8.
FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, funds held for clients and client funds obligation. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, funds held for clients and client funds obligation approximates fair value.

Our corporate investments consist primarily of money market funds and demand deposit accounts and are classified as cash and cash equivalents on the consolidated balance sheets.

As discussed in Note 2 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”, we typically invest the funds held for clients in money market funds, demand deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and U.S. treasury securities. Short-term investments in instruments with an original maturity of less than three months are classified as cash and cash equivalents within funds held for clients in the consolidated balance sheets. Investments in instruments with an original maturity greater than three months are classified as available-for-sale securities and are also included within funds held for clients in the consolidated balance sheets. These available-for-sale securities are recognized at fair value, with the difference between the amortized cost and fair value of these available-for-sale securities recorded as unrealized net gains (losses) within comprehensive earnings (loss) in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income. See Note 7 “Corporate Investments and Funds Held for Clients” for additional information.

The accounting standard for fair value measurements establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1 – Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets
Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that are observable either directly or indirectly or quoted prices that are not active
Level 3 – Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data

Included in the following tables are the Company’s major categories of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2025 and 2024:

 

 

December 31, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. treasury securities

 

$

 

 

$

299.4

 

 

$

 

 

$

299.4

 

Certificates of deposit

 

$

 

 

$

75.1

 

 

$

 

 

$

75.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2024

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. treasury securities

 

$

 

 

$

24.7

 

 

$

 

 

$

24.7

 

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 19, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 20, 2025
2023Feb 15, 2024
2022Feb 16, 2023
2021Feb 17, 2022
2020Feb 18, 2021
2019Feb 13, 2020
2018Feb 14, 2019
2017Feb 14, 2018
2016Feb 21, 2017
2015Feb 22, 2016

About Fair Value Disclosures

Fair value disclosures classify all assets and liabilities measured at fair value into a three-level hierarchy: Level 1 (quoted market prices), Level 2 (observable inputs like yield curves), and Level 3 (unobservable inputs requiring management estimates). The proportion of Level 3 assets directly reflects how much of the balance sheet depends on internal models rather than market evidence.

Key signals: a growing Level 3 balance relative to total fair-value assets increases valuation uncertainty and earnings volatility risk. Watch for transfers between levels — assets moving from Level 2 to Level 3 often signal deteriorating market liquidity. Unrealized gains and losses on Level 3 positions flow through earnings or other comprehensive income, so large swings deserve scrutiny. For financial institutions, examine the sensitivity disclosures that show how Level 3 valuations change under alternative assumptions. Compare the fair value of debt against its carrying amount to gauge hidden leverage.