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TriNet Group

tnet · NYSE Industrials
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Sector Industrials
Industry Staffing & Employment Services
Employees 1001-5000
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FY2018 Annual Report · TriNet Group
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2018-TriNet_Annual-Report-COVER.pdf   2   3/29/2019   10:46:46 AM

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2018 ANNUAL REPORT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David C. Hodgson

David C. Hodgson

EXECUTIVE TEAM

EXECUTIVE TEAM

Burton M. Goldfield

Burton M. Goldfield

Chair of the Board of Directors and  

Chair of the Board of Directors and  

President and Chief Executive Officer

President and Chief Executive Officer

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Committee Member

Committee Member

Michael J. Angelakis

Michael J. Angelakis

Compensation Committee Member and 

Compensation Committee Member and 

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Committee Member

Committee Member

Katherine August-deWilde

Katherine August-deWilde

Compensation Committee Chair

Compensation Committee Chair

Martin Babinec

Martin Babinec

H. Raymond Bingham

H. Raymond Bingham

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Nominating and Corporate Governance 

Committee Chair and Compensation 

Committee Chair and Compensation 

Committee Member 

Committee Member 

Paul Chamberlain

Paul Chamberlain

Audit Committee Member

Audit Committee Member

Burton M. Goldfield

Burton M. Goldfield

President and Chief Executive Officer

President and Chief Executive Officer

Kenneth Goldman

Kenneth Goldman

Audit Committee Member

Audit Committee Member

Wayne Lowell

Wayne Lowell

Audit Committee Chair

Audit Committee Chair

Richard Beckert

Richard Beckert

Senior Vice President and 

Senior Vice President and 

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Barrett Boston

Barrett Boston

Senior Vice President and 

Senior Vice President and 

Chief Revenue Officer

Chief Revenue Officer

James “Jimmy” Franzone

James “Jimmy” Franzone

Senior Vice President, Strategy

Senior Vice President, Strategy

Edward Griese

Edward Griese

Senior Vice President, Insurance Services

Senior Vice President, Insurance Services

Olivier Kohler

Olivier Kohler

Senior Vice President and 

Senior Vice President and 

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Michael Mendenhall

Michael Mendenhall

Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing 

Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing 

Officer and Chief Communications Officer

Officer and Chief Communications Officer

Dilshad Simons

Dilshad Simons

Senior Vice President, Products

Senior Vice President, Products

Samantha Wellington

Samantha Wellington

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer 

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer 

and Secretary

and Secretary

Catherine Wragg

Catherine Wragg

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Corporate Headquarters 

One Park Place, Suite 600 

Stock Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

NYSE Trading Symbol: TNET

Dublin, CA 94568 

T: 510.352.5000

F: 510.352.6480

TriNet.com

Investor Relations 

investorrelations@trinet.com

510.875.7201

Transfer Agent

Computershare

P.O. Box 505000 

Louisville, KY  40233 

800.736.3001 (US, Canada, Puerto Rico) 

781.575.3100 (non-US)

computershare.com/investor

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the year ended December 31, 2018 
or

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                      

Commission File Number: 001-36373

TRINET GROUP, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

One Park Place, Suite 600, Dublin, CA
(Address of principal executive offices)

95-3359658
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

94568
(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (510) 352-5000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Common Stock, Par Value $0.000025 Per Share; Common stock traded on the New York Stock 
Exchange.

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  

    No  

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes  

    No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  

    No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of 
Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such 
files).    Yes  

    No  

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, 
to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment 
to this Form 10-K.   

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See 
the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): 

Large accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Emerging growth company

(do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company

Accelerated filer

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new 
or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. Yes  

    No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  

    No  

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the closing price of the shares 
of common stock on The New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2018, was $2.5 billion. 

The number of shares of Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of February 7, 2019 was 70,170,155. 

Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be issued in connection with its Annual Meeting of Stockholders, scheduled to be held on 
May 9, 2019, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. 

 
 
TRINET GROUP, INC.
Form 10-K - Annual Report 
For the Year End December 31, 2018 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Glossary

Business

Risk Factors

Unresolved Staff Comments

Properties

Legal Proceedings

Mine Safety Disclosures

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 
Equity Securities

Selected Financial Data

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Deficit)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Controls and Procedures

Other Information

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Executive Compensation

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 
Matters

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

Form 10-K Summary

Signatures

Form 10-K
Cross Reference

Page

Part I, Item 1.

Part I, Item 1A.

Part I, Item 1B.

Part I, Item 2.

Part I, Item 3.

Part I, Item 4.
Part II, Item 5.

Part II, Item 6.

Part II, Item 7.

Part II, Item 7A.

Part II, Item 8.

Part II, Item 9.

Part II, Item 9A.

Part II, Item 9B.

Part III, Item 10.

Part III, Item 11.
Part III, Item 12.

Part III, Item 13.

Part III, Item 14.

Part IV, Item 15.

Part IV, Item 16.

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4

11

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22

22

22

23

26

30

50

51

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86

86

87

87

87

87

87

88

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92

GLOSSARY

Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations 
Acronyms and abbreviations are used throughout this report, particularly in Part I, Item 1. Business; Part 1, Item 1A. 
Risk Factors; Part II, Item 7. MD&A; Part II, Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 
and Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

ACA

ACH

AFS

ASC

ASU

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Automated Clearinghouse Transaction

Available-for-sale

Accounting standards codification

Accounting standards update

CCPA

California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018

COBRA

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act

COPS

COSO

DOL

Cost of providing services

Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of Treadway Commission

U.S. Department of Labor

EBITDA

Earnings before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization of intangible assets

EPLI

EPS

Employment Practices Liability Insurance

Earnings Per Share

ERISA

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974

ESAC

ESPP

ETR

FASB

G&A

GAAP

HIPAA

Employer Services Assurance Corporation

Employee stock purchase plan

Effective tax rate

Financial Accounting Standards Board

General and administrative

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

HITECH Act Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009

HR

IBNP

IBNR

IGP

IRS

ISR

LDF

LIBOR

MD&A

NISR

NSR

OE

Human Resources

Incurred but not yet reported

Incurred but not reported

Indemnity Guarantee Payment

Internal Revenue Service

Insurance service revenues

Loss development factor

London Inter-bank Offered Rate

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Net Insurance Service Revenues

Net service revenues

Operating expenses

PCAOB

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board

PEO

PFC

PHI

PSR

Professional Employer Organization

Payroll funds collected

Protected Health Information

Professional service revenues

1

GLOSSARY

RSA

RSU

SBC

S&M

Restricted Stock Award

Restricted Stock Unit

Stock Based Compensation

Sales and marketing

S&P 500

Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index

SD&P

Systems development and programming

SEC

SMB

SOX

TCJA

U.S.

UTP

WSE

Securities and Exchange Commission

Small to midsize business

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

United States

Uncertain tax position

Worksite employee

2

BUSINESS

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

For purposes of this Annual Report, the terms “TriNet,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to TriNet Group, Inc., 
and its subsidiaries. This Annual Report on Form 10-K (Form 10-K) contains statements that are not historical in nature, 
are predictive in nature, or that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or otherwise contain forward-looking 
statements within the meaning of Section 21 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private 
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words such as, 
but not limited to, “ability,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” 
“hope,” “impact,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” 
“value,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions or variations intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples 
of  forward-looking  statements  include,  among  others, TriNet’s  expectations  regarding:  the  growth  of  our  customer 
base, our ability to roll out additional offerings as and when planned, our planned improvements to our technology 
platform,  our  ability  to  drive  operating  efficiencies  and  improve  the  customer  experience,  the  impact  of  any  future 
changes to health care regulations, our ability and intention to pursue strategic acquisitions, the possibility and impact 
of future competitors entering our industry, our ability to execute on our vertical market strategy, the impact of our 
vertical approach, metrics that may be indicators of future financial performance, relative value of our benefit offerings 
versus those SMBs can independently obtain, the principal competitive drivers in our market, our plans to retain clients 
and manage client attrition, our ability to penetrate the market for human resources (HR) solutions for small to midsize 
businesses, our investment strategy and its impact on our ability to generate future interest income, net income, and 
Adjusted EBITDA, the types of cyber security threats we may face, insurance cost variability, seasonal trends and 
variability,  fluctuations  in  the  period-to-period  timing  of  when  we  incur  certain  operating  expenses,  and  other 
expectations, outlooks and forecasts on our future business, operational and financial performance.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, but are based on management’s expectations 
as of the date of this Form 10-K and assumptions that are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in 
circumstances that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties 
and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from our current 
expectations and any past results, performance or achievements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are 
cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-
looking statements are discussed throughout this Form 10-K, including those appearing under Part I, Item 1A. Risk 
Factors, and Part II, Item 7. MD&A, as well as in our periodic filings with the SEC. Those 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, and any 
forward-looking statements made by us in this Form 10-K speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We undertake 
no obligation to revise or update any of the information provided in this Form 10-K, except as required by law.

3

BUSINESS

Item 1. Business 

PART I 

TriNet is a leading provider of HR expertise, payroll services, employee benefits and employment risk mitigation services 
for SMBs. Since our founding in 1988, TriNet has served, and continues to serve, thousands of SMBs. For the year 
ended December 31, 2018, we processed $37.7 billion in payroll and payroll taxes for our clients and ended 2018 with 
approximately 16,900 clients with about 325,600 WSEs primarily in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and in Canada. 

Our Products and Services

We deliver a comprehensive suite of products and services, which allows our clients to administer and manage various 
HR-related functions, including compensation and benefits, payroll processing, employee data, health insurance and 
workers' compensation programs, and other transactional HR needs using our technology platform and HR, benefits 
and compliance expertise.

We also leverage our scale and industry specific HR experience to design product and service offerings for SMBs in 
specific industries. We believe our industry-specific approach, which we call our vertical approach, is a key differentiator 
for us and creates additional value for our clients by allowing our product and service offerings to address the common 
HR needs in different client industries. For example, in 2018 we launched TriNet Professional Services to better support 
consulting, advertising, and other expertise-driven industries. As of December 31, 2018, we offer six industry-tailored 
vertical  products, TriNet  Financial  Services, TriNet  Life  Sciences, TriNet  Nonprofit, TriNet Technology, TriNet  Main 
Street, and TriNet Professional Services. 

Our comprehensive HR products and solutions include the following common capabilities:

HR EXPERTISE

ACCESS TO
BENEFITS

PAYROLL
SERVICES

RISK MITIGATION

TECHNOLOGY
PLATFORM

 HR Expertise

We  use  the  collective  insights  and  experience  of  our  teams  of  HR,  benefits,  risk  management  and  compliance 
professionals to help clients manage many of the administrative, regulatory and practical requirements associated with 
being employers. Our HR professionals and services help clients address a variety of HR issues, including employee 
onboarding and terminations, benefits enrollment and support, immigration and visa support, and support for certain 
types of tax credits. Depending on their needs, our clients and WSEs have access to varying levels of service and 
support from our HR professionals ranging from call center support for basic questions, to pooled HR resources, to 
onsite consulting and services. Our HR professionals also provide additional specialized HR consulting and services 
upon request.

 Access to Benefits 

We  utilize  our  size  and  scale  to  provide  our  clients  and  WSEs  access  to  a  broad  range  of  cost-effective, TriNet-
sponsored employee benefit and insurance programs at a value that we believe most of our clients would be unable 
to  obtain  on  their  own.  Our  benefit  and  insurance  programs  are  designed  to  comply  with  state,  local,  and  federal 
regulations,  and  our  benefit  and  insurance  service  offerings  include  plan  design  and  administration,  enrollment 
management, leave management, plan document distribution and WSE and client communications. 

Under our benefit and insurance programs, we pay third-party insurance carriers for WSE insurance benefits and 
reimburse insurance carriers or third-party administrators for claims payments within our insurance deductible layer, 
where applicable. 

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BUSINESS

We sponsor and administer several fully insured employee benefit plans through a broad range of carriers, including 
group health, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, and life insurance as an employer plan sponsor under 
Section 3(5) of ERISA. We also offer other benefit programs to our WSEs, including flexible spending accounts, health 
savings accounts, retirement benefits, COBRA benefits, individual life insurance, commuter benefits, home insurance, 
critical  illness  insurance,  accident  insurance,  hospital  indemnity,  pet  insurance,  and  auto  insurance.  For  further 
discussion of our fully insured programs including policies where we reimburse our carriers for certain amounts relating 
to claims, refer to Note 1 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

 Payroll Services

We help clients manage all aspects of their employee compensation by providing multi-state payroll processing and 
tax administration services and other payroll-related services, such as time and attendance management, time off and 
overtime tracking, and expense management solutions. Our clients and WSEs can access payroll and tax information 
and carry-out a variety of common HR transactions using our online and mobile tools. Our tax administration services 
include calculating, withholding and reporting certain federal, state and local payroll and unemployment taxes on behalf 
of clients and WSEs.

 Risk Mitigation 

Our HR professionals monitor employment-related regulatory developments at the local, state and federal levels to 
help our clients comply with employment laws and mitigate many of the risks associated with being an employer. Using 
our HR experience, we are able to provide guidance on a variety of employment regulations, from state and local laws 
like minimum wage, unemployment insurance, family and medical leave laws and anti-discrimination laws, to federal 
laws like the ACA. 

We  provide  fully  insured  workers'  compensation  insurance  coverage  for  our  clients  and  WSEs  through  insurance 
policies that we negotiate with our third-party insurance carriers. We manage the deductible risk that we assume in 
connection with these policies by being selective in the types of businesses that we take on as new clients, and by 
monitoring claims data and the performance of our carriers and third-party claims management services and vendors. 
In addition, we advise clients on workers’ compensation best practices, including by performing workplace assessment 
consultations and assisting with client efforts to identify conditions or practices that might lead to employee injuries.

We also provide EPLI coverage for our clients through insurance policies that we obtain from a third-party EPLI carrier. 
These policies provide coverage for certain claims that arise in the course of the employment relationship, such as 
discrimination, harassment, and certain other employee claims, with a per-claim retention amount. The retention amount 
is split between the client and TriNet, with the client generally paying its portion of the retention amount first.

While we do not provide legal representation to our clients, our clients can benefit from the extensive experience of 
our employment law specialists and HR professionals who assist clients in implementing HR best practices to avoid 
employment practices liability claims to manage, process and respond to such claims. For claims covered by our EPLI, 
actual litigation defense is conducted by outside employment law firms with whom we and our EPLI carriers have 
previously negotiated rates, established billing guidelines and invoice review processes. We have also developed a 
case management protocol to efficiently and effectively defend such claims. 

 Technology Platform 

Our technology platform includes online and mobile tools that allow our clients and WSEs to store, view, and manage 
core  HR  information  and  administer  a  variety  of  HR  transactions,  such  as  payroll  processing,  tax  administration, 
employee onboarding and termination, compensation reporting, expense management, and benefits enrollment and 
administration. In 2018, we continued to make significant investments in our technology platform to provide our users 
with improved functionality and HR management options, and we continued to retire legacy technology inherited from 
acquisitions. We intend to continue to invest in our technology platform to improve its functionality, ease of use and 
the overall user experience for our clients and WSEs. We believe the continued investment in and improvement of our 
technology platform will drive operating efficiencies and improve the customer experience.

We  invested  approximately  $81  million,  $74  million  and  $53  million,  during  2018,  2017  and  2016,  respectively, 
developing our technology platform. 

5

 
BUSINESS

Our Co-Employment Model

We operate using a co-employment model, under which employment-related responsibilities are allocated by contract 
between us and our clients. This model allows WSEs to receive the full benefit of our services, including access to our 
sponsored employee benefit plan offerings. Each of our clients enters into a client service agreement with us that 
defines the suite of professional and insurance services and benefits to be provided by us, the fees payable to us, and 
the division of responsibilities between us and our clients as co-employers. The division of responsibilities under our 
client service agreements is typically as follows:

TriNet Responsibilities 

We generally assume responsibility for, and manage certain risks associated with:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

remittance to WSEs of salaries, wages and certain other compensation (as reported and paid to us by our client), 
related tax reporting and remittance to tax authorities, and processing of garnishment and wage deduction orders. 
Unlike a payroll service provider, we pay WSEs from our own bank accounts,

reporting of wages, withholding and deposit of associated payroll taxes as the employer for regulatory reporting 
and payroll tax returns,

provision and maintenance of workers' compensation insurance and workers' compensation claims processing,

provision of access to, and administration of, group health, welfare, and retirement benefits to WSEs under TriNet-
sponsored insurance plans,

compliance with applicable law for certain employee benefits offered to WSEs,

processing of unemployment claims, and

provision of certain HR policies, including an employee handbook describing the co-employment relationship.

Client Responsibilities 

Our  clients  are  responsible  for  employment-related  responsibilities  that  we  do  not  specifically  assume,  generally 
including: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

day-to-day management of their worksites and WSEs,

compliance with laws associated with the classification of employees as exempt or non-exempt, such as overtime 
pay and minimum wage law compliance,

accurate and timely reporting to TriNet of compensation and deduction information, including information relating 
to hours worked, rates of pay, salaries, wages and certain other compensation,

accurate and timely reporting to TriNet of information relating to workplace injuries, employee hires and termination, 
and certain other information relevant to TriNet’s services,

provision and administration of any employee benefits not provided by TriNet such as equity incentive plans,

compliance with all laws and regulations applicable to the clients' workplace and business, including work eligibility 
laws, laws relating to workplace safety or the environment, laws relating to family and medical leave, laws pertaining 
to employee organizing efforts and collective bargaining and employee termination notice requirements,

payment of TriNet invoices, which include salary, wages and other relevant compensation to WSEs and applicable 
employment taxes and service fees, and

all other matters for which TriNet does not assume responsibility under the client service agreement, such as 
intellectual property ownership and protection and liability for products produced and services provided by the 
client company to its own customers. 

As a result of our co-employment relationship with each of our WSEs, we are liable for payment of salary, wages and 
certain other compensation to the WSEs as reported and paid to us by the client, and are responsible for providing 
specified employee benefits to such persons to the extent provided in each client service agreement and under federal 
and state law. In most instances, clients are required to remit payment prior to the applicable payroll date by wire 
transfer or ACH.

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BUSINESS

We also assume responsibility for payment and liability for the withholding and remittance of federal and state income 
and employment taxes with respect to salaries, wages and certain other compensation paid to WSEs, although we 
reserve the right to seek recourse against our clients for any liabilities arising out of their conduct. We perform these 
functions as the statutory employer for federal employment tax purposes, since our clients transfer legal control over 
these payroll functions to us. The laws that govern the payment of salaries, wages and related payroll taxes for our 
WSEs  are  complex  and  the  various  federal,  state  and  local  laws  that  govern  such  payments  can  have  significant 
differences. For example, except to the extent applicable federal and state laws otherwise provide, the client may be 
held ultimately liable for those obligations if we fail to remit taxes and the bonding security provided by the ESAC or 
other surety is not sufficient to satisfy the obligation. 

Sales and Marketing 

Our Sales Organization

We sell our solutions primarily through our direct sales organization. We have aligned our sales organization by industry 
vertical with the goal of growing profitable market share in our targeted industries. This vertical approach deepens our 
network of relationships and gives us an understanding of the unique HR needs facing SMBs in those industries. Our 
sales representatives are supported by marketing, inside sales, lead generation efforts, and referral networks. 

We sponsor and participate in associations and events around the country and utilize these forums to target specific 
vertical and geographic markets. We also generate sales opportunities within key industry verticals, through marketing 
alliances and other indirect channels, such accounting firms, venture capital firms, incubators, insurance brokers, and 
other  vertical  market  industry  associations.  Additionally,  we  utilize  digital  marketing  programs,  including  digital 
advertising, search and email marketing, to create awareness and interest in our products. 

Our Marketing Organization

Our marketing organization is charged with driving overall brand awareness, managing lead generation, creating and 
managing our website and other online properties, creating content for all of our outbound and inbound marketing 
efforts, media relations, and managing our sponsorships, major marketing events, and client communications. In 2018 
our marketing team focused on strategic marketing, communications and branding initiatives, in part by launching a 
comprehensive  company  re-branding  and  marketing  campaign  that  included  social  media  and  advertising  across 
digital, television, radio and out-of-home media.

Legal and Regulatory 

Our business operates in a complex environment of numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations relating 
to our solutions. The following summarizes what we believe are the most important legal and regulatory aspects of our 
business: 

Federal Regulations

Employer Status 

We sponsor our employee benefit plan offerings as the employer of our WSEs under the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986, as amended (the Code), and ERISA. The multiple definitions of “employer” under both the Code and ERISA are 
not clear and most are defined in part by complex multi-factor tests under common law. We believe that we qualify as 
an “employer” of our WSEs in the U.S. under both the Code and ERISA, as well as various state regulations, but this 
status could be subject to challenge by various regulators. For additional information on our employer status and its 
impact on our business and results of operations, refer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K, under the 
heading - If we are not recognized as an employer of worksite employees under federal and state regulations, or are 
deemed to be an insurance agent or third-party administrator, we and our clients could be adversely impacted.

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BUSINESS

The ACA and Health Care Reform

The ACA was signed into law in March 2010. The ACA implemented sweeping health care reforms with staggered 
effective dates from 2010 through 2020, and many provisions in the ACA still require the issuance of additional guidance 
from the DOL, the IRS, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and various U.S. states. Passage of the 
TCJA in December 2017 eliminated the individual mandate tax penalty under the ACA beginning in 2019, while retaining 
employer ACA obligations. Further significant changes to health care statutes, regulations and policy at the federal, 
state and local levels could occur in 2019 and beyond, including the potential further modification, amendment or repeal 
of the ACA. For additional information on the ACA and its impact on our business and results of operations, refer to 
Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K, under the heading - Our business is subject to numerous complex 
state and federal laws, and changes in, uncertainty regarding, or adverse application of these laws could adversely 
affect our business.

