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Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Aug. 31, 2021
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Jabil Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, herein referred to as the “Company”) is one of the leading providers of manufacturing services and solutions. The Company provides comprehensive electronics design, production and product management services to companies in various industries and end markets. The Company’s services combine a highly automated, continuous flow manufacturing approach with advanced electronic design and design for manufacturability technologies. The Company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida and has manufacturing operations principally in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Significant accounting policies followed by the Company are as follows:
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of the Company, and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in preparing the consolidated financial statements. The Company has made certain reclassification adjustments to conform prior periods’ Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements to the current presentation.
Use of Accounting Estimates
Management is required to make estimates and assumptions during the preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates and assumptions.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash equivalents consist of investments that are readily convertible to cash with original maturities of 90 days or less.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable consist of trade receivables and other miscellaneous receivables. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical losses, the age of past due receivables, credit quality of our customers, current economic conditions, and other factors that may affect our ability to collect from customers. Bad debts are charged to this allowance after all attempts to collect the balance are exhausted. As the financial condition and circumstances of the Company’s customers change, adjustments to the allowance for doubtful accounts are made as necessary.
Contract Balances
Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. The Company records an asset when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing a customer (“contract assets”) while a liability is recognized when a customer pays an invoice prior to the Company transferring control of the goods or services (“contract liabilities”). Amounts recognized as contract assets are generally transferred to receivables in the succeeding quarter due to the short-term nature of the manufacturing cycle. Contract assets are classified separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and transferred to receivables when right to payment becomes unconditional.
The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses related to contract assets based on historical losses, credit quality of our customers, current economic conditions, and other factors that may affect our ability to collect from our customers.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (on a first in, first out (FIFO) basis) and net realizable value. Inventory is valued based on current and forecasted usage, customer inventory-related contractual obligations and other lower of cost and net realizable value considerations. If actual market conditions or customer product demands are less favorable than those projected, additional valuation adjustments may be necessary.
Fulfillment Costs    
The Company capitalizes costs incurred to fulfill its contracts that i) relate directly to the contract or anticipated contracts, ii) are expected to generate or enhance the Company’s resources that will be used to satisfy the performance obligation under the contract, and iii) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated from the contract. Capitalized fulfillment costs are amortized to cost of revenue as the Company satisfies the related performance obligations under the contract with approximate lives ranging from 1 year to 3 years. These costs, which are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets and other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, generally represent upfront costs incurred to prepare for manufacturing activities.
The Company assesses the capitalized fulfillment costs for impairment at the end of each reporting period. The Company will recognize an impairment loss to the extent the carrying amount of the capitalized costs exceeds the recoverable amount. Recoverability is assessed by considering the capitalized fulfillment costs in relation to the forecasted profitability of the related manufacturing performance obligations.
As of August 31, 2021 and 2020, capitalized costs to fulfill were $133 million and $85 million, respectively. Amortization of fulfillment costs were $58 million, $57 million and $49 million during the fiscal years ended August 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Immaterial or no impairments for fulfillment costs were recognized during the fiscal years ended August 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Property, Plant and Equipment, net
Property, plant and equipment is capitalized at cost and depreciated using the straight-line depreciation method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Estimated useful lives for major classes of depreciable assets are as follows:
Asset Class Estimated Useful Life
Buildings
Up to 35 years
Leasehold improvements Shorter of lease term or useful life of the improvement
Machinery and equipment
2 to 10 years
Furniture, fixtures and office equipment 5 years
Computer hardware and software
3 to 7 years
Transportation equipment 3 years
Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of assets sold or retired is removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as a component of operating income.
Leases
Following the adoption of Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), Leases (Topic 842) on September 1, 2019, the Company elected to apply the package of practical expedients, which among other things, allows entities to maintain the historical lease classification for existing leases. The Company has lease agreements that contain both lease and non-lease components. For lease agreements entered into or reassessed after the adoption of ASU 2016-02, the Company has elected the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components for building and real estate leases.

The Company primarily has leases for buildings, real estate, machinery and equipment with lease terms ranging from 1 year to 35 years. Leases for other classes of assets are not significant. For any leases with an initial term in excess of 12 months, the Company determines whether an arrangement is a lease at contract inception by evaluating if the contract conveys the right to use and control the specific property or equipment. Certain lease agreements contain purchase or renewal options. These options are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Generally, the Company’s lease agreements do not contain material restrictive covenants.
Right-of-use assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of future lease payments over the lease term at the lease commencement date. When determining the present value of future payment, the Company uses the incremental borrowing rate when the implicit rate is not readily determinable. Any payment deemed probable under residual value guarantees is included in lease payments. Any variable payments, other than those that depend on an index or rate, are excluded from right-of-use assets and lease liabilities.
Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Lease expense for these leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Certain equipment and buildings held under finance leases are classified as property, plant and equipment and the related obligation is recorded as accrued expenses and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Amortization of assets held under finance leases is included in depreciation expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
The Company accounts for goodwill in a business combination as the excess of the cost over the fair value of net assets acquired and is assigned to the reporting unit in which the acquired business will operate. The Company tests goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount may not be recoverable.
The recoverability of goodwill is measured at the reporting unit level by comparing the reporting unit’s carrying amount, including goodwill, to the fair value of the reporting unit. The Company may elect to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit is impaired. If the qualitative assessment is not performed or if the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value, the Company determines the fair value of its reporting units based on an average weighting of both projected discounted future results and the use of comparative market multiples. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill is considered impaired and a loss recognized in the amount equal to that excess.
The recoverability of indefinite-lived intangible assets is measured by comparing the carrying amount to the fair value. The Company may elect to perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible is impaired. If the qualitative assessment is not performed or if the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible exceeds the carrying value, the Company determines the fair value principally based on a variation of the income approach, known as the relief from royalty method. If the carrying amount of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, the indefinite-lived intangible asset is considered impaired.
Business combinations can also result in other intangible assets being recognized. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on either a straight-line or accelerated basis over their estimated useful life and include contractual agreements and customer relationships, tradenames and intellectual property. No significant residual values are estimated for the amortizable intangible assets.
Long-lived Assets
Long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment, and finite-lived intangible assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of the asset or asset group is measured by comparing its carrying amount to the undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. If the carrying amount of an asset or asset group is not recoverable, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset or asset group over its respective fair value, which is generally determined as the present value of estimated future cash flows or as the appraised value.
Derivative Instruments
All derivative instruments are recorded gross on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at their respective fair values. The accounting for changes in the fair value of a derivative instrument depends on the intended use and designation of the derivative instrument. For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as a fair value hedge, the gain or loss on the derivative and the offsetting gain or loss on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in current earnings. For derivative instruments that are designated and qualify as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is initially reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”), net of tax, and is subsequently reclassified into the line item within the Consolidated Statements of Operations in which the hedged items are recorded in the same period in which the hedged item affects earnings. The ineffective portion of the gain or loss is recognized immediately in current earnings. For derivative instruments that are not designated as hedging instruments, gains and losses from changes in fair values are recognized in earnings. Cash receipts and cash payments related to derivative instruments are recorded in the same category as the cash flows from the items being hedged on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
The following table sets forth the changes in AOCI, net of tax, by component during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2021 (in millions):
Foreign
Currency
Translation
Adjustment
Derivative
Instruments
Actuarial
Gain (Loss) 
Prior
Service (Cost) Credit
Total
Balance as of August 31, 2020 $ (37) $ (30) $ 34  $ (1) $ (34)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications 17  35 

33  (20) 65 
Amounts reclassified from AOCI
—  (41)

(16)

(56)
Other comprehensive income (loss)(1)
17  (6) 17  (19)
Balance as of August 31, 2021 $ (20) $ (36) $ 51  $ (20) $ (25)
(1)Amounts are net of tax, which are immaterial.
The following table sets forth the amounts reclassified from AOCI into the Consolidated Statements of Operations, and the associated financial statement line item, net of tax, for the periods indicated (in millions):
Fiscal Year Ended August 31,
Comprehensive Income Components Financial Statement Line Item 2021 2020 2019
Realized (gains) losses on derivative instruments:(1)
Foreign exchange contracts Cost of revenue $ (44) $ 15  $ 22 
Interest rate contracts Interest expense (1) (2)
Actuarial (gain) loss
(2)
(16) (3)
Prior service cost
(2)
—  — 
Available for sale securities
(Gain) loss on securities —  36  33 
Total amounts reclassified from AOCI(3)
$ (56) $ 47  $ 54 
(1)The Company expects to reclassify $6 million into earnings during the next twelve months, which will primarily be classified as a component of cost of revenue.
(2)Amounts are included in the computation of net periodic benefit pension cost. Refer to Note 10 – “Postretirement and Other Employee Benefits” for additional information.
(3)Amounts are net of tax, which are immaterial for the fiscal years ended August 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Foreign Currency Transactions
For the Company’s foreign subsidiaries that use a currency other than the U.S. dollar as their functional currency, the assets and liabilities are translated at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date, and revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate for the period. The effects of these translation adjustments are reported in accumulated other comprehensive income. Gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity involved are included in operating income.
Revenue Recognition
The Company provides comprehensive electronics design, production and product management services to companies in various industries and end markets. The Company derives substantially all of its revenue from production and product management services (collectively referred to as “manufacturing services”), which encompasses the act of producing tangible products that are built to customer specifications, which are then provided to the customer.
The Company generally enters into manufacturing service contracts with its customers that provide the framework under which business will be conducted and customer purchase orders will be received for specific quantities and with predominantly fixed pricing. As a result, the Company considers its contract with a customer to be the combination of the manufacturing service contract and the purchase order, or any agreements or other similar documents.
