“SAFE HARBOR” STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

 

Certain written and oral statements made by management of Paychex, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company”) may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”). Forward-looking statements are identified by such words and phrases as “we expect,” “expected to,” “estimates,” “estimated,” “current outlook,” “we look forward to,” “would equate to,” “projects,” “projections,” “projected to be,” “anticipates,” “anticipated,” “we believe,” “could be,” and other similar phrases. All statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, including statements relating to revenue growth, earnings, earnings- per-share growth, or similar projections, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Reform Act. Because they are forward-looking, they should be evaluated in light of important risk factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, the following risks as well as those described in “Risk Factors” under Item 1A and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”):

 

 

Any of these factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. The information provided in this Form 10-K is based upon the facts and circumstances known at this time. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date of filing of this Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) to reflect events or circumstances after such date, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

 

We are a leading provider of comprehensive payroll and integrated human resource and employee benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses in the U.S. As of May 31, 2008, we serviced approximately 572,000 clients and had approximately 12,200 employees. We maintain our corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York, and have more than 100 offices nationwide.

 

As of May 31, 2008, we also serviced approximately 1,200 clients in Germany through four offices.

Our company was formed as a Delaware corporation in 1979. We report our results of operations and financial condition as one business segment. Our fiscal year ends May 31.

 

Company Strategy

 

We are focused on achieving strong, long-term financial performance by:

 

 

Market Opportunities

 

The outsourcing of business processes continues to be a trend within the U.S. Outsourcing of the payroll and human resource functions allows small- to medium-sized businesses to minimize the administrative burden and compliance risks associated with increasingly complex and changing administrative requirements and federal, state, and local tax regulations. By utilizing the expertise of outsourcing service providers, businesses are better able to efficiently meet their compliance requirements and administrative burdens while, at the same time, providing competitive benefits for their employees. The technical capabilities, knowledge, and operational expertise that we have built, along with the broad portfolio of ancillary services and products we offer our clients, have enabled us to capitalize on the outsourcing popularity.

 

We believe there are approximately 9.4 million employers in the geographic markets that we currently serve within the U.S. Of those employers, over 99% have fewer than 100 employees and are our primary customers and target market. Based on publicly available industry data, we estimate that all payroll processors combined serve approximately 15% of the potential businesses in the target market, with much of the unpenetrated market being composed of businesses with ten or fewer employees. We remain focused on servicing small- to medium-sized businesses based upon the growth potential that we believe exists in this market segment.

 

Clients

 

We serve a diverse base of small- to medium-sized clients operating in a broad range of industries located throughout the U.S. As of May 31, 2008, we serviced approximately 572,000 clients. We utilize service agreements and arrangements with clients that are generally terminable by the client at any time or upon relatively short notice. For the year ended May 31, 2008 (“fiscal 2008”), client retention was approximately 80% of our beginning of the year client base. The most significant factors impacting client retention are companies going out of business or no longer having any employees. No single client has a material impact on total service revenue or results of operations.

The composition of the market and the client base we serve (in the U.S.) by number of employees is as follows:

 

 

Services and Products

 

We offer a comprehensive portfolio of services and products that allow our clients to meet their diverse payroll and human resource needs. These include:

 

 

By offering ancillary services that leverage the information gathered in the base payroll processing service, we are able to provide comprehensive outsourcing services that allow employers to expand their employee benefits offerings at an affordable cost. We mainly earn our revenue through recurring fees for services performed. Service revenue is primarily driven by the number of clients, checks or transactions per client per pay period, and utilization of ancillary services.

 

Payroll Processing

 

Payroll processing is the foundation of our service portfolio. Our payroll service includes the calculation, preparation, and delivery of employee payroll checks; production of internal accounting records and management reports; preparation of federal, state, and local payroll tax returns; and collection and remittance of clients’ payroll obligations. Payroll processing clients are charged a base fee each period that payroll is processed, plus a fee per employee check processed. Our payroll services are provided through either our core payroll or Major Market Services (“MMS”) and are made available to clients via traditional or Internet-based methods.