HIPPA

Maintaining the security of our WSEs information is important to TriNet as we sponsor employee benefit plans and 
may have access to personal health information (PHI) of our WSEs. The manner in which we manage PHI is subject 
to HIPAA and the HITECH Act. HIPAA contains restrictions and health data privacy, security and breach notification 
requirements with respect to the use and disclosure of PHI. Further, under the HITECH Act there are penalties and 
fines for HIPAA violations. Our health plans are covered entities under HIPAA, and we are therefore required to comply 
with HIPAA's portability, privacy, and security requirements. 

To the extent possible, the health claim information we possess is anonymized and accessed through a secured third-
party database. For additional information on the security of our clients' and WSEs' personal data and PHI and the 
potential impact to our business if we fail to protect such personal data and PHI, refer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, 
of this Form 10-K, under the heading - Cyber-attacks or security breaches could result in reduced revenue, increased 
costs, liability claims, regulatory penalties, and damage to our reputation.

U.S. State Regulations

Forty-four states have adopted provisions for licensing, registration, certification or recognition of co-employers, and 
others are  considering  such  regulation. Such  laws  vary  from  state  to  state  but  generally  provide  for  monitoring  or 
ensuring the fiscal responsibility of PEOs, and in some cases codify and clarify the co-employment relationship for 
unemployment, workers' compensation and other purposes under state laws. We believe we are in compliance in all 
material respects with the requirements in those forty-four states.

We must also comply with state unemployment tax requirements where our clients are located. State unemployment 
taxes are based on taxable wages and tax rates assigned by each state. The tax rates vary by state and are determined, 
in part, based on our prior years’ compensation and unemployment claims experience in each state. Certain rates are 
also determined, in part, by each client’s own compensation and unemployment claims experience. In addition, states 
have the ability under law to increase unemployment tax rates, including retroactively, to cover deficiencies in the 
unemployment tax funds. 

We must also comply with general state tax laws, including payroll tax laws. Continued tax reform efforts may lead to 
significant state tax law changes in 2019 and beyond.

Strategic Acquisitions

Historically, we have pursued strategic acquisitions to both expand our product capabilities and supplement our growth 
across geographies and certain industry verticals. Our acquisition targets have included PEOs and other HR solution 
providers as well as technology companies or technology product offerings to supplement or enhance our existing HR 
solutions. We intend to continue to pursue strategic acquisitions, where appropriate, that will enable us to add new 
clients and WSEs, expand our presence in certain geographies or industry verticals and offer our clients and WSEs 
more attractive products and services.

Client Industries and Geographies

Our clients are distributed across a variety of industries, including technology, life sciences, not-for-profit, professional 
services, financial services, property management, retail, manufacturing, and hospitality. Our clients execute annual 
service contracts with us that automatically renew. Generally, our clients may cancel these contracts with thirty days' 

8

BUSINESS

notice and we may cancel these contracts with thirty days' notice. 

We conduct our business primarily in the United States, with more than 99% of our total revenues being attributable 
to WSEs in the United States and its territories with the remainder being attributable to WSEs in Canada. Substantially 
all our long-lived assets are located in the United States.

Seasonality 

Our business is affected by seasonality in client business activity and WSE product selection. In addition, the timing 
of benefits open enrollment periods and utilization of medical services above each WSE's deductible causes variation 
in our quarterly results. Finally, clients generally change their payroll service providers at the beginning of the payroll 
tax year; as a result, we have historically experienced our highest volumes of new and exiting clients in the month of 
January. 

Competition 

We face competition from:

•  PEOs that compete directly with us,

•  HR and information systems departments and personnel of companies that administer employee benefits, payroll 

and HR for their companies in-house,

• 

• 

providers of certain endpoint HR services, including payroll, employee benefits, business process outsourcers with 
high-volume transaction and administrative capabilities, and other third-party administrators,

employee  benefit  exchanges  that  provide  benefits  administration  services  over  the  Internet  to  companies  that 
otherwise maintain their own employee benefit plans, and

• 

insurance brokers who allow third-party HR systems to integrate with their technology platform.

Our competitors include large PEOs such as the TotalSource unit of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., the PEO operations 
of Paychex, Inc. and Insperity, Inc., as well as specialized and smaller PEOs and similar HR service providers with 
PEO operations. To the extent that we and other companies providing these services are successful in growing our 
businesses, we anticipate that future competitors will enter this industry. 

We believe that our services are attractive to many SMBs in part because of our ability to provide access to a broad 
range of TriNet-sponsored workers' compensation, health insurance and other benefits programs on a cost-effective 
basis. We compete with insurance brokers and other providers of this coverage in this regard, and our offerings must 
be priced competitively with those provided by these competitors in order for us to attract and retain our clients.

We believe that we compete based upon the breadth and depth of our benefit plans, vertical market expertise, total 
cost of service, brand awareness and reputation, ability to innovate and respond to customer needs rapidly, access to 
online and mobile solutions, and subject matter expertise. We believe that we are competitive across these factors. 
For additional information about our competition, please refer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K, under 
the heading - Our reputation could suffer and our business could be adversely affected if our products do not perform, 
and our services are not delivered, as expected by our clients and WSEs.

Intellectual Property 

We own or license from third parties various computer software, as well as other intellectual property rights, used in 
our business. Generally, we protect our intellectual property rights through the use of confidentiality and non-disclosure 
agreements and policies with our employees and third-party partners and vendors. We also own registered trademarks 
in the United States, Canada and the European Union covering our name and other trademarks and logos that we 
believe are materially important to our operations.

Corporate Employees 

We refer to our employees that are not co-employed with our clients as our corporate employees. We had approximately 
3,100  corporate  employees  as  of  December 31,  2018.  Our  corporate  employees  are  not  covered  by  a  collective 
bargaining agreement. 

9

BUSINESS

Corporate and Other Available Information

We were incorporated in 1988 as TriNet Employer Group, Inc., a California corporation. We reincorporated as TriNet 
Merger Corporation, a Delaware corporation, in 2000 and during that year changed our name to TriNet Group, Inc. 
Our principal executive office is located at One Park Place, Suite 600, Dublin, CA 94568 and our telephone number 
is (510) 352-5000. Our website address is www.trinet.com. Information contained in or accessible through our website 
is not a part of this report.

On the Investor Relations page of our Internet website at http://www.trinet.com, we make available, free of charge, our 
Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to 
those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. 
Alternatively, the public may access these reports at the SEC's internet site at www.sec.gov. The contents of these 
websites are not incorporated into this report and are not part of this report. 

10

RISK FACTORS

Item 1A. Risk Factors 

Our business is subject to numerous complex laws, and changes in, uncertainty regarding, or adverse application of 
these laws could negatively affect our business.

The products and services we provide to our clients are subject to numerous complex federal, state and local laws 
and regulations, including those described in Part I, Item 1. Business, of this Form 10-K. Many of these laws (such as 
ERISA, the ACA, other federal and state employee benefit laws, workers' compensation laws, employment tax laws, 
worksite safety laws, insurance and banking laws, wage and hour laws, anti-discrimination laws, and laws specific to 
the  industries  of  our  clients)  do  not  specifically  address  PEOs  or  co-employment  relationships,  which  can  lead  to 
unpredictable application, regulatory interpretation and discretion in enforcement at the federal, state and local levels 
in relation to our business. 

In addition, new laws, changes in existing laws, or adverse application or interpretation of new or existing laws, whether 
they apply to employers generally or specifically to PEOs or our co-employment relationships with our WSEs, could 
reduce or eliminate the need for, or value and benefit provided by, some or all of the products and services we provide, 
and/or require us to make significant changes to our methods of doing business and providing products and services, 
including  providing  additional  customer  and  WSE  disclosures. Any  such  new  laws,  changes  in  laws  or  adverse 
application or interpretation of laws could also affect the extent and type of employee benefits employers and co-
employers can or must provide employees, the amount and type of taxes employers, co-employers and employees 
are required to pay, or the time within which employers and co-employers must remit taxes to applicable tax authorities. 
The  laws  that  apply  in  our  industry  and  to  employers  and  co-employers  have  and  could  be  changed,  replaced  or 
interpreted in a manner adverse to our operations and we are not able to predict the occurrence, direction or ultimate 
impact of these events. Any such new laws, change in laws or adverse application or interpretation of laws could have 
material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Changes to and continued uncertainty regarding the implementation and future of health care reform in the United 
States, including under the ACA, any successor to the ACA, or related or similar state and local laws, has the potential 
to substantially change the health insurance market for SMBs and how such employers provide health insurance to 
their employees, which could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to attract and retain our clients. For example, 
the elimination of the ACA individual mandate tax penalty beginning in 2019 may reduce the number of WSEs who 
participate in our insurance programs. Significant changes could be made to the ACA in 2019 and beyond, including 
the potential modification, amendment or repeal of the ACA. Changes to federal health care laws, including the ACA, 
could also result in new or amended laws being introduced at the state or local level. Our ability to comply with, and 
adapt our product offerings to take advantage of, any such changes could require significant additional costs and divert 
management attention, which could result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Similarly, changes to federal, state and local laws regarding other traditional employee benefits, such as retirement 
benefits, also have the potential to substantially change the types of benefit programs that are available to SMBs and 
that may be offered by PEOs. For example, proposed rule changes by the DOL may make available "open multiple 
employer plans" for retirement benefits, which plans may compete with the benefit plans we provide. The availability 
of alternative employee benefit plans for SMBs, or any reduction in the types of plans that we can offer our clients, 
could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we are not recognized as an employer of worksite employees under federal and state regulations, or are deemed to 
be an insurance agent or third-party administrator, we and our clients could be adversely impacted.

In order to sponsor our employee benefit plan offerings for WSEs, we must qualify as an employer of WSEs for certain 
purposes under the Code and ERISA. In addition, our status as an employer is important for purposes of ERISA’s 
preemption of certain state laws. The definition of employer under various laws is not uniform, and under both the 
Code and ERISA, the term is defined in part by complex multi-factor tests. 

11

RISK FACTORS

Generally, these tests are designed to evaluate whether an individual is an independent contractor or employee and 
they provide substantial weight to whether a purported employer has the right to direct and control the details of an 
individual's work. Some factors that the IRS has considered important in the past in evaluating this issue have included 
the employer’s degree of behavioral control (for example the extent of instructions, training and evaluation of the work), 
financial control and the economic aspects of the work relationship, the type of relationship, as evidenced by the specific 
contract, if any, whether employee benefits are provided, whether the work is indefinite in duration or project-based, 
and whether it is a regular part of the employer’s business. However, a definitive judicial interpretation of “employer” 
in the context of PEOs has not been established. For ERISA purposes, for example, courts have held that test factors 
relating to the ability to control and supervise an individual are less important, while the DOL has issued guidance that 
certain entities in the HR outsourcing industry do not qualify as common law employers for ERISA purposes. Although 
we believe that we qualify as an employer of WSEs under ERISA and the DOL has not provided guidance otherwise, 
we are not able to predict the outcome of any regulatory challenge. 

If we were found not to be an employer for ERISA purposes, it could adversely affect the manner in which we are able 
to provide employee benefits to WSEs. Similarly, to qualify for favorable tax treatment under the Code, certain employee 
benefit plans, such as 401(k) retirement plans and cafeteria plans must be established and maintained by an employer 
for the exclusive benefit of its employees. All of our 401(k) retirement plans are operated pursuant to guidance provided 
by the IRS and we have received favorable determination letters from the IRS confirming the qualified status of these 
plans. However, the IRS uses its own complex, multi-factor test to ascertain whether an employment relationship exists 
between a worker and a purported employer. Although we believe that we qualify as an employer of WSEs under the 
Code, we cannot assure you that the IRS will not challenge our position or continue to provide favorable determination 
letters. Moreover, the IRS' 401(k) guidance and qualification requirements are not applicable to the operation of our 
cafeteria plans. 

If we are not recognized as an employer under the Code or ERISA, we may be required to change the method by 
which we report and remit payroll taxes to the tax authorities and the method by which we provide, or discontinue 
providing, certain employee benefits to WSEs. Such changes could have a material adverse effect on our business 
and results of operations.

We  must  also  qualify  as  co-employers  of  WSEs  and  comply  with  state  licensing,  certification  and  registration 
requirements for the regulation of PEOs. Forty-four states have passed such laws and other states may implement 
such requirements in the future. While we believe that we satisfy these state regulations, these requirements vary from 
state to state, they can and have changed frequently with varying degrees of impact on our operations. If we are not 
able to satisfy existing or future licensing requirements or other applicable regulations in any state, we may be prohibited 
from doing business in that state, including having any clients within that state.

In addition, state regulatory authorities generally impose licensing requirements on companies acting as insurance 
agents or third-party administrators, such as those that handle health or retirement plan funding and claim processing. 
We do not believe that our current activities require such licensing, but we and others in our industry have received 
inquiries from regulatory authorities in the past and could receive them in the future. If regulatory authorities in any 
state determine that we are acting as an insurance agent, third-party administrator, we may need to hire additional 
personnel to manage regulatory compliance and pay annual regulatory fees, which could have a material adverse 
effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our co-employment relationship with our worksite employees exposes us to business risks.

We are the co-employer of our WSEs. As the co-employer of our WSEs, we assume certain risks and obligations of 
an employer. For instance, we face the risk of providing access to health benefits to our WSEs even if the cost of 
providing benefits exceeds the fees received from our clients. However, the extent of our responsibility for other aspects 
of our co-employer relationship with our WSEs remains subject to regulatory uncertainty at the local, state and federal 
levels. For example, under certain circumstances, we may be found to be responsible for paying salaries, wages and 
related payroll taxes of our WSEs, even if our clients have not timely remitted payments to us.

Our WSEs work in our clients' workplaces. Our ability to control the workplace environment of our clients is limited. As 
a co-employer of WSEs, we may be subject to liability for violations of labor and employment laws, industry-specific 
laws that apply to the businesses our clients operate, other laws that apply to our clients or to employers generally, 
and other acts and omissions by our clients or WSEs, even if we do not violate such laws or participate in such acts 
or omissions. State and federal positions regarding co-employment relationships are in a constant state of flux and 
have changed with varying degrees of impact on our operations. We cannot predict when changes will occur or forecast 
whether any particular future changes will be favorable or unfavorable to our operations. 

12

RISK FACTORS

We seek to mitigate these risks through agreements and insurance coverage. Our agreements with our clients divide 
responsibilities between us and our clients and provide that our clients will indemnify us for any liability attributable to 
their own or our WSEs' conduct. However, we may not be able to effectively enforce or collect on these obligations. 
In addition, we maintain insurance coverage, including workers’ compensation and EPLI coverage, to limit our and our 
clients' exposure to various WSE-related claims, but subject to split by contract, we are still responsible for any deductible 
layer under such insurance and such insurance generally excludes coverage for claims relating to the classification of 
employees as exempt or non-exempt, other wage and hour issues, and employment contract disputes, among other 
things. We cannot assure you that our insurance will be sufficient in amount or scope to cover all claims that may be 
asserted against us and for which we are unable to obtain indemnification from our clients. 

Negative publicity relating to events or activities attributed to us, our corporate employees, WSEs, or others associated 
with us, whether or not justified, may tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. In addition, if our brand 
is negatively impacted, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, including creating challenges in retaining 
clients or attracting new clients and hiring and retaining employees. 

Cyber-attacks  or  other  security-related  incidents  could  result  in  reduced  revenue,  increased  costs,  liability  claims, 
regulatory penalties, and damage to our reputation.

Maintaining  the  security  of  our  infrastructure  and  the  confidentiality  of  our  clients'  and  WSEs'  personal  data  and 
information is paramount for us and our clients. Clients using our technology platform and services rely on the security 
of our infrastructure to ensure the reliability of our products and services and the protection of sensitive client and WSE 
data.  We  collect,  store,  use,  process,  transfer,  disclose,  and  transmit  a  large  amount  of  personal  and  confidential 
information about our clients, WSEs and colleagues, including bank account and social security numbers, data used 
for tax returns, certain medical information, retirement account information and payroll data. In providing our services, 
we also rely on third-party service providers, such as insurance carriers and banks, who have access to personal and 
confidential information about our clients, WSEs and employees and some of those service providers subcontract 
some of their responsibilities to other third-party service providers. Through contractual provisions and third party risk 
management processes, we take steps to require that our service providers protect our funds and sensitive information. 
Due to the size and complexity of our information technology system, the amount of sensitive data that we store and 
the number of employees and third-party service providers with access to that data, our information technology systems 
are potentially vulnerable to a variety of intentional and inadvertent security threats. 

Threats to our information technology systems and data security can take a variety of forms. Hackers may develop 
and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs that attack our networks and data centers or those 
of our service providers. Other malicious actors may direct social engineering, phishing, credential stuffing and similar 
types of attacks against either or both of us and our clients and service providers. Other threats include inadvertent 
security breaches by our employees, clients, WSEs, service providers and other business partners. 

Organizations and individuals have launched and will continue to potentially launch such targeted attacks, including 
social engineering, phishing and credential stuffing attacks, against us, our service providers, and our clients. Such 
attacks have and can disrupt, or result in unauthorized access to, our networks, applications, bank accounts, and 
confidential data, or those of our clients or WSEs or service providers. In addition, we, our service providers and our  
clients have experienced inadvertent security breaches that led to disclosures of sensitive client and WSE data in the 
past and could have such experiences in the future.

Any  cyber-attack,  unauthorized  intrusion,  insider  theft,  malicious  software  infiltration,  network  disruption,  denial  of 
service or other data security incident could result in disruption to our systems and services, product development 
delays, and the disclosure or misuse of personal and confidential information. This could have a material adverse effect 
on our business operations, result in liability or regulatory sanction or a loss of confidence in our ability to provide our 
services,  or  harm  our  reputation  and  relationships  with  current  or  potential  clients.  The  costs  of  identifying  and 
remediating  any  attack,  breach,  or  disclosure,  and  the  costs  associated  with  responding  to  litigation  or  regulatory 
investigations, could have a material adverse effect on our business and reduce our operating margins. Any publicized 
security problems, or even public rumors about a security problem, affecting our businesses and/or those of our service 
providers may have a similarly material adverse effect on our business or reputation. 

13

RISK FACTORS

We have implemented policy, procedural, technical, physical, and administrative controls with the aim of protecting 
our networks, applications, bank accounts, and the personal and confidential information entrusted to us from such 
threats. While we, and our service providers, have security measures and programs in place to prevent, detect, and 
respond to attacks, data security incidents and other similar threats, these security measures and programs and our 
collective  efforts  may  not  always  succeed.  Despite  our  efforts  and  those  of  our  service  providers,  we  cannot  fully 
eliminate the possibility of such attacks, data security incidents and other threats, whether intentional or inadvertent 
and whether internal or external and we, our clients or our service providers may not discover a security incident for 
a significant period of time after the incident occurs. We also expect that intentional threats to our infrastructure and 
our  clients’  and  WSEs’  data  will  continue  to  grow  in  frequency,  complexity  and  sophistication. As  a  result,  we  are 
investing, and plan to continue investing, resources to protect our information security ecosystem against such incidents 
though we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from a security incident.

Maintaining the security of confidential WSE information is particularly important to us as a sponsor of employee benefit 
plans with access to certain personal health information. The manner in which we manage PHI is subject to HIPAA 
and the HITECH Act. To the extent possible, the health information we possess is anonymized and accessed through 
a  secured  third-party  database.  Although  we  maintain,  and  actively  seek  to  improve,  security  measures  and 
infrastructure  designed  to  protect  against  unauthorized  access  to  this  sensitive  data,  cyber-attacks  and  security 
breaches remain a significant threat to our business. Any security breach, whether deliberate or inadvertent, could 
result in the access, public disclosure, loss or theft of our clients' and WSEs' confidential and personal data, including 
PHI, which could negatively affect our ability to attract new clients, cause existing clients to terminate their agreements 
with us, result in reputational damage and subject us to lawsuits, regulatory fines, or other actions or liabilities which 
could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. 

We are also subject to various federal, state and foreign laws, rules, and regulations relating to the collection, use, and 
security of personal and confidential information. For example, U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Canada have 
enacted breach notification laws that may require us to notify WSEs, clients, employees, or regulators in the event of 
unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal or confidential information. Complying with these various laws, and 
with any new laws or regulations or changes to existing laws, could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us 
to  change  our  business  practices  in  a  manner  adverse  to  our  business.  For  example,  we  must  comply  with  the 
requirements of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) by January 1, 2020, which may require us to 
incur additional costs. Changes or inconsistencies in interpretations of these laws and regulations and/or changes in 
enforcement priorities may result in significant penalties or liability for non-compliance.

Unexpected changes in workers' compensation and health insurance claims by worksite employees could harm our 
business. 

Our insurance costs, which make up a significant portion of our overall costs, are significantly affected by our WSEs’ 
health and workers' compensation insurance claims experience. We establish accrued costs to provide for the estimated 
costs of reimbursing our workers' compensation and health insurance carriers under our insurance policies, relying on 
third-party actuaries and our own experience, but the volume and severity of claims activity is inherently unpredictable. 
If we experience a sudden or unexpected increase or decrease in claims activity including an increase in WSE incidents 
or costs of those incidents, our costs could increase or decrease, respectively. An increase in claims activity could 
make it more difficult to secure replacement insurance policies on competitive terms once our current policies expire. 
Estimating these accrued costs requires us to consider a number of factors and requires significant judgment. If there 
is an unexpected increase or decrease in the severity or frequency of claims activity of our WSEs (including activity 
arising from any of a number of factors that affect claim activity levels, such as changes in general economic conditions, 
claims differing significantly from expectations, and terrorism, disease outbreaks or other catastrophic events), or if 
we  subsequently  receive  updated  information  indicating  insurance  claims  were  higher  or  lower  than  previously 
estimated and reported, our insurance costs could be higher or lower, respectively, in that period or subsequent periods 
as we adjust our accrued costs accordingly, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We have 
experienced both favorable and unfavorable insurance cost variability due to claims activity in the past and could have 
similar or worse experiences in the future. 

