Paycom Software, Inc. (PAYC) FY 2023 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is intended to provide a reader of our financial statements with management’s perspective on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, and certain other factors that may affect our future results. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements (prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Form 10-K”). The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Statements” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks, and assumptions associated with those statements. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in or implied by forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, particularly in the section entitled “Risk Factors.” Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to Paycom Software, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. All amounts presented in tables, other than per share amounts, are in thousands unless otherwise noted.

Overview

We are a leading provider of a comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management solution delivered as Software-as-a-Service. We provide functionality and data analytics that businesses need to manage the complete employment lifecycle, from recruitment to retirement. Our solution requires virtually no customization and is based on a core system of record maintained in a single database for all HCM functions, including talent acquisition, time and labor management, payroll, talent management and human resources management applications. Our user-friendly software allows for easy adoption of our solution by employees, enabling self-management of their HCM activities in the cloud, which reduces the administrative burden on employers and increases employee productivity.

We generate revenues from (i) fixed amounts charged per billing period plus a fee per employee or transaction processed and (ii) fixed amounts charged per billing period. We do not require clients to enter into long-term contractual commitments with us. Our billing period varies by client based on when each client pays its employees, which may be weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. We serve a diverse client base in terms of size and industry. None of our clients constituted more than one-half of one percent of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our revenues are primarily generated through our sales force that solicits new clients and our client relations representatives (“CRRs”) who sell new applications to existing clients.

Our continued growth depends on attracting new clients through further penetration of our existing markets and geographic expansion into new markets, targeting a high degree of client employee usage across our solution, and introducing new applications to our existing client base. We believe our ability to continue to develop new applications and to improve existing applications will enable us to increase revenues in the future, and the number of our new applications adopted by our clients has been a significant factor in our revenue growth. We plan to open additional sales offices in the future to further expand our market presence.

Our principal marketing efforts include national and local advertising campaigns, email campaigns, social and digital media campaigns, search engine marketing methods, sponsorships, tradeshows, print advertising and outbound marketing including personalized direct mail campaigns. In addition, we generate leads and build recognition of our brand and thought leadership with relevant and informative content, such as white papers, blogs, podcast episodes and webinars.

Throughout our history, we have built strong relationships with our clients. As the HCM needs of our clients evolve, we believe that we are well-positioned to expand the HCM spending of our clients and we believe this opportunity is significant. To be successful, we must continue to demonstrate the operational and economic benefits of our solution, as well as effectively hire, train, motivate and retain qualified personnel.

Growth Outlook, Opportunities and Challenges

As a result of our significant revenue growth and geographic expansion, we are presented with a variety of opportunities and challenges. Our payroll application is the foundation of our solution and all of our clients are required to utilize this application in order to access our other applications. Consequently, we have historically generated the majority of our revenues from our payroll applications, although our revenue mix has evolved and will continue to evolve as we develop and add new non-payroll applications to our solution. We believe our strategy of focusing on increased employee usage is an important differentiator for attracting new clients and is also key to long-term client satisfaction and client retention. For example, in 2021, we launched our industry-first Beti technology, which further automates and streamlines the payroll process by empowering employees to do their own payroll. Client adoption of new applications and, historically, client employee usage of both new and existing applications have been significant factors in our revenue growth. Nonetheless, because Beti is designed to eliminate payroll errors that lead to billable corrections and

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unscheduled payroll runs, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience a reduction in these activities that would otherwise generate additional revenue for us.

In order to increase revenues and continue to improve our operating results, we must also attract new clients. We intend to obtain new clients by (i) continuing to leverage our sales force productivity within markets where we currently have existing sales offices, (ii) expanding our presence in markets where we currently have an existing sales office through adding sales teams or offices, thereby increasing the number of sales professionals within such markets, and (iii) opening sales offices in new markets.

The market for HCM software is highly competitive, rapidly evolving and fragmented, and we expect competition to continue to intensify as new market entrants and disruptive technologies emerge and increasingly aggressive pricing and client retention strategies persist.

Historically, our target client range has been organizations with 50 to 10,000 employees. In 2023, we expanded our target client size range to include organizations with more than 10,000 employees. While we continue to serve a diversified client base ranging in size from one employee to many thousands of employees, the average size of our clients has grown significantly as we have organically grown our operations and increased the number of applications we offer. Furthermore, with the launch of our Global HCM solution and expansion of payroll services into certain international markets, such as Canada and Mexico, we expect that our ability to serve organizations with international employees makes our solution more attractive to larger companies, many of which have a global presence. We believe larger employers represent a substantial opportunity to increase our revenues per client, with limited incremental cost to us. Because we charge our clients on a per employee basis for certain services we provide, any increase or decrease in the number of employees of our clients will have a positive or negative impact, respectively, on our results of operations. A multitude of macroeconomic pressures, such as inflation and rising interest rates, impact our clients’ hiring practices to varying degrees and, in turn, impact our revenues. Generally, we expect that changes in certain factors affecting our performance will correlate with improvement or deterioration in the labor market. For example, the performance of our pre-employment services offerings is sensitive to changes in hiring trends and we believe it will reflect the current slowdown in hiring among U.S. employers.

