Goosehead Insurance, Inc.GSHD
Goosehead Insurance, Inc. Revenue Disclosure
Revenues
Commissions and agency fees
The Company earns commissions, which are paid as a percentage of the policy premiums placed by the Company, by performing its obligation to identify, place, and make effective insurance coverage on behalf of its customer, the insured. The Company defines the term of the policy as the contractual period the policy provides insurance coverage to the insured, which is typically 1 year or less. Commissions earned for the placement of the initial policy term for a given insurance product are recorded as New Business Commissions. New Business Commissions are earned at a point in time on the effective date of the policy, which is when the customer’s unilateral right to cancel the policy without consideration expires, as the Company has no further performance obligations for the initial term once the policy is placed and made effective.
After the initial policy term for a given insurance product, the Company earns Renewal Commissions by assisting the customer to make effective a renewal policy that satisfies the customer’s current insurance coverage needs. The Company performs this obligation by monitoring the customer’s policy to ensure a renewal is offered by the carrier and that the client promptly pays the premium. Alternatively, based on the needs of the customer, the Company may assist the customer to adjust coverage terms to satisfy its current insurance coverage needs or the Company may assist the customer to re-shop the insurance coverage to identify, place, and make effective a policy that better meets those needs. Renewal Commissions are earned at a point in time upon the effective date of the renewal policy term or upon the effective date of the replacement policy identified, placed, and made effective for the customer, which is when the customer’s unilateral right to non-renew the policy expires, as the Company has no further performance obligations for that renewal policy term.
The transaction price for commissions revenue is set as an estimate of the variable consideration to be received for the current policy term. This estimate includes the fixed consideration due based on the contractual terms of the current policy and adjustments for estimates of modifications of the contractual terms of the current policy and/or termination of the policy before the end of the current term. This variable consideration is constrained to the extent that it is probable there will not be a significant reversal of revenue.
For Agency Fees, the Company enters into a contract with the insured, in which the Company's performance obligation is to place an insurance policy. The transaction price of the agency fee is set at the time the sale is
agreed upon, and is included in the contract. Agency Fee revenue is recognized at a point in time, which is the effective date of the policy.
Contingent commission revenue is generated from contracts between the Company and insurance carriers, for which the Company is compensated for certain growth, profitability, or other performance-based metrics. The performance obligations for contingent commissions will vary by contract, but generally include the Company increasing profitable written premium with the insurance carrier. The transaction price for contingent commissions is estimated based on all available information and is recognized over time as the Company completes its performance obligations, as the underlying policies are placed, net of a constraint.
The Company must estimate the amount of consideration that will be received such that a significant reversal of revenue is not probable. Contingent commissions represent a form of variable consideration associated with the placement and profitability of coverage, for which we earn commissions. In connection with Topic 606, contingent commissions are estimated with a constraint applied and accrued relative to the recognition of the corresponding commissions for the period over which the contract applies. As contingent commissions are earned in relation to policies placed by the Company with the insurance carrier, the timing of recognizing contingent commissions follows a similar pattern as our commissions and fees, with any adjustments recognized when payments are received or as additional information that affects the estimate becomes available.
Franchise revenues
Franchise revenues include initial franchise fees and ongoing new and renewal royalty fees from franchisees.
Revenue from Initial Franchise Fees is generated from a contract between the Company and a franchisee. The Company's performance obligation is to provide initial training, onboarding, ongoing support and use of the Company's business operations over the period of the franchise agreement. The transaction price is set by the franchise agreement and revenue is recognized over time as the Company completes its performance obligations.
Initial franchise fees are recognized as revenue over the 10-year life of the franchise contract, beginning on the start date of the contract.
Revenue from New and Renewal Royalty Fees is recorded by applying the sales- and usage-based royalties exception. Under the sales- and usage-based exception, the Company recognizes revenue over time as a franchise places and makes effective a policy for an insured. The transaction price for the royalty fee for each policy made effective is set as the contractual royalty rate multiplied by an estimate of the commissions to be received by the franchise for the current term of the policy. This estimate includes the fixed consideration due based on the contractual terms of the current policy and adjustments for estimates of modifications of the contractual terms of the current policy and/or termination of the policy before the end of the current term. This variable consideration is constrained to the extent that it is probable there will not be a significant reversal of revenue.
Contract Costs
The Company has evaluated ASC Topic 340 - Other Assets and Deferred Cost (“ASC 340”), which requires companies to defer certain incremental costs to obtain customer contracts and certain costs to fulfill customer contracts.
Incremental costs to obtain - The Company defers certain costs to obtain customer contracts primarily as they relate to commission-based compensation plans for selling new franchise agreements. These incremental costs are deferred and amortized over a 10-year period, which is consistent with the term of the contract. The balance of costs to obtain is included with Other assets on the Consolidated balance sheets.
