Revenue

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2025

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue From Contracts With Customers, revenue is recognized upon transfer of control of promised products and/or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products and services. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers and subsequently remitted to governmental authorities.

Contract Combination. The Company may execute more than one contract or agreement with a single customer at or near the same time. The separate contracts or agreements may be viewed as one combined arrangement or separate agreements for revenue recognition purposes. In order to reach appropriate conclusions regarding whether such agreements should be combined, the Company evaluates whether the agreements were negotiated as a package with a single commercial objective, whether the amount of consideration to be paid in one agreement depends on the price and/or performance of another agreement, or whether the product(s) or services promised in the agreements represent a single performance obligation. The conclusions reached can impact the allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation and the timing of revenue recognition related to those arrangements.

Software as a Service (“SaaS”) and Platform as a Service (“PaaS”) Arrangements. The Company’s SaaS-based and PaaS-based arrangements, including implementation, support and other services, represent a single promise to provide continuous access (i.e. a stand-ready performance obligation) to its software solutions and their processing capabilities in the form of a service through one of the Company’s data centers. As each day of providing access to the software solution(s) is substantially the same and the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits as access is provided, the Company’s single promise under its SaaS-based and PaaS-based arrangements is comprised of a series of distinct service periods. The Company’s SaaS-based and PaaS-based arrangements may include fixed consideration, variable consideration, or a combination of the two. Fixed consideration is recognized over the term of the arrangement or longer if the fixed consideration relates to a material right. A material right would be a separate performance obligation. The Company estimates the stand-alone selling price for a material right by reference to the services expected to be provided and the corresponding expected consideration. Variable consideration in these arrangements is typically a function of transaction volume or another usage-based measure. Depending upon the structure of a particular arrangement, the Company: (1) allocates the variable amount to each distinct service period within the series and recognizes revenue as each distinct service period is performed, (2) estimates total variable consideration at contract inception (giving consideration to any constraints that may apply and updating the estimates as new information becomes available) and recognizes the total transaction price over the period to which it relates, or (3) applies the ‘right to invoice’ practical expedient and recognizes revenue based on the amount invoiced to the customer during the period.

License Arrangements. The Company’s software license arrangements provide the customer with the right to use functional intellectual property (as it exists at the point in time at which the license is granted) for the duration of the contract term. Implementation, support, and other services are typically considered distinct performance obligations when sold with a software license.

Payment terms for the Company’s software license arrangements generally include fixed license and capacity fees that are payable up front or over time. These arrangements may also include incremental usage-based fees that are payable when the customer exceeds its contracted license capacity limits. The Company accounts for capacity overages as a usage-based royalty that is recognized when the usage occurs.

When a software license arrangement contains payment terms that are extended beyond one year, a significant financing component may exist. The significant financing component is calculated as the difference between the stated value and present value of the software license fees and is recognized as interest income over the extended payment period. The total fixed software license fee net of the significant financing component is recognized as revenue at the point in time when the software is transferred to the customer.

For those software license arrangements that include customer-specific acceptance provisions, such provisions are generally presumed to be substantive and the Company does not recognize revenue until the earlier of the receipt of a written customer acceptance, objective demonstration that the delivered product meets the customer-specific acceptance criteria, or the expiration of the acceptance period. The Company recognizes revenues on such arrangements upon the earlier of receipt of written acceptance or the first production use of the software by the customer.

For software license arrangements in which the Company acts as a distributor of another company’s product, and in certain circumstances, modifies or enhances the product, revenues are recorded on a gross basis. These include arrangements in which the Company takes control of the products and is responsible for providing the product or service. For software license arrangements in which the Company acts as a sales agent for another company’s product, revenues are recorded on a net basis. These include arrangements in which the Company does not take control of products and is not responsible for providing the product or service.

For software license arrangements in which the Company utilizes a third-party distributor or sales agent, the Company recognizes revenue upon transfer of control of the software license(s) to the third-party distributor or sales agent.

