, inventory valuation, and cash flow assumptions regarding evaluations for impairment of long-lived assets and going concern considerations, and valuation allowances on deferred tax assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates
.
 
4.
  Revenue Recognition
 
The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To perform revenue recognition, the Company performs the following
five
steps:
 
i.
identification of the promised goods or services in the contract;
ii.
determination of whether the promised goods or services are performance obligations including whether they are distinct in the context of the contract;
iii.
measurement of the transaction price, including the constraint on variable consideration;
iv.
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations based on estimated selling prices; and
v.
recognition of revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of account in ASC
606.
 
The Company derives its revenues from the sale of its products, primarily dental instruments, handpieces, and other related products. The Company sells its products through a global distribution network and that includes both exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements with related and
third
parties.
 
Revenue from product sales is recognized upon transfer of control of a product to a customer, generally upon date of shipment. For certain arrangements where the shipping terms are FOB destination, revenue is recognized upon delivery. The Company has
no
obligation on product sales for any installation, set-up, or maintenance, these being the responsibility of the buyer. Milestone Scientific's only obligation after sale is the normal commercial warranty against manufacturing defects if the alleged defective unit is returned within the warranty period. 
 
Sales Returns
 
The Company records allowances for product returns as a reduction of revenue at the time product sales are recorded. Several factors are considered in determining whether an allowance for product returns is required, including the customers' return rights and the Company's historical experience with returns and the amount of product in the distribution channel
not
consumed by end users and subject to return. The Company relies on historical return rates to estimate returns. In the future, if any of these factors and/or the history of product returns change, adjustments to the allowance for product returns
may
be required.
Financing and Payment
 
Our payment terms differ by geography and customer, but payment is generally required within
90
days from the date of shipment or delivery.
 
Disaggregation of Revenue
 
We operate in
two
operating segments: dental and medical. Therefore, results of our operations are reported on a consolidated basis for purposes of segment reporting, consistent with internal management reporting. See Note M for revenues by geographical market, based on the customer's location, and product category for the years
December 31, 2020 
and
2019.
 
5.
  Variable Interest Entities
 
A variable interest entity ("VIE") is an entity that either (i) has insufficient equity to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or (ii) has equity investors who lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. A VIE is consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary has both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. 
 
If Milestone Scientific determines that it has operating power and the obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits, Milestone Scientific consolidates the VIE as the primary beneficiary. Milestone Scientific's involvement constitutes power that is most significant to the entity when it has unconstrained decision-making ability over key operational functions within the entity.        
 
Because Milestone Scientific has a variable interest in Milestone China, it considered the guidance in ASC
810,
“Consolidation” as it relates to determining whether Milestone China is a VIE and, if so, identifying the primary beneficiary. Milestone Scientific would be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE if it has both of the following characteristics:
 
 
Power Criterion: The power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance; and
 
Losses/Benefits Criterion: The obligation to absorb losses that could potentially be significant or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE
 
Milestone Scientific does
not
have the ability to control the activities that most significantly impact Milestone China's economics and, therefore, the power criterion has
not
been met. Management placed the most weight on the relationship and significance of activities of Milestone China to the CEO and a group of significant shareholders, including the CEO, of Milestone China who have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of Milestone China. Management has concluded that Milestone Scientific is
not
the primary beneficiary under ASC
810.
Accordingly, Milestone China has
not
been consolidated into the financial statements of Milestone Scientific and is accounted for under the equity method. See Note F.
 
6.
  Cash and Cash Equivalents
 
Milestone Scientific considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of
three
months or less to be cash equivalents. As of
December 31, 2020
and
2019
Milestone Scientific has approximately
$13.1
million  and
$302,000
of investments with short term maturities classified as  cash equivalents.  At times, such cash,
may
be more than the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit. As of 
December 
31,
2020,
the Company has approximately
$700,000
of cash in excess of FDIC coverage. 
 
7.
  Accounts Receivable
 
Milestone Scientific sells a significant amount of its product on credit terms to its major distributors. Milestone Scientific estimates losses from the ability or inability of its customers to make payments on amounts billed. Most credit sales are due within
90
days from invoicing. There have
not
been any significant credit losses incurred to date. As of
December 31, 2020 
and 
2019,
  accounts receivable was recorded, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of
$10,000
.
 