14

RISK FACTORS

Some of our health insurance policies include risk-based policies that can limit our exposure for individual claims and 
our maximum aggregate claims exposure in each policy year. Refer to Note 1 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements 
and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for further discussion of these policies. We have experienced variability, 
and may experience variability in the future, in the amounts that we are required to pay for group health insurance 
expenses incurred by WSEs within our deductible layer under these risk-based policies, based on continually changing 
trends in the frequency and severity of claims. These historical trends may change, and other seasonal trends and 
variability may develop, which may make it more difficult for us to manage this aspect of our business and which may 
have a material adverse effect on our business. 

Our results of operations and stock price may fluctuate as a result of numerous factors, many of which are outside of 
our control.

Our future operating results and stock price are subject to fluctuations and quarterly variations based upon a variety 
of factors, many of which are not within our control, including, without limitation:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the volume and severity of health and workers' compensation insurance claims by our WSEs, recorded as part of 
our insurance costs, and the timing of related claims information provided by our insurance carriers,

the amount and timing of our other insurance costs, operating expenses and capital expenditures,

the number of our new clients initiating service and the number of WSEs employed by each new client,

the retention, loss or merger of existing clients, 

a reduction in the number of WSEs employed by existing clients,

the timing of client payments and payment defaults by clients,

the costs associated with our acquisitions of companies, assets and technologies,

any payments or draw downs on our credit facility,

any unanticipated expenses, such as litigation or other dispute-related settlement payments,

any expenses we incur for geographic and service expansion,

any changes in laws or adverse interpretation of laws, which may require us to change the manner in which we 
operate and/or increase our regulatory compliance costs,

any changes in our effective tax rate, and

the impact of new accounting pronouncements.

In addition, the trading price of our common stock is subject to fluctuation in response to a variety of factors, including 
the factors above and below, many of which are not within our control, including, without limitation:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the overall performance of the equity markets,

any  trading  activity,  or  a  market  expectation  regarding  such  activity,  by  our  directors,  executive  officers  and 
significant stockholders,

the economy as a whole, and its impact on SMBs and our clients,

the performance and market perception of companies that investors believe are similar to us, and

any significant changes in the liquidity of our common stock.

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RISK FACTORS

Many of the above factors are discussed in more detail elsewhere in this Risk Factors section and in Part II, Item 7. 
MD&A, of this Form 10-K. Many of these factors are outside our control, and the variability and unpredictability of these 
factors have in the past and could in the future cause us to fail to meet our expectations and the expectations of 
investors and any industry analysts who cover our shares, which could result in a decline in our share price and reduced 
liquidity in our shares. In addition, the occurrence of one or more of these factors might cause our results of operations 
to vary widely, which could lead to negative impacts on our margins, short-term liquidity, and our ability to retain or 
attract key personnel, and could cause other unanticipated issues, including a downgrade of our shares by or change 
in opinion of industry analysts and a related decline in our share price. 

Any failure in our business systems, or any third-party business systems or service provider that we rely upon, could 
reduce the quality of our business services, harm our reputation and expose us to liability.

Our business is highly dependent on data processing systems that rely on the complex integration of numerous hardware 
and software subsystems to manage, on a daily basis, a large volume of client and WSE transactions, including the 
processing of employee, payroll and benefits data. Our systems have and could be disrupted by, among other things, 
equipment failures, computer server or systems failures, network outages, malicious acts, software errors or defects, 
vendor performance problems, power failures, natural disasters, terrorist actions or similar events. Any delay or failure 
in these systems, even if only for a short period of time, can have a significant impact on our clients and WSEs and 
result in a loss of clients and/or liability to our clients and WSEs or fines and penalties levied by the government agencies 
that regulate our operations, any of which could result in a materially adverse effect on our reputation and business. 
For example, errors in our products and services, such as the erroneous denial of healthcare benefits or delays in 
making  payroll,  could  expose  our  clients  to  liability  claims  from  improperly  serviced  WSEs,  for  which  we  may  be 
contractually obligated to provide indemnification.

In addition, we rely on third-party systems to provide services for our clients and WSEs, such as electronic banking 
systems and payroll tax systems that transmit client and WSE data to taxing agencies. If any of these systems were 
disrupted or if the third parties who provide those systems were to experience operational or financial difficulties even 
if only for a short period of time, which has happened in the past and could happen in the future, the solutions we 
provide to our clients and WSEs could be significantly affected, which could also result in a material adverse effect on 
our  reputation  and  business.  We  also  rely  on  enterprise  software  applications  licensed  from  third  parties  that  are 
upgraded from time to time. Any difficulties we encounter in adapting application upgrades to our systems could harm 
our performance, delay or prevent us from providing services to our clients.

To succeed, we must constantly improve our technology to meet the expectations of our clients. If we fail to meet those 
expectations, we may lose clients and harm our business.

In order to attract and retain clients and satisfy their expectations, the software, hardware and networking technologies 
we use must be frequently and rapidly upgraded, enhanced and expanded in response to technological advances, 
competitive pressures, client expectations, and new and changing laws. As a result, we must timely and effectively 
identify, develop, or license from third parties, and integrate such upgraded, enhanced or expanded technologies into 
the solutions that we provide. New products or upgrades may not be released according to schedule, or may contain 
defects when released. Difficulties in integrating new technologies could result in adverse publicity, loss of sales, delay 
in market acceptance of our services, or client claims against us, any of which could materially harm our business. We 
could also incur substantial costs in modifying our services or infrastructure to adapt to these changes. In addition, we 
could lose market share if our competitors develop technologically superior products and services.

16

RISK FACTORS

We have remediated the material weakness previously reported in our internal control over financial reporting, but if 
we fail to properly manage our internal control over financial reporting on a go forward basis, future material weaknesses 
could be identified that could, if not remediated, result in a material misstatement in our financial statements.

We have remediated the material weakness that we previously identified in connection with the audit of our consolidated 
financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2017 by implementing and enhancing our control 
procedures. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial 
reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated 
financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In order to properly manage our internal control 
over financial reporting, we may need to take additional measures, including system migration and automation, and 
we cannot be certain that the measures we have taken, and expect to take, to improve our internal controls will be 
sufficient  to  ensure  that  our  internal  controls  will  remain  effective  and  eliminate  the  possibility  that  other  material 
weakness or deficiencies may develop or be identified in the future. Implementing any changes to our internal controls 
may distract our officers and employees and require expenditures to implement new process or modify our existing 
processes. If we experience future material weaknesses or deficiencies in internal controls and we are unable to correct 
them in a timely manner, our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information accurately and 
within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, will be 
adversely affected. Any such failure could negatively affect the market price and trading liquidity of our common stock, 
lead to delisting, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, subject us to civil and criminal 
investigations and penalties, and generally materially and adversely impact our business and financial condition. 

We have acquired, and may in the future acquire, other businesses and technologies, which can divert management's 
attention and create integration risks and other risks for our business.

We have completed numerous acquisitions of other businesses and technologies, and we expect that we will continue 
to pursue future acquisitions. Such acquisitions involve numerous other risks, including:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

identifying attractive acquisition candidates,

over-valuing and over-paying for acquisition candidates,

integrating the operations, systems, technologies, services and personnel of the acquired companies, which may 
include the migration of WSEs from the technology platform and service providers used by the acquired company 
to our own,

establishing  or  maintaining  internal  controls,  procedures  and  policies  relating  to  the  acquired  systems  and 
processes, including the potential for actual or perceived control weaknesses associated with or arising from the 
acquisitions and integration of acquired systems,

diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns,

litigation resulting from activities of the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, clients, 
former stockholders and other third parties,

insufficient revenues to offset increased expenses associated with the acquisitions and unanticipated liabilities of 
the acquired companies,

insufficient indemnification or security from the selling parties for legal liabilities that we may assume in connection 
with our acquisitions,

entering markets in which we have no prior experience and may not succeed,

potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies, and

impairment of relationships with clients and employees of the acquired companies or our clients and employees 
as a result of the integration of acquired operations and new management personnel.

We have experienced increased operating costs to resolve the challenges of prior acquisitions. If we fail to appropriately 
integrate any acquired business, we may fail to achieve our growth, service enhancement or operational efficiency 
objectives, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be harmed.

17

RISK FACTORS

We may pay for acquisitions by issuing additional shares of our common stock, which would dilute our stockholders, 
or by issuing debt, which could include terms that restrict our ability to operate our business or pursue other opportunities 
and  subject  us  to  significant  debt  service  obligations.  We  may  also  use  significant  amounts  of  cash  to  complete 
acquisitions. To the extent that we complete acquisitions in the future, we likely will incur future amortization expenses 
associated with the acquired assets. We may also record significant amounts of intangible assets, including goodwill, 
which  could  become  impaired  in  the  future. Any  such  impairment  charges  would  adversely  affect  our  results  of 
operations.

Our SMB clients are particularly affected by volatility in the financial and economic environment, which could harm our 
business.

Our clients are small and mid-sized businesses that we believe can be particularly susceptible to changes in the level 
of overall economic activity in the markets in which we operate. During periods of weak economic conditions, small 
business failures tend to increase and employment levels tend to decrease. Current or potential clients may react to 
weak or forecasted weak economic conditions by reducing employee headcount or wages, bonuses or benefits levels, 
any of which would affect our revenues, and may affect our margins, because we may be unable to reduce our operating 
expenses  sufficiently  enough  or  quickly  enough  to  offset  the  decrease  in  revenues.  It  is  difficult  to  forecast  future 
demand for our services due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting the direction, strength and length of economic 
cycles. These conditions may affect the willingness of our clients and potential clients to pay outside vendors for services 
like ours, and may impact their ability to pay their obligations to us on time, or at all. 

For example, as a result of macroeconomic factors, interest rates may become more volatile. Increased interest rate 
volatility could also negatively impact our clients' and prospects' access to credit. If businesses have difficulty obtaining 
credit, business growth and new business formation may be impaired, which could also harm our business. Even 
modest downturns in economic activity on a regional or national level could have a material adverse effect on our 
financial condition or results of operations.

Our business and operations have undergone and will continue to undergo significant change as we seek to improve 
our operational effectiveness. If we are unable to effectively manage this change, our business and results of operations 
may suffer. 

We  have  significantly  changed  our  operations  and  internal  processes  in  recent  periods  in  order  to  improve  our 
operational effectiveness, which has placed a strain on our systems, management, administrative, operational and 
financial infrastructure. We believe these efforts are important to our long-term success. Managing these changes will 
continue to require further refinement to our operational, financial and management controls and reporting systems 
and  procedures  while  we  simultaneously  seek  to  effectively  recruit,  integrate,  train  and  motivate  new  corporate 
employees, retain our existing corporate employees, maintain the beneficial aspects of our corporate culture, effectively 
execute our business plan, satisfy the requirements of our existing clients, acquire new clients, and enhance the quality 
and scope of our services. These activities will require significant operating and capital expenditures and allocation of 
valuable management and employee resources, which we expect will continue to place significant demands on our 
management and on our operational and financial infrastructure. If we fail to manage these changes effectively, our 
costs and expenses may increase more than we expect and our business, financial condition and results of operations 
may be harmed.

If our vertical strategy is unsuccessful, we may not be able to grow our business at the rate that we anticipate.

We have developed an industry vertical business strategy and we plan to continue to devote significant resources and 
time in pursuit of this strategy. Under our industry vertical strategy, our sales force, product development, and service 
teams are focused on specific business sectors. We cannot assure you that our industry vertical approach will resonate 
with our existing and prospective clients, that we will target the right industries, that our vertical products will have all 
of the features most valuable to existing and prospective clients in those industries, or that we will implement our 
strategy in a timely and effective manner. If our vertical strategy is unsuccessful, our business may not grow at the 
rate that we anticipate, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

18

RISK FACTORS

If we are unable to train and manage our sales force effectively, our business may be harmed.

We have experienced sales force attrition in the past and we rely on a well-trained sales force to promote our industry 
vertical strategy and sell our solutions. Competition for skilled sales personnel is intense, and we cannot assure you 
that we will be successful in attracting, training and retaining qualified sales personnel, or that any newly hired sales 
personnel will function effectively either individually or as a group. In addition, newly hired sales personnel are typically 
not productive for some period of time following their hiring, which results in increased near-term costs to us relative 
to their actual sales contributions during this period. If we are unable to effectively train our sales force and benefit 
from greater productivity of our sales representatives, or if our sales force is otherwise unable to sell our solutions as 
we anticipate, our revenues likely will not increase at the rate that we anticipate, which could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our reputation could suffer and our business could be adversely affected if our products do not perform, and our 
services are not delivered, as expected by our clients and WSEs. 

In order to attract and retain clients, we believe that we must compete in our industry effectively on the basis of the 
value proposition that we deliver to our clients including customer experience and satisfaction, breadth and depth of 
our benefit plans, vertical market expertise, total cost of service, brand awareness and reputation, ability to innovate 
and respond to customer needs rapidly, access to online and mobile solutions, and subject matter expertise. The 
expectations of our clients and prospective clients in these areas change over time as a result of many factors outside 
of our control, such as competition, regulatory and technical changes, and changing trends in the demands employees 
place on SMB employers. If we are unable to continually satisfy the evolving product and service delivery expectations 
of our clients and WSEs, then we could experience greater rates of attrition and lower rates for on-boarding new clients, 
which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are capable of satisfying client expectations 
in these areas, we may not be able to do so on a cost-effective basis, which could have a material adverse effect on 
our financial condition and our results of operations.

Most of our clients are concentrated in certain geographic regions and a relatively small number of industries, making 
us vulnerable to downturns in those geographies and industries.

Most of our clients are concentrated in certain geographic regions and operate in a relatively small number of industries, 
including the technology, life sciences, not-for-profit, professional services and financial services industries. As a result, 
if any of those geographic regions or specific industries suffers a downturn, the portion of our business attributable to 
clients in that region or industry could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial 
condition or results of operations.

We are subject to legal proceedings that may result in adverse outcomes.

We are subject to claims, suits, government investigations, and proceedings arising from the ordinary course of our 
business. Refer to Note 8 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for 
additional information about the legal proceedings we are currently involved in and future proceedings that we may 
face. Current and future legal proceedings may result in substantial costs and may divert management’s attention and 
resources, which may seriously harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Changes in our income tax positions or adverse outcomes resulting from on-going or future tax audits could harm our 
business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.

Significant judgments and estimates are required in determining our provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. 
Our provision for income taxes, results of operations and cash flows may be impacted if any of our tax positions are 
challenged and successfully disputed by the tax authorities. In determining the adequacy of our tax provision, we 
assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes that could result if our tax positions were challenged by the IRS and other 
tax authorities. The tax authorities in the U.S. regularly examine our income and other tax returns. Refer to Note 10 in 
Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for additional details regarding our 
on-going tax examinations and disputes. The ultimate outcome of tax examinations and disputes cannot be predicted 
with certainty. Should the IRS or other tax authorities assess additional taxes as a result of these or other examinations, 
we may be required to record charges to operations that could have a material impact on our results of operations, 
financial position or cash flows.

19

RISK FACTORS

Adverse changes in our insurance coverage, or in our relationships with key insurance carriers, could harm our business.

Our success depends in part on our ability to maintain competitive health and workers' compensation coverage options 
and insurance rates through well-known insurance carriers. If we are unable to maintain competitive insurance rates 
or obtain popular and desirable coverage plans through well-known insurance carriers, it could affect our ability to 
attract and retain clients, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Where we sponsor insurance 
coverage and we are not responsible for any deductibles, our carriers set the premiums and the rates set by our carriers 
on these policies may not be competitive. Even where we sponsor insurance under which we are responsible for 
deductibles, we may not be able to control costs through the deductible layer in a way that would make our rates 
competitive. 

In addition, broad adoption of our services in certain geographic regions or industries may make it more difficult for us 
to obtain competitive health and/or workers' compensation insurance rates due to concentration of clients within a 
particular region or industry. The loss of any one or more of our key insurance vendors in these areas, or our inability 
to partner with certain vendors that are better-known or more desirable to our clients or potential clients, could have 
a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

There is significant competition for our clients and clients may terminate our services based on a variety of factors, 
many of which are difficult for us to control, which can negatively impact our business.

We  regularly  experience  client  attrition  due  to  a  variety  of  factors  that  are  difficult  for  us  to  control,  including  cost 
pressures, client merger and acquisition activity, increases in administrative and insurance service fees, client business 
failure, effects of competition, and client decisions to bring their HR administration in-house. Our standard client service 
agreement can be canceled by us or by the client without penalty with 30 days’ prior written notice. Clients who intend 
to cease doing business with us often elect to do so effective as of the beginning of a calendar year. As a result, we 
have historically experienced our largest concentration of client attrition in the first quarter of each year. In addition, 
we experience higher levels of client attrition in connection with renewals of the health insurance coverage we sponsor 
for WSEs in the event that such renewals result in increased costs. If we were to experience client attrition in excess 
of our historic annual attrition rate, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and 
results of operations.

The terms of our credit facility may restrict our current and future operations, which would impair our ability to respond 
to changes in our business and to manage our business.

Our credit facility contains, and any future indebtedness of ours would likely contain, a number of restrictive covenants 
that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us subject to customary exceptions, including restricting 
our ability to:

• 

• 

• 

incur, assume or guarantee additional debt,

pay dividends or distributions or redeem or repurchase capital stock,

incur or assume liens,

•  make loans, investments and acquisitions,

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

engage in sales of assets and subsidiary stock,

enter into sale-leaseback transactions,

enter into certain transactions with affiliates,

enter into certain hedging agreements,

enter into new lines of business,

20

RISK FACTORS

• 

• 

• 

prepay certain indebtedness,

transfer all or substantially all of our assets or enter into merger or consolidation transactions with another person, 
and

enter into agreements that prohibit the incurrence of liens or the payment by our subsidiaries of dividends and 
distributions.

Our failure to comply with these restrictions and the other terms and conditions under our credit facility could result in 
a default, which in turn could result in the termination of the lenders’ commitments to extend further credit to us under 
our credit facility and acceleration of a substantial portion of our indebtedness then outstanding under our credit facility. 
If that were to happen, we may not be able to repay all of the amounts that would become due under our indebtedness 
or refinance our debt, which could materially harm our business and force us to seek bankruptcy protection. 

Atairos, our largest stockholder, may have significant influence over our Company, and the ownership of capital stock, 
and thus the voting control, of our Company remains concentrated in our executive officers, directors and their affiliates, 
which limits your ability to influence corporate matters.

On February 1, 2017, an entity affiliated with Atairos Group, Inc. (together with its affiliates, “Atairos”) became our 
largest  stockholder  when  it  acquired  the  shares  of  TriNet  common  stock  previously  held  by General Atlantic.  In 
connection with this transaction, we appointed Michael J. Angelakis, the Chairman and CEO of Atairos, to our board 
of  directors  and  agreed  to  nominate  Mr. Angelakis  or  another  designee  of Atairos  reasonably  acceptable  to  our 
Nominating  and  Corporate  Governance  Committee  for  election  at  future  annual  meetings  until Atairos’  beneficial 
ownership falls below 15% of our common stock. As of February 7, 2019, Atairos beneficially owned approximately 
28% of our outstanding common stock, and all of our directors, executive officers and their affiliates, including Atairos, 
beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 37% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, of the foregoing, 
Atairos, particularly when acting with our executive officers, directors and their affiliates, will be able to exert substantial 
influence on all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant 
corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets. This concentration of ownership 
could  limit  the  ability  of  other  stockholders  to  influence  corporate  matters  and  may  have  the  effect  of  delaying  or 
preventing a third party from acquiring control over us.

Our industry is highly competitive, which may limit our ability to maintain or increase our market share or improve our 
results of operations.

We face significant competition on a national and regional level from other PEOs, as well as other existing, and potential, 
companies and industries that service, or may in the future service, client HR needs. Refer to the heading “Competition” 
under Part I, Item 1. Business, above for more details. Our competitors, regardless of industry, may have greater 
marketing and financial resources than we have, and may be better positioned than we are in certain markets. Increased 
competition in our industry could result in price reductions or loss of market share, any of which could harm our business. 
We expect that we will continue to experience competitive pricing pressure.

Moreover, we may not be successful in convincing potential clients that the use of our services is a superior, cost-
effective means of satisfying their HR obligations relative to the way in which they currently satisfy these obligations 
either by themselves or by using the services of our competitors. If we cannot compete effectively against other PEOs 
or against the alternative means by which companies meet their HR obligations, or if we are unable to convince clients 
or potential clients of the advantages of our offerings, our market share and business may suffer, resulting in a material, 
adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

21

PROPERTIES, LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 

None.

Item 2. Properties 

We lease space for 58 offices in various U.S. states, including the following:

Corporate:
• Dublin, California

Client Service Centers:
• Bradenton, Florida

• Reno, Nevada

• Fort Mill, South Carolina

• New York, New York

All of these leases expire at various times up through 2028. We believe that our leases are sufficient for our current 
purposes and long-term growth and expansion goals.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 

For the information required in this section, refer to Note 8 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary 
Data, of this Form 10-K.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 

Not applicable.

22

STOCK ACTIVITIES

PART II 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer 
Purchases of Equity Securities 

Market Information and Holders of Record

Our common stock has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TNET” since March 2014. 

