Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. Income Taxes Disclosure

NOTE 12 – INCOME TAXES

During FY 2025 and FY 2024, the Company's effective tax rate was zero. This was primarily the result of losses reported in the year, no income taxes due, and full valuation allowance against deferred tax assets.

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal and various state taxing jurisdictions. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal and state tax examinations in its major tax jurisdictions for periods before FY 2020.

Realization of the Company's deferred tax assets is dependent upon the Company generating sufficient taxable income, in the appropriate tax jurisdictions, in future years, to obtain benefit from the reversal of net deductible temporary differences. The amount of deferred tax assets considered realizable is subject to adjustment in future periods if estimates of future taxable income are changed. A valuation allowance to reduce the carrying amount of deferred income tax assets is established when it is more likely than not that we will not realize some portion or all of the tax benefit of our deferred income tax assets. The Company evaluates, on a quarterly basis, whether it is more likely than not that our deferred income tax assets are realizable based upon recent past financial performance, tax reporting positions, and expectations of future taxable income. The determination of deferred tax assets is subject to estimates and assumptions. The Company periodically evaluates our deferred tax assets to determine if our assumptions and estimates should change. As of February 28, 2025 and February 29, 2024, the Company had a full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes by recognizing the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The Company measures the tax benefits recognized in the consolidated financial statements from such a position based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate resolution. The application of income tax law is inherently complex. As such, the Company is required to make judgments regarding income tax exposures. Interpretations of and guidance surrounding income tax law and

regulations change over time and may result in changes to the Company's judgments which can materially affect amounts recognized in the balance sheets and statements of operations. The result of the assessment of the Company's tax positions did not have an impact on the consolidated financial statements for the years ended February 28 or 29, 2025 or 2024. The Company does not have any significant unrecognized tax benefits and does not anticipate a significant increase or decrease in unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months. Amounts are recognized for income tax related interest and penalties as a component of general and administrative expense in the statement of income and are immaterial for the years ended February 28 or 29, 2025 and 2024.

The Company’s subsidiary, SWRL, along with its previous subsidiary U-Swirl, had a history of net operating losses prior to the company’s acquisition of them and thus the Company has a related net operating loss carry forward. In accordance with Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, deductibility of SWRL’s and U-Swirl’s Federal net operating loss carryovers may be subject to annual limitation in the event of a change in control. The Company has performed a preliminary evaluation as to whether a change in control has taken place, and has concluded that there was a change of control with respect to the net operating losses of U-Swirl when the Company acquired its controlling ownership interest. The initial limitations will continue to limit deductibility of SWRL’s and U-Swirl’s net operating loss carryovers, but the annual loss limitation will be deductible to RMCF and U-Swirl upon the filing of joint tax returns in FY 2017 and future years.

The Company estimates the potential future tax deductions of U-Swirl’s Federal net operating losses, limited by section 382, to be approximately $1.8 million with a resulting deferred tax asset of approximately $0.4 million. U-Swirl’s Federal net operating loss carryovers will expire at various dates beginning in 2026.

Income tax provision allocated to continuing operations and discontinued operations for the years ended February 28 or 29, 2025 and 2024 was as follows: