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Income Taxes
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
INCOME TAXES
INCOME TAXES

The Company’s income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2012 was $41.6 million, which reflects an effective income tax rate of 38.5% of pre-tax income for the period. The Company’s income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2011 was $1.5 million. The Company did not have a meaningful effective tax rate for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 because its net deferred tax assets were fully offset by a valuation allowance for the period.

At September 30, 2012, the Company had income taxes receivable of $14.4 million, which related to an expected federal tax refund associated with the Company's 2006 and 2007 tax returns. This refund was received in October 2012.

A reduction of $9.9 million in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits and $3.1 million of accrued interest is reasonably possible within the current fiscal year, of which $11.0 million would be reflected as an income tax benefit in the consolidated statement of operations and $2.0 million would result in an adjustment to deferred income taxes.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (Act) was signed into law on January 2, 2013. The Act is not expected to have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

At December 31, 2012 and September 30, 2012, the Company had deferred tax assets, net of deferred tax liabilities, of $725.4 million and $751.4 million, respectively, offset by valuation allowances of $41.9 million for both periods. At September 30, 2012, the Company needed to generate approximately $1.3 billion of pre-tax income in fiscal 2013 and in future periods before its federal net operating loss (NOL) carryforwards expire to realize its federal deferred tax assets. At September 30, 2012, the Company had federal NOL carryforwards of $310.5 million that expire in fiscal 2030 and 2031.

At June 30, 2012, the Company determined it was more likely than not that the substantial majority of the Company's deferred tax assets would be realized, which resulted in a $753.2 million reversal of the valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets during the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2012. The Company evaluated both positive and negative evidence to determine its ability to realize its deferred tax assets. In its evaluation, the Company gave more significant weight to evidence that was objective in nature as compared to subjective evidence. Also, more significant weight was given to evidence that directly relates to the Company's current financial performance as compared to indirect or less current evidence.

The Company gave the most significant weight in its evaluation to the objective, direct positive evidence related to its recent strong financial results, especially its positive and growing levels of pre-tax income and its significant growth in net sales orders and sales order backlog during fiscal 2012. The Company estimated that if its annual pre-tax income remains at the fiscal 2012 level in future years, it would realize all of its federal net operating losses in less than five years, well in advance of the expiration of the Company's NOL carryforwards in fiscal 2030 and 2031, and it would also absorb all federal deductible temporary differences as they reverse in future years. Additionally, the Company considered, at a lower weighting, the subjective, direct positive evidence that it expects to increase its pre-tax income in future years by utilizing its strong balance sheet and liquidity position to invest in opportunities to sustain and grow its operations. If industry conditions weaken, the Company expects to be able to adjust its operations to maintain long-term profitability and still realize its deferred tax assets.

Prior to the quarter ended June 30, 2012, the Company had given significant weight to the negative, direct evidence of its three-year cumulative pre-tax loss position as a result of losses incurred in prior years during the housing downturn. As of June 30, 2012, the Company had generated positive cumulative pre-tax income for the past three years and therefore, the prior year losses were weighted less than the recent positive financial results in the Company's evaluation at June 30, 2012. Other negative, indirect evidence, such as the current overall weakness in the U.S. economy and the housing market and the restrictive mortgage lending environment, was considered at a lower weighting because the Company's recent financial performance has been achieved in this environment. Also, the negative, direct evidence of the Company's gross profit margins, which were lower than historical levels before the housing downturn, were considered at a lower weight than the direct, positive evidence of its growing pre-tax income levels.

The most significant changes in the Company's evaluation of the realizability of its deferred tax assets at June 30, 2012 were the development of significant positive evidence related to the Company's accelerating growth in pre-tax income, net sales orders and backlog as fiscal 2012 progressed; the Company's expectation to realize all of its federal net operating losses in less than five years and to absorb all federal deductible temporary differences as they reverse in future years based on fiscal 2012 pre-tax income levels; the Company's expectation of sustained and increasing profitability in future years; and the lessening of the significance of the negative evidence considered in prior periods related to the Company's pre-tax losses incurred in prior years, because the Company had generated positive cumulative pre-tax income for the past three years as of June 30, 2012. These significant changes in the evidence at June 30, 2012 led the Company to determine that it was appropriate to reverse all of the valuation allowance related to its federal deferred tax assets and a portion of the valuation allowance related to its state deferred tax assets.

Based on its evaluation of the positive and negative evidence described above at June 30, 2012, the Company concluded that the positive evidence outweighed the negative evidence and that it was more likely than not that all of the Company's federal deferred tax assets would be realized. Therefore, there is no remaining valuation allowance related to the Company's federal deferred tax assets at December 31, 2012 and September 30, 2012.

At September 30, 2012, the Company had tax benefits for state net operating loss carryforwards of $85.2 million that expire at various times depending on the tax jurisdiction from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2031. The Company had a valuation allowance of $41.9 million related to its state deferred tax assets at both December 31, 2012 and September 30, 2012 because the Company believes it is more likely than not that a portion of its state net operating losses will not be realized due to the more limited carryforward periods that exist in certain states. The Company estimated the amount of this valuation allowance based on an analysis of the amount of its net operating loss carryforwards associated with each state in which it conducts business, as compared to its expected level of taxable income under existing apportionment or recognition rules in each state and the carryforward periods allowed in each state's tax code.

The Company continues to evaluate both the positive and negative evidence in determining the need for a valuation allowance with respect to its tax benefits for state net operating loss carryforwards. Changes in the positive and negative evidence, including differences in the Company's future operating results as compared to the estimates utilized in the determination of the valuation allowance, could result in changes in the Company's estimate of the valuation allowance related to its tax benefits for state net operating loss carryforwards. If the Company produces operating results similar to or better than the results it achieved during the three months ended December 31, 2012 in future periods, there could be sufficient positive evidence to support a conclusion that the Company will realize more of its state NOL carryforwards than previously anticipated which could result in a reduction of a portion of the remaining valuation allowance at some point during fiscal 2013.

The accounting for deferred taxes is based upon estimates of future results. Differences between the anticipated and actual outcomes of these future results could have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations or financial position. Also, changes in existing federal and state tax laws and tax rates could affect future tax results and the valuation of the Company's deferred tax assets.