On February 7, 2019, the last reported sales price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange was $45.53 
per share. As of February 7, 2019, we had 42 holders of record of our common stock per Computershare Trust Company 
N.A., our transfer agent. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes 
stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. This 
number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities. 

For information regarding our equity-based incentive plans, please refer to Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of 
Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters, of this Form 10-K.

Dividend Policy

We did not declare or pay cash dividends in 2018 or 2017. Payment of cash dividends, if any, in the future will be at the 
discretion of our board of directors and will depend on then-existing conditions, including our financial condition, operating 
results, contractual restrictions under our credit facility (refer to Note 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and 
Supplementary  Data,  of  this  Form  10-K),  capital  requirements,  business  prospects  and  other  factors  our  board  of 
directors may deem relevant.

Performance Graph

The graph on the following page compares the cumulative return on our common stock since the initial public offering 
in March 2014 with the cumulative return on the S&P 500 Index and a Peer Group Index. The cumulative return is based 
on the assumption that $100 had been invested in TriNet Group, Inc. common stock, the Standard & Poor's 500 Stock 
Index (S&P 500) and common stock of members of a Peer Group Index, all on the date of TriNet's initial public offering 
in  March  2014  and  that  all  quarterly  dividends  were  reinvested. The  cumulative  dollar  returns  shown  on  the  graph 
represent the value that such investments would have had at each quarter end.

23

STOCK ACTIVITIES

COMPARISON OF 57 MONTH CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Among TriNet Group, Inc., the S&P 500 Index, and a Peer Group(1)

(1) The Peer Group Index used in the chart above consists of the following companies:

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Barrett Business Services, Inc.

Insperity, Inc.
Intuit, Inc.

Paychex, Inc.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our  ongoing  stock  repurchase  program  was  originally  approved  by  our  board  of  directors  in  2014  and  has  been 
subsequently amended. As of December 31, 2018, our board of directors had authorized us to repurchase up to an 
aggregate of $315 million under this program of which approximately $75 million remains available for repurchases 
under all authorizations approved by the board of directors. We repurchased a total of approximately $61 million of our 
outstanding common stock in 2018 using existing cash and cash equivalents through our Rule 10b5-1 plan. Under the 
program, shares may be repurchased in privately negotiated and/or open market transactions, including under plans 
complying with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act. This repurchase authorization has no expiration. We plan to use 
current  cash  and  cash  generated  from  ongoing  operating  activities  to  fund  this  share  repurchase  program.  Stock 
repurchases under the program are primarily intended to return value to our stockholders and offset the dilutive effect 
of equity-based employee incentive compensation.

24

STOCK ACTIVITIES

The following table provides information about our purchases of TriNet common stock during the fourth quarter of 2018: 

Period

October 1 - October 31, 2018

November 1 - November 30, 2018

December 1 - December 31, 2018

Total

Total Number of
Shares 
Purchased (1)

Weighted Average 
Price
Paid Per Share

136,944 $

242,679 $

79,375 $

458,998

50.57

45.07

41.30

Total Number of
Shares
Purchased 
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans (2)

Approximate Dollar 
Value
of Shares that May 
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans
(in millions) (2)

135,026 $

158,563 $

1,707 $

295,296

83

75

75

(1) Includes shares surrendered by employees to us to satisfy tax withholding obligations that arose upon vesting of restricted stock units granted 
pursuant to approved plans.

(2) We repurchased a total of approximately $14 million of our outstanding stock during the three months ended December 31, 2018.

On  February  6,  2019,  our  board  of  directors  authorized  a  $300  million  incremental  increase  to  our  ongoing  stock 
repurchase program initiated in May 2014. We use this program to return value to our stockholders and to offset dilution 
from the issuance of stock under our equity-based incentive plan and employee purchase plan.

Our stock repurchases are subject to certain restrictions under the terms of our credit facility. For more information about 
our stock repurchases and the restrictions imposed by our credit facility, refer to Note 7 and Note 9 in Part II, Item 8. 
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K. 

25

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The following selected consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7. MD&A, 
as  well  as  our  audited  consolidated  financial  statements  and  related  notes  included  in  Part  II,  Item  8.  Financial 
Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K. 

(in millions, except per share data)

Income Statement Data:

Total revenues

Net income

Diluted net income per share of common stock
Non-GAAP measures (1):
Net Service Revenues 
Net Insurance Service Revenues 
Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted Net Income

Balance Sheet Data:

Cash and cash equivalents

Working capital

Total assets

Long-term debt

Total liabilities

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

3,503 $

3,275 $

3,060 $

2,659 $

2,194

192

2.65

893

406

347

218

178

2.49

809

351

285

142

61

0.85

646

199

185

87

32

0.44

547

146

151

71

$

228 $

336 $

184 $

166 $

221

2,435

413

2,060

375

234

2,593

423

2,387

206

156

2,095

459

2,060

35

112

2,092

494

2,084

8

15

0.22

508

166

165

74

134

121

2,341

545

2,366

(25)

Cash Flow Data:

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (2)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
Net cash (used in) financing activities (2)
Non-GAAP measures (1):

$

(104) $

606 $

192 $

(281) $

1,038

(200)

(85)

(24)

(77)

(27)

(104)

(38)

(81)

(45)

(76)

Corporate operating cash flows

234

299

189

169

143

(1) 

(2) 

Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures section on the following pages for definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures.

Prior year balances were retrospectively adjusted for ASU 2016-18. Refer to Note 1 in Item 8: Financial Statements and Supplementary 
Data, of this Form 10-K for details.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), 
we monitor other non-GAAP financial measures that we use to manage our business, to make planning decisions, to 
allocate resources and to use as performance measures in our executive compensation plan. These key financial 
measures provide an additional view of our operational performance over the long-term and provide information that 
we use to maintain and grow our business.

The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is used to enhance the understanding of certain aspects of 
our financial performance. It is not meant to be considered in isolation, superior to, or as a substitute for the directly 
comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

26

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Non-GAAP Measure

Net Service Revenues

Definition
•  Sum  of  professional  service  revenues  and 
Net Insurance Service Revenues,
 or total revenues less insurance costs.

Net Insurance Service Revenues

• Insurance revenues less insurance costs.

Adjusted EBITDA

• Net income, excluding the effects of: 

- income tax provision, 
- interest expense,
- depreciation, 
- amortization of intangible assets, and
- stock-based compensation expense.

Adjusted Net Income

• Net income, excluding the effects of: 

- effective income tax rate (1), 
- stock-based compensation, 
- amortization of intangible assets, 
- non-cash interest expense (2), and
- the income tax effect (at our effective tax 
rate (1)) of these pre-tax adjustments. 

27

How We Use The Measure
• Provides a comparable basis of revenues on 
a  net  basis.  Professional  service  revenues 
are  represented  net  of  client  payroll  costs 
whereas  insurance  service  revenues  are 
presented  gross  of  insurance  costs  for 
financial reporting purposes.
• Acts  as  the  basis  to  allocate  resources  to 
different 
the 
effectiveness  of  our  business  strategies  by 
each business function.
• Provides a measure, among others, used in 
the determination of incentive compensation 
for management.

functions  and  evaluates 

• Is a component of Net Service Revenues.
• Provides a comparable basis of revenues on 
a  net  basis.  Professional  service  revenues 
are  represented  net  of  client  payroll  costs 
whereas  insurance  service  revenues  are 
presented  gross  of  insurance  costs  for 
financial  reporting  purposes.  Promotes  an 
understanding  of  our  insurance  services 
business  by  evaluating  insurance  service 
revenues net of our WSE related costs which 
are substantially pass-through for the benefit 
of our WSEs. Under GAAP, insurance service 
revenues  and  costs  are  recorded  gross  as 
we  have  latitude  in  establishing  the  price, 
service and supplier specifications.

• We also sometimes refer to Net Insurance 
Service  Margin,  which  is  the  ratio  of  Net 
Insurance  Revenue  to  Insurance  Service 
Revenue.

• Provides period-to-period comparisons on a 
consistent basis and an understanding as to 
how  our  management  evaluates 
the 
effectiveness  of  our  business  strategies  by 
excluding certain non-cash charges such as 
depreciation  and  amortization,  and  stock-
based  compensation  recognized  based  on 
the estimated fair values. We believe these 
charges are either not directly resulting from 
our core operations or not indicative of our 
ongoing operations.

• Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, 
accordingly,  facilitates  the  development  of 
future  projections  and  earnings  growth 
prospects.

• Provides a measure, among others, used in 
the determination of incentive compensation 
for management.

• We also sometimes refer to Adjusted EBITDA 
margin, which is the ratio of Adjusted EBITDA 
to Net Service Revenue.

• Provides information to our stockholders and 
board  of  directors  to  understand  how  our 
management  evaluates  our  business,  to 
monitor and evaluate our operating results, 
and  analyze  profitability  of  our  ongoing 
operations and trends on a consistent basis 
by  excluding  certain  non-cash  charges.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Corporate Operating Cash Flows

•  Net  cash  (used  in)  provided  by  operating 
activities, excluding the effects of: 
- Assets  associated  with  WSEs  (accounts 
receivable,  unbilled 
revenue,  prepaid 
expenses and other current assets) and
-  Liabilities  associated  with  WSEs  (client 
deposits,  accrued  wages,  payroll 
tax 
liabilities  and  other  payroll  withholdings, 
accrued  health  benefit  costs,  accrued 
workers'  compensation  costs,  insurance 
premiums and other payables, and other 
current liabilities).

•  Provides  information  that  our  stockholders 
and  management  can  use  to  evaluate  our 
cash  flows  from  operations  independent  of 
the current assets and liabilities associated 
with our WSEs.

• Enhances comparisons to prior periods and, 
accordingly,  used  as  a  liquidity  measure  to 
manage  liquidity  between  corporate  and 
WSE related activities, and to help determine 
and plan our cash flow and capital strategies.

(1)   We have adjusted our non-GAAP effective tax rate to 26%, 41%, 43%, 42% and 40% for 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. 
The change in 2018 is due primarily to a decrease in the statutory tax rate from 35% to 21%. The changes in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 
are a result of changes in state income taxes from an increase in excludable income for state income tax purposes or state legislative 
changes. These non-GAAP effective tax rates exclude the income tax impact from stock-based compensation, changes in uncertain tax 
positions and nonrecurring benefits or expenses from federal legislative changes.

(2) 

Non-cash interest expense represents amortization and write-off of our debt issuance costs. 

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures

The table below presents a reconciliation of total revenues to Net Service Revenues: 

(in millions)

Total revenues

Less: Insurance costs

Net Service Revenues

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

$

3,503 $

3,275 $

3,060 $

2,659 $

2,610

2,466

2,414

2,112

893 $

809 $

646 $

547 $

2,194

1,686

508

The table below presents a reconciliation of insurance service revenues to Net Insurance Service Revenues:

(in millions)

Insurance service revenues

Less: Insurance costs

Net Insurance Service Revenues

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

$

3,016

2,610

406

$

$

2,817

2,466

351

$

$

2,613

2,414

199

$

$

2,258

2,112

146

$

$

1,852

1,686

166

Net Insurance Service Revenue Margin

13%

12%

8%

6%

9%

The  table  below  presents  a  reconciliation  of  net  income  to  Adjusted  EBITDA  and  Adjusted  EBITDA  Margin: 

(in millions)

Net income

Provision for income taxes

Stock-based compensation

Interest expense and bank fees

Depreciation

Amortization of intangible assets

Secondary offering costs

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

192

$

178

$

49

44

22

35

5

—

22

32

20

28

5

—

$

61

43

26

20

19

16

—

$

32

28

18

19

15

39

—

15

18

11

54

14

52

1

$

347

$

285

$

185

$

151

$

165

39%

35%

29%

28%

33%

28

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted Net Income: 

(in millions)

Net income

Effective income tax rate adjustment

Stock-based compensation

Amortization of intangible assets

Debt prepayment premium

Secondary offering costs

Non-cash interest expense

Income tax impact of pre-tax adjustments

Adjusted Net Income

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

$

192 $

(13)

178 $

(59)

44

5

—

—

4

32

5

—

—

2

61 $

(1)

26

16

—

—

4

32 $

3

18

39

—

—

4

(14)

218 $

(16)

142 $

(19)

87 $

(25)

71 $

15

5

11

52

4

1

22

(36)

74

The table below presents a reconciliation of net cash (used in) provided by operating activities to corporate 
operating cash flows: 

(in millions)

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

Change in WSE related other current assets

Change in WSE related liabilities

Corporate Operating Cash Flows

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

$

$

(104) $

606 $

192 $

(281) $

1,038

33

305

35

(342)

(96)

93

188

262

234 $

299 $

189 $

169 $

(32)

(863)

143

Year Ended December 31,

29

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

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

Significant Developments and Performance Highlights in 2018 

Operational achievements in 2018

Our results for 2018 reflect continued progress marketing and selling our vertical products and our insurance service 
offerings, combined with WSE enrollment growth within our insurance offerings. This was offset by WSE attrition that 
we  experienced  primarily  as  a  result  of  our  migration  of  Main  Street  WSEs  to  a  single  technology  platform.  Our 
operational achievements included:

•  Continuing to invest in our efforts to enhance our clients' experience through operational and process improvements,

• 

Launching a marketing and branding campaign in September 2018 to improve our brand awareness and enhance 
our sales efforts,

• 

Launching TriNet Professional Services, our sixth vertical product,

•  Completing the migration of existing clients from our legacy SOI platform onto our single technology platform,

•  Continuing to benefit from changes for one of our health insurance carrier contracts, where we converted from a 

guaranteed-cost to risk-based plan in late 2017,

• 

Investing corporate funds and enhancing our investment strategy to generate interest income which improved our 
future interest income, net income, and our Adjusted EBITDA, accordingly,

•  Refinancing our term loans during the second quarter of 2018, and

•  Continuing to invest in improving our internal control environment to support our ongoing compliance with the 

requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX).

These operational achievements drove the financial performance improvements noted below in 2018 when compared 
to the prior year:

$3.5B
Total revenues
7% increase

$192M
Net income

8% increase

* Non-GAAP measure

$251M
Operating income

15% increase

$2.65
Diluted EPS

6% increase

$893M
Net Service Revenue *

10% increase

$218M
Adjusted Net income *

53% increase

Our results for WSEs and payroll and payroll tax payments in 2018 when compared to the prior year were:

325,616
Total WSE

Flat

317,104
Average WSE

2% reduction

$37.7B
Payroll and payroll tax payments

1% increase

We experienced a decline in Average WSEs (defined as average monthly WSEs paid during the period) during 2018
as compared to 2017 primarily due to client attrition, including attrition from our Main Street vertical due to our planned 
migration of our Main Street clients from our legacy (SOI) platform onto our single technology platform, partially offset 
by growth in our other verticals.

30

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016. For details of the critical accounting judgments and estimates that could affect the Results of Operations, see 
the Critical Accounting Judgments and Estimates section within MD&A.

Year Ended December 31,

% Change

(in millions, except operating metrics data)

2018

2017

2016

Income Statement Data:
Professional service revenues

Insurance service revenues

Total revenues

Insurance costs

Operating expenses
Total costs and operating expenses

Operating income

Other income (expense)

Income before provision for income taxes

Income tax expense

Net income

Non-GAAP measures (1):

Net Service Revenues

Net Insurance Service Revenues

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted Net income

Operating Metrics:

$

487 $

458 $

3,016

3,503

2,610

642

3,252

251

(10)

241

49

2,817

3,275

2,466

592

3,058

217

(17)

200

22

$

$

192 $

178 $

893 $

809 $

406

347

218

351

285

142

447

2,613

3,060

2,414

522

2,936

124

(20)

104

43

61

646

199

185

87

Total WSEs payroll and payroll taxes processed (in
millions)

Average WSEs

Total WSEs

$

37,666 $

37,115 $

34,281

317,104

325,616

324,679

325,370

326,850

337,885

2018 vs.
2017

2017 vs.
2016

6%

3%

7

7

6

8
6

15

48

21

128

8%

8

7

2

13
4

75

10

91

(50)

190%

10%

25%

16

22

53

1%

(2)

—

76

53

62

8%
(1)

(4)

(1) 

Refer to Non-GAAP measures definitions and reconciliations from GAAP measures in Part II, Item 6. Selected Financial Data.

31

 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Operating Metrics

Worksite Employees (WSE)

Average  WSE  growth  is  a  volume  measure  we  use  to  monitor  the  performance  of  our  business. Average  WSEs 
decreased 2% and 1% in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Throughout 2018, we experienced elevated attrition, including 
attrition due to our planned migration of our Main Street clients from our legacy (SOI) platform onto our single technology 
platform, partially offset by an improvement in new sales growth in our other verticals.

Total WSEs can be used to estimate our beginning WSEs for the next period and, as a result, can be used as an 
indicator of our potential future success in growing our business and retaining clients.

Anticipated revenues for future periods can diverge from the revenue expectation derived from Average WSEs or Total 
WSEs due to pricing differences across our HR solutions and services and the degree to which clients and WSEs elect 
to participate in our solutions during future periods. In addition to focusing on growing our Average WSE and Total 
WSE counts, we also focus on pricing strategies, product participation and product differentiation to expand our revenue 
opportunities. We report the impact of client and WSE participation differences as a change in mix.

We are focused on growing our WSE base, including by pursuing strategic acquisitions where appropriate, while we 
improve our customer service experience and continue to manage attrition, including attrition arising from the migration 
of our legacy SOI clients to our single technology platform.

32

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Total Revenues

Our revenues consist of professional service revenues (PSR) and insurance service revenues (ISR). PSR represents 
fees charged to clients for processing payroll-related transactions on behalf of our clients, access to our HR expertise, 
employment and benefit law compliance services, and other HR-related services. ISR consists of insurance-related 
billings and administrative fees collected from clients and withheld from WSEs for workers' compensation insurance 
and health benefit insurance plans provided by third-party insurance carriers.

Monthly total revenues per Average WSE is a measure we use to monitor the success of our product and service 
pricing strategies. This measure increased 9% during 2018 compared to 2017, and increased 8% during 2017 compared 
to 2016.

We also use the following measures to further analyze changes in total revenue:
•  Volume - the percentage change in period over period Average WSEs,

•  Mix - the change in composition of Average WSEs within our verticals combined with the composition of our 

enrolled WSEs within our insurance offerings, and 

•  Rate - the combined percentage changes in service fees for each vertical product and changes in service fees 

associated with each insurance service offering.

The changes attributed to mix and rate during 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, 
were primarily driven by ISR. 

33

 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Operating Income

Our operating income consists of total revenues less insurance costs and OE. Our insurance costs include insurance 
premiums for coverage provided by insurance carriers, reimbursement of claims payments made by insurance carriers 
or  third-party  administrators,  and  changes  in  accrued  costs  related  to  contractual  obligations  with  our  workers' 
compensation and health benefit carriers. Our OE consists primarily of corporate payroll. 

The table below provides a view of the changes in components of operating income on a year-over-year basis.

(in millions)
$124

+$215

-$52

-$70

2016 Operating Income

Higher total revenues primarily as a result of an increase in ISR related to health plan participation
combined with an increase in fees per service offering.

Higher insurance costs primarily as a result of an increase in health plan participation.

Higher OE primarily as a result of an increase in our corporate employees and an increase in the
costs associated with internal control remediation.

$217

2017 Operating Income

+$228

-$144

-$50

Higher total revenues primarily as a result of a change in the PSR mix of our vertical products, an
increase in participation in our insurance services and an increase in fees per service offering.

Higher insurance costs primarily as a result of an increase in health plan participation.
Higher OE primarily as a result of an increase in our corporate employees, an increase in costs
associated with a marketing campaign and an increase in our investment in operational and
process improvements.

$251

2018 Operating Income

34

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Professional Service Revenues 

Our clients are billed either based on a fee per WSE per month per transaction or on a percentage of the WSEs’ payroll. 
For  those  clients  that  are  billed  on  a  percentage of WSEs' payroll, as our clients' payrolls increase, our fees also 
increase. As such, payroll and payroll taxes processed may also be an indicator of our PSR growth.

Our vertical approach provides us the flexibility to offer our clients in different industries with varied services at different 
prices. We believe our vertical approach will improve our ability to retain our customers, and potentially reduce the 
value of using Average WSE and Total WSE counts as indicators of future potential revenue performance. During the 
year ended December 31, 2018, we experienced a change in mix of our client base due to an increase in client attrition 
from  our  Main  Street  vertical  as  a  result  of  our  planned  migration  from  our  legacy  (SOI)  platform  onto  our  single 
technology platform, partially offset by new sales in our other verticals, primarily our Technology and Financial Services 
verticals.

We also use the following measure to further analyze changes in PSR:
•  Volume - the percentage change in period over period Average WSEs,

•  Mix - the change in composition of Average WSEs within our verticals, and

•  Rate - the percentage changes in fees for each vertical.

35

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Insurance Service Revenues 

ISR consists of insurance services-related billings and administrative fees collected from clients and withheld from 
WSE payroll for health benefits and workers' compensation insurance provided by third-party insurance carriers.

We use the following measures to analyze changes in ISR:

•  Volume - the percentage change in period over period Average WSEs,

•  Mix - all other changes including the composition of our enrolled WSEs within our insurance service offerings, and
•  Rate - the percentage changes in fees associated with each of our insurance service offerings.

Changes attributed to mix in ISR during 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, are 
primarily attributed to an increase of health plan participants.

36

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Insurance Costs

Insurance costs include insurance premiums for coverage provided by insurance carriers, reimbursement of claims 
payments made by insurance carriers or third-party administrators, and changes in accrued costs related to contractual 
obligations with our workers' compensation and health benefit carriers.

