15.
Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes for the fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023 consists of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended September 30,

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Current:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

56,201

 

 

$

35,897

 

 

$

42,103

 

Foreign

 

 

7,284

 

 

 

10,393

 

 

 

7,317

 

State

 

 

13,987

 

 

 

8,004

 

 

 

9,830

 

Total current portion

 

 

77,472

 

 

 

54,294

 

 

 

59,250

 

Deferred:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(5,968

)

 

 

(3,149

)

 

 

3,299

 

Foreign

 

 

(1,843

)

 

 

1,116

 

 

 

3,233

 

State

 

 

(2,122

)

 

 

650

 

 

 

1,668

 

Total deferred portion

 

 

(9,933

)

 

 

(1,383

)

 

 

8,200

 

Total provision for income taxes

 

$

67,539

 

 

$

52,911

 

 

$

67,450

 

 

The difference between the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate and the effective income tax rate is summarized below:

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 

2025

 

 

 

2024

 

 

 

2023

 

 

U.S. federal statutory income tax rate

 

 

21.0

 

%

 

 

21.0

 

%

 

 

21.0

 

%

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit

 

 

3.4

 

 

 

 

3.0

 

 

 

 

3.4

 

 

Effect of foreign operations

 

 

1.2

 

 

 

 

1.2

 

 

 

 

1.3

 

 

Repatriation Tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.1

 

 

Share-based payment awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.4

 

 

 

 

0.5

 

 

Unrecognized tax benefit

 

 

0.3

 

 

 

 

0.3

 

 

 

 

0.3

 

 

Valuation allowances

 

 

1.2

 

 

 

 

0.1

 

 

 

 

0.1

 

 

Foreign investment write-off

 

 

(1.5

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other, net

 

 

 

 

 

 

(0.4

)

 

 

 

(0.9

)

 

Effective tax rate

 

 

25.6

 

%

 

 

25.6

 

%

 

 

26.8

 

%

During fiscal year 2025, the Company wrote off the investment of its wholly owned subsidiary, Sally Peru Holdings S.A.C. The loss on investment is deductible for tax purposes and is fully offset with a valuation allowance.

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to our deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

September 30,

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

Deferred tax assets attributable to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign loss carryforwards

 

$

24,248

 

 

$

28,713

 

U.S. foreign tax credits

 

 

13,748

 

 

 

13,279

 

Accrued liabilities

 

 

15,504

 

 

 

10,604

 

Share-based compensation expense

 

 

6,854

 

 

 

8,323

 

Other

 

 

3,873

 

 

 

(785

)

Total deferred tax assets

 

 

64,227

 

 

 

60,134

 

Valuation allowance

 

 

(27,431

)

 

 

(34,298

)

Total deferred tax assets, net

 

 

36,796

 

 

 

25,836

 

Deferred tax liabilities attributable to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

89,933

 

 

 

95,377

 

Inventory adjustments

 

 

4,088

 

 

 

418

 

Total deferred tax liabilities

 

 

94,021

 

 

 

95,795

 

Net deferred tax liability

 

$

57,225

 

 

$

69,959

 

The deferred taxes noted above are classified as follows in the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands):

 

 

September 30,

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

Balance sheet classification:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Other assets

 

$

22,264

 

 

$

21,799

 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Deferred income tax liabilities, net

 

 

79,489

 

 

 

91,758

 

   Net deferred tax liability

 

$

57,225

 

 

$

69,959

 

We believe that it is more-likely-than-not that the results of future operations will generate sufficient taxable income to realize the deferred tax assets, net of the valuation allowance. During fiscal year 2025, existing valuation allowances were decreased by approximately $6.9 million, primarily for net operating loss carry-forwards of various members of the affiliated group in foreign jurisdictions. We continue to record a valuation allowance to account for uncertainties

regarding recoverability of certain deferred tax assets, primarily foreign loss carry-forwards and tax credit carry-forwards.

Domestic earnings before provision for income taxes were $246.1 million, $175.2 million, and $217.7 million in the fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Foreign earnings before provision for income taxes were $17.3 million, $31.1 million, and $34.4 million in the fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Tax reserves are evaluated and adjusted as appropriate, while taking into account the progress of audits by various taxing jurisdictions and other changes in relevant facts and circumstances evident at each balance sheet date. We do not expect the outcome of current or future tax audits to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flow.