 

Paychex Online is our secure Internet site, which offers core payroll clients a suite of self-service, interactive services and products twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. These include Paychex Online Payroll^sm, Internet Time Sheet, Paychex Online Reports, and General Ledger Reporting Service. Clients can communicate payroll information through the Internet Time Sheet or use the Online Payroll service, and can access current and historical payroll information using Paychex Online Reports. The General Ledger Reporting Service transfers payroll information calculated by us to the clients’ general ledger accounting software, eliminating manual entries and improving the accuracy of bookkeeping. Approximately 297,000 clients are currently utilizing some form of Paychex Online service.

Major Market Services:  MMS primarily targets companies that have more complex payroll and benefits needs or have outgrown our core payroll service. We currently offer this service in all of our significant markets. Approximately one-third of new MMS clients are conversions from our core payroll service.

 

We offer a software-as-a-service solution to meet the payroll and human resource administrative needs of our MMS clients. Our proprietary MMS software, Preview^®, provides a powerful payroll solution and allows smooth integration with other Paychex service offerings. Preview can be used as an on-site, PC-based system or via a secure web-hosted environment.

 

Preview can be integrated with various Internet-based services offered to assist clients with their administrative human resource and payroll needs, in every step of the employee life cycle. Ancillary services particularly offered to our MMS clients include Paychex HR Online, BeneTrac, Paychex Time and Labor Online, and applicant tracking. Paychex HR Online, our Internet-based human resource management system, offers powerful tools for managing employee benefits, personnel information, and critical human resource compliance and reporting needs. In addition, its self-service features allow for better communication between management and employees. BeneTrac, our employee benefits management and administration system, provides our MMS clients a simple, accurate, and cost-effective solution for streamlined benefits management. Paychex Time and Labor Online makes the time and attendance process more efficient. This solution can reduce time spent on preparing timesheets, minimize redundant data entry, increase awareness of critical labor information, and aid in compliance with federal time recording requirements. We have also partnered with Taleo Corporation for applicant tracking providing our MMS clients with a tool to manage their recruiting process, in order to better hire and retain talented employees.

 

In addition, MMS clients can select from a number of á la carte payroll and human resource ancillary services or opt for our comprehensive human resource and payroll outsourcing solution, Paychex Premier^® Human Resources (“Paychex Premier”). This flexibility allows our clients to define the solution that best meets their particular needs.

 

Ancillary Services and Products

 

We provide our clients with a portfolio of ancillary services and products that have been developed and refined over many years. Ancillary services and products provide us with additional recurring revenue streams and increased service efficiencies as these services and products are integrated with our payroll processing services. We offer the following ancillary services and products:

 

Payroll tax administration services:  As of May 31, 2008, 93% of our clients utilized our payroll tax administration services (including Taxpay^®), which provide accurate preparation and timely filing of quarterly and year-end tax returns, as well as the electronic transfer of funds to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies (federal, state, and local). Nearly all of our new clients purchase our payroll tax administration services. In connection with these services, we electronically collect payroll taxes from clients’ bank accounts, typically on payday, prepare and file the applicable tax returns, and remit taxes to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies on the respective due dates. These taxes are typically paid between one and 30 days after receipt of collections from clients, with some items extending to 90 days. We handle all regulatory correspondence, amendments, and penalty and interest disputes, and we are subject to cash penalties imposed by tax or regulatory agencies for late filings and late or under payment of taxes. Clients utilizing the payroll tax administration services are charged a base fee and a fee per transaction for each period that payroll is processed. In addition to fees paid by clients, we earn interest on client funds that are collected before due dates and invested until remittance to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies.