We use the following measures to analyze changes in insurance costs:

•  Volume - the percentage change in period over period Average WSEs,

•  Rate - the percentage changes in cost trend associated with each of our insurance service offerings, and

•  Mix - all other changes including the composition of our enrolled WSEs within our insurance offerings.

Changes in mix during 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, are primarily a result of 
an increase in health plan participants.

Changes in rate during 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, are driven by:

• 

• 
• 

higher per enrollee medical costs (medical cost trend) of 7.0% - 8.0% in 2018 and 3.2% in 2017, as a result of 
higher medical utilization and prescription drug price increases,
administrative cost reductions from insurance carriers, and 
favorable prior year development on our accrued workers' compensation costs of $28 million in 2018 and $6 million 
in 2017, primarily as a result of lower than expected severity development.

In addition, we benefited when we changed one of our carrier contracts from a guaranteed cost contract to a risk-based 
contract.

37

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Net Service Revenues

NSR provides us with a comparable basis of revenues on a net basis, acts as the basis to allocate resources to different 
functions and helps us evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies by each business function.

The primary drivers to the changes in our NSR are presented below.

(1) 
(2) 

Change in NISR during 2017 comprised of an increase in ISR of $204, partially offset by an increase in insurance costs of $52.

Change in NISR during 2018 comprised of an increase in ISR of $199, partially offset by an increase in insurance costs of $144.

NISR margin was 13%, 12% and 8% for 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. NISR margin expanded during 2018 and 
2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, as we managed our insurance costs while we benefited 
from increased health plan participation. In addition, NSR benefited during 2018 and 2017, when compared to the 
respective prior year periods, from improvements in both PSR and NISR.

38

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Operating Expenses

OE includes cost of providing services (COPS), sales and marketing (S&M), general and administrative (G&A), systems 
development and programming (SD&P), and depreciation and amortization expenses (D&A). 

We manage our operating expenses and allocate resources across different business functions based on percentage 
of NSR which has decreased to 72% in 2018 from 73% and 81% in 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

We had approximately 3,100 corporate employees as of December 31, 2018 in 58 offices across the U.S. Our corporate 
employees' compensation-related expenses represent a majority of our operating expenses. Compensation costs for 
our corporate employees include payroll, payroll taxes, SBC, bonuses, commissions and other payroll- and benefits-
related costs. Compensation-related expense represented 61% of our OE in 2018, 61% in 2017 and 62% in 2016. 
Compensation expense for internal employees was and is primarily driven by our continued efforts to improve our 
customer service experience, and our systems, processes, and internal controls.

We expect our OE to increase in the foreseeable future due to our continued strategy to improve our customer service 
experience, and our systems, processes, and internal controls. These expenses may fluctuate as a percentage of our 
total revenues from period-to-period depending on the timing of when expenses are incurred.

We analyze and present our OE based upon the business functions COPS, S&M, G&A and SD&P and depreciation 
and amortization. The charts below provide a view of the expenses of the business functions. Dollars are presented 
in millions and percentages represent year-over-year change.

39

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

COPS increased in 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, primarily due to increased 
initiatives to improve the customer experience, enhancing our product offerings and internal control remediation efforts.

S&M decreased in 2018, when compared to the prior year period, primarily driven by $31 million in net capitalized 
costs related to adoption of ASC Topic 606, offset by implementation of our new branding campaign. S&M increased
in 2017, when compared to the prior year period, primarily due to an increase in sales-related compensation costs 
associated with a new sales performance incentive program.

G&A increased in 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, primarily driven by increased 
headcount supporting our internal control remediation efforts.

SD&P increased in 2018, when compared to the prior year period, primarily due to an increase in expenses associated 
with enhancing our product offerings. SD&P increased in 2017, when compared to the prior year period, primarily due 
to expenses related to investments in technology to support product delivery and platform integration and as a result 
of our internal control remediation efforts.

Depreciation expense increased in 2018 and 2017, when compared to the respective prior year periods, as a result 
of our additional investment in technology products and platforms and the associated depreciation of those assets. 

Amortization of intangible assets represents costs associated with acquired companies' developed technologies, client 
lists, trade names and contractual agreements. Amortization expense remained consistent in 2018 and decreased
67% to $5 million in 2017, when compared to the prior year period, as a result of the 2016 revision to the expected 
useful life of certain client lists and trademarks primarily related to our previous acquisitions. 

We break out the expenses that make up our OE in the chart below:

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) consists primarily of interest expense under our credit facility and interest and dividend income 
from investments.

Interest expense, bank fees and other, remained consistent for the years ended 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Interest income increased to $12 million in 2018 from $3 million in 2017. The increase in 2018, when compared to the 
prior year period, was primarily due to a change in our investment strategy initiated in the second quarter of 2018.

We intend to continue our new investment strategy, which we expect will improve our future interest income, net income, 
and our Adjusted EBITDA, accordingly.

40

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Provision for Income Taxes

Our  effective  tax  rate  (ETR)  was  20%,  11%  and  41%  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2018,  2017  and  2016, 
respectively. The primary drivers to the changes in our ETR are presented below.

Our ETR increased 9% in 2018 from 11% in 2017 primarily due to the following:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

7% net increase due to current year impact and prior year non-recurring discrete tax benefits resulting from federal 
legislative changes,

4% increase from a decrease in excess tax benefits and disqualifying dispositions from SBC,

2% increase resulting from the repeal of Section 199 benefits and other non-deductible expenses,

2% decrease in uncertain tax positions (UTP) recorded compared to prior year, and

2% decrease in other as a result of 3% decrease due to changes related to ongoing litigation, partially offset by a 
1% increase due to apportionment changes in higher tax jurisdictions.

Our ETR decreased 30% in 2017 from 41% in 2016 primarily due to the following:

• 

• 

• 

• 

20% decrease attributable to revaluation of deferred taxes resulting from federal legislative changes pursuant to 
the TCJA passed in December 2017,

8% decrease due to a discrete tax benefit from recognizing excess tax benefits from SBC,

4% decrease resulting from the recognition of Section 199 benefits and decreased non-deductible expenses, and 

3% decrease related to tax credits and excludable income for state tax purposes.

41

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Liquidity and Capital Resources 

Liquidity

We believe that we have sufficient liquidity and capital resources to satisfy future requirements and meet our obligations 
to our clients, creditors and debt holders. 

Included in our balance sheets are assets and liabilities resulting from transactions directly or indirectly associated 
with WSEs, including payroll and related taxes and withholdings, our sponsored workers' compensation and health 
insurance programs, and other benefit programs. Although we are not subject to regulatory restrictions, we distinguish 
and manage our corporate assets and liabilities separately from those current assets and liabilities held by us to satisfy 
our employer obligations associated with our WSEs as follows:

(in millions)

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Investments

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments

Other current assets

Total current assets

Total current liabilities

Working capital

Working capital for WSEs activities

December 31,

Corporate

2018

WSE

Total

Corporate

2017

WSE

Total

$

228 $

— $

228 $

336 $

54

15

36

—

927

386

54

942

422

—

15

15

— $

—

1,265

360

333 $

1,313 $

1,646 $

366 $

1,625 $

112 $

1,313 $

1,425 $

139 $

1,618 $

336

—

1,280

375

1,991

1,757

221 $

— $

221 $

227 $

7 $

234

$

$

$

We designate funds to ensure that we have adequate current assets to satisfy our current obligations associated with 
WSEs. We manage our WSE payroll and benefits obligations through collections of payments from our clients which 
generally occurs two to three days in advance of client payroll dates. We regularly review our short-term obligations 
associated with our WSEs (such as payroll and related taxes, insurance premium and claim payments) and designate 
funds required to fulfill these short-term obligations, which we refer to as PFC. PFC is included in current assets as 
restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments.

We manage our sponsored benefit and workers' compensation insurance obligations by maintaining collateral funds 
in  restricted  cash,  cash  equivalents  and  investments.  These  collateral  amounts  are  generally  determined  at  the 
beginning of each plan year and we may be required by our insurance carriers to adjust our collateral balances when 
facts and circumstances change. We regularly review our collateral balances with our insurance carriers and anticipate 
funding  further  collateral  in  the  future  based  upon  our  capital  requirements.  We  classify  our  restricted  cash,  cash 
equivalents and investments as current and noncurrent assets to match against the anticipated timing of payment of 
claims. 

Working capital for corporate purposes

We use our available cash and cash equivalents to satisfy our operational and regulatory requirements and to fund 
capital expenditures. We believe that our existing corporate cash and cash equivalents and positive working capital 
will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months. 

Capital Resources

Sources of Funds

We believe that we can meet our present and reasonably foreseeable operating cash needs and future commitments 
through existing liquid assets, continuing cash flows from corporate operating activities, our borrowing capacity under 
our revolving credit facility and the potential issuance of debt or equity securities.

42

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

In June 2018 we refinanced approximately $415 million of, and repaid in full, our outstanding A and A-2 term loans 
(together, our 2014 Term Loans) under our previous credit agreement (our 2014 Credit Agreement). Our 2014 Term 
Loans were replaced with a $425 million term loan A (our 2018 Term Loan) under our new credit agreement (our 2018 
Credit Agreement). We also replaced our previous $75 million revolving credit facility established under our 2014 Credit 
Agreement with a $250 million revolving credit facility under our 2018 Credit Agreement (our 2018 Revolver), which 
will be used solely for working capital and other general corporate purposes. 

Each of our 2018 Term Loan and our 2018 Revolver mature in June 2023 and bear interest, at our option, either at a 
LIBOR rate, or the prime lending rate, plus an applicable margin subject to change in the future based on our leverage 
ratio, as set forth in our 2018 Credit Agreement. As of December 31, 2018, $414 million was outstanding under our 
2018 Term Loan and the full amount of our 2018 Revolver, less approximately $16 million representing an undrawn 
letter of credit, was available.

Cash Flows

In January 2018, we adopted ASU 2016-18 Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, which significantly 
impacted our net cash provided by (used in) operating activities as changes in our restricted cash and cash equivalents 
balances are no longer included within operating cash activities.

The following table presents our cash flow activities for the stated periods:

(in millions)

2018

2017

2016

Corporate WSE

Total

Corporate WSE

Total

Corporate WSE

Total

Year Ended December 31,

Net cash provided by (used in):

Operating activities (1)
Investing activities

Financing activities

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents, unrestricted and restricted

Cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and
restricted:

Beginning of period

End of period

$

$

$

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents:

$

234 $ (338) $ (104) $

299 $ 307 $ 606 $

189 $

3 $ 192

(200)

— (200)

(24)

—

(24)

(85)
—
(51) $ (338) $ (389) $

(85)

(77)
—
198 $ 307 $ 505 $

(77)

(27)

(104)

58 $

—

(27)

— (104)
61
3 $

476 $1,262 $ 1,738 $

278 $ 955 $1,233 $

220 $ 952 $ 1,172

425 $ 924 $ 1,349 $

476 $ 1,262 $1,738 $

278 $ 955 $ 1,233

Unrestricted

Restricted

$

(108) $ — $ (108) $

152 $ — $ 152 $

18 $ — $

57

(338)

(281)

46

307

353

40

3

18

43

(1) 

Prior year balances were retrospectively adjusted for ASU 2016-18.

43

 
 
 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Operating Activities

Components of net cash provided by operating activities are as follows:

(in millions)

Net income

Depreciation and amortization

Stock-based compensation expense

Payment of interest

Income tax payments, net

Collateral (paid to) refunded from insurance
carriers, net

Changes in deferred taxes

Changes in other operating assets

Changes in other operating liabilities

Net cash provided by (used in) operating 
activities (1)

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

Corporate WSE

Total

Corporate WSE

Total

Corporate WSE

Total

$

192 $ — $ 192 $

178 $ — $ 178 $

61 $ — $

46

44

(17)

(49)

—

1

(44)

61

—

—

—

—

26

—

46

44

(17)

(49)

26

1

(27)

(71)

(337)

(276)

35

32

(16)

(2)

—

(25)

36

61

—

—

—

—

(3)

—

(36)

346

35

32

(16)

(2)

(3)

(25)

—

407

39

26

(15)

(39)

—

42

(38)

113

61

39

26

(15)

(39)

—

—

—

—

(25)

(25)

—

92

(64)

42

54

49

$

234 $ (338) $ (104) $

299 $ 307 $ 606 $

189 $

3 $ 192

(1) 

Prior year balances were retrospectively adjusted for ASU 2016-18, where applicable.

Year-over-year fluctuation in net cash used in operating activities for WSE purposes was primarily driven by timing of 
client payments, payments of payroll and payroll taxes, and collateral funding and insurance claim activities. We expect 
the changes in restricted cash and cash equivalents to correspond to WSE cash provided by (or used in) operations 
as we manage our obligations associated with WSEs through restricted cash.

Corporate operating cash flows decreased in 2018 as compared to 2017 primarily due to an increase in income tax 
payments in 2018, partially offset by 8% increase in our net income.

Corporate operating cash flows increased in 2017 as compared to 2016 due to a 190% increase in our net income, 
decrease in income tax payments, partially offset by changes in deferred tax liabilities primarily associated with the 
revaluation of deferred taxes resulting from the passage of the TCJA in 2017.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the periods presented below primarily consisted of purchases of investments 
and capital expenditures, partially offset by proceeds from the sale and maturity of investments. 

(in millions)

Investments:

Purchases of marketable securities

Proceeds from sale and maturity of marketable securities

Cash (used in) provided by investments

Capital expenditures:

Software and hardware

Office furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements

Cash used in capital expenditures

Investments

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

$

$

$

(258) $

101

(157) $

30 $

13

43 $

— $

14

14 $

28 $

10

38 $

(15)

28

13

31

9

40

During the year ended December 31, 2018, we invested a portion of available cash in investment-grade securities with 
effective maturities less than five years that are classified on our balance sheet as investments. As of December 31, 
2018, we had approximately $189 million in investments.

44

 
 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

We also invest funds held as collateral to satisfy our long-term obligation towards workers' compensation liabilities in 
U.S. long-term treasuries. These investments are classified on our balance sheets as restricted cash, cash equivalents 
and investments. We review the amount and the anticipated holding period of these investments regularly in conjunction 
with our estimated long-term workers' compensation liabilities and anticipated claims payment trend. 

As of December 31, 2018, we held approximately $1.5 billion in cash, cash equivalents and investments. Refer to Note 
2 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplemental Data, in this Form 10-K for a summary of these funds.

Capital Expenditures

During  the  years  ended  December 31,  2018,  2017  and  2016  we  continued  to  make  investments  in  software  and 
hardware, enhanced existing products and technology platform, and implemented legacy platform migrations. We also 
incurred expenses related to the build out of our corporate headquarters and our technology and client service centers. 
We expect capital investments in our software and hardware to continue in the future. 

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 consisted of our debt and 
equity-related activities.

(in millions)

Financing activities

Repurchase of common stock, net of issuance

Repayment of borrowings

Net proceeds from issuance of debt

Cash used in financing activities

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

$

69 $

39 $

22

(6)

38

—

67

37

—

85 $

77 $

104

In the year ended December 31, 2018 we refinanced our 2014 Term Loans with our 2018 Term Loan, as discussed 
above in this MD&A. For additional information refer to Note 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary 
Data, of this Form 10-K.

Our  board  of  directors  authorizes  common  stock  repurchases  through  an  ongoing  program  initiated  in  May  2014, 
primarily to offset dilution from the issuance of stock under our equity-based incentive plan and employee stock purchase 
plan.  During  the  year  ended  December 31,  2018,  we  repurchased  1,190,995  shares  of  our  common  stock  for 
approximately $61 million through our stock repurchase program. As of December 31, 2018, approximately $75 million 
remained available for repurchase under all authorizations by our board of directors.

On  February  6,  2019,  our  board  of  directors  authorized  a  $300  million  incremental  increase  to  our  ongoing  stock 
repurchase program initiated in May 2014. We use this program to return value to our stockholders and to offset dilution 
from the issuance of stock under our equity-based incentive plan and employee purchase plan. We plan to use current 
cash and cash generated from ongoing operating activities to fund this share repurchase program.

Covenants 

Our 2018 Credit Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and customary affirmative and negative 
covenants applicable to us, including, among other things, restrictions on indebtedness, liens, investments, mergers, 
dispositions,  prepayment  of  indebtedness  (other  than  our  2018  Term  Loan  and  our  2018  Revolver),  dividends, 
distributions and transactions with affiliates. It also contains financial covenants requiring us to maintain certain minimum 
interest coverage and maximum total leverage ratios, as set forth in our 2018 Credit Agreement. These covenants took 
effect on June 30, 2018 and require us to maintain a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio of at least 3.50 to 
1.00 at each quarter end and a maximum total leverage ratio of 3.50 to 1.00. In the event of an acquisition the maximum 
ratio can be raised to 4.00 to 1.00 for four consecutive quarters. We were in compliance with these financial covenants 
under the credit facilities at December 31, 2018. For more details on the covenants under our 2018 Credit Agreement, 
refer to Note 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

45

 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

In order to meet various U.S state licensing requirements and maintain accreditation by the ESAC, we are subject to 
various minimum working capital and net worth requirements. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, we believe we have 
fully complied in all material respects with all applicable state regulations regarding minimum net worth, working capital 
and all other financial and legal requirements. Further, we have maintained positive working capital throughout each 
of the periods covered by the financial statements.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our significant contractual obligations as of December 31, 2018:

(in millions)
Debt obligations (1)
Workers' compensation obligations (2)
Operating lease obligations (3)
Purchase obligations (4) 
Uncertain tax positions (5)

Payments Due by Period

Total

Less than 1
year

1-3 years

3-5 years

More than 5
years

$

483 $

241

88

42

6

39 $

75 $

369 $

73

18

31

1

57

28

11

5

37

17

—

—

—

74

25

—

—

99

Total

$

860 $

162 $

176 $

423 $

(1) Includes principal and the projected interest payments of our term loans, see Note 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and 
Supplementary Data of this Form 10-K, for details.

(2) Represents estimated payments that are expected to be made to carriers for various workers' compensation program under the contractual 
obligations. These obligations include the costs of reimbursing the carriers for paying claims within the deductible layer in accordance with the 
workers' compensation insurance policy as well as other liabilities.

(3) Includes various facilities and equipment leases under various operating lease agreements.

(4) Our purchase obligations primarily consist of software licenses, consulting and maintenance agreements, and sales and marketing events 
pertaining to various contractual agreements.

(5) Our uncertain tax positions primarily pertain to tax credits and other related reserves, including interest and penalties.

In the normal course of business, we make representations and warranties that guarantee the performance of services 
under service arrangements with clients. Historically, there have been no material losses related to such guarantees. 
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our officers and directors, which require us to defend 
and, if necessary, indemnify these individuals for certain pending or future legal claims as they relate to their services 
provided to us. Such indemnification obligations are not included in the table above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2018, we did not have any material off-balance sheet arrangements that are reasonably likely to 
have a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital 
resources within the meaning of Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.

46

 
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Critical Accounting Judgments and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which require us to make estimates, 
judgments, and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and the related 
disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. These estimates are based on historical experience and on various 
other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Some of the assumptions are highly 
uncertain at the time of estimation. To the extent actual experience differs from the assumptions used, our consolidated 
financial statements could be materially affected. For additional information about our accounting policies, refer to Note 
1 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer  to Note  1 in  Part  II,  Item  8.  Financial  Statements  and  Supplementary  Data,  of  this  Form  10-K  for  additional 
information related to recent accounting pronouncements.

Insurance Costs 

We purchase fully insured workers' compensation and health benefits coverage for our employees and WSEs. As part 
of these insurance policies, we bear claims costs up to a defined deductible amount and as a result, we establish 
accrued insurance costs including both known and incurred but not reported (IBNR) costs. 

As workers' compensation costs for a particular period are not known for many years after the losses have occurred 
these costs represent our best estimate of unpaid claim losses and loss adjustment expenses within the deductible 
layer in accordance with our insurance policies. 

We use external actuaries to evaluate, review and recommend estimates of our workers' compensation and health 
insurance costs. The accrued costs studies performed by these qualified actuaries analyze historical claims data to 
develop a range of potential ultimate losses using loss development, expected loss ratio and frequency/severity methods 
in accordance with Actuarial Standards of Practice. These loss methods are applied to classes or segments of the loss 
data organized by policy year and risk class. 

Key judgments and evaluations in arriving at loss estimates by segment and the accrued costs selection overall include:

• 

• 

• 

• 

the selection of method used and the relative weights given to selecting the method used for each policy year,

the underlying assumptions of LDF used in these models,

the effect of any changes to claims handling and payment processes,

evaluation of loss (medical and indemnity) cost trends, costs from changes in the risk exposure being evaluated 
and any applicable changes in legal, regulatory or judicial environment.

We review and evaluate these judgments and the associated recommendations in concluding the adequacy of accrued 
costs. Where adjustments are necessary these are recorded in the period in which the adjustments are identified.

47

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Accrued Workers' Compensation Costs 

Under our policies, we are responsible for reimbursing the insurance carriers for workers' compensation losses up to 
$1 million per claim occurrence (Deductible Layer). We use external actuaries to evaluate, review and recommend 
accrued workers' compensation costs on a quarterly basis. The data is segmented by class and state and analyzed 
by policy year; states where we have small exposure are aggregated into a single segment.

We use a combination of loss development, expected loss ratio and frequency/severity methods which include the 
following inputs, assumptions and analytical techniques:

•  TriNet's historical frequency and severity of workers' compensation claims experience, exposure data and industry 

loss experience, 

inputs of WSEs’ job responsibilities and location,

estimates of future cost trends to establish expected loss ratios for subsequent accident years, 

expected loss ratios for the latest accident year or prior accident years, adjusted for the loss trend, the effect of 
rate changes and other quantifiable factors, and 

• 

• 

• 

• 

LDFs to project the reported losses for each accident year to an ultimate basis. 