Based on our total revenues, we have grown at a 23% compound annual growth rate from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2023. Growing our business has resulted in, and will continue to result in, substantial investments in sales professionals, operating expenses, system development and programming costs and general and administrative expenses, which have increased and will continue to increase our expenses. Specifically, our revenue growth and geographic expansion drive increases in our employee headcount, which in turn precipitates increases in (i) salaries and benefits, (ii) stock-based compensation expense and (iii) facility costs related to the expansion of our corporate headquarters and operations facilities and additional sales office leases.

We believe the challenges of managing the ever-changing complexity of payroll and human resources will continue to drive companies to turn to outsourced providers for help with their HCM needs. The HCM industry historically has been driven, in part, by legislation and regulatory action, including COBRA, changes to the minimum wage laws or overtime rules, and legislation from federal, state, or municipal taxation authorities. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA”) is an example of legislation that has created demand in the HCM industry. We generate ACA-related revenues (i) on an annual basis in connection with processing and filing Forms 1094 and 1095 on behalf of clients and (ii) from clients who have purchased our Enhanced ACA application as part of the fixed, bundled price charged per billing period. While we generally do not track our revenues on an application-by-application basis (because applications are often sold in various groupings and configurations for a single price), we estimate that, if the ACA is not modified or repealed, revenues from our Enhanced ACA application and ACA forms filings business will represent approximately 2% of total projected revenues for the year ending December 31, 2024.

For each of the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, our gross margins were approximately 84%, 85% and 85%, respectively. Although our gross margin may fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to seasonality and hiring trends, we expect that our gross margin will remain relatively consistent in future periods.

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Key Metrics

In addition to the U.S. GAAP and non-GAAP metrics discussed elsewhere in this Form 10-K, we also monitor the following metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance and identify trends affecting our business:

(1)
As described below, during 2023, we modified the method by which we calculate annual revenue retention rate. Amounts for 2022 and 2021 have been recast to reflect the new methodology.

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Clients. When we calculate the number of clients at period end, we treat client accounts with separate taxpayer identification numbers (or, in certain circumstances, separate client codes) as separate clients, which often separates client accounts that are affiliated with the same parent organization. We track the number of our clients to provide an accurate gauge of the size of our business. Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, references to clients throughout this Form 10-K refer to this metric.

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Clients (based on parent company grouping). When we calculate the number of clients based on parent company grouping at period end, we combine client accounts that have identified the same person(s) as their decision-maker regardless of whether the client accounts have separate taxpayer identification numbers (or, in certain circumstances, separate client codes), which often combines client accounts that are affiliated with the same parent organization. We track the number of our clients based on parent company grouping to provide an alternate measure of the size of our business and clients.

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Sales Teams. We monitor our sales professionals by the number of sales teams at period end. CRRs and emerging markets representatives are counted as one sales team. Each outside sales team typically consists of a sales manager and approximately eight sales professionals. Certain larger metropolitan areas can support more than one sales team. We believe the number of sales teams is an indicator of potential revenues for future periods.

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Annual Revenue Retention Rate. Our annual revenue retention rate tracks the percentage of revenues that we retain from our existing clients. We monitor this metric because it is an indicator of client satisfaction and revenues for future periods.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we modified the method by which we calculate annual revenue retention rate. Prior period amounts have been recast to reflect the new methodology. We now calculate annual revenue retention rate for any 12-month period (a “Measurement Period”) as follows:

The trailing 12-month value of revenue from clients lost during the Measurement Period (“TTM Revenue Attrition”) is equal to the actual recurring fees paid by such lost clients during the 12 months preceding the respective dates on which they last processed payroll with us.

The point at which a client is deemed “lost” is determined based on the terms of our standard services agreement with clients. Beginning in July 2023, commensurate with operational changes related to how we mobilize our services department to manage relationships with clients that have missed a payroll, we amended our standard services agreement and, as a result, the point at which a client was deemed “lost” accelerated. Due to this change in methodology, the TTM Revenue Attrition for the year ended December 31, 2023 (i) includes revenue from certain former clients deemed lost in December 2023 that, under the historical methodology, may have been deemed lost in early 2024, and (ii) excludes revenue from certain former clients that, under the historical methodology, may have been deemed lost in early 2023 but was instead included in the TTM Revenue Attrition for the year ended December 31, 2022. In addition, due to rising interest rates and higher average balances of funds held for clients, we determined that interest earned on funds held for clients should be excluded from the annual revenue retention rate calculation beginning in 2023. In prior years, we did not believe that the interest earned on funds held for clients was material for purposes of this calculation.