 

Employee payment services:  As of May 31, 2008, 73% of our clients utilized our employee payment services, which provide the employer the option of paying their employees by direct deposit, Chase Pay Card Plus, a check drawn on a Paychex, Inc. account (Readychex^®), or a check drawn on the employer’s account and electronically signed by us. More than 80% of new clients select some form of employee payment services. For the first three methods, we electronically collect net payroll from the clients’ bank account, typically one day before payday, and provide payment to the employee on payday. Our flexible payment options provide a cost-effective solution that offers the benefit of convenient, one-step payroll account reconciliation for employers. Clients utilizing employee payment services are charged a base fee for each period that payroll is processed and a

fee per transaction or per employee depending on the service provided. In addition to fees paid by clients, we earn interest on client funds that are collected before pay dates and invested until remittance to clients’ employees.

 

Regulatory compliance services:  We offer new-hire reporting services, which enable clients to comply with federal and state requirements to report information on newly hired employees, to aid the government in enforcing child support orders, and to minimize fraudulent unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance claims. Our garnishment processing service provides deductions from employees’ pay, forwards payments to third-party agencies, including those that require electronic payments, and tracks the obligations to fulfillment. These services enable employers to comply with legal requirements and reduce the risk of penalties.

 

Comprehensive human resource outsourcing services:  Paychex Premier provides businesses a full-service approach to the outsourcing of employer and employee administrative needs. Paychex Premier offers businesses a combined package of services that includes payroll, employer compliance, human resource and employee benefits administration, risk management outsourcing, and the on-site availability of a professionally trained human resource representative. This comprehensive bundle of services is designed to make it easier for businesses to manage their payroll and related benefit costs while providing a benefits package equal to that of larger companies. Our Professional Employer Organization (“PEO”) provides businesses with primarily the same services as Paychex Premier, except we serve as a co-employer of the clients’ employees, assume the risks and rewards of workers’ compensation insurance, and provide more sophisticated health care offerings to PEO clients. Our PEO service is available primarily for clients domiciled in select U.S. states where the utilization of PEOs is more prevalent. We offer our PEO service through our subsidiary, Paychex Business Solutions, Inc. For the two comprehensive human resource outsourcing services, the client pays a fee per employee per processing period. As of May 31, 2008, our comprehensive human resource outsourcing serviced approximately 439,000 client employees.

 

Retirement services administration:  Our retirement services product line offers a variety of options to clients, including 401(k) plans, 401(k) SIMPLE, SIMPLE IRA, 401(k) plans with safe harbor provisions, profit sharing, and money purchase plans. These services provide plan implementation, ongoing compliance with government regulations, employee and employer reporting, participant and employer access online, electronic funds transfer, and other administrative services. Clients have the ability to choose from a group of pre-defined fund selections or to customize their investment options within their plan. Selling efforts for these services are focused primarily on our existing payroll client base, as the processed payroll information allows for data integration necessary to provide these services efficiently. We are one of the largest 401(k) recordkeepers for small businesses in the U.S. Clients utilizing this service are charged a one-time set up fee, a monthly recurring fee, and a fee per employee. We earn a fee approximating thirty-five basis points from the external managers based on the total asset value of client employee 401(k) funds. The asset value of client employee 401(k) funds externally managed totaled approximately $9.7 billion as of May 31, 2008. Retirement services were utilized by approximately 48,000 clients as of May 31, 2008.

 

Workers’ compensation insurance services:  Most employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance, which provides payments to employees who are unable to work because of job-related injuries. We provide workers’ compensation insurance services through our licensed insurance agency, acting as general agent to provide insurance through a variety of insurance carriers who are underwriters. Our Workers’ Compensation Payment Service uses rate and job classification information to enable clients to pay workers’ compensation premiums in regular monthly amounts rather than with large up-front payments, which stabilizes their cash flow and minimizes year-end adjustments. Our Workers’ Compensation Report Service provides our clients with comprehensive information to allow them to better manage workers’ compensation insurance costs. As of May 31, 2008, approximately 72,000 clients utilized our workers’ compensation insurance services.

 

Health and benefits services:  We offer health and benefits services through our licensed insurance agency, acting as general agent to provide insurance through a variety of carriers who are underwriters. Our services include shopping for the best plans, providing comparisons of national and regional insurers to match features and affordability to the client’s needs, informing and enrolling employees, tracking additions and terminations, calculating and initiating payroll deductions, communicating with the insurance carriers, and assisting with renewal of policies. These services simplify the insurance process while allowing access to group rates, which allow our clients to offer valuable benefits to their employees at an affordable cost.