Final claim settlements may vary materially from the present estimates, particularly when those payments may not 
occur until well into the future. In our experience, plan years related to workers' compensation programs may take 10 
years or more to be fully settled. Certain assumptions used in estimating these accrued costs are highly judgmental. 
Our accrued costs, results of operations and financial condition can be materially impacted if actual experience differs 
from the assumptions used in establishing these accrued costs. 

We  believe  that  our  estimate  of  accrued  workers'  compensation  costs  are  most  sensitive  to  LDFs  given  the  long 
reporting and paid development patterns for our workers' compensation loss costs. Our methods of estimating accrued 
workers' compensation costs rely on these LDFs and an estimate of future cost trend.

The following table illustrates the sensitivity of changes in the LDFs on our year end estimate of insurance costs (in 
millions of dollars):

Change in loss development factor

Change in insurance costs

-5.0%

-2.5%

+2.5%

+5.0%

Accrued Health Insurance Costs 

($33)

($18)

$20

$39

We  sponsor  and  administer  a  number  of  fully  insured,  risk-based  employee  benefit  plans,  including  group  health, 
dental, vision and life insurance as an employer plan sponsor under section 3(5) of the ERISA. Approximately 81% of 
our 2018 group health insurance costs relate to risk-based plans in which we agree to reimburse our carriers for any 
claims paid within an agreed-upon per-person deductible layer up to a maximum aggregate exposure limit per policy. 
These deductible dollar limits and maximum limits vary by carrier and year.

Costs covered by these insurance plans generally develop on average within three to six months so accrued health 
insurance costs include estimates of reported losses and claims incurred but not yet paid (IBNP). Data is segmented 
and analyzed by insurance carrier. 

To estimate accrued health benefits costs we use a number of inputs, assumptions and analytical techniques:

•  TriNet historical loss claims payment patterns and medical cost trend rates, 

• 

• 

current period claims costs and claims reporting patterns (completion factors), and

plan enrollment. 

48

MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

These  accrued  costs  may  vary  in  subsequent  quarters  from  the  amount  estimated.  Our  accrued  costs,  results  of 
operations and financial condition can be materially impacted if actual experience differs from our key assumptions 
used in establishing these accrued costs.

We believe that our year end estimate of accrued health insurance costs are most sensitive to changes in medical 
claim costs in the markets in which participating WSEs reside (medical cost trend) and our estimate of paid costs to 
carriers as a percentage of the expected ultimate costs to carriers (completion factors).

A 250 basis point increase in the medical cost trend would increase our year end accrued health insurance costs by 
approximately $13 million, and a 50 basis point decrease in completion factors would increase our year end accrued 
health insurance costs by approximately $8 million.

49

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Our exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio and outstanding floating rate 
debt. Changes in U.S. interest rates affect the interest earned on the Company’s cash, cash equivalents and investments 
and the fair value of the investments, as well as interest costs associated with our debt.

Our board of directors approved a corporate investment policy that defines our investable cash in instruments that 
meet certain credit quality, liquidity, diversification and other requirements. Under our investment policy, the Company's 
investment portfolio must maintain a minimum average credit quality of AA minus by Standard & Poor's (or an equivalent 
nationally  recognized  statistical  rating  organization),  maintain  average  effective  maturity  durations  of  less  than  36 
months (or less than 24 months in some cases), and satisfy diversification requirements intended to reduce overall 
investment  consolidating.  We  believe  that  our  exposure  to  losses  resulting  from  credit  risk  is  not  significant.  We 
performed a sensitivity analysis to determine the impact a change in interest rates would have on the value of the 
investment portfolio assuming a 100 basis point parallel shift in the yield curve. Based on investment positions as 
of December 31, 2018, a hypothetical 100 basis point increase or decrease in interest rates across all maturities would 
result in a $2 million incremental increase or decrease in the fair market value of the portfolio, respectively. Such losses 
would only be realized if we sold the investments prior to maturity. The risk of rate changes on investment balances 
was not significant at December 31, 2018.

In June 2018, we refinanced our term loans which would have matured in July 2019 and replaced them with a term 
loan maturing in 2023. At December 31, 2018, after this refinancing, we had total outstanding indebtedness of $414 
million, of which $22 million is due within 12 months. A 100 basis point increase or decrease in market interest rates 
would  cause  interest  expense  on  our  debt  as  of December 31,  2018  to  increase  or  decrease  by  $4  million  on  an 
annualized basis, respectively.

50

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

TRINET GROUP, INC.
Consolidated Financial Statements

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Balance Sheets
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1.  Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies
Note 2.  Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments
Note 3.  Investments
Note 4.  Property and Equipment, Net
Note 5.  Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Note 6.  Accrued Workers' Compensation Costs
Note 7. Long-term Debt
Note 8.  Commitments and Contingencies
Note 9.  Stockholders' Equity
Note 10.  Income Taxes
Note 11. Earnings Per Share
Note 12. Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements
Note 13. 401(k) Plan
Note 14. Related Party Transactions
Note 15. Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

52
54
55
56
57
58
58
69
70
72
73
73
74
76
77
79
82
82
84
85
85

51

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of TriNet Group, Inc. 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of TriNet Group, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") 
as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, 
stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2018, and 
the related notes and the schedule listed in the Index at Item 15 (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). 
In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as 
of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the 
period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of 
America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria 
established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 
of  the  Treadway  Commission  and  our  report  dated  February 14,  2019,  expressed  an  unqualified  opinion  on  the 
Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an 
opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with 
the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal 
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the  financial  statements  are  free  of  material 
misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material 
misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to 
those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures 
in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates 
made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our 
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP 

San Francisco, California 

February 14, 2019 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2016.

52

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of TriNet Group, Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of TriNet Group, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company”) 
as of December 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by 
the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the Treadway  Commission  (COSO).  In  our  opinion,  the  Company 
maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, based 
on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO. 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule as of and for the year ended 
December 31, 2018, of the Company and our report dated February 14, 2019, expressed an unqualified opinion on 
those financial statements and financial statement schedule.

Basis for Opinion 

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for 
its  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  included  in  the  accompanying 
Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 
Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with 
the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal 
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was 
maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial 
reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material  weakness  exists,  testing  and  evaluating  the  design  and  operating 
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered 
necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting 

A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with 
generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies 
and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect 
the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions 
are  recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted 
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with 
authorizations  of  management  and  directors  of  the  company;  and  (3)  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding 
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have 
a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. 
Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may 
deteriorate.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP 

San Francisco, California 

February 14, 2019 

53

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in millions, except share and per share data)

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Investments

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments

Accounts receivable, net

Unbilled revenue, net

Prepaid expenses

Other current assets

Total current assets

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments, noncurrent

Investments, noncurrent

Property & equipment, net

Goodwill

Other intangible assets, net

Other assets

Total assets

Liabilities and stockholders' equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable and other current liabilities

Long-term debt, current portion

Client deposits

Accrued wages

Accrued health insurance costs, net

Accrued workers' compensation costs, net

Payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings

Insurance premiums and other payables

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt, less current portion

Accrued workers' compensation costs, less current portion, net

Deferred taxes

Other non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

Commitments and contingencies (see Note 8)

Stockholders' equity:

Preferred stock

($0.000025 par value per share; 20,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding at
December 31, 2018 and 2017)

Common stock and additional paid-in capital

($0.000025 par value per share; 750,000,000 shares authorized; 70,596,559 and 69,818,392
shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively)

Accumulated deficit

Total stockholders' equity

Total liabilities & stockholders' equity

See accompanying notes.

54

December 31, December 31,

2018

2017

$

228

$

54

942

11

304

48

59

1,646

187

135

79

289

21

78

336

—

1,280

21

297

38

19

1,991

162

—

70

289

26

55

$

$

2,435

$

2,593

$

45

22

56

352

135

67

729

19

1,425

391

158

68

18

59

40

52

329

151

67

1,034

25

1,757

383

165

68

14

2,060

2,387

—

641

(266)

375

$

2,435

$

—

583

(377)

206

2,593

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

$

487 $

458 $

3,016
3,503

2,610

229

182

142
49
40
3,252
251

(22)
12
241
49

192 $

—

192 $

2,817
3,275

2,466

213

187

114
45
33
3,058
217

(20)
3
200
22

178 $

—

178 $

447
2,613
3,060

2,414

190

174

92
31
35
2,936
124

(20)
—
104
43

61

1

62

2.72 $
2.65 $

2.57 $
2.49 $

0.88
0.85

70,385,639
72,300,663

69,175,377
71,385,280

70,159,696
71,972,486

$

$

$
$

(in millions, except share and per share data)
Professional service revenues
Insurance service revenues
Total revenues
Insurance costs

Cost of providing services (exclusive of depreciation and amortization of

intangible assets)
Sales and marketing

General and administrative

Systems development and programming
Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets
Total costs and operating expenses
Operating income
Other income (expense):

Interest expense, bank fees and other
Interest income

Income before provision for income taxes
Income tax expense

Net income

Other comprehensive income, net of tax

Comprehensive income

Net income per share:

Basic
Diluted

Weighted average shares:

Basic
Diluted

See accompanying notes.

55

 
Common Stock and 
Additional Paid-In Capital

Shares

Amount

Accumulated
Deficit

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss

Total
Stockholders’
Equity
(Deficit)

70,371,425 $

494 $

(485) $

(1) $

61

—

—

—

—

—

(72)

(4)

—

(500)

178

—

—

—

—

(44)

(11)

(377)

192

2

—

—

—

—

(61)

(22)

(266)

—

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

8

61

1

—

4

5

26

(72)

(4)

6

35

178

—

5

11

32

(44)

(11)

206

192

2

—

7

7

44

(61)

(22)

375

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 

(in millions, except share data)

Balance at December 31, 2015

Net income

Other comprehensive income

Issuance of common stock for vested restricted stock units

Issuance of common stock under employee stock purchase plan

Issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options

Stock-based compensation expense

Repurchase of common stock

Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes

Excess tax benefit from equity incentive plan activity

Balance at December 31, 2016

Net income

Issuance of common stock from vested restricted stock units

Issuance of common stock for employee stock purchase plan

Issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options

Stock-based compensation expense

Repurchase of common stock

Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes

Balance at December 31, 2017

Net income

Cumulative effect of accounting change

Issuance of common stock from restricted stock units and restricted stock

awards

Issuance of common stock for employee stock purchase plan

Issuance of common stock from exercise of stock options

Stock-based compensation expense

Repurchase of common stock

Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes

—

—

695,253

283,644

1,297,812

—

(3,414,675)

(217,769)

—

—

—

—

4

5

26

—

—

6

69,015,690

535

—

1,020,352

224,928

1,441,957

—

(1,549,434)

(335,101)

—

—

5

11

32

—

—

69,818,392

583

—

—

1,634,271

175,966

617,157

—

(1,190,995)

(458,232)

—

—

—

7

7

44

—

—

Balance at December 31, 2018

70,596,559

641

See accompanying notes.

56

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TRINET GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(in millions)
Operating activities

Year Ended December 31,
2017

2016

2018

Net income
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:

$

192 $

178

61

39
26
42

—
(79)
(45)
11
(2)
73
16
60
(175)
174
(9)
192

(15)
28
(40)
(27)

(72)
9
(4)
58
(58)
(37)
(104)

61

46
44
1

10

(14)
(9)
(8)
4
23
(16)
(7)
(305)
(64)
(1)
(104)

(258)
101
(43)
(200)

(61)
14
(22)
210
(204)
(22)
(85)

(389)

35
32
(25)

(14)

(4)
28
23
(4)
26
22
9
294
(11)
17
606

—
14
(38)
(24)

(44)
16
(11)
—
—
(38)
(77)

505

1,738
1,349 $

1,233
1,738 $

1,172
1,233

17 $
49

3 $

16
2

2

15
39

1

$

$

$

Depreciation and amortization
Stock-based compensation
Deferred income taxes

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable

Unbilled revenue
Prepaid expenses
Accounts payable and other current liabilities
Client deposits
Accrued wages
Accrued health insurance costs
Accrued workers' compensation costs
Payroll taxes payable and other payroll withholdings
Other assets
Other liabilities

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

Investing activities

Purchases of marketable securities
Proceeds from sale and maturity of marketable securities
Acquisitions of property and equipment

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing activities

Repurchase of common stock
Proceeds from issuance of common stock
Awards effectively repurchased for required employee withholding taxes
Proceeds from issuance of debt, net
Payments for extinguishment of debt
Repayment of debt

Net cash used in financing activities
Net (decrease) increase in unrestricted and restricted cash and cash
equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents, unrestricted and restricted:

Beginning of period
End of period

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information

Interest paid
Income taxes paid, net

Supplemental schedule of noncash investing and financing activities

Payable for purchase of property and equipment

See accompanying notes.

57

 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TRINET GROUP, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Description of Business

TriNet Group Inc. (TriNet, or the Company, we, our and us), a professional employer organization (PEO), provides 
comprehensive  human  resources  (HR)  solutions  for  small  to  midsize  businesses  (SMBs)  under  a  co-employment 
model. These HR solutions include bundled services, such as multi-state payroll processing and tax administration, 
employee benefits programs, including health insurance and retirement plans, workers' compensation insurance and 
claims  management,  employment  and  benefit  law  compliance,  and  other  services.  Through  the  co-employment 
relationship, we are the employer of record for most administrative and regulatory purposes, including: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

compensation through wages and salaries,

employer payroll-related tax payments, 

employee payroll-related tax withholdings and payments,

employee benefit programs including health and life insurance, and others, and 

•  workers' compensation coverage. 

Our clients are responsible for the day-to-day job responsibilities of the worksite employees (WSEs).

We operate in one reportable segment. All of our service revenues are generated from external clients. Less than 1%
of revenue is generated outside of the U.S. 

Basis of Presentation

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the 
United States of America (GAAP). All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. 

Reclassifications and Impact of Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation. 

Balance sheet reclassifications are summarized in the tables below:

(in millions)

Assets

December 31, 2017

As previously

Reclassification

As

Reported

Amounts

Revised

Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and investments

$

Accounts receivable, net

Unbilled revenue, net

Prepaid income taxes

Prepaid expenses

Other current assets

Worksite employee related assets

Workers' compensation collateral receivable

Deferred and other long term income taxes

Other assets

15

—

—

5

8

2

$

1,265

$

21

297

(5)

30

17

1,625

(1,625)

39

2

14

(39)

(2)

41

1,280

21

297

—

38

19

—

—

—

55

58

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in millions)

Liabilities and stockholders' equity

December 31, 2017

As previously

Reclassification

As

Reported

Amounts

Revised

Accounts payable & other current liabilities

$

Accrued wages

Client deposits

Accrued health insurance costs, net

Accrued workers' compensation costs, net

Payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings

Insurance premiums and other payables

Other current liabilities

Worksite employee related liabilities

45

40

—

—

—

—

—

14

1,618

$

14

$

289

52

151

67

1,034

25

(14)

(1,618)

59

329

52

151

67

1,034

25

—

—

Effects on the cash flow statement due to adoption of ASU 2016-18 and effects due to reclassifications are 
summarized below:

(in millions)

Operating activities

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Year ended December 31,

2017

2016

As
previously
reported

Effect of
ASU
adoption

Reclassified
amounts

As
revised

As
previously
reported

Effect of
ASU
adoption

Reclassified
amounts

As
revised

Accounts receivable

$

— $

— $

(14) $

(14) $

— $

— $

— $ —

Restricted cash, cash equivalents, and
investments
Unbilled revenue

Prepaid income taxes

Prepaid expenses

Workers' compensation collateral receivable

Accounts payable

Client deposits

Accrued wages

Accrued health insurance costs

Accrued workers' compensation costs

Payroll taxes payable and other payroll
withholdings
Worksite employee related assets

Worksite employee related liabilities

Other assets

Other liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities

Financing activities

Proceeds from issuance of common stock on
exercised options
Proceeds from issuance of common stock on
employee stock purchase plan
Proceeds from issuance of common stock

(46)

—

37

1

(7)

22

—

11

—

12

—

(343)

342

4

—

253

11

5

—

46

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

307

—

—

—

353

—

—

—

—

(4)

(37)

27

7

1

(4)

15

22

(3)

294

36

(342)

(15)

17

—

(11)

(5)

16

—

(4)

—

28

—

23

(4)

26

22

9

294

—

—

(11)

17

606

—

—

16

(42)

—

(38)

(2)

(3)

9

—

4

—

55

—

92

(94)

—

—

149

5

4

—

42

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

43

—

—

—

—

(79)

38

(43)

3

2

(2)

69

16

5

—

(79)

—

(45)

—

11

(2)

73

16

60

(175)

(175)

(93)

94

174

(9)

—

(5)

(4)

9

—

—

174

(9)

192

—

—

9

61

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

$

152 $

353 $

— $ 505 $

18 $

43 $

— $

Interest income previously classified in other income (expense), net is now presented in a new line item. Depreciation 
expense  and  amortization  of  intangible  assets  previously  reported  separately,  are  now  presented  together  as 
depreciation and amortization of intangible assets. 

59

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that 
affect certain reported amounts and related disclosures. Significant estimates include: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses (accrued workers' compensation costs) related to workers' 
compensation and workers' compensation collateral receivable,

accrued health insurance costs,

liability for insurance premiums payable,

impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets,

income tax assets and liabilities, and 

liability for legal contingencies.

These estimates are based on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable 
from the facts available to us. Some of the assumptions are highly uncertain at the time of estimation. To the extent 
actual experience differs from the assumptions used, our consolidated financial statements could be materially affected.

Revenue Recognition 

On January 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 (ASC Topic 606) using the modified 
retrospective method applied to those contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. Results for reporting 
periods beginning after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC Topic 606, while the comparative prior period amounts 
are not restated and continue to be reported in accordance with statements previously accounted for under Accounting 
Standards Codification Topic 605.

Upon adoption of ASC Topic 606, we recorded a $2 million cumulative effect adjustment to opening retained earnings 
as of January 1, 2018. Impacts from adoption of the new standard on our revenue recognition include: 

•  Our annual service contracts with our clients that are cancellable with 30 days' notice are initially considered 30-

day contracts under the new standard;

•  Professional service revenues are recognized on an output basis which results in recognition at the time payroll 

is processed; 

•  Our non-refundable set up fees are no longer deferred but accounted for as part of our transaction price and are 

allocated among professional service revenues and insurance services revenues; and

•  The majority of sales commissions related to onboarding new clients that were previously expensed are capitalized 

as contract assets and amortized over the estimated client life.

Revenues are recognized when control of the promised services are transferred to our clients, in an amount that reflects 
the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for services. We generate all of our revenue from contracts 
with  clients.  We  disaggregate  revenues  into  professional  services  revenues  and  insurance  services  revenues  as 
reported on the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Generally, both the client and the 
Company may terminate the contract without penalty by providing a 30-day notice. 

Performance Obligations

At contract inception, we assess the services promised in our contracts with clients and identify a performance obligation 
for each distinct promise to transfer to the client a service or bundle of services. We determined that the following 
distinct services represent separate performance obligations:

•  Payroll and payroll tax processing,

•  Health benefits services, and 

•  Workers’ compensation services.

60

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Payroll and payroll tax processing performance obligations include services to process payroll and payroll tax-related 
transactions on behalf of our clients. Revenues associated with this performance obligation are reported as professional 
service revenues and recognized using an output method in which the control of the promised services is considered 
transferred when a client's payroll is processed by us and WSEs are paid. Professional service revenues are stated 
net of the gross payroll and payroll tax amounts funded by our clients. Although we assume the responsibilities to 
process and remit the payroll and payroll related obligations, we do not assume employment-related responsibilities 
such as determining the amount of the payroll and related payroll obligations. As a result, we are the agent in this 
arrangement for revenue recognition purposes.

Health  benefits  and  workers'  compensation  services  include  performance  obligations  to  provide TriNet-sponsored 
health  benefits  and  workers'  compensation  insurance  coverage  through  insurance  policies  provided  by  third-party 
insurance carriers and settle high deductible amounts on those policies. Revenues associated with these performance 
obligations are reported as insurance services revenues and are recognized using the output method over the period 
of time that the client and WSEs are covered under TriNet-sponsored insurance policies. 

We control the selection of health benefits and workers' compensation coverage made available. As a result, we are 
the principal in this arrangement for revenue recognition purposes and insurance services revenues are reported gross.

We generally charge new customers a nominal upfront non-refundable fee to recover our costs to set them up on our 
TriNet platform for payroll processing and other administrative services, such as benefit enrollments. These fees are 
accounted for as part of our transaction price and are allocated among the performance obligations based on their 
relative standalone selling prices. 

Variable Consideration and Pricing Allocation

Our contracts with customers generally do not include any variable consideration. However, from time to time, we may 
offer incentive credits to our clients considered to be variable consideration including incentive credits issued related 
to contract renewals. Incentive credits are recorded as a reduction to revenue as part of the transaction price at contract 
inception when there is a basis to reasonably estimate the amount of the incentive credit and we reduce the full amount 
of the credit only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of any incremental revenue will not occur. 
These incentive credits are allocated among the performance obligations based on their relative standalone selling 
prices.

We allocate the total transaction price to each performance obligation based on the estimated relative standalone 
selling prices of the promised services underlying each performance obligation. The transaction price for the payroll 
and payroll tax processing performance obligations is determined upon establishment of the contract that contains the 
final terms of the arrangement, including the description and price of each service purchased. The estimated service 
fee is calculated based on observable inputs and include the following key assumptions: target profit margin, pricing 
strategies including the mix of services purchased and competitive factors, and client and industry specifics.