The majority of the Company's manufacturing service contracts relate to manufactured products which have no alternative use and for which the Company has an enforceable right to payment for the work completed to date. As a result, revenue is recognized over time when or as the Company transfers control of the promised products or services (known as performance obligations) to its customers. For certain other contracts with customers that do not meet the over time revenue
recognition criteria, transfer of control occurs at a point in time which generally occurs upon delivery and transfer of risk and title to the customer.
Most of the Company's contracts have a single performance obligation as the promise to transfer the individual manufactured product or service is capable of being distinct and is distinct within the context of the contract. For the majority of customers, performance obligations are satisfied over time based on the continuous transfer of control as manufacturing services are performed and are generally completed in less than one year.
The Company also derives revenue to a lesser extent from electronic design services to certain customers. Revenue from electronic design services is generally recognized over time as the services are performed.
For the Company’s over time customers, it believes the measure of progress which best depicts the transfer of control is based on costs incurred to date, relative to total estimated cost at completion (i.e., an input method). This method is a faithful depiction of the transfer of goods or services because it results in the recognition of revenue on the basis of the Company's to-date efforts in the satisfaction of a performance obligation relative to the total expected efforts in the satisfaction of the performance obligation. The Company believes that the use of an input method best depicts the transfer of control to the customer, which occurs as the Company incurs costs on its contracts. The transaction price of each performance obligation is generally based upon the contractual stand-alone selling price of the product or service.
Certain contracts with customers include variable consideration, such as periodic cost of materials adjustments, rebates, discounts, or returns. The Company recognizes estimates of this variable consideration that are not expected to result in a significant revenue reversal in the future, primarily based on the most likely level of consideration to be paid to the customer under the specific terms of the underlying programs.
Taxes collected from the Company’s customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented within the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations on a net basis and are excluded from the transaction price. The Company has elected to account for shipping and handling activities related to contracts with customers as costs to fulfill the promise to transfer the goods. Accordingly, the Company records customer payments of shipping and handling costs as a component of net revenue, and classifies such costs as a component of cost of revenue.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense, reduced for estimated forfeitures, on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award, which is generally the vesting period for outstanding stock awards.
The stock-based compensation expense for time-based and performance-based restricted stock unit awards (“restricted stock units”) is measured at fair value on the date of grant based on the number of shares expected to vest and the quoted market price of the Company’s common stock. For restricted stock units with performance conditions, stock-based compensation expense is originally based on the number of shares that would vest if the Company achieved 100% of the performance goal, which is the intended outcome at the grant date. Throughout the requisite service period, management monitors the probability of achievement of the performance condition. If it becomes probable, based on the Company’s performance, that more or less than the current estimate of the awarded shares will vest, an adjustment to stock-based compensation expense will be recognized as a change in accounting estimate in the period that such probability changes.
The stock-based compensation expense for market-based restricted stock units is measured at fair value on the date of grant. The market conditions are considered in the grant date fair value using a Monte Carlo valuation model, which utilizes multiple input variables to determine the probability of the Company achieving the specified market conditions. Stock-based compensation expense related to an award with a market condition will be recognized over the requisite service period regardless of whether the market condition is satisfied, provided that the requisite service period has been completed.
The Company currently expects to satisfy share-based awards with registered shares available to be issued.
See Note 12 – “Stockholders’ Equity” for further discussion of stock-based compensation expense.
Income Taxes
Deferred tax assets (“DTA”) and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured 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. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in the
tax rate is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date of the rate change. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce its deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. The Company considers future taxable income and ongoing feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for the valuation allowance.
The Company records the effects of the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) as a period cost and applies the incremental cash tax savings approach when analyzing the impact GILTI could have on its U.S. valuation allowance.  The incremental cash tax savings approach considers the realizable benefit of a net operating loss and deferred tax assets by comparing the incremental cash taxes in the calculation of GILTI with and without the net operating loss and other DTAs.
Earnings Per Share
The Company calculates its basic earnings per share by dividing net income attributable to Jabil Inc. by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The Company’s diluted earnings per share is calculated in a similar manner, but includes the effect of dilutive securities. The difference between the weighted average number of basic shares outstanding and the weighted average number of diluted shares outstanding is primarily due to dilutive unvested restricted stock units and dilutive stock appreciation rights.
Potential shares of common stock are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share when their effect would be antidilutive. Performance-based restricted stock units are considered dilutive when the related performance criterion have been met assuming the end of the reporting period represents the end of the performance period. All potential shares of common stock are antidilutive in periods of net loss. Potential shares of common stock not included in the computation of earnings per share because their effect would have been antidilutive or because the performance criterion was not met were as follows (in thousands):
  Fiscal Year Ended August 31,
  2021 2020 2019
Restricted stock units 655.0  728.3  795.8 
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value is categorized in one of three levels based on the lowest level of significant input used. Level 1 – quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities; Level 2 – inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and Level 3 – unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.