PodcastOne, Inc. Income Taxes Disclosure
Note 11 — Income Tax Provision
The Company’s income tax provision can be affected by many factors, including the overall level of pre-tax income, the mix of pre-tax income generated across the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates, changes in tax laws and regulations in those jurisdictions, changes in valuation allowances on its deferred tax assets, tax planning strategies available to the Company, and other discrete items.
The components of pretax loss and income tax (benefit) expense are as follows (in thousands):
| Year Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||
| Loss before income taxes: | ||||||||
| Domestic | $ | (6,434 | ) | $ | (14,677 | ) | ||
| Foreign | - | - | ||||||
| Total loss before income taxes | $ | (6,434 | ) | $ | (14,677 | ) | ||
| The provision for income taxes consisted of the following: | ||||||||
| Current | ||||||||
| U.S. Federal | $ | - | $ | - | ||||
| State | 24 | 55 | ||||||
| Foreign | - | - | ||||||
| Total Current | 24 | 55 | ||||||
| Deferred: | ||||||||
| U.S. Federal | (899 | ) | (419 | ) | ||||
| State | (163 | ) | 99 | |||||
| Foreign | 1,062 | 320 | ||||||
| Total Deferred | - | - | ||||||
| Total provision for income taxes | $ | 24 | $ | 55 | ||||
The differences between income taxes expected at U.S. statutory income tax rates and the income tax provision are as follows (in thousands):
| Year Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||
| Income taxes computed at Federal statutory rate | $ | (1,291 | ) | $ | (3,082 | ) | ||
| State tax — net of federal benefit | (174 | ) | 79 | |||||
| Nondeductible expenses | - | 496 | ||||||
| Derivative gain | - | 1,597 | ||||||
| Federal NOL true-up | 31 | 522 | ||||||
| Change in valuation allowance | 1,063 | 321 | ||||||
| Stock compensation | 181 | 162 | ||||||
| Other | 214 | (40 | ) | |||||
| Total provision for income taxes | $ | 24 | $ | 55 | ||||
At March 31, 2025, the Company had available federal and state net operating loss carryforwards to reduce future taxable income of approximately $13.0 million and $14.5 million, respectively. The federal and state net operating loss carryforwards begin to expire on various dates beginning in 2034. Of the $13.0 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards, $3.5 million was generated in tax years beginning before March 31, 2018 and is subject to the 20-year carryforward period, the remaining $8.8 million can be carried forward indefinitely but is subject to the 80% taxable income limitation.
The Company files tax returns as prescribed by the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates. In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to examination by the federal and state jurisdictions where applicable. There are currently no pending income tax examinations. The Company’s tax years for and forward are subject to examination by the federal tax authorities and tax years for and forward are subject to examination by California tax authorities due to the carryforward of unutilized net operating losses.
The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties on uncertain tax provisions as income tax expense. As of March 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company has accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions.
Significant components of the Company’s deferred income tax assets and (liabilities) are as follows as of (in thousands):
| Year Ended March 31, | ||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Net operating loss carryforwards | $ | 3,732 | $ | 2,941 | ||||
| Reserves and allowances | 20 | 21 | ||||||
| Accrued liabilities | 151 | 165 | ||||||
| Charitable contribution carryforward | 946 | 660 | ||||||
| Gross deferred tax assets | 4,849 | 3,787 | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | (4,849 | ) | (3,787 | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax liability | $ | - | $ | - | ||||
As the ultimate realization of the potential benefits of a portion of the Company’s deferred tax assets is considered unlikely by management, the Company has offset the deferred tax assets attributable to those potential benefits through valuation allowances. Accordingly, the Company did not recognize any benefit from income taxes in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations to offset its pre-tax losses. The valuation allowance against deferred tax assets is $4.8 million and $3.8 million for the years ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The valuation allowance increased by $1.1 million for the year ended March 31, 2025.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jul 2, 2025 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 | |
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.