CoreCivic, Inc. Income Taxes Disclosure
CoreCivic recorded an income tax expense of $40.7 million, $23.1 million, and $28.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Income tax expense is comprised of the following components (in thousands):
|
|
For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
|||||||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|||
Current income tax expense |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Federal |
|
$ |
25,031 |
|
|
$ |
26,621 |
|
|
$ |
25,037 |
|
State |
|
|
6,485 |
|
|
|
4,182 |
|
|
|
5,899 |
|
|
|
|
31,516 |
|
|
|
30,803 |
|
|
|
30,936 |
|
Deferred income tax expense (benefit) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
Federal |
|
|
8,933 |
|
|
|
(7,100 |
) |
|
|
(2,156 |
) |
State |
|
|
224 |
|
|
|
(608 |
) |
|
|
(547 |
) |
|
|
|
9,157 |
|
|
|
(7,708 |
) |
|
|
(2,703 |
) |
Income tax expense |
|
$ |
40,673 |
|
|
$ |
23,095 |
|
|
$ |
28,233 |
|
Significant components of CoreCivic's deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, are as follows (in thousands):
|
|
December 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
||
Noncurrent deferred tax assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Asset reserves and liabilities not yet deductible for tax |
|
$ |
14,243 |
|
|
$ |
22,458 |
|
Accrued compensation not yet deductible for tax |
|
|
16,713 |
|
|
|
14,252 |
|
Accrued workers compensation liabilities not |
|
|
13,280 |
|
|
|
11,126 |
|
Depreciation |
|
|
8,443 |
|
|
|
8,296 |
|
ROU lease assets |
|
|
34,785 |
|
|
|
5,887 |
|
Losses and tax credit carryforwards |
|
|
1,092 |
|
|
|
1,367 |
|
Intangible assets |
|
|
6,829 |
|
|
|
6,882 |
|
Other |
|
|
5,949 |
|
|
|
7,522 |
|
Total noncurrent deferred tax assets |
|
|
101,334 |
|
|
|
77,790 |
|
Less valuation allowance |
|
|
(1,066 |
) |
|
|
(1,066 |
) |
Total noncurrent deferred tax assets |
|
|
100,268 |
|
|
|
76,724 |
|
Noncurrent deferred tax liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Depreciation |
|
|
(153,958 |
) |
|
|
(150,481 |
) |
Lease liabilities |
|
|
(33,089 |
) |
|
|
(5,290 |
) |
Intangible liabilities |
|
|
(6,944 |
) |
|
|
(7,411 |
) |
Other |
|
|
(4,641 |
) |
|
|
(2,749 |
) |
Total noncurrent deferred tax liabilities |
|
|
(198,632 |
) |
|
|
(165,931 |
) |
Net total noncurrent deferred tax liabilities |
|
$ |
(98,364 |
) |
|
$ |
(89,207 |
) |
A reconciliation in both percentages and U.S. dollars of the income tax provision at the statutory income tax rate and the effective tax rate as a percentage of income from continuing operations before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023 is as follows (amounts in thousands):
|
|
For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
||||||||||||
US federal statutory tax rate |
|
$ |
33,007 |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
|
$ |
19,312 |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
|
$ |
20,123 |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
State and local income taxes, |
|
|
4,469 |
|
|
2.8 |
|
|
|
2,711 |
|
|
2.9 |
|
|
|
3,070 |
|
|
3.2 |
|
Changes in valuation allowance |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
218 |
|
|
0.2 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
Nontaxable or nondeductible items: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Disallowed executive |
|
|
4,662 |
|
|
3.0 |
|
|
|
3,418 |
|
|
3.7 |
|
|
|
2,304 |
|
|
2.4 |
|
Disallowed meals and |
|
|
937 |
|
|
0.6 |
|
|
|
827 |
|
|
0.9 |
|
|
|
1,227 |
|
|
1.3 |
|
Other nondeductible items |
|
|
984 |
|
|
0.6 |
|
|
|
1,198 |
|
|
1.3 |
|
|
|
599 |
|
|
0.6 |
|
Changes in unrecognized tax |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(494 |
) |
|
(0.5 |
) |
|
|
59 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
Other adjustments: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
Income tax benefit of equity |
|
|
(2,538 |
) |
|
(1.6 |
) |
|
|
(2,288 |
) |
|
(2.5 |
) |
|
|
(289 |
) |
|
(0.3 |
) |
Revaluation of deferred tax items |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
931 |
|
|
1.0 |
|
Prior year return to provision |
|
|
141 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
(942 |
) |
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
|
1,095 |
|
|
1.1 |
|
Other items, net |
|
|
(989 |
) |
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
|
(865 |
) |
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
|
(886 |
) |
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
|
$ |
40,673 |
|
|
25.9 |
% |
|
$ |
23,095 |
|
|
25.1 |
% |
|
$ |
28,233 |
|
|
29.5 |
% |
*State taxes in Arizona and Texas made up the majority (greater than 50%) of the tax effect in this category for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023.