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Components of Results of Operations

Sources of Revenues

Revenues consist of recurring revenues, and implementation and other revenues. We expect our revenues to increase as we introduce new applications, expand our client base and renew and expand relationships with existing clients. As a percentage of total revenues, we expect our mix of recurring revenues, and implementation and other revenues to remain relatively constant.

Recurring Revenues

Recurring revenues are derived primarily from our talent acquisition, time and labor management, payroll, talent management and HR management applications as well as fees charged for form filings and delivery of client payroll checks and reports. We generate revenues from (i) fixed amounts charged per billing period plus a fee per employee or transaction processed and (ii) fixed amounts charged per billing period. We do not require clients to enter into long-term contractual commitments with us. Our billing period varies by client based on when each client pays its employees, which may be weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly. Because recurring revenues are based, in part, on fees for use of our applications and the delivery of checks and reports that are levied on a per-employee basis, our recurring revenues increase as our clients hire more employees. Recurring revenues are recognized in the period services are rendered.

Recurring revenues include revenues relating to the annual processing of payroll tax filing forms and ACA form filing requirements and revenues from processing unscheduled payroll runs (such as bonuses) for our clients. These payroll forms are typically processed in the first quarter of the year and many of our clients are subject to ACA form filing requirements in the first quarter, which positively impacts first quarter revenues and margins. We anticipate our revenues will continue to exhibit this seasonal pattern related to ACA form filings for so long as the ACA (or replacement legislation) includes employer reporting requirements. In addition, our recurring revenues during the fourth quarter are positively impacted by unscheduled payroll runs for our clients that occur before the end of the year. Nonetheless, we expect the magnitude of these seasonal fluctuations in our revenues to decrease to the extent clients utilize more of our non-payroll applications.

Recurring revenues also include interest earned on funds held for clients. We collect funds from clients in advance of either the applicable due date for payroll tax submissions or the applicable disbursement date for employee payment services. These collections from clients are typically disbursed from one to 30 days after receipt, with some funds being held for up to 120 days. We typically invest funds held for clients in money market funds, demand deposit accounts, certificates of deposit and commercial paper until they are paid to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies or to client employees. As we introduce new applications, expand our client base and renew and expand relationships with existing clients, we expect our average funds held for clients balance and, accordingly, interest earned on funds held for clients, will increase; however, the amount of interest we earn can be positively or negatively impacted by changes in interest rates.

Implementation and Other Revenues

Implementation and other revenues consist of implementation fees for the deployment of our solution and other revenues from sales of time clocks as part of our time and attendance services. Non-refundable implementation fees are charged to new clients at inception and upon the addition of certain incremental applications for existing clients. These fees generally range from 10% to 30% of the annualized value of the transaction. Implementation revenues are recognized as deferred revenue and amortized into income over the life of the client, which is estimated to be ten years, and other revenues are recognized upon shipment of time clocks. Implementation and other revenues comprised approximately 1.7% of our total revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues consists of expenses related to hosting and supporting our applications, hardware costs, systems support and technology and depreciation and amortization. These costs include employee-related expenses (including non-cash stock-based compensation expenses) and other expenses related to client support, bank charges for processing ACH transactions, certain implementation expenses, delivery charges and paper costs. They also include our cost for time clocks sold and ongoing technology and support costs related to our systems. The amount of depreciation and amortization of property and equipment allocated to cost of revenues is determined based upon an estimate of assets used to support our operations.

Administrative Expenses

Administrative expenses consist of sales and marketing expenses, research and development expenses, general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization expenses. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses for our direct sales and marketing staff (such as the amortization of commissions and bonuses and non-cash stock-based compensation expenses), marketing expenses and other related costs. Based on positive results from our advertising campaigns, we plan to continue to invest in our marketing program and may adjust spending levels in future periods as we see opportunities for favorable returns on our investments. Research and development expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses (including

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non-cash stock-based compensation expenses) for our development staff, net of capitalized software costs for internally developed software. We expect to grow our research and development efforts as we continue to broaden our payroll and HR solution offerings and extend our technological solutions by investing in the development of new applications and enhancements for existing applications. General and administrative expenses consist of employee-related expenses for finance and accounting, legal, human resources and management information systems personnel (including non-cash stock-based compensation expenses), legal costs, professional fees and other corporate expenses. Depreciation and amortization expenses consist of (i) the amount of depreciation and amortization of property and equipment allocated to administrative expenses (based upon an estimate of assets used to support our selling, general and administrative functions) and (ii) amortization of intangible assets.