The transaction price for health benefits insurance and worker’s compensation insurance performance obligations is 
determined during the new client on-boarding and enrollment processes based on the types of benefits coverage the 
clients and WSEs have elected and the applicable risk profile of the client. We estimate our service fees based on 
actuarial forecasts of our expected insurance premiums and claim costs, and amounts to cover our costs to administer 
these programs.

We require our clients to prefund payroll and related taxes and other withholding liabilities before payroll is processed 
or due for payment. Under the provision of our contracts with clients, we generally will process the payment of a client’s 
payroll only when the client successfully funds the amount required. As a result, there is no financing arrangement for 
the contracts, however, certain contracts to provide payroll and payroll tax processing services permit the client to pay 
certain payroll tax components ratably over a 12-month period rather than as payroll tax is determined on wages paid, 
which may be considered a significant financing arrangement under ASC Topic 606. However, as the period between 
our performing the service under the contract and when the client pays for the service is less than one year, we have 
elected, as a practical expedient, not to adjust the transaction price.

61

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Contract Costs

We  recognize  as  deferred  commission  expense  the  incremental  cost  to  obtain  a  contract  with  a  client  for  certain 
components under our commission plans for sales representatives and channel partners that are directly related to 
new  customers  onboarded  as  we  expect  to  recover  these  costs  through  future  service  fees.  Such  assets  will  be 
amortized  over  the  estimated  average  client  tenure. These  commissions  are  earned  on  the  basis  of  the  revenue 
generated from payroll and payroll tax processing performance obligations. When the commission on a renewal contract 
is not commensurate with the commission on the initial contract, such incremental commission will be capitalized and 
amortized over the estimated average client tenure. If the commission for both initial contract and renewal contracts 
are commensurate, such commissions are expensed in the contract period. When the amortization period is less than 
one year, we apply practical expedient to expense sales commissions in sales and marketing expenses in the period 
incurred. The below table summarizes the amounts capitalized and amortized during the year ended December 31, 
2018:

(in millions)

Deferred commission costs

Year Ended December 31,
2018

Capitalized

Amortized

$

33 $

2

Certain commission plans will pay a commission on estimated professional service revenues over the first 12 months 
of the contract with clients. The portion of commission paid in excess of the actual commission earned in that period 
is recorded as prepaid commission. When the prepaid commission is considered earned, it is classified as a deferred 
commission expense and subject to amortization. We do not have material contract liabilities as of December 31, 2018. 

Insurance Costs 

Our fully insured insurance plans are provided by third-party insurance carriers under risk-based or guaranteed-cost 
insurance policies. Under risk-based policies, we agree to reimburse our carriers for any claims paid within an agreed-
upon per-person deductible layer up to a maximum aggregate exposure limit per policy. These deductible dollar limits 
and maximum limits vary by carrier and year. Under guaranteed-cost policies, our carriers establish the premiums and 
we are not responsible for any deductible.

Insurance costs include insurance premiums for coverage provided by insurance carriers, reimbursement of claims 
payments made by insurance carriers or third-party administrators, and changes in accrued costs related to our workers' 
compensation and health benefit insurance. 

At policy inception, annual workers' compensation premiums are estimated by the insurance carriers based on projected 
wages over the duration of the policy period and the risk categories of the WSEs. As actual wages are realized, premium 
expense recorded may differ from estimated premium expense, creating an asset or liability throughout the policy year. 
Such asset or liability is reported on our consolidated balance sheets as prepaid expenses or insurance premiums 
and other payables, respectively.

Accrued Workers' Compensation Costs

We have secured fully insured workers' compensation insurance policies with insurance carriers to administer and pay 
claims for our clients and WSEs. We are responsible for reimbursing the insurance carriers for losses up to $1 million
per claim occurrence (deductible layer). Insurance carriers are responsible for administering and paying claims. We 
are responsible for reimbursing each carrier up to a deductible limit per occurrence. Accrued workers' compensation 
costs represent our liability for unpaid losses and loss adjustment expenses. These accrued costs are established to 
provide  for  the  estimated  ultimate  costs  of  paying  claims  within  the  deductible  layer  in  accordance  with  worker's 
compensation insurance policies. These accrued costs include estimates for reported and incurred but not reported 
(IBNR) losses, accrued costs on reported claims, and expenses associated with processing and settling the claims. 
In establishing these accrued costs, we use an independent actuary to provide an estimate of undiscounted future 
cash payments that would be made to settle the claims based upon:

•  TriNet's historical loss experience, exposure data, and industry loss experience,

• 

• 

inputs including WSE job responsibilities and location,

historical frequency and severity of workers' compensation claims,

62

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

• 

• 

an estimate of future cost trends to establish expected loss ratios for subsequent accident years, 

expected loss ratios for the latest accident year or prior accident years, adjusted for the loss trend, the effect of 
rate changes and other quantifiable factors, and 

• 

loss development factors to project the reported losses for each accident year to an ultimate basis. 

We assess the accrued workers' compensation costs on a quarterly basis. For each reporting period, changes in the 
actuarial  methods  and  assumptions  resulting  from  changes  in  actual  claims  experience  and  other  trends  are 
incorporated  into  the  accrued  workers'  compensation  costs. Adjustments  to  previously  established  accrued  costs 
estimate are reflected in the results of operations for the period in which the adjustment is identified. Such adjustments 
could be significant, reflecting any variety of new adverse or favorable trends. Accordingly, final claim settlements may 
vary materially from the present estimates, particularly when those payments may not occur until well into the future. 
In our experience, plan years related to workers' compensation programs may take ten years or more to be settled.

We do not discount accrued workers' compensation costs. Claim costs expected to be paid within one year are recorded 
as accrued workers' compensation costs. Claim costs expected to be paid beyond one year are included in accrued 
workers' compensation costs, less current portion. 

We have collateral agreements with various insurance carriers where either we retain custody of funds in trust accounts 
which we record as restricted cash and cash equivalents, or remit funds to carriers. Collateral whether held by us, or 
the  carriers,  is  used  to  settle  our  insurance  and  claim  deductible  obligations  to  them.  Collateral  requirements  are 
established at the policy year and are re-assessed by each carrier annually. Based on the results of each assessment, 
additional collateral may be required for or paid to the carrier or collateral funds may be released or returned to the 
Company. Collateral paid to carriers, by agreement permits net settlement of obligations against collateral held, which 
we record net of our accrued costs (Carrier Collateral Offset). We offset Carrier Collateral Offset against our obligation 
due within the next 12 months before applying against long term obligations. Collateral balances in excess of accrued 
costs are recorded as accounts receivable or in other assets.

Accrued Health Insurance Costs 

We  sponsor  and  administer  a  number  of  fully  insured,  risk-based  employee  benefit  plans,  including  group  health, 
dental, and vision as an employer plan sponsor under section 3(5) of the ERISA. In 2018, a majority of our group health 
insurance costs related to risk-based plans. Our remaining group health insurance costs were for guaranteed-cost 
policies. 

Accrued health insurance costs are established to provide for the estimated unpaid costs of reimbursing the carriers 
for paying claims within the deductible layer in accordance with risk-based health insurance policies. These accrued 
costs include estimates for reported losses, plus estimates for claims incurred but not paid. We assess accrued health 
insurance costs regularly based upon independent actuarial studies that include other relevant factors such as current 
and historical claims payment patterns, plan enrollment and medical trend rates. 

In certain carrier contracts we are required to prepay the expected claims activity for the subsequent period. These 
prepaid balances by agreement permit net settlement of obligations and offset the accrued health insurance costs or 
when the prepaid is in excess of our recorded liability the net asset position is included in prepaid expenses. As of 
December 31, 2018 and 2017, prepayments included in accrued health insurance costs were $33 million and $19 
million, respectively.

Under certain policies, based on plan performance, we may be entitled to receive refunds of premiums which we 
recognize in accordance with the policy terms. We estimate these refunds based on premium and claims data and 
record as a reduction in the insurance costs on the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income 
and prepaid expenses on the consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2018, there were no prepaid insurance 
premiums. As of December 31, 2017, there was $11 million included within prepaid expenses as prepaid insurance 
premiums. 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include bank deposits and short-term, highly liquid investments. Investments with original 
maturity dates of three months or less are considered cash equivalents.

63

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Restricted Cash, Cash Equivalents and Investments

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments presented on our consolidated balance sheets include:

• 

• 

• 

cash and cash equivalents in trust accounts functioning as security deposits for our insurance carriers, 

payroll funds collected representing cash collected in advance from clients which we designate as restricted for 
the purpose of funding WSE payroll and payroll taxes and other payroll related liabilities, and

amounts  held  in  trust  for  current  and  future  premium  and  claim  obligations  with  our  insurance  carriers,  which 
amounts are held in trust according to the terms of the relevant insurance policies and by the local insurance 
regulations of the jurisdictions in which the policies are in force.

Investments 

Our investments are primarily classified as available-for-sale and are carried at estimated fair value. 

Unrealized gains and losses are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of deferred 
income  taxes.  The  amortized  cost  of  debt  investments  is  adjusted  for  amortization  of  premiums  and  accretion  of 
discounts from the date of purchase to the earliest call date for premiums or the maturity date for discounts. Such 
amortization  is  included  in  interest  income  as  an  addition  to  or  deduction  from  the  coupon  interest  earned  on  the 
investments.  We  use  the  specific  identification  method  to  determine  the  realized  gains  and  losses  on  the  sale  of 
available-for-sale  securities.  Realized  gains  and  losses  are  included  in  interest  income  in  the  accompanying 
consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

We assess our investments for an other-than-temporary impairment loss due to a decline in fair value or other market 
conditions. We review several factors to determine whether a loss is other than temporary, such as the length and 
extent of the fair value decline, the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer and whether we have the 
intent to sell or will more likely than not be required to sell before the securities' anticipated recovery, which may be at 
maturity. If management determines that a security is impaired under these circumstances, the impairment recognized 
in earnings is measured as the entire difference between the amortized cost and the then-current fair value.

We have investments within our unrestricted and our restricted accounts. Unrestricted investments are recorded on 
the balance sheet as current or noncurrent based upon the remaining time to maturity, and investments subject to 
restrictions are classified as current or noncurrent based on the expected payout of the related liability.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability 
in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair value is a market-based 
measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset 
or a liability.

Our financial assets recorded at fair value on a recurring basis are comprised of cash equivalents, available-for-sale 
marketable securities and certificates of deposits. We measure certain financial assets at fair value for disclosure 
purposes, as well as on a nonrecurring basis when they are deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired. Our other 
current financial assets and liabilities have fair values that approximate their carrying value due to their short-term 
nature.

Assets  and  liabilities  recorded  at  fair  value  are  measured  and  classified  in  accordance  with  a  three-tier  fair  value 
hierarchy based on the observability of the inputs available in the market to measure fair value, summarized as follows:

• 

• 

• 

Level 1—observable inputs for identical assets or liabilities, such as quoted prices in active markets,

Level 2—inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly,

Level 3—unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires that we develop our own 
assumptions.

The fair value hierarchy requires us to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable 
inputs when measuring fair value. We classify our cash equivalents, debt securities and debt payable in the fair value 
hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

64

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Unbilled Revenue

We recognize WSE payroll and payroll tax liabilities in the period in which the WSEs perform work. When clients' pay 
periods  cross  reporting  periods,  we  accrue  the  portion  of  the  unpaid  WSE  payroll  where  we  assume,  under  state 
regulations, the obligation for the payment of wages and the corresponding payroll tax liabilities associated with the 
work performed prior to period-end. These estimated payroll and payroll tax liabilities are recorded in accrued wages. 
The associated receivables, including estimated revenues, offset by advance collections from clients, are recorded as 
unbilled revenue. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, advance collections included in unbilled revenue were $23 
million and $12 million respectively.

Accounts Receivable 

Our accounts receivable represents outstanding gross billings to clients, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. 
We require our clients to prefund payroll and related liabilities before payroll is processed or due for payment. If a client 
fails to fund payroll or misses the funding cut-off, at our sole discretion, we may pay the payroll and the resulting 
unfunded payroll is recognized as accounts receivable. When client payment is received in advance of our performance 
under the contract, such amount is recorded as client deposits. We establish an allowance for doubtful accounts based 
on  historical  experience,  the  age  of  the  accounts  receivable  balances,  credit  quality  of  clients,  current  economic 
conditions and other factors that may affect clients’ ability to pay, and charge-off amounts when they are deemed 
uncollectible. 

Property and Equipment 

We record property and equipment at historical cost and compute depreciation using the straight-line method over the 
estimated useful lives of the assets or the lease terms, generally three to five years for software and office equipment, 
five to seven years for furniture and fixtures, and the shorter of the asset life or the remaining lease term for leasehold 
improvements. We expense the cost of maintenance and repairs as incurred and capitalize leasehold improvements. 

We capitalize internal and external costs incurred to develop internal-use computer software during the application 
development stage. Application development stage costs include license fee paid to third-parties for software use, 
software  configuration,  coding,  and  installation.  Capitalized  costs  are  amortized  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the 
estimated useful life, typically ranging from three to five years, commencing when the software is placed into service. 
We expense costs incurred during the preliminary project stage, as well as general and administrative, overhead, 
maintenance  and  training  costs,  and  costs  that  do  not  add  functionality  to  existing  systems.  For  the  years  ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, internally developed software costs capitalized were $33 million, $29 million and 
$21 million respectively.

We periodically assess the likelihood of unsuccessful completion of projects in progress, as well as monitor events or 
changes in circumstances, which might suggest that impairment has occurred and recoverability should be evaluated. 
An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of the asset is not recoverable and exceeds the future net 
cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. 

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 

Our goodwill and identifiable intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but are tested for impairment 
on an annual basis or when an event occurs or circumstances change in a way to indicate that there has been a 
potential decline in the fair value of the reporting unit. Goodwill impairment is determined by comparing the estimated 
fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount, including goodwill. All goodwill is associated with one reporting 
unit within our one reportable segment. 

Annually, we perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the 
reporting unit has declined below carrying value. This assessment considers various financial, macroeconomic, industry, 
and reporting unit specific qualitative factors. We perform our annual impairment testing in the fourth quarter. Based 
on the results of our reviews, no impairment loss was recognized in the results of operations for the years ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

65

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their respective estimated useful lives ranging from two to 
ten years using either the straight-line method or an accelerated method. Intangible assets are reviewed for indicators 
of impairment at least annually and evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate 
that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Based on the results of our reviews, no impairment loss 
was recognized in the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 

We  evaluate  our  long-lived  assets  for  impairment  whenever  events  or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  the 
carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An asset is considered impaired if the carrying amount exceeds 
the undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. An impairment charge is recognized for the 
amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the 
lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less selling costs. 

Advertising Costs 

We expense the costs of producing advertisements at the time production occurs, and expense the cost of running 
advertisements  in  the  period  in  which  the  advertising  space  or  airtime  is  used  as  sales  and  marketing  expense. 
Advertising costs were $17 million, $8 million, and $6 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, 
respectively. 

Stock-Based Compensation 

Our stock-based awards to employees include time-based and performance-based restricted stock units and restricted 
stock awards, stock options and an employee stock purchase plan. Compensation expense associated with restricted 
stock units and restricted stock awards is based on the fair value of common stock on the date of grant. Compensation 
expense associated with stock options and employee stock purchase plan are based on the estimated grant date fair 
value method using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Expense is recognized using a straight-line amortization 
method over the respective vesting period for awards that are ultimately expected to vest, with adjustments to expense 
recognized in the period in which forfeitures occur.  

Income Taxes 

We account for our provision for income taxes using the asset and liability method, under which we recognize income 
taxes payable or refundable for current year and deferred tax assets and liabilities for future tax effect of events that 
have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. We measure our current and deferred tax assets and 
liabilities based on provision of enacted tax laws of those jurisdictions in which we operate. The effect of changes in 
tax laws and regulations, or interpretations, is recognized in our consolidated financial statements in the period that 
includes the enactment date.

We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities based on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and amounts used for income tax purposes, as well as the expected 
benefits of using net operating loss and other carryforwards. We are required to establish a valuation allowance when 
it is determined more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Provision for income taxes may 
change when estimates used in determining valuation allowances change or when receipt of new information indicates 
the need for adjustment in valuation allowances. Changes in valuation allowances are reflected as a component of 
provision for income taxes in the period the change is enacted.

We recognize a reserve for uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return when it is concluded 
that tax positions are not more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities, including resolution 
of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the positions. Assumptions, judgment 
and the use of estimates are required in determining if the more likely than not standard has been met when developing 
the provision for income taxes and in determining the expected benefit. The tax benefits of the position recognized in 
the financial statements are then measured based on the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely to 
be realized upon settlement with a taxing authority. Unrecognized tax benefits due to tax uncertainties that do not meet 
the minimum probability threshold are included as other liabilities and are charged to earnings in the period that such 
determination is made. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as a component of income 
tax expense. Accrued interest and penalties are included in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. 

66

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Concentrations of Credit Risk 

Financial  instruments  subject  to  concentrations  of  credit  risk  include  cash,  cash  equivalents  and  investments 
(unrestricted and restricted), accounts receivable, and amounts due from insurance carriers. We maintain these financial 
assets principally in domestic financial institutions. We perform periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of 
these institutions. Our exposure to credit risk in the event of default by the financial institutions holding these funds is 
limited to amounts currently held by the institution in excess of insured amounts. 

Under the terms of professional services agreements, clients agree to maintain sufficient funds or other satisfactory 
credit at all times to cover the cost of their current payroll, all accrued paid time off, vacation or sick leave balances, 
and other vested wage and benefit obligations for all their work site employees. We generally require payment from 
our clients on or before the applicable payroll date. 

For certain clients, we require an indemnity guarantee payment (IGP) supported by a letter of credit, bond, or a certificate 
of deposit from certain financial institutions. The IGP typically equals the total payroll and service fee for one average 
payroll period. 

As of December 31, 2018, no client accounted for over 10% of total accounts receivable. One client accounted for 
more than 47% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017. No client accounted for more than 10% of total 
revenues in the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Bad debt expense, net of recoveries was $1 million, 
for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016. 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently adopted accounting guidance

Revenue Recognition - In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09-Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which  
replaces most existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity 
should recognize revenue for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers that reflects the consideration 
to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard provides a five-step 
analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized.

We have adopted the new standard effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method. For further 
discussion of our adoption of ASC Topic 606, including our operating results under the new standard, see Revenue 
Recognition section above.

67

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The impact from the adoption of ASC Topic 606 to our consolidated income statements and balance sheets is as 
follows:

(in millions)

Balance sheet

Assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments, current

Unbilled revenue, net

Prepaid expenses

Other current assets

Other assets

Liabilities

Accounts payable and other current liabilities

Deferred taxes

Other non-current liabilities

Equity

Accumulated deficit

(in millions, except per share data)

Income statement

Revenue

Professional service revenues

Total revenues

Expense

Sales and marketing expense

Commissions expense

Total expense

Income before provision for income taxes

Income tax expense

Net income

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

December 31, 2018

As reported

Balance Using
Previous Standard

Increase
(Decrease)

228 $

235 $

942

304

48

59

78

45 $

68

18

935

311

44

49

67

48 $

67 $

22 $

(7)

7

(7)

4

10

11

3

(1)

4

(266) $

(290) $

(24)

Year Ended December 31, 2018

As Reported

Balance Using
Previous Standard

Increase
(Decrease)

487 $

3,503

485 $

3,501

22

3,252

241

49

192 $

2.72 $

2.65 $

53

3,283

208

40

168 $

2.40 $

2.34 $

2

2

(31)

(31)

33

9

24

0.32

0.31

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

Statement of Cash Flows - In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 
230): Restricted Cash. ASU 2016-18 addresses diversity in practice from entities classifying and presenting transfers 
between cash and restricted cash as operating, investing or financing activities or as a combination of those activities 
in the statement of cash flows. The ASU requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, 
restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. As a result, transfers between such 
categories are no longer be presented in the statement of cash flows. We adopted ASU 2016-18 on January 1, 2018 
using the retrospective method. See the effects of this adoption under the Impact of Reclassifications and Recently 
Adopted Accounting Guidance section above. 

68

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Recent issued accounting pronouncements

Lease  arrangements  -  In  February  2016,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2016-02-Leases  (Topic  842)  and  subsequent 
amendments to the initial guidance (collectively, ASC Topic 842) to supersede existing guidance on accounting for 
leases in ASC 840, Leases (ASC 840). ASC Topic 842 requires us to recognize on our balance sheet a lease liability 
representing the present value of future lease payments and a right-of-use asset representing our right to use, or 
control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term for any operating lease with a term greater than one year. This 
standard is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Our leases primarily 
consist of leases for office space. We have an immaterial amount of capitalized leases.

We will adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2019 using the optional transition method, under which we will 
recognize the cumulative effects of initially applying the standard as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained 
earnings on January 1, 2019 with unchanged comparative periods. 

Additionally, we will elect the practical expedient approach and will not reassess whether any contracts that existed 
prior to adoption have or contain leases or the classification of our existing leases. We will continue to classify initial 
indirect costs of existing leases as part of our existing leases and not separate any non-lease components.  

On the date of adoption, the consolidated balance sheet will be adjusted by the following amounts:

(in millions)
Recognizing right-of-use asset

Long-term right-of-use assets

Recognizing lease liability and derecognizing deferred rent

Accounts payable and other current liabilities
Other non-current liabilities

Increase Under New
Guidance

$

$

53

16

37

The impact on the consolidated statements of income is expected to be immaterial.

In addition, ASC Topic 842 requires significant new disclosures, including significant judgments regarding our leasing 
activities. We have completed our implementation, including a review of the processes and controls to ensure we meet 
the reporting and disclosure requirements.

