WATSCO INC Commitments Disclosure
18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation, Claims, and Assessments
We are involved in litigation incidental to the operation of our business. We vigorously defend all matters in which we or our subsidiaries are named defendants and, for insurable losses, maintain significant levels of insurance to protect against adverse
judgments, claims or assessments that may affect us. Although the adequacy of existing insurance coverage and the outcome of any legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, based on the current information available, we do not believe the ultimate liability associated with any known claims or litigation will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Self-Insurance
Self-insurance reserves are maintained relative to company-wide casualty insurance and health benefit programs. The level of exposure from catastrophic events is limited by the purchase of stop-loss and aggregate liability reinsurance coverage. When estimating the self-insurance liabilities and related reserves, management considers several factors, which include historical claims experience, demographic factors, severity factors, and valuations provided by independent third-party actuaries. Management reviews its assumptions with its independent third-party actuaries to evaluate whether the self-insurance reserves are adequate. If actual claims or adverse development of loss reserves occur and exceed these estimates, additional reserves may be required. Reserves in the amounts of $4,871 and $6,247 at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, were established related to such programs and are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets.
Variable Interest Entity
As of December 31, 2025, in conjunction with our casualty insurance programs, limited equity interests are held in a captive insurance entity. The programs permit us to self-insure a portion of losses, to gain access to a wide array of safety-related services, to pool insurance risks and resources in order to obtain more competitive pricing for administration and reinsurance and to limit risk of loss in any particular year. The entity meets the definition of Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”); however, we do not meet the requirements to include this entity in the consolidated financial statements. At December 31, 2025, the maximum exposure to loss related to our involvement with this entity is limited to approximately $8,800 and we have a cash deposit of approximately $3,700 with them as collateral to cover any contingency related to additional risk assessments pertaining to our self-insurance programs. See “Self-Insurance” above for further information on commitments associated with the insurance programs. At December 31, 2025, there were no other entities that met the definition of a VIE.
Purchase Obligations
At December 31, 2025, we were obligated under various non-cancelable purchase orders with our key suppliers for goods aggregating approximately $18,100, with approximately $17,700 attributable to Carrier and its affiliates. See Note 19. These purchase obligations represent commitments under purchase orders for goods in the ordinary course of business that are enforceable and legally binding with defined terms as to price, quality, and delivery.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 27, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 28, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 23, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 24, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 25, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 26, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 28, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 28, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Mar 1, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 21, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 29, 2016 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.