Interest Expense

Interest expense includes interest on our long-term debt and settlements related to an interest rate swap prior to the termination of the interest rate swap agreement on August 24, 2022. Prior to the repayment of our long-term debt in November 2023, we capitalized interest costs incurred for indebtedness related to construction in progress. See “Note 6. Long-Term Debt” for discussion of the repayment of our debt.

Other Income (Expense), net

Other income (expense), net includes interest earned on our own funds, any gain or loss on the sale or disposal of fixed assets, costs associated with the early repayment of debt, loss on the extinguishment of debt, and the realized gain that resulted from the settlement of our interest rate swap agreement.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our consolidated financial statements include a provision for income taxes incurred for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations using the asset and liability method. Under this method, we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, as well as for any operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates expected to apply to taxable income for the years in which those tax assets and liabilities are expected to be realized or settled. We recognize a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the net amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth selected consolidated statements of income data and such data as a percentage of total revenues for each of the periods indicated, as well as year-over-year changes with respect to each line item. Refer to “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 16, 2023, for a discussion of results for the year ended December 31, 2021, including a discussion of the changes in our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021.

Revenues

The increase in total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 from the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily the result of the addition of new clients in our target market range and productivity and efficiency gains across our sales offices, which were partially offset by a decrease in revenue generated by the sale of additional applications to our existing clients. We believe that the Beti-driven reduction in billable corrections and unscheduled payroll runs, as well as lower retention among smaller clients, also adversely impacted the magnitude of the year-over-year increase in revenues. The performance of our tax forms filing business in the first quarter of 2023 contributed to the increase in total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. Because we charge our clients on a per-employee basis for certain services we provide, the drivers of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 described above were impacted by the headcount fluctuations within our client base. Additionally, rising interest rates and a higher average funds held for clients balance during year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, resulted in increased interest earned on funds held for clients, which had a positive impact on recurring revenue. The average daily balance of funds held for clients was $2.2 million and $2.0 million the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The increase in implementation and other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023 from the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily the result of the increased non-refundable upfront conversion fees collected from the addition of new clients. These fees are deferred and recognized ratably over the ten-year estimated life of our clients.

Expenses

Cost of Revenues

During the year ended December 31, 2023, operating expenses increased from the prior year by $53.9 million primarily due to a $44.2 million increase in employee-related expenses attributable to growth in the number of operating personnel, a $5.0 million increase in shipping and supplies fees, and a $2.5 million increase in automated clearing house fees in connection with the increase in revenues. Depreciation and amortization expense increased $9.7 million, or 22%, primarily due to the development of additional technology and purchases of other related fixed assets.

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Administrative Expenses

Sales and marketing

During the year ended December 31, 2023, sales and marketing expenses increased from the prior year by $71.1 million due to a $51.7 million increase in employee-related expenses, including commissions and bonuses, and a $19.4 million increase in marketing and advertising expense attributable to increased spending across many components of our marketing program.

Research and development

During the year ended December 31, 2023, research and development expenses increased $50.6 million from the prior year primarily due to an increase in employee-related expenses.

As we continue the ongoing development of our platform and product offerings, we generally expect research and development expenses (exclusive of stock-based compensation) to continue to increase, particularly as we hire more personnel to support our growth. While we expect this trend to continue on an absolute dollar basis and as a percentage of total revenues, we also anticipate the rate of increase to decline over time as we leverage our growth and realize additional economies of scale. As is customary for our business, we also expect fluctuations in research and development expense as a percentage of revenue on a quarter-to-quarter basis due to seasonal revenue trends, the introduction of new products, the amount and timing of research and development costs that may be capitalized and the timing of onboarding new hires and restricted stock vesting events.

Expenditures for software developed or obtained for internal use are capitalized and amortized over a three-year period on a straight-line basis. The nature of the development projects underway during a particular period, such as our international expansion, directly impacts the timing and extent of these capitalized expenditures and can affect the amount of research and development expenses in such period. The table below sets forth the amounts of capitalized and expensed research and development costs for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

General and administrative

During the year ended December 31, 2023, general and administrative expenses increased by $49.0 million from the prior year due to a $44.0 million increase in employee-related expenses and a $5.0 million increase in accounting and legal expenses.

Non-Cash Stock-Based Compensation Expense

The following table presents the non-cash stock-based compensation expense that is included within the specified line items in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income:

Depreciation and Amortization

During the year ended December 31, 2023, depreciation and amortization expense increased from the prior year primarily due to the development of additional technology and purchases of other related fixed assets.