|
|
For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
|||||||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|||
Pretax income from continuing operations |
|
$ |
157,176 |
|
|
$ |
91,963 |
|
|
$ |
95,823 |
|
Federal statutory income tax rate |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
|
|
21.0 |
% |
Expected income tax expense |
|
|
33,007 |
|
|
|
19,312 |
|
|
|
20,123 |
|
5% disaggregation threshold |
|
|
5.0 |
% |
|
|
5.0 |
% |
|
|
5.0 |
% |
Reconciling item threshold |
|
$ |
1,650 |
|
|
$ |
966 |
|
|
$ |
1,006 |
|
Annual income taxes paid, net of refunds received and disaggregated by jurisdiction, for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023 are as follows (in thousands):
|
|
For the Years Ended December 31, |
|
|||||||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
|
2023 |
|
|||
Federal |
|
$ |
31,666 |
|
|
$ |
31,420 |
|
|
$ |
20,770 |
|
State |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
State of Arizona |
|
|
1,325 |
|
|
|
1,984 |
|
|
|
1,184 |
|
State of Texas |
|
|
1,398 |
|
|
|
1,382 |
|
|
|
1,500 |
|
All other states (individually |
|
|
2,633 |
|
|
|
2,322 |
|
|
|
2,434 |
|
Total income taxes paid |
|
$ |
37,022 |
|
|
$ |
37,108 |
|
|
$ |
25,888 |
|
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBBA") was passed by the U.S. Congress in 2025 and signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The OBBBA includes a broad range of tax reform provisions, such as the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, modifications to the international tax framework and the restoration of favorable tax treatment for certain business provisions. The legislation has multiple effective dates, with certain provisions effective in 2025 and others implemented through 2027. The Company adopted the tax provisions in the current period when the provisions were signed into law.
CoreCivic had no liabilities for uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. CoreCivic recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax positions in income tax expense. CoreCivic does not currently anticipate that the total amount of unrecognized tax positions will significantly change in the next twelve months.
CoreCivic's U.S. federal income tax returns for tax years 2022 through 2024 remain subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). The majority of states in which CoreCivic files income tax returns follow the same statute of limitations as the federal government. Certain states in which CoreCivic files income tax returns have statutes that remain open from 2021.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 20, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 21, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 20, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 21, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 18, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 22, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 20, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 25, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 22, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 23, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 25, 2016 | |
About Income Taxes Disclosures
The income tax disclosure reveals how much a company actually pays in taxes versus what the statutory rate would predict. Analysts focus on the effective tax rate (ETR) reconciliation, which breaks down every item driving the gap between the 21% federal rate and the company's reported ETR — including R&D credits, foreign rate differentials, and state taxes. Deferred tax assets (DTAs) and their valuation allowances signal management's confidence in future profitability: a rising allowance suggests the company doubts it can use accumulated tax benefits. Uncertain tax benefit (UTB) reserves quantify exposure to IRS challenges on aggressive positions.
Key signals to watch: sudden ETR drops without clear operational reasons, large increases in valuation allowances, growing UTB balances, and significant unremitted foreign earnings. Post-TCJA, pay attention to GILTI and BEAT provisions that affect multinational tax structures. Compare the cash taxes paid (from the cash flow statement) against the income tax provision to gauge earnings quality.