Time and attendance solutions:  We offer Time In A Box^® and other time and attendance solutions, which help employers minimize the time spent compiling time sheet information. These computer-based systems allow the employer flexibility to handle multiple payroll scenarios and result in improved productivity, accuracy, and reliability in the payroll process. Certain clients are charged a monthly fee for use of hardware, software, and support. Clients also have the option to purchase the hardware and software with annual maintenance contracts. Time In A Box is marketed to our small- to medium-sized clients, while other time and attendance solutions are marketed to larger clients.

 

Other human resource services and products:  We offer the outsourcing of plan administration under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, allowing employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for certain health insurance benefits and health and dependent care expenses not covered by insurance. All required implementation, administration, compliance, claims processing and reimbursement, and coverage tests are provided with these services. We offer state unemployment insurance services, which provide clients with prompt processing for all claims, appeals, determinations, change statements, and requests for separation documents. Other Human Resource Services products include employee handbooks, management manuals, and personnel and required regulatory forms. These products are designed to simplify clients’ office processes and enhance their employee benefits programs.

 

Sales and Marketing

 

We market our services primarily through our direct sales force based in the metropolitan markets we serve. Our sales representatives specialize in Payroll or Human Resource Services. For the year ending May 31, 2009, our sales force is expected to total approximately 2,325 and is comprised of the following categories of sales representatives:

 

 

In addition to our direct selling and marketing efforts, we utilize relationships with existing clients, certified public accountants (“CPAs”), and banks for new client referrals. Approximately two-thirds of our new clients (excluding acquisitions) come from these referral sources. To further enhance our strong relationship with CPAs, we have partnered with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) as the preferred payroll provider for its AICPA Business Solutions Partner Program. As of May 31, 2008, more than 20,000 CPA firms nationwide participated in this program, which includes our payroll services and retirement services administration.

 

Our website at www.paychex.com, which includes online payroll sales presentations and service and product information, is a cost-efficient tool that serves as a source of leads and new sales while complementing the efforts of our direct sales force. This online tool allows us to market to clients in more geographically remote areas. Our sales representatives are also supported by marketing, advertising, public relations, trade shows, and telemarketing programs. We have grown and expect to continue to grow our direct sales force. In recent years, we have increased our emphasis on the selling of ancillary services and products to both new clients and our existing client base.

 

In addition, Advantage Payroll Services Inc. (“Advantage”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex, Inc., has license agreements with independently owned associate offices (“Associates”), which are responsible for selling and marketing Advantage payroll services and performing certain operational functions, while Paychex, Inc. and Advantage provide all centralized back-office payroll processing and payroll tax administration services. The marketing and selling by the Associates is conducted under their own logos.

Competition

 

The market for payroll processing and human resource services is highly competitive and fragmented. We believe our primary national competitor, ADP^® (“Automatic Data Processing, Inc.”), is the largest U.S. third-party provider of payroll processing and human resource services in terms of revenue. We compete with other national, regional, local, and online service providers, all of which we believe have significantly smaller client bases than us.

 

In addition to traditional payroll processing and human resource service providers, we compete with in-house payroll and human resource systems and departments. Payroll and human resource systems and software are sold by many vendors. Our Human Resource Services products also compete with a variety of providers of human resource services, such as retirement services companies, insurance companies, and human resources and benefits consulting firms.

 

Competition in the payroll processing and human resource services industry is primarily based on service responsiveness, product quality and reputation, breadth of service and product offering, and price. We believe we are competitive in each of these areas.

 

Software Maintenance and Development

 

The ever-changing mandates of federal, state, and local tax and regulatory agencies require us to regularly update the proprietary software we utilize to provide payroll and human resource services to our clients. We are continually engaged in developing enhancements to and maintenance of our various software platforms to meet the changing requirements of our clients and the marketplace.