Interest Expense

The decrease in interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 was due to the timing and progress of construction of the expansion of our corporate headquarters, which resulted in a higher capitalization rate of interest in 2023. The increase in capitalized interest during 2023 was partially offset by increased costs due to the timing of our entrance into the Credit Agreement (as defined below) on July 29, 2022. Prior to the repayment of our long-term debt in November 2023, we capitalized interest costs incurred for indebtedness related to construction in progress. See “Note 6. Long-Term Debt” for discussion of the repayment of our debt.

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Other Income (Expense), net

The increase in other income (expense), net for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily due to income earned on our corporate funds of $23.5 million. Additionally, as a result of the termination of the Term Loan Facility (as defined below), we incurred a loss on the extinguishment of debt of $1.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2023, which consisted of the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs. See “Note 6. Long-Term Debt” for additional information.

Provision for Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes is based on a current estimate of the annual effective income tax rate adjusted to reflect the impact of discrete items. Our effective income tax rate was 28% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of capital and liquidity are our operating cash flow and cash and cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of demand deposit accounts, money market funds and certificates of deposit. Additionally, we maintain a $1.0 billion senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”), which can be accessed as needed to supplement our operating cash flow and cash balances. As of December 31, 2023, we did not have any outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility.

We have historically funded our operations from cash flows generated from operations, cash from the sale of equity securities and debt financing. We are funding our current building expansion projects from available cash. Further, to date, all cash dividends and purchases under our stock repurchase plan have been funded from available cash. We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operations and available sources of liquidity will be sufficient to maintain operations, make necessary capital expenditures, pay dividends and opportunistically repurchase shares for at least the next 12 months. In addition, based on our strong profitability and continued growth, we expect to meet our longer-term liquidity needs with cash flows from operations and, as needed, financing arrangements.

Credit Agreement. On July 29, 2022 , we entered into a new credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as a lender, swingline lender and issuing bank, the lenders from time to time party thereto (collectively with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., the “Lenders”), and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the administrative agent. The Credit Agreement initially provided for the Revolving Credit Facility in the aggregate principal amount of up to $650.0 million, and the ability to request an incremental facility of up to an additional $500.0 million, subject to obtaining additional lender commitments and certain approvals and satisfying certain other conditions. The Credit Agreement includes a $25.0 million sublimit for swingline loans and a $6.5 million sublimit for letters of credit. The Credit Agreement also initially provided for a $750.0 million senior secured delayed draw term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”). As discussed below, the Term Loan Facility was terminated on July 28, 2023. All loans under the Credit Agreement will mature on July 29, 2027 (the “Scheduled Maturity Date”).

The borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at a rate per annum equal to (i) the Alternate Base Rate (“ABR”) plus an applicable margin (“ABR Loans”) or (ii) (x) the term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus 0.10% (the “Adjusted Term SOFR Rate”) or (y) the daily SOFR plus 0.10%, in each case plus an applicable margin (“SOFR Rate Loans”). ABR is calculated as the highest of (i) the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal in the United States as the prime rate in effect, (ii) the federal funds rate plus 0.5% and (iii) the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for a one-month interest period plus 1.00%; provided that, if the ABR as determined pursuant to the foregoing would be less than 1.00%, such rate shall be deemed to be 1.00%. The applicable margin for ABR Loans is (i) 0.25% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is less than 1.0 to 1.0; (ii) 0.50% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 1.0 to 1.0 but less than 2.0 to 1.0; (iii) 0.75% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 2.0 to 1.0 but less than 3.0 to 1.0; or (iv) 1.00% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 3.0 to 1.0. The applicable margin for SOFR Rate Loans is (i) 1.25% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is less than 1.0 to 1.0; (ii) 1.5% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 1.0 to 1.0 but less than 2.0 to 1.0; (iii) 1.75% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 2.0 to 1.0 but less than 3.0 to 1.0; or (iv) 2.00% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 3.0 to 1.0. We are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee on the daily amount of the undrawn portion of the revolving commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility and, prior to its termination, a quarterly ticking fee on the daily amount of the undrawn portion of the Term Loan Facility, in each case at a rate per annum of (i) 0.20% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is less than 1.0 to 1.0; (ii) 0.225% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 1.0 to 1.0 but less than 2.0 to 1.0; (iii) 0.25% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 2.0 to 1.0 but less than 3.0 to 1.0; or (iv) 0.275% if the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio is greater than or equal to 3.0 to 1.0. We are also required to pay customary letter of credit fees upon drawing any letter of credit.

Under the Credit Agreement, we are required to maintain as of the end of each fiscal quarter a consolidated interest coverage ratio of not less than 3.0 to 1.0 and a consolidated leverage ratio of not greater than 3.5 to 1.0, stepping down to 3.25 to 1.0 as of December 31, 2024 and 3.0 to 1.0 as of December 31, 2025 and thereafter.