The Company’s software license arrangements typically provide the customer with a standard 90-day assurance-type warranty. These warranties do not represent an additional performance obligation as services beyond assuring that the software license complies with agreed-upon specifications are not provided.

Software license arrangements typically include an initial post contract customer support (maintenance or “PCS”) term of one year with subsequent renewals for additional years within the initial license period. The Company’s promise to those customers who elect to purchase PCS represents a stand-ready performance obligation that is distinct from the license performance obligation and recognized over the PCS term.

The Company also provides various professional services to customers with software licenses. These include project management, software implementation, and software modification services. Revenues from arrangements to provide professional services are generally distinct from the other promises in the contract(s) and are recognized as the related services are performed. Consideration received under these arrangements is either fixed fee or on a time-and-materials basis, which represents variable consideration that must be estimated using the most likely amount based on the range of hours expected to be incurred in providing the services.

The Company estimates the stand-alone selling price (“SSP”) for maintenance and professional services based on observable stand-alone sales. The Company applies the residual approach to estimate the SSP for software licenses.

Refer to Note 9, Segment Information, for further details, including disaggregation of revenue based on primary solution category and geographic location.

Significant Judgments

The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intention to pay, which is based on a variety of factors including the customer’s historical payment experience or, in the case of a new customer, published credit and financial information.

The Company also applies judgment in determining the term of an arrangement when early termination rights are provided to the customer.

The Company’s software license arrangements with its customers often include multiple promises to transfer licensed software products and services. Determining whether the products and/or services are distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately may require significant judgment.

The Company’s SaaS and PaaS arrangements may include variable consideration in the form of usage-based fees. If the arrangement that includes variable consideration in the form of usage-based fees does not meet the allocation exception for variable consideration, the Company estimates the amount of variable consideration at the outset of the arrangement using either the expected value or most likely amount method, depending on the specifics of each arrangement. These estimates are constrained to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of incremental revenue will not occur and are updated each reporting period as additional information becomes available.

Judgment is used in determining: (1) whether the financing component in a software license agreement is significant and, if so, (2) the discount rate used in calculating the significant financing component. The Company assesses the significance of the financing component based on the ratio of license fees paid over time to total license fees. If determined to be significant, the financing component is calculated using a rate that discounts the license fees to the cash selling price.

Judgment is also used in assessing whether the extension of payment terms in a software license arrangement results in variable consideration and, if so, the amount to be included in the transaction price. The Company applies the portfolio approach to estimate the amount of variable consideration in these arrangements using the most likely amount method that is based on the Company’s historical collection experience under similar arrangements.

Significant judgment is required to determine the SSP for each performance obligation, the amount allocated to each performance obligation and whether it depicts the amount that the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for the related product and/or service. As the selling prices of the Company’s software licenses are highly variable, the Company estimates SSP of its software licenses using the residual approach when the software license is sold with other services and observable SSPs exist for the other services. The Company uses a range of amounts to estimate SSP for maintenance and services. These ranges are based on stand-alone sales and vary based on the type of service and geographic region. If the SSP of a performance obligation is not directly observable, the Company will maximize observable inputs to determine its SSP.

Contract Balances

Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. The Company records an accrued receivable when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing and the Company’s right to consideration only requires the passage of time, or deferred revenue when revenue is recognized subsequent to invoicing.

Total receivables represent amounts billed and amounts earned that are to be billed in the future (i.e. accrued receivables). Included in accrued receivables are services and SaaS and PaaS revenues earned in the current period but billed in the following period and amounts due under multi-year software license arrangements with extended payment terms for which the Company has an unconditional right to invoice and receive payment subsequent to invoicing.

Total receivables, net is comprised of the following (in thousands):


	December 31,
	2025		2024
Billed receivables	$	203,506	$	198,486
Allowance for doubtful accounts	(1,269)		(1,758)
Billed receivables, net	202,237		196,728
Current accrued receivables, net	243,629		217,671
Long-term accrued receivables, net	391,719		360,079
Total accrued receivables, net	635,348		577,750
Total receivables, net	$	837,585	$	774,478

No customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated receivables balance as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024.

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for expected future credit losses that is calculated based on historical experience, current economic trends, and expectations of near term economic trends. The Company regularly monitors its credit risk exposures in consolidated receivables.

The following reflects activity in the Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts receivable for the periods indicated (in thousands):


	Years Ended December 31,
	2025		2024		2023
Balance, beginning of period	$	(1,758)	$	(4,295)	$	(3,779)
Provision (increase) decrease	125		(325)		(526)
Amounts written off, net of recoveries	418		2,839		43
Foreign currency translation adjustments and other	(54)		23		(33)
Balance, end of period	$	(1,269)	$	(1,758)	$	(4,295)

Provision adjustments recorded in general and administrative expense during the years ended December 31, 2025, December 31, 2024, and 2023, reflect adjustments in the allowance for doubtful accounts based upon collection experience, net of collection of customer-specific receivables that were previously reserved for as doubtful of collection.

Deferred revenue includes amounts due or received from customers for software licenses, maintenance, services, and/or SaaS and PaaS services in advance of recording the related revenue.

Changes in deferred revenue were as follows (in thousands):


Balance, December 31, 2023	$	84,360
Deferral of revenue	141,811
Recognition of deferred revenue	(129,483)
Foreign currency translation	(1,965)
Balance, December 31, 2024	94,723
Deferral of revenue	128,379
Recognition of deferred revenue	(138,627)
Foreign currency translation	2,782
Balance, December 31, 2025	$	87,257

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations represents contracted revenue that will be recognized in future periods, which is comprised of deferred revenue and amounts that will be invoiced and recognized as revenue in future periods. This does not include:

•Revenue that will be recognized in future periods from capacity overages that are accounted for as a usage-based royalty.

•SaaS and PaaS revenue from variable consideration that will be recognized in accordance with the ‘right to invoice’ practical expedient or meets the allocation objective.

Revenue allocated to remaining performance obligations was $689.3 million as of December 31, 2025, of which the Company expects to recognize approximately 55% over the next 12 months and the remainder thereafter.

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the revenue recognized by the Company from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods was $58.7 million.

Costs to Obtain and Fulfill a Contract

The Company accounts for costs to obtain and fulfill its contracts in accordance with ASC 340-40.

The Company capitalizes certain of its sales commissions that meet the definition of incremental costs of obtaining a contract and for which the amortization period is greater than one year. The costs associated with those sales commissions are capitalized during the period in which the Company becomes obligated to pay the commissions and are amortized over the period in which the related products or services are transferred to the customer. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, $1.5 million and $2.0 million of these costs are included in other current assets, respectively, and $9.2 million and $9.9 million of these costs are included in other noncurrent assets, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheets. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company recognized $6.8 million and $8.7 million of sales commission expense, respectively, related to the amortization of these costs, which is included in selling and marketing expense on the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company capitalizes costs incurred to fulfill its contracts that: (1) relate directly to the arrangement, (2) are expected to generate resources that will be used to satisfy the Company’s performance obligation under the arrangement, and (3) are expected to be recovered through revenue generated under the arrangement. Contract fulfillment costs are expensed as the Company transfers the related services to the customer. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, less than $0.1 million of these costs are included in other current assets, and $7.6 million and $9.4 million of these costs are included in other noncurrent assets, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheets. The amounts capitalized primarily relate to direct costs that enhance resources under the Company’s SaaS and PaaS arrangements. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company recognized $5.4 million and $3.6 million of expense, respectively, related to the amortization of these costs, which is included in cost of revenue on the consolidated statements of operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure of revenue from contract with customer to transfer good or service and to transfer nonfinancial asset. Includes, but is not limited to, disaggregation of revenue, credit loss recognized from contract with customer, judgment and change in judgment related to contract with customer, and asset recognized from cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contract with customer. Excludes insurance and lease contracts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 7
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-7

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-9

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-10

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 15
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-15

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (a)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (b)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (c)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (d)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (e)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-12

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(2)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147479806/606-10-50-13

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/606/tableOfContent

+ Details

ACI WORLDWIDE, INC. 10-K