 

Employees

 

As of May 31, 2008, we employed approximately 12,200 people. None of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements.

 

Intellectual Property

 

We own or license and use a number of trademarks, trade names, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets, computer programs and software, and other intellectual property rights. Taken as a whole, our intellectual property rights are material to the conduct of our business. Where it is determined to be appropriate, we take measures to protect our intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to, confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements or policies with employees, vendors, and others; license agreements with licensees and licensors of intellectual property; and registration of certain trademarks. We believe that the “Paychex” name, trademark, and logo are of material importance to us.

 

Seasonality

 

There is no significant seasonality to our business. However, during our third fiscal quarter, which ends in February, the number of new payroll clients, new retirement services clients, and new Paychex Premier and PEO worksite employees tends to be higher than during the rest of the fiscal year, primarily because a majority of new clients begin using our services in the beginning of a calendar year. In addition, calendar year-end transaction processing and client funds activity are traditionally higher during the third fiscal quarter due to clients paying year-end bonuses and requesting additional year-end services. Historically, as a result of these factors, our total revenue has been slightly higher in the third fiscal quarter, with greater sales commission expenses also reported in this quarter.

 

Other

 

Information about our services and products, stockholder information, press releases, and filings with the SEC can be found on our website at www.paychex.com. Our Form 10-Ks, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings, and any amendments to such reports and filings, are made available, free of charge, on the Investor Relations section of our website as soon as reasonably practical after such material is filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Also, copies of our Annual Report to Stockholders and Proxy Statement, to be

issued in connection with our 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, will be made available, free of charge, upon written request submitted to Paychex, Inc., c/o Corporate Secretary, 911 Panorama Trail South, Rochester, New York 14625-2396.

 

 

Our future results of operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from historical and current results and from our projections. Important factors known to us that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and those contained in the “Safe Harbor” statement at the beginning of Part I of this Form 10-K.

 

We may make errors and omissions in providing services, which could result in significant penalties and liabilities for us:   Processing, tracking, collecting, and remitting client funds to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies, client employees, and other third parties are complex operations. These tasks could be subject to error and these errors could include, but are not limited to, late filing with applicable tax or regulatory agencies, underpayment of taxes, and failure to comply with applicable banking regulations and laws relating to employee benefits administration, which could result in significant penalties and liabilities that would adversely affect our results of operations. We could also transfer funds in error to an incorrect party or for the wrong amount, and may be unable to correct the error or recover the funds, resulting in a loss to us.

 

Our business and reputation may be affected by our ability to keep clients’ information confidential:   Our business involves the use of significant amounts of private and confidential client information including employees’ identification numbers, bank accounts, and retirement account information. This information is critical to the accurate and timely provision of services to our clients, and certain information may be transmitted via the Internet. There is no guarantee that our systems and processes are adequate to protect against all security breaches. If our systems are disrupted or fail for any reason, or if our systems are infiltrated by unauthorized persons, our clients could experience data loss, financial loss, harm to reputation, or significant business interruption. Such events may expose us to unexpected liability, litigation, regulation investigation and penalties, loss of clients’ business, unfavorable impact to business reputation, and there could be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

Our services may be adversely impacted by changes in government regulations and policies:   Many of our services, particularly payroll tax administration services and employee benefit plan administration services, are designed according to government regulations that continue to change. Changes in regulations could affect the extent and type of benefits employers are required, or may choose, to provide employees or the amount and type of taxes employers and employees are required to pay. Such changes could reduce or eliminate the need for some of our services and substantially decrease our revenue. Added requirements could also increase our cost of doing business. Failure by us to modify our services in a timely fashion in response to regulatory changes could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

 

We may be adversely impacted by any failure of third-party service providers to perform their functions:   As part of providing services to clients, we rely on a number of third-party service providers. These service providers include, but are not limited to, couriers used to deliver client payroll checks and banks used to electronically transfer funds from clients to their employees. Failure by these service providers, for any reason, to deliver their services in a timely manner could result in material interruptions to our operations, impact client relations, and result in significant penalties or liabilities to us.