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On July 29, 2022, we borrowed $29.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility to repay the outstanding indebtedness under our prior credit facility, along with accrued interest, expenses and fees. The loan bore interest at the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for the interest period in effect plus 1.25%.

On July 28, 2023, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement Amendment”), pursuant to which the aggregate revolving commitments thereunder were increased from $650.0 million to $1.0 billion, the Term Loan Facility was terminated and the Credit Agreement was amended in contemplation of the formation and future operating activities of Paycom Client Trust (the “Client Trust”) and Paycom National Trust Bank, NA (the “Trust Bank”). We intend to form the Client Trust to hold client payroll and related funds and the Trust Bank to serve as trustee of the Client Trust. We did not make any draws under the Term Loan Facility prior to its termination.

On November 21, 2023, we fully repaid the outstanding indebtedness under the Revolving Credit Facility.

Stock Repurchase Plan and Withholding Shares to Cover Taxes. In May 2016, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase plan allowing for the repurchase of shares of our common stock in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws, including Rule 10b5-1 programs. Since the initial authorization of the stock repurchase plan, our Board of Directors has amended and extended and authorized new stock repurchase plans from time to time. Most recently, in August 2022, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $1.1 billion of our common stock. As of December 31, 2023, there was $799.1 million available for repurchases under our stock repurchase plan. Our stock repurchase plan may be suspended or discontinued at any time. The actual timing, number and value of shares repurchased depends on a number of factors, including the market price of our common stock, general market and economic conditions, shares withheld for taxes associated with the vesting of equity incentive awards and other corporate considerations. The current stock repurchase plan will expire on August 15, 2024.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased an aggregate of 1,495,752 shares of our common stock at an average cost of $200.93 per share, including 51,119 shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations for certain employees upon the vesting of equity incentive awards. Our payment of the taxes on behalf of those employees resulted in an aggregate cash expenditure of $13.9 million and, as such, we generally subtract the amounts attributable to such withheld shares from the aggregate amount available for future purchases under our stock repurchase plan.

Dividends on Common Stock. For a discussion of our dividends, see “Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.”

Cash Flow Analysis

Our cash flows from operating activities have historically been significantly impacted by profitability, implementation revenues received but deferred, our investment in sales and marketing to drive growth, and research and development. Our ability to meet future liquidity needs will be driven by our operating performance and the extent of continued investment in our operations. Failure to generate sufficient revenues and related cash flows could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet our liquidity needs and achieve our business objectives.

As our business grows, we expect our capital expenditures and our investment activity to continue to increase. For example, we estimate that the total cost of the current expansion project at our corporate headquarters will be between $87 million and $90 million. Capital expenditures related to this expansion began in the fourth quarter of 2021 and we expect construction to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. In addition, we purchased the naming rights to the downtown Oklahoma City arena that is home to the Oklahoma City Thunder National Basketball Association franchise. Under the terms of the naming rights agreement, we committed to make payments escalating annually from $4.0 million in 2021 to $6.1 million in 2035. The payments are due in the fourth quarter of each year. Upon the conclusion of the initial term, the agreement may be extended upon the mutual agreement of both parties for an additional five-year period. Depending on certain growth opportunities, we may choose to accelerate investments in sales and marketing, acquisitions, technology and services. Actual future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our future revenues, cash from operating activities and the level of expenditures in all areas of our business.

As part of our payroll and payroll tax filing services, we collect funds from our clients for employment taxes, which we remit to the appropriate tax agencies. We typically invest these funds in money market funds, demand deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and U.S. treasury securities from which we earn interest income during the period between receipt and disbursement of such funds.

Our cash flows from investing and financing activities are influenced by the amount of funds held for clients, which can vary significantly from quarter to quarter. The balance of the funds we hold depends on our clients’ payroll calendars, and therefore such balance changes from period to period in accordance with the timing of each payroll cycle.

Our cash flows from financing activities are also affected by the extent to which we use available cash to purchase shares of common stock under our stock repurchase plan as well as equity incentive award vesting events that result in net share settlements and

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the Company paying withholding taxes on behalf of certain employees. Additionally, we intend to continue to pay a quarterly cash dividend, subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors.

The following table summarizes the consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily consisted of payments received from our clients and interest earned on funds held for clients. Cash used in operating activities primarily consisted of personnel-related expenditures to support the growth and infrastructure of our business. These payments included costs of operations, advertising and other sales and marketing efforts, IT infrastructure development, product research and development and security and administrative costs. Compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, our operating cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 were positively impacted by the growth of our business.