Costs to fulfill - The Company has evaluated the need to capitalize costs to fulfill customer contracts and has determined that there are no costs that meet the definition for capitalization under ASC 340.
Performance obligations satisfied in previous periods
Performance obligations satisfied in previous periods
During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized $3.0 million in Commissions and agency fees and $1.0 million in Franchise revenues due to the release of the constraint on certain variable consideration related to policies placed and made effective in previous periods. The Company did not recognize any revenue related to performance obligations satisfied in previous periods for the years ended December 31, 2024, or 2023.
Disaggregation of Revenue
The following tables disaggregates revenue by source (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Type of revenue stream: | |||||||||||||||||
| Commissions and agency fees | |||||||||||||||||
| Renewal commissions | $ | 78,621 | $ | 74,938 | $ | 70,730 | |||||||||||
| New business commissions | 27,985 | 24,608 | 23,411 | ||||||||||||||
| Agency fees | 10,404 | 8,127 | 8,174 | ||||||||||||||
| Contingent commissions | 38,376 | 31,385 | 13,746 | ||||||||||||||
| Franchise revenues | |||||||||||||||||
| Renewal royalty fees | 170,767 | 138,942 | 107,524 | ||||||||||||||
| New business royalty fees | 30,153 | 27,122 | 23,168 | ||||||||||||||
| Initial franchise fees | 5,594 | 6,620 | 11,238 | ||||||||||||||
| Other franchise revenues | 2,734 | 1,831 | 1,843 | ||||||||||||||
| Interest income | 670 | 932 | 1,443 | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | $ | 365,304 | $ | 314,505 | $ | 261,276 | |||||||||||
| Timing of revenue recognition: | |||||||||||||||||
| Transferred at a point in time | $ | 117,010 | $ | 107,673 | $ | 102,315 | |||||||||||
| Transferred over time | 248,294 | 206,832 | 158,961 | ||||||||||||||
| Total revenues | $ | 365,304 | $ | 314,505 | $ | 261,276 | |||||||||||
Contract Balances
The following table provides information about receivables, cost to obtain, and contract liabilities from contracts with customers (in thousands):
| December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | Increase/(decrease) | |||||||||||||||
Cost to obtain franchise contracts(1) | $ | 1,801 | $ | 1,967 | $ | (166) | |||||||||||
Commissions and agency fees receivable, net(2) | 36,613 | 31,375 | 5,238 | ||||||||||||||
Receivable from franchisees, net(2) | 14,077 | 14,546 | (469) | ||||||||||||||
Contract liabilities(2)(3) | 16,266 | 18,466 | (2,200) | ||||||||||||||
(1) Cost to obtain franchise contracts is included in Other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.
(2) Includes both the current and long term portion of this balance.
(3) Initial Franchise Fees to be recognized over the life of the contract
Significant changes in contract liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
| December 31, | |||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||
| Contract liability at beginning of period | $ | 18,466 | $ | 27,099 | |||||||
| Revenue recognized during the period | (5,594) | (6,620) | |||||||||
New deferrals(1) | 3,930 | 3,125 | |||||||||
Write offs(2) | (536) | (5,138) | |||||||||
| Contract liability at end of period | $ | 16,266 | $ | 18,466 | |||||||
(1) Initial franchise fees where the consideration is received from the customer for services which are to be transferred to the franchisee over the term of the franchise agreement
(2) Franchise Fees, net of recognized revenue, no longer deferred due to the termination of the Franchise Agreement.
Anticipated Future Recognition of Deferred Initial Franchise Fees
The following table reflects the estimated initial franchise fees (contract liability) to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at the end of the period (in thousands):
| Estimate for the year ended December 31: | ||||||||
| 2026 | $ | 3,241 | ||||||
| 2027 | 2,741 | |||||||
| 2028 | 2,506 | |||||||
| 2029 | 2,225 | |||||||
| 2030 | 1,889 | |||||||
| Thereafter | 3,664 | |||||||
| $ | 16,266 | |||||||
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 19, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 3, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 22, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 27, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 28, 2022 | |
| 2019 | Mar 16, 2020 | |
About Revenue Disclosures
Revenue disclosures under ASC 606 explain how a company identifies performance obligations, allocates transaction prices, and determines when revenue is recognized. This section is essential for understanding whether reported revenue reflects genuine economic activity or aggressive accounting choices. Analysts examine the mix of point-in-time versus over-time recognition, which directly affects revenue timing and comparability.
Key signals: rising contract liabilities (deferred revenue) suggest strong future revenue visibility, while declining contract assets may indicate slowing project milestones. Watch for variable consideration estimates — rebates, returns, and performance bonuses that require management judgment. Significant changes in disaggregated revenue by geography or product line can reveal shifting business mix before it appears in headline numbers. Compare revenue growth against contract liability growth to assess sustainability, and scrutinize any changes in the timing of recognition that coincide with earnings pressure.