 

In the event of a catastrophe our business continuity plan may fail, which could result in the loss of client data and adversely interrupt operations:   Our operations are dependent on our ability to protect our infrastructure against damage from catastrophe or natural disaster, unauthorized security breach, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attack, or other events that could have a significant disruptive effect on our operations. We have a business continuity plan in place in the event of system failure due to any of these events. If the business continuity plan is unsuccessful in a disaster recovery scenario, we could potentially lose client data or experience material adverse interruptions to our operations or delivery of services to our clients.

We may not be able to keep pace with changes in technology:   To maintain our growth strategy, we must adapt and respond to technological advances and technological requirements of our clients. Our future success will depend on our ability to enhance capabilities and increase the performance of our internal use systems, particularly our systems that meet our clients’ requirements. We continue to make significant investments related to the development of new technology. If our systems become outdated, we may be at a disadvantage when competing in our industry. There can be no assurance that our efforts to update and integrate systems will be successful. If we do not integrate and update our systems in a timely manner, or if our investments in technology fail to provide the expected results, there could be a material adverse effect to our business and results of operations.

 

We may not realize the anticipated benefits from acquisitions:   From time to time we acquire other companies. The effective integration of acquired companies may be difficult to achieve. It is also possible that we may not realize any or all expected benefits from acquisitions or achieve benefits from acquisitions in a timely manner. In addition, we may incur significant costs and management’s time and attention may be diverted from other parts of our business in connection with the integration of acquisitions. Failure to effectively integrate future acquisitions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

We may have an adverse outcome of legal matters, which could harm our business:   We are subject to various claims and legal matters that arise in the normal course of business. These include disputes or potential disputes related to breach of contract, employment-related claims, tax claims, and other matters. As of May 31, 2008, we have a reserve of $23.0 million for pending litigation. Refer to Item 3 of this Form 10-K for additional disclosure regarding legal proceedings. In light of the litigation reserve recorded, our management currently believes that resolution of outstanding legal matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of our operations. However, legal matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and there exists the possibility that their ultimate resolution could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations in the period in which any such effect is recorded.

 

We may experience a loss as the result of our clients having insufficient funds to cover payments we have made on their behalf to applicable tax or regulatory agencies and employees:   As part of the payroll processing service, we are authorized by our clients to transfer money from their bank accounts to fund amounts owed to their employees and applicable tax or regulatory agencies. It is possible that we would be held liable for such amounts in the event the client has insufficient funds to cover them. We have made in the past, and may make in the future, payments on our clients’ behalf for which we are not reimbursed, resulting in a loss to us.

 

Our interest earned on funds held for clients may be impacted by changes in government regulations mandating the amount of tax withheld or timing of remittance:   We receive interest income from investing client funds collected but not yet remitted to applicable tax or regulatory agencies or to client employees. A change in regulations either decreasing the amount of taxes to be withheld or allowing less time to remit taxes to applicable tax or regulatory agencies would adversely impact this interest income.

 

We may be exposed to additional risks related to our co-employment relationship within our PEO business:   Many federal and state laws that apply to the employer-employee relationship do not specifically address the obligations and responsibilities of the “co-employment” relationship. As a result, there is a possibility that we may be subject to liability for violations of employment or discrimination laws by our clients and acts or omissions of client employees, who may be deemed to be our agents, even if we do not participate in any such acts or violations. Although our agreements with the clients provide that the client will indemnify us for any liability attributable to its own or its employees’ conduct, we may not be able to effectively enforce or collect such contractual obligations. In addition, we could be subject to liabilities with respect to our employee benefit plans if it were determined that we are not the “employer” under any of the state or federal laws.

 

We may be exposed to additional risks related to foreign operations as a result of our business in Germany:   As of May 31, 2008, we serviced approximately 1,200 clients in Germany. As a result, our business is subject to political and economic instability unrelated to our operations in the U.S. Additionally, our business in Germany exposes us to currency fluctuations, and we must operate under legal and tax regulations that differ from those of the U.S. We do not currently hedge our foreign currency transactions due to the relatively insignificant amounts. Our entry into foreign operations requires a significant investment and management’s attention. There can be no

assurance that our investment in Germany will produce expected levels of revenue or that other factors noted previously will not harm our business.