8.
  Inventories
 
Inventories principally consist of finished goods and component parts stated at the lower of cost (
first
-in,
first
-out method) or net realizable value. Inventory quantities on hand are reviewed on a quarterly basis and a provision for excess, slow moving, defective, and obsolete inventory is recorded if required based on past and expected future sales, potential technological obsolescence, and product expiration requirements.
The valuation allowance creates a new cost basis for the inventory, and it is
not
 subsequently marked up through a reduction in the valuation allowance based on any changes in the underlying facts and circumstances. When the valuation allowance is initially recorded, the increase to the allowance is recognized as an increase in cost of sales. The valuation allowance is only reduced if or when the underlying inventory is sold or destroyed, at which time cost of sales recognized would include the previous adjusted cost basis.
 
9.
  Equity Method Investments
 
Investments in which Milestone Scientific can exercise significant influence, but do
not
control, are accounted for under the equity method of accounting and are included in the long-term assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under this method of accounting, Milestone Scientific's share of the net earnings or losses of the investee is presented below the income tax line on the Consolidated Statements of  Operations. Milestone Scientific evaluates its equity method investments whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate that the carrying amounts of such investments
may
be impaired. If a decline in the value of an equity method investment is determined to be other than temporary, a loss is recorded in earnings in the current period.
 
10.
  Furniture, Fixture and Equipment  
 
Equipment is recorded at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from
two
to
seven
years. The costs of maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred. 
 
11.
  Intangible Assets – Patents and Developed Technology
 
Patents are recorded at cost to prepare and file the applicable documents with the US Patent Office, or internationally with the applicable governmental office in the respective country. The costs related to these patents are being amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the patent. Patents and other developed technology acquired from another business entity are recorded at acquisition cost and be amortized at the estimated useful life.  Patent defense costs, to the extent applicable, are expensed as incurred.                      
 
12.
  Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
 
Long-lived assets with finite lives are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset
may
not
be recoverable. The Company's impairment review process is based upon an estimate of future undiscounted cash flow. Factors the Company considers that could trigger an impairment review include the following:
 
significant under performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results,
significant changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy for our overall business
significant negative industry or economic trends
significant technological changes, which would render the technology obsolete
 
Recoverability of assets that will continue to be used in the Company's operations is measured by comparing the carrying value to the future net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. Future undiscounted cash flows include estimates of future revenues, driven by market growth rates, and estimated future costs.
 
13.
Note Payable
 
On
April 27, 2020,
the Company, was granted a loan (the “Loan”) from Savoy Bank. in the aggregate amount of approximately 
$276,000,
pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) under Division A, Title I of the CARES Act, which was enacted
March 27, 2020.
 
The Loan, which was in the form of a Note dated
April 27, 2020, 
matures on
April 27, 2022,
and bears interest at a rate of
1.00%
per annum, payable monthly commencing on
November 26, 2020.
The Note
may
be prepaid by the Borrower at any time prior to maturity with
no
prepayment penalties. Funds from the Loan
may
only be used for payroll costs, costs used to continue group health care benefits, mortgage payments, rent, utilities, and interest on other debt obligations incurred before
February 15, 2020.
The Company intends to use the entire Loan amount for qualifying expenses. Under the terms of the PPP, certain amounts of the Loan
may
be forgiven if they are used for qualifying expenses as described in the CARES Act. The company is in the process of applying for loan forgiveness.
 
14.
  Research and Development
 
Research and development costs, which consist principally of new product development costs payable to
third
parties, are expensed as incurred. Advance payments for the research are amortized to expense either as services are performed or over the relevant service period using the straight-line method.
 
15.
  Income Taxes
 
Milestone Scientific accounts for income taxes pursuant to the asset and liability method which requires deferred income tax assets and liabilities to be computed for temporary differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities that will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
 
At
December 31, 2020
and
2019,
we had
no
uncertain tax positions that required recognition in the consolidated financial statements. Milestone Scientific's policy is to recognize interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
No
interest and penalties are present for periods open. Tax returns for the
2017,
 
2018
and
2019
 years are subject to audit by federal and state jurisdictions.
 
16.
  Basic and diluted net loss per common share
 
Milestone Scientific presents “basic” earnings (loss) per common share applicable to common stockholders and, if applicable, “diluted” earnings (loss) per common share applicable to common stockholders pursuant to the provisions of ASC
260,
“Earnings per Share”. Basic earnings (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income or loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and to be issued during each period. The calculation of diluted earnings per common share is like that of basic earnings per common share, except that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if all potentially dilutive common shares, such as those issuable upon the exercise of stock options and warrants were issued during the period.
 