Applicable deferred tax liabilities have been provided for undistributed foreign earnings in excess of foreign working capital and cash requirements. As a result of U.S. Tax Reform, the repatriation of cash to the U.S. is generally no longer taxable for federal income tax purposes but could be subject to foreign withholding taxes and state income taxes. If undistributed earnings of our foreign operations were not considered permanently reinvested as of September 30, 2025, an immaterial amount of additional deferred taxes would have been provided.

At September 30, 2025 and 2024, we had total operating loss carry-forwards of $89.8 million and $106.6 million, respectively, of which $40.4 million and $52.5 million, respectively, are subject to a valuation allowance. At September 30, 2025, operating loss carry-forwards of $89.8 million have no expiration date. At September 30, 2025 and 2024, we had tax credit carry-forwards of $15.5 million and $15.2 million, respectively. This includes a U.S. foreign tax credit carry-forward of $13.7 million, primarily as a result of the deemed repatriation tax under U.S. Tax Reform. This credit expires in 2028. We do not believe the realization of the U.S. foreign tax credit is more-likely-than-not, so a valuation allowance has been recorded against its full value. Of the remaining tax credit carry-forwards, at September 30, 2025, $0.2 million expire between 2026 and 2030, $0.2 million expire between 2036 and 2037 and $1.4 million have no expiration date. Total tax credit carry-forwards of $15.2 million and $14.8 million are subject to a valuation allowance at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The changes in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

Balance at beginning of the fiscal year

 

$

8,398

 

 

$

8,312

 

Increases related to prior year tax positions

 

 

169

 

 

 

7

 

Decreases related to prior year tax positions

 

 

(2

)

 

 

(19

)

Increases related to current year tax positions

 

 

669

 

 

 

602

 

Decreases due to settlements

 

 

(566

)

 

 

(414

)

Lapse of statute

 

 

(89

)

 

 

(90

)

Balance at end of fiscal year

 

$

8,579

 

 

$

8,398

 

If recognized, these positions would affect our effective tax rate.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) enacted comprehensive amendments to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Among other things, the TCJA provided for a deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign earnings by U.S. taxpayers giving rise to a one-time transition tax on those earnings (“Repatriation Tax”). The U.S. Treasury Department issued final regulations (“Regulations”) addressing certain aspects of how the Repatriation Tax is calculated. In our view, certain guidance included in the Regulations is inconsistent with our interpretation of the statutory language contained in the TCJA. In fiscal year 2023, we remitted $4.3 million in tax and interest to the IRS. Income tax expense of $2.7 million was recorded in fiscal year 2023 related to the payments. Previously, $1.6 million had been reserved for this issue. We maintain our tax positions are fully supportable.

We recognize interest and penalties, accrued in connection with unrecognized tax benefits, in provision for income taxes. Accrued interest and penalties, in the aggregate, were $0.9 million and $0.7 million at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Because existing tax positions will continue to generate increased liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits over the next 12 months, and the fact that from time to time our tax returns are routinely under audit by various taxing

authorities, it is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change during the next 12 months. An estimate of the amount of such change, or a range thereof, cannot reasonably be made at this time. However, we do not expect the change, if any, to have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations within the next 12 months.

Our consolidated federal income tax return for the fiscal year 2024 is currently under IRS examination. Our statute of limitations remains open for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, forward. Our U.S. state income tax returns are impacted by various statutes of limitations and are generally open for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, and future years. Our foreign income tax returns are impacted by various statutes of limitations, which are generally open from 2020 forward.

In December of 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) established a framework, referred to as Pillar Two, designed to ensure large multinational enterprises pay a minimum 15 percent level of tax on the income arising in each jurisdiction in which they operate. The earliest effective date is for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2023, which for us is fiscal year 2025. Numerous jurisdictions in which Sally Beauty operates have enacted the OECD model rules or drafted legislation, including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The United States is not subject to Pillar Two. After an initial assessment of the provisions, the Company determined that there was no material impact from the local adoption of OECD Pillar Two in 2025. We will continue to monitor and evaluate new legislation and guidance, which could change our current assessment.

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was enacted in the U.S. The OBBBA includes significant provisions, such as the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, modifications to the international tax framework, and restoration of favorable tax treatment for certain business provisions. The legislation has multiple effective dates beginning in 2025. We have assessed the impact of the OBBBA, and it did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Nov 13, 2025Showing above
2024Nov 14, 2024
2023Nov 16, 2023
2022Nov 17, 2022
2021Nov 22, 2021
2020Nov 24, 2020
2019Nov 25, 2019
2018Nov 14, 2018
2017Nov 15, 2017
2016Nov 15, 2016
2015Nov 12, 2015

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.