 

Quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk:   Refer to Item 7A of this Form 10-K for a discussion on Market Risk Factors.

 

 

None.

 

 

We owned and leased the following properties as of May 31, 2008:

 

 

 

 

Our facilities in Rochester, New York house various distribution, processing, and technology functions, certain ancillary functions, a telemarketing unit, and other back-office functions. Facilities outside of Rochester, New York are at various locations throughout the U.S. and Germany and house our regional, branch, and sales offices and data processing centers. These locations are concentrated in metropolitan areas. We believe that adequate, suitable lease space will continue to be available for our needs.

 

 

We are subject to various claims and legal matters that arise in the normal course of our business. These include disputes or potential disputes related to breach of contract, employment-related claims, tax claims, and other matters.

 

In August 2001, the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Rapid Payroll, Inc. (“Rapid Payroll”) informed 76 licensees that it intended to stop supporting their payroll processing software in August of 2002. Thereafter, lawsuits were commenced by licensees asserting various claims, including breach of contract and related tort and fraud causes of action. As previously reported in our prior periodic reports, these lawsuits sought compensatory damages, punitive damages, and injunctive relief against Rapid Payroll, the Company, its former Chief Executive Officer, and its Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In accordance with our indemnification agreements with our senior executives, the Company has agreed to defend and, if necessary, indemnify them in connection with these pending matters.

 

At the present time, the Company has fully resolved its licensing responsibility and settled all litigation with 74 of the 76 licensees who were provided services by Rapid Payroll. In 2005, a decision favorable to Paychex, Inc. was issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the “district court”) with respect to the Company’s dispute with one of the remaining two licensees. On April 18, 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s ruling enforcing the contractual limitation of liability clause, but reversed for

trial on the issue of tortuous interference with contract. That case has been remanded to the district court for further proceedings. In 2007, a verdict was issued in the only other remaining licensee case, which was pending in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, in which a jury awarded to the plaintiff $15.0 million in compensatory damages and subsequently awarded an additional $11.0 million in punitive damages. The Company is pursuing an appeal of that verdict.

 

We have a reserve for pending litigation matters. The litigation reserve has been adjusted in fiscal 2008 to account for settlements and incurred litigation expenditures. Our reserve for all pending litigation totaled $23.0 million as of May 31, 2008, and is included in current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

 

In light of the reserve for all pending litigation matters, our management currently believes that resolution of outstanding legal matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations. However, legal matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and there exists the possibility that the ultimate resolution of these matters could have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations in the period in which any such effect is recorded.

 

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders, through the solicitation of proxies or otherwise, during the three months ended May 31, 2008.

 

 

Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “PAYX.” Dividends have historically been paid on our common stock in August, November, February, and May. The level and continuation of future dividends are dependent on our future earnings and cash flows, and are subject to the discretion of the Board of Directors.

 

As of June 30, 2008, there were 18,469 holders of record of our common stock, which includes registered holders and participants in the Paychex, Inc. Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan. There were also 8,891 participants in the Paychex, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan and 6,798 participants in the Paychex, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

 

The high and low sale prices for our common stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and dividends for fiscal 2008 and for the year ended May 31, 2007 (“fiscal 2007”) are as follows:

 

 

The closing price of our common stock as of May 30, 2008, as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, was $34.55 per share.

 

The following graph shows a five-year comparison of the total cumulative returns of investing $100 on May 31, 2003, in Paychex, Inc. common stock, the S&P Data Processing and Outsourced Services (the “S&P S(DP)”) Index, and the S&P 500 Index. The S&P S(DP) Index includes a representative peer group of companies, and includes

Paychex, Inc. We are a participant in the S&P 500 Index, a market group of companies with a larger than average market capitalization. All comparisons of stock price performance shown assume reinvestment of dividends.