Since Milestone Scientific had net losses in the year ended
December 31, 2020
and
2019,
the assumed effects of the exercise of potentially dilutive outstanding stock options, and warrants, were
not
included in the calculation as their effect would have been anti-dilutive. Such outstanding options, and warrants totaled
8,397,836
 and
2,336,611
on
December 31, 
2020
and
2019,
respectively.
 
17.
  Fair Value of Financial Instruments
 
Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal market at the measurement date (exit price). We are required to classify fair value measurements in
one
of the following categories:
 
  
Level
1
inputs which are defined as quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity can access at the measurement date.
 
Level
2
inputs which are defined as inputs other than quoted prices included within Level
1
that are observable for the assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly.
 
Level
3
inputs are defined as unobservable inputs for the assets or liabilities.
 
Financial assets and liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance of an input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and
may
affect the valuation of the fair value of assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. As of
December 31, 2020 
and
2019
 the Company does
not
have any assets or liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis.
 
During the year ended
December 31, 2019
the Company did
not
have sufficient authorized shares to support the exercise of outstanding securities and reclassified all outstanding warrants and certain employee stock options to liability classification, measured using level
3
inputs and reclassified all shares-to-be-issued measured using level
1
inputs, the trading price of the Company's stock.  At
December 17, 2019,
the Company increased the number of authorized shares available, extinguishing the derivative liability.  The roll forward of the liability associated with certain outstanding warrants and stock options which use level
3
inputs is as follows.  Refer to Note I for more detail.
 
 
   
December 31, 2019
 
Balance at beginning of year
  $
-
 
Warrants issued in connection with public offering (See Note I)
   
376,497
 
Change in fair value of derivative liability
   
422,484
 
Employee options reclassified as derivative liability    
500,000
 
Change in value of derivative securities – exercised    
(655,000
)
Reversal of derivative liability for exercised warrants
   
820,954
 
Reversal of Level 3 of derivative liability to equity upon authorized share increase    
(1,464,935
)
Balance at end of period
  $
-
 
 
18.
Derivative Liability
 
The Company does
not
use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks; however, the Company has certain financial instruments that qualify as derivatives and are classified as liabilities on the balance sheet. The Company evaluates all its financial instruments to determine if those instruments or any potential embedded components of those instruments qualify as derivatives that need to be separately accounted for in accordance with FASB ASC
815,
“Derivatives and Hedging”.  Derivatives satisfying certain criteria are recorded at fair value at issuance and marked-to-market at each balance sheet date with the change in the fair value recorded as income or expense. In addition, upon the occurrence of an event that requires a derivative liability to be reclassified to equity, the derivative liability is revalued to fair value at that date. See Note I, Outstanding Equity Instruments in Excess of Authorized Shares.
 
19.
Stock-Based Compensation 
 
Milestone Scientific accounts for stock-based compensation under ASC Topic
718,
Share-Based Payment. ASC Topic
718
requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the Statements of Operations over the service period, as an operating expense, based on the grant-date fair values.
 
The fair value of the non-employee options were also estimated on the date of grant using the Black Scholes option-pricing model. See Note J.
 
20.
  Recent Accounting Pronouncements
 
In
December 2019,
FASB issued ASU
2019
-
12,
 “Income Taxes (Topic
740
): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which clarifies for the accounting treatment for the accounting tax aspects relating, in part, to the intraperiod allocations and foreign subsidiaries. ASU
2019
-
12
 is effective for all entities with fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2020.
The adoption of this standard is
not
expected to have a material effect on financial statement presentation.
 
In
January 2020,
FASB issued ASU
2020
-
01,
 “Investments—Equity Securities (Topic
321
), Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic
323
), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic
815
), which, generally, provides guidance for investments in entities accounted for under the equity method of accounting. ASU
2020
-
01
 is effective for all entities with fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2021,
including interim periods therein. The  company is analyzing the impact of the  adoption of this standard is
not
expected to have a material effect on financial statement presentation.
 
In
August 2020,
FASB issued ASU
2020
-
06,
 “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic
470
-
20
) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity's Own Equity (Subtopic
815
-
40
): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity's Own Equity; which, generally, provides guidance for accounting regarding derivatives relating to entities common stock and earnings per share. ASU
2020
-
06
 is effective for all entities with fiscal years beginning after
December 15, 2021,
including interim periods therein. The adoption of this standard is
not
expected to have a material effect on financial statement presentation.