Investing Activities

Cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased from the prior year due to a $357.2 million decrease in proceeds from investments from funds held for clients, a $59.9 million increase in purchases of property and equipment, and a $0.1 million increase in purchases of intangible assets, which were partially offset by a $243.7 million decrease in purchases of investments from funds held for clients and a $0.1 million increase in proceeds from the sale of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased from the prior year primarily due to the impact of a $240.8 million change related to the client funds obligation, which is due to the timing of receipts from our clients and payments made to our clients’ employees and applicable taxing authorities on their behalf, a $192.0 million increase in common stock repurchases, the payment of $64.8 million in cash dividends, a $29.0 million decrease in proceeds from the issuance of debt, and a $8.8 million increase in withholding taxes paid related to net share settlements. The increase in cash used in financing activities was partially offset by a $0.3 million decrease in payments on long-term debt and a $5.8 million decrease in payment of debt issuance costs.

Contractual Obligations

Our principal commitments primarily consist of leases for office space and the naming rights agreement. For additional information regarding our naming rights agreement, leases, and our commitments and contingencies, see “Note 4. Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Net”, “Note 5. Leases” and “Note 13. Commitments and Contingencies”.

We plan to continue to lease additional office space to support our growth. In addition, many of our existing lease agreements provide us with the option to renew. When applicable, our future operating lease obligations include payments due during any renewal period provided for in the lease where the lease imposes a penalty for failure to renew. Additional details on our leases, including the related future cash outflows, are included within “Note 5. Leases” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere within this Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses, and related disclosures. Estimates made in accordance with U.S. GAAP that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition are described below. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions to ensure that management believes them to be reasonable under the then-current facts and circumstances. Actual amounts and results may materially differ from these estimates made by management under different assumptions and conditions.

Certain accounting policies that require significant management estimates, and are deemed critical to our results of operations or financial position, are described below. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

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Revenue Recognition

Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our clients in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to for those goods or services. Substantially all of our revenues are revenues from contracts with clients. Sales and other applicable taxes are excluded from revenues.

Recurring revenues are derived primarily from our talent acquisition, time and labor management, payroll, talent management and HR management applications as well as fees charged for form filings and delivery of client payroll checks and reports. Talent acquisition includes our Applicant Tracking, Candidate Tracker, Enhanced Background Checks, Onboarding, E-Verify and Tax Credits applications. Time and labor management includes Time and Attendance, Scheduling, Time-Off Requests with GONE, Labor Allocation, Labor Management Reports/Push Reporting, Geofencing/Geotracking and Microfence tools and applications. Payroll includes Beti, Payroll and Tax Management, Vault, Everyday, Paycom Pay, Client Action Center, Expense Management, Mileage Tracker/FAVR, Garnishment Administration and GL Concierge applications. Talent management includes our Employee Self-Service, Compensation Budgeting, Performance Management, Position Management, My Analytics and Paycom Learning applications. HR management includes our Manager on-the-Go, Direct Data Exchange, Ask Here, Documents and Checklists, Government and Compliance, Benefits Administration/Benefits to Carrier, Benefit Enrollment Service, COBRA Administration, Personnel Action Forms and Performance Discussion Forms, Surveys, Enhanced ACA and Clue applications. With Global HCM, a number of our HCM applications and tools are available in 15 languages and dialects and are accessible to users in more than 180 countries.

The performance obligations related to recurring revenues are generally satisfied during each client’s payroll period, with the agreed-upon fee being charged and collected as part of our processing of the client’s payroll. Recurring revenues are recognized at the conclusion of processing of each client’s payroll period, when each respective payroll client is billed. Collectability is reasonably assured as the fees are generally collected through an automated clearing house as part of the client’s payroll cycle or through direct wire transfer, which minimizes the default risk.

The contract period for substantially all contracts associated with these revenues is one month due to the fact that both we and the client have the unilateral right to terminate a wholly unperformed contract without compensating the other party by providing 30 days’ notice of termination. Our payroll application is the foundation of our solution, and all of our clients are required to utilize this application in order to access our other applications. For clients who purchase multiple applications, due to the short-term nature of our contracts, we do not believe it is meaningful to separately assess and identify whether or not each application potentially represents its own, individual, performance obligation as the revenue generated from each application is recognized within the same month as the revenue from the core payroll application. Similarly, we do not believe it is meaningful to individually determine the standalone selling price for each application. We consider the total price charged to a client in a given period to be indicative of the standalone selling price, as the total amount charged is within a reasonable range of prices typically charged for our goods and services for comparable classes of client groups, which we periodically assess for price adjustments.

Interest income on funds held for clients is earned on funds that are collected from clients in advance of either the applicable due date for payroll tax submissions or the applicable disbursement date for employee payment services. The interest earned on these funds is included in recurring revenues in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income, as the collection, holding, and remittance of these funds are essential components of providing these services.

Implementation and other revenues consist of nonrefundable upfront conversion fees which are charged to new clients to offset the expense of new client set-up as well as revenues from the sale of time clocks as part of our time and attendance application. Although these revenues are related to our recurring revenues, they represent distinct performance obligations.

Implementation activities primarily represent administrative activities that allow us to fulfill future performance obligations for our clients and do not represent services transferred to the client. However, the nonrefundable upfront fee charged to our clients results in an implied performance obligation in the form of a material right to the client related to the client’s option to renew at the end of each 30-day contract period. Further, given that all other services within the contract are sold at a total price indicative of the standalone selling price, coupled with the fact that the upfront fees are consistent with upfront fees charged in similar contracts that we have with clients, the standalone selling price of the client’s option to renew the contract approximates the dollar amount of the nonrefundable upfront fee. The nonrefundable upfront fee is typically included on the client’s first invoice, and is deferred and recognized ratably over the estimated renewal period (i.e. ten-year estimated client life).

Revenues from the sale of time clocks are recognized when control is transferred to the client upon delivery of the product. We estimate the standalone selling price for the time clocks by maximizing the use of observable inputs such as our specific pricing practices for time clocks.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill is not amortized, but we are required to test the carrying value of goodwill for impairment at least annually, or earlier if, at the reporting unit level, an indicator of impairment arises. Our business is largely homogeneous and, as a result, goodwill is

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associated with one reporting unit. We have selected June 30 as our annual goodwill impairment testing date. A review of goodwill may be initiated before or after conducting the annual analysis if events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may no longer be recoverable. The Company performed a qualitative assessment to determine if it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the reporting units had declined below its carrying value. In the qualitative assessment, we consider the macroeconomic conditions, including any deterioration of general economic conditions, industry and market conditions, including any deterioration in the environment where the reporting unit operates, changes in the products/services and regulator and political developments; cost of doing business; overall financial performance; other relevant reporting unit specific facts, such as changes in management or key personnel or pending litigation. Based on our assessment, there was no impairment recorded as of June 30, 2023. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, there were no indicators of impairment. Intangible assets with definite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, including intangible assets with finite lives, are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. We have determined that there was no impairment of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Market-Based Restricted Stock Awards and Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

We measure non-cash stock-based compensation expense based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant. We determine the fair value of stock and unit awards issued by using a Monte Carlo simulation model. This model considers various subjective assumptions as inputs, and represent our best estimates, which involve inherent uncertainties and the application of our judgment as it relates to market volatilities, the historical volatility of our stock price, risk-free rates and expected life. The valuation model also incorporates exercise and forfeiture assumptions based on an analysis of historical data. Determining these assumptions is subjective and complex, and therefore, a change in the assumptions utilized could impact the calculation of the fair value of our market-based stock awards and performance-based restricted stock units and the associated compensation expense. Refer to Note 12 in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our stock-based compensation awards.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for a full description of recent accounting pronouncements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Management uses adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income as supplemental measures to review and assess the performance of our core business operations and for planning purposes. We define (i) adjusted EBITDA as net income plus interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash stock-based compensation expense, certain transaction expenses that are not core to our operations (if any), the change in fair value of our interest rate swap (if any) and any loss on the extinguishment of debt and (ii) non-GAAP net income as net income plus non-cash stock-based compensation expense, certain transaction expenses that are not core to our operations (if any), the change in fair value of our interest rate swap (if any) and any loss on the extinguishment of debt, all of which are adjusted for the effect of income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income are metrics that provide investors with greater transparency to the information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. We believe these metrics are useful to investors because they facilitate comparisons of our core business operations across periods on a consistent basis, as well as comparisons with the results of peer companies, many of which use similar non-GAAP financial measures to supplement results under U.S. GAAP. In addition, adjusted EBITDA is a measure that provides useful information to management about the amount of cash available for reinvestment in our business, paying dividends, repurchasing common stock and other purposes. Management believes that the non-GAAP measures presented in this Form 10-K, when viewed in combination with our results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting our business and performance.

Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP, and should not be considered a substitute for net income, which we consider to be the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, you should not consider adjusted EBITDA or non-GAAP net income in isolation, or as a substitute for net income or other consolidated statements of comprehensive income data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP net income may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies and other companies may not calculate such measures in the same manner as we do.

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The following tables reconcile net income to adjusted EBITDA, net income to non-GAAP net income and earnings per share to non-GAAP net income per share on a basic and diluted basis. Refer to “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on February 16, 2023, for a presentation of the amounts for the year ended December 31, 2021.

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