NOTE 2. CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND INVESTMENTS

Under the terms of the agreements with certain of our workers' compensation and health benefit insurance carriers, 
we are required to maintain collateral in trust accounts for the benefit of specified insurance carriers and to reimburse 
the carriers’ claim payments within our deductible layer. We invest a portion of the collateral amounts in marketable 
securities. We report the current and noncurrent portions of these trust accounts as restricted cash, cash equivalents 
and investments on the consolidated balance sheets.

We  require  our  clients  to  prefund  their  payroll  and  related  taxes  and  other  withholding  liabilities  before  payroll  is 
processed or due for payment. This prefund is included in restricted cash, cash equivalents and investments as payroll 
funds collected, which is designated to pay pending payrolls, payroll tax liabilities and other payroll withholdings.

We  also  invest  available  corporate  funds,  primarily  in  fixed  income  securities  which  meet  the  requirements  of  our 
corporate investment policy and are classified as available for sale (AFS).

69

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our total cash, cash equivalents and investments are summarized in the table below:

(in millions)

December 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

Cash and
cash
equivalents

Available-
for-sale
marketable
securities

Certificate
of 
deposits

Cash and
cash
equivalents

Available-
for-sale
marketable
securities

Certificate
of 
deposits

Total

Total

— $

54

— $

—

228 $

336 $

54

—

— $

—

— $

—

336

—

Cash and cash equivalents

$

228 $

Investments

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and
investments

Insurance carriers security deposits

Payroll funds collected

Collateral for health benefits claims

Collateral for workers' compensation claims

Collateral to secure standby letter of credit

Total restricted cash, cash equivalents and

investments, current

Investments, noncurrent

Restricted cash, cash equivalents and
investments, noncurrent

—

15

783

75

66

—

939

—

—

—

—

1

—

1

135

—

—

—

—

2

2

—

—

15

783

75

67

2

942

135

15

1,095

69

98

—

1,277

—

187

125

—

—

—

1

—

1

—

37

38 $

—

—

—

—

2

2

—

—

15

1,095

69

99

2

1,280

—

162

2 $

1,778

Collateral for workers' compensation claims

182

5

Total

$

1,349 $

195 $

2 $

1,546 $

1,738 $

NOTE 3. INVESTMENTS

All of our investment securities that have a contractual maturity date greater than three months are classified as AFS. 
The  amortized  cost,  gross  unrealized  gains,  gross  unrealized  losses,  and  fair  values  of  our  investments  as  of 
December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 are presented below:

(in millions)

Asset-backed securities

Corporate bonds

U.S. government agencies and government-sponsored agencies

U.S. treasuries

Exchange traded fund

Other debt securities

Total

(in millions)

U.S. treasuries

Exchange traded fund

Total

December 31, 2018

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

Amortized
Cost

Fair Value

$

33 $

— $

— $

99

7

46

1

9

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

33

99

7

46

1

9

$

195 $

— $

— $

195

December 31, 2017

Gross
Unrealized
Gains

Gross
Unrealized
Losses

Amortized
Cost

Fair Value

$

$

37 $

1

38 $

— $

—

— $

— $

—

— $

37

1

38

70

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Investments in a continuous unrealized loss position as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 are presented 
below.

Less than 12 months

12 months or more

Total

December 31, 2018

(in millions)

Asset-backed securities

Corporate bonds

U.S. government agencies and government-
sponsored agencies

U.S. treasuries

Other debt securities

Total

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

$

25 $

— $

— $

— $

25 $

84

4

21

7

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

84

4

21

7

$

141 $

— $

— $

— $

141 $

—

—

—

—

—

—

(in millions)

U.S. treasuries

Total

Less than 12 months

12 months or more

Total

December 31, 2017

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

Fair Value

Unrealized
Losses

$

$

5 $

5 $

— $

— $

24 $

24 $

— $

— $

29 $

29 $

—

—

Unrealized  losses  on  fixed  income  securities  are  principally  caused  by  changes  in  interest  rates  and  the  financial 
condition of the issuer. In analyzing an issuer's financial condition, we consider whether the securities are issued by 
the federal government or its agencies, whether downgrades by credit rating agencies have occurred, and industry 
analysts' reports. As we have the ability to hold these investments until maturity, or for the foreseeable future, no decline 
was deemed to be other-than-temporary. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because borrowers 
may have the right to prepay obligations with or without prepayment penalties. 

The fair value of debt investments by contractual maturity are shown below: 

(in millions)

Asset-backed securities

Corporate bonds

U.S. government agencies and government-
sponsored agencies

U.S. treasuries

Other debt securities

Total

(in millions)

U.S. treasuries

Total

December 31, 2018

One year or
less

Over One
Year
Through
Five Years

Over Five
Years
Through
Ten Years

Over Ten
Years

Fair Value

$

4 $

26 $

3 $

— $

42

1

12

—

57

2

34

1

—

—

—

—

—

4

—

8

33

99

7

46

9

$

59 $

120 $

3 $

12 $

194

December 31, 2017

One year or
less

Over One
Year
Through
Five Years

Over Five
Years
Through
Ten Years

Over Ten
Years

Fair Value

$

$

— $

— $

37 $

37 $

— $

— $

— $

— $

37

37

71

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The gross proceeds from sales and maturities of AFS securities for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016 are shown below. We had immaterial gross realized gains and losses from sales of investments for the years 
ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016.

(in millions)

Gross proceeds from sales

Gross proceeds from maturities

Total

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

$

54 $

47

101 $

— $

14

14 $

—

28

28

Our asset-backed securities include auto loan/lease, credit card, and equipment leases with investment-grade ratings.

Our corporate bonds include investment-grade debt securities from a wide variety of issuers, industries, and sectors.

Our  U.S.  government  agencies  and  government-sponsored  agency  securities  primarily  include  mortgage-backed 
securities  consisting  of  Federal  Home  Loan  Mortgage  Corporation  and  Federal  National  Mortgage  Association 
securities with investment-grade ratings.

Our  other  debt  securities  primarily  include  mortgage-backed  securities  with  investment-grade  ratings  issued  by 
institutions without federal backing.

NOTE 4. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property and equipment, net, consists of the following:

(in millions)

Software

Office equipment, including data processing equipment

Leasehold improvements

Furniture, fixtures, and equipment

Projects in progress

Total

Less: Accumulated depreciation

Property and equipment, net

December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017

$

$

144 $

27

21

15

2

209

(130)

79 $

114

23

15

15

7

174

(104)

70

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $35 million, $28 million and $19 
million, respectively. Projects in progress consist primarily of development costs for internally developed software, 
which we capitalize and amortize on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life. We recognized depreciation 
expense for capitalized internally developed software of $24 million, $17 million, and $10 million for the years ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

72

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 5. GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS 

The following summarizes goodwill and other intangible assets: 

(in millions)

Goodwill

Amortizable intangibles:

Customer contracts

Developed technology

Total

December 31, 2018

December 31, 2017

Weighted
Average
Amortization
Period

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization

Net
Carrying 
Amount

Gross
Carrying
Amount

Accumulated
Amortization

Net
Carrying
Amount

$

289 $

— $

289 $

289 $

— $

289

10 years

5 years

90

5

(71)

(3)

19

2

210

6

(187)

(3)

$

95 $

(74) $

21 $

216 $

(190) $

23

3

26

Amortization of intangible assets during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $5 million, $5 million 
and $16 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, we had $120 million of fully amortized customer contracts and 
$1 million of fully amortized developed technology. We evaluate the remaining useful life of intangible assets annually 
to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the estimated remaining useful life. 

Expense related to intangibles amortization in future periods as of December 31, 2018 is expected to be as follows:

Year ending December 31:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Total

Amount
(in millions)

5

5

4

4

3

21

$

$

NOTE 6. ACCRUED WORKERS' COMPENSATION COSTS 

The following table summarizes the accrued workers’ compensation cost activity for the years ended December 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016:

(in millions)

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

Total accrued costs, beginning of year

$

255 $

255 $

Incurred

Current year

Prior years

Total incurred

Paid

Current year

Prior years

Total paid

80

(28)

52

(12)

(57)

(69)

98

(6)

92

(14)

(78)

(92)

Total accrued costs, end of year

$

238 $

255 $

The following table summarizes workers' compensation liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets:

73

190

113

28

141

(14)

(62)

(76)

255

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in millions)

Total accrued costs, end of year

Collateral paid to carriers and offset against accrued costs

Total accrued costs, net of carrier collateral offset

Payable in less than 1 year

(net of collateral paid to carriers of $3 and $6 as of December 31, 2018 
and 2017, respectively)

Payable in more than 1 year 

(net of collateral paid to carriers of $10 and $17 as of December 31, 
2018 and 2017, respectively)

Total accrued costs, net of carrier collateral offset

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

$

$

$

238 $

(13)

225 $

67

158

225 $

255

(23)

232

67

165

232

Incurred claims related to prior years represent changes in estimates for ultimate losses on workers' compensation 
claims. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the favorable development was primarily due to lower than expected 
severity development on claims that had previously been reported, as well as a lower than expected reported claim 
frequency during 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the favorable development was primarily due to lower 
than expected severity of reported claims associated with office worker WSEs in recent accident years. For the year 
ended December 31, 2016, the adverse development was primarily due to higher than expected severity of reported 
claims associated with non-office WSEs in recent accident years.

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, we had $57 million and $63 million, respectively, of collateral held by insurance 
carriers of which $13 million and $23 million was offset against accrued workers' compensation costs as the agreements 
permit and are net settled of insurance obligations against collateral held.

NOTE 7. LONG-TERM DEBT

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, long-term debt consisted of the following:

(in millions)

Term Loan A

Term Loan A-2

2018 Term Loan A

Total term loans

Deferred loan costs

Less: current portion

Annual
Contractual
Interest Rate
3.95% (1)
3.83% (2)
4.15% (3)

Effective
Interest Rate

Maturity
Date

4.07%

3.90%

July 2019

July 2019

4.25%

June 2023

December 31,
2018

December 31,
2017

$

— $

—

414

414

(1)

(22)

303

122

—

425

(2)

(40)

383

Long-term debt, noncurrent

$

391 $

(1)  Bears interest at LIBOR plus 2.25% or the prime rate plus 1.25% at our option, subject to certain rate adjustments based upon our total 

leverage ratio.

(2)  Bears interest at LIBOR plus 2.125% or the prime rate plus 1.125% at our option, subject to certain rate adjustments based upon our total 

leverage ratio.

(3)  Bears interest at LIBOR plus 1.625% or the prime rate plus 0.625% at our option in the first full fiscal quarter of the term loan, thereafter 
subject to certain rate adjustments based on our total leverage ratio. As of December 31, 2018, the interest rate was based on LIBOR plus 
1.625%.

In June 2018 we refinanced approximately $415 million of, and repaid in full, our outstanding A and A-2 term loans 
(together, our 2014 Term Loans) under our previous credit agreement (our 2014 Credit Agreement). Our 2014 Term 
Loans were replaced with a $425 million term loan A (our 2018 Term Loan) under our new credit agreement (our 2018 
Credit Agreement). We also replaced our previous $75 million revolving credit facility established under our 2014 Credit 
Agreement with a $250 million revolving credit facility under our 2018 Credit Agreement (our 2018 Revolver), which 
will be used solely for working capital and other general corporate purposes. As part of this approximately $415 million
refinancing transaction, $204 million was recorded as an extinguishment, and $211 million was rolled over into the 
2018 Term Loan and was treated as a debt modification. As of December 31, 2018, $414 million was outstanding under 

74

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

our 2018 Term Loan and the full amount of our 2018 Revolver, less approximately $16 million representing an undrawn 
letter of credit, was available.

We incurred approximately $4 million in fees and acquisition costs related to our June 2018 refinancing, of which we 
capitalized approximately $3 million allocated proportionally between our 2018 Term Loan and 2018 Revolver. As a 
result of this modification, we expensed approximately $2 million in new and existing fees.

Interest on our 2018 Term Loan is payable quarterly. We are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee on the daily 
unused amount of the commitments under our 2018 Revolver, as well as fronting fees and other customary fees for 
letters of credit issued under our 2018 Revolver, which is subject to adjustments based on our total leverage ratio.

Borrowings under our 2018 Term Loan and 2018 Revolver are secured by substantially all of our assets, other than 
excluded assets as defined in our 2018 Credit Agreement, which includes certain customary assets, assets held in 
trusts as collateral and WSE related assets.

We are permitted to make voluntary prepayments at any time without payment of a premium. We are required to make 
mandatory prepayments of term loans (without payment of a premium) with (i) net cash proceeds from issuances of 
debt (other than certain permitted debt), and (ii) net cash proceeds from certain non-ordinary course asset sales and 
casualty and condemnation proceeds (subject to reinvestment rights and other exceptions).

The remaining balance of our 2018 Term Loan will be repaid in quarterly installments in aggregate annual amounts as 
follows:

(in millions)

2019

Year ending December 31,
2021

2022

2020

2023

Thereafter

Term loan repayments

$

22 $

22 $

22 $

22 $

326 $

—

Our  2018  Credit Agreement  contains  customary  representations  and  warranties,  and  customary  affirmative  and 
negative covenants applicable to us, including, among other things, restrictions on indebtedness, liens, investments, 
mergers, dispositions, prepayment of indebtedness (other than our 2018 Term Loan and our 2018 Revolver), dividends, 
distributions and transactions with affiliates.

Our  2018  Credit Agreement  restricts  our  ability  to  make  certain  types  of  payments,  including  dividends  and  stock 
repurchases and other similar distributions, though such payments may generally be made as long as our total leverage 
ratio remains below 3.00 to 1.00 after the effect of these payments and there exists no default under the 2018 Credit 
Agreement.

The financial covenants under our 2018 Credit Agreement require us to maintain a minimum consolidated interest 
coverage ratio of at least 3.50 to 1.00 at each quarter end and a maximum total leverage ratio of 3.50 to 1.00. In the 
event of an acquisition the maximum ratio can be raised to 4.00 to 1.00 for four consecutive quarters. We were in 
compliance with these financial covenants under the credit facilities at December 31, 2018.

75

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Lease Commitments

We lease office facilities, including our headquarters and other facilities under non-cancelable operating leases. The 
schedule of minimum future rental payments under non-cancelable operating leases having initial terms in excess of 
one year at December 31, 2018, is as follows:

(in millions)

Year ending December 31:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Thereafter

Minimum lease payments

Operating Leases

$

$

18

17

11

9

8

25

88

The lease agreements generally provide for rental payments on a graduated basis and for options to renew, which 
could increase future minimum lease payments if exercised. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over 
the lease period and accrue for rent expense incurred but not paid. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 
2018, 2017 and 2016 was $20 million, $18 million and $17 million, respectively. 

Credit Facilities

We maintain a $250 million revolving credit facility which includes capacity for a $20 million swingline facility. Letters 
of credit issued pursuant to the revolving credit facility reduce the amount available for borrowing under the revolving 
credit facility. The total unused portion of the revolving credit facility was $234 million as of December 31, 2018.

The terms of the credit agreement governing the revolving credit facility require us to maintain certain financial ratios 
at each quarter end. We were in compliance with these covenants as of December 31, 2018.

We also have a $5 million line of credit facility to secure standby letters of credit related to our workers' compensation 
obligation. At December 31, 2018, the total unused portion of the credit facility was $3 million. 

Standby Letters of Credit

We  have  two  standby  letters  of  credit  up  to  an  aggregate  of  $18  million  provided  as  collateral  for  our  workers’ 
compensation obligations. At December 31, 2018, the facilities were not drawn down. 

Contingencies 

In August 2015, Howard Welgus, a purported stockholder, filed a putative securities class action lawsuit, Welgus v. 
TriNet Group, Inc., et. al., under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in the United States District Court for the Northern 
District of California. The complaint was later amended in April 2016 and again in March 2017. On December 18, 2017, 
the district court granted TriNet’s motion to dismiss the amended complaint in its entirety, without leave to amend. 
Plaintiff filed a notice of appeal of the district court’s order on January 17, 2018. Plaintiff-Appellant filed his opening 
appeal brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 27, 2018. TriNet filed a responsive brief on June 28, 
2018. Plaintiff-Appellant filed his reply brief on August 20, 2018. The Ninth Circuit has scheduled a hearing date for 
March 14, 2019. We see no basis for a reversal of the district court’s decision. We are unable to reasonably estimate 
the possible loss or expense, or range of losses and expenses, if any, arising from this litigation.

We are and, from time to time, have been and may in the future become involved in various litigation matters, legal 
proceedings, and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business, including disputes with our clients or various 
class  action,  collective  action,  representative  action,  and  other  proceedings  arising  from  the  nature  of  our  co-
employment relationship with our clients and WSEs in which we are named as a defendant. In addition, due to the 
nature of our co-employment relationship with our clients and WSEs, we could be subject to liability for federal and 

76

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

state law violations, even if we do not participate in such violations. While our agreements with our clients contain 
indemnification provisions related to the conduct of our clients, we may not be able to avail ourselves of such provisions 
in every instance. We have accrued our current best estimates of probable losses with respect to these matters, which 
are individually and in aggregate immaterial to our consolidated financial statements. 

While the outcome of the matters described above cannot be predicted with certainty, management currently does not 
believe that any such claims or proceedings or the above mentioned securities class action will have a materially 
adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. However, the unfavorable 
resolution of any particular matter or our reassessment of our exposure for any of the above matters based on additional 
information  obtained  in  the  future  could  have  a  material  impact  on  our  consolidated  financial  position,  results  of 
operations, or cash flows.

NOTE 9. STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Equity-Based Incentive Plans

Our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2009 Plan) provides for the grant of stock awards, including stock options, RSUs, 
RSAs, and other stock awards. Shares available for grant as of December 31, 2018 were 12 million. 

Stock Options

Stock options are granted to employees under the 2009 Plan at exercise prices equal to the fair market value of our 
common stock on the dates of grant. Options generally have a maximum contractual term of 10 years. Options are 
generally vested over four years, based on continued service. Stock options are forfeited if the employee ceases to 
be employed by us prior to vesting.

The following table summarizes stock option activity under our equity-based plan for the year ended December 31, 
2018:

Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in millions)

5.87 $

41

4.91 $

4.94 $

4.91 $

19

19

19

7

21

5

Balance at December 31, 2017

Exercised

Forfeited

Canceled

Balance at December 31, 2018

Exercisable at December 31, 2018

Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018

Number
of Shares

Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price

1,296,863 $

(617,157)

(15,694)

(8,497)

655,515 $

642,631 $

655,515 $

12.27

11.00

32.81

32.02

12.90

12.65

12.90

Additional Disclosures for Stock Options (in millions)

2018

2017

2016

Total fair value of options vested

Total intrinsic value of options exercised

Cash received from options exercised

$

4 $

24

7

7 $

36

11

Year Ended December 31,

Restricted Stock Units and Restricted Stock Awards 

In 2018, the Company granted time-based and performance-based restricted stock awards to the Company's named 
executive officers. A recipient of RSAs owns the underlying shares of common stock upon grant and some of the 
benefits of ownership, such as voting and dividend rights, but the recipient may not sell those shares and realize any 
value on a sale, until all time-based and performance-based restrictions have been satisfied or lapsed. 

77

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Time-based RSUs and RSAs generally vest over a four-year term. Performance-based RSUs and RSAs are subject 
to vesting requirements based on certain financial performance metrics as defined in the grant notice. Actual number 
of shares earned may range from 0% to 200% of the target award. Awards granted in 2017 and 2018 are based on 
single-year performance period subject to subsequent multi-year vesting with 50% of the shares earned will vest in 
one year after the performance period and the remaining shares in the year after.  

Compensation expense is recognized ratably over the vesting period based on the probability of the number of awards 
expected to vest at each reporting date.  

The following table summarizes RSU and RSA activity under our equity-based plans for the year ended December 31, 
2018:

Nonvested at December 31, 2017

Granted

Vested

Forfeited

Nonvested at December 31, 2018

RSUs

RSAs

Number of
Units

2,703,335 $

714,358

(1,273,796)

(406,343)

1,737,554 $

RSUs

Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value

Number of
Shares

Weighted-
Average
Grant Date
Fair Value

25.82

47.07

27.26

28.68

32.83

—

49.02

47.61

47.61

49.13

— $

372,783

(13,683)

(12,308)

346,792 $

RSAs

Year Ended December 31,

Year Ended December 31,

Additional Disclosures for equity-based plans

2018

2017

2016

2018

2017

2016

Total grant date fair value of shares granted (in
millions)

$

Total grant date fair value of shares vested (in millions) $
Shares withheld to settle payroll tax liabilities related to
vesting of shares held by employees

34 $

35 $

46 $

21 $

42

16

$

$

18 $

1 $

— $

— $

451,875

335,101

217,769

6,357

—

—

—

—

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Our 2014 Employee Stock Purchase plan (ESPP) offers eligible employees an option to purchase shares of our common 
stock through a payroll deduction. The purchase price is equal to the lesser of 85% of the fair market value of our 
common stock on the offering date or 85% of the fair market value of our common stock on the applicable purchase 
date. Offering periods are approximately six months in duration and will end on or about May 15 and November 15 of 
each year. Employees may contribute a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 15% of their earnings. The plan is considered 
to be a compensatory plan. We issued 175,966, 224,928, and 283,644 shares under the ESPP during 2018, 2017, 
and 2016, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, approximately 3 million shares were reserved for future issuances 
under the ESPP.

Equity-Based Compensation 

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

ESPP Assumptions

Expected
Term (in
Years)

Expected
Volatility

Risk-Free
Interest
Rate

Expected
Dividend
Yield

0.50

0.50

0.50

 27-37%  1.42-2.5%

28-37% 0.62-1.42%

32-76% 0.33-0.62%

0%

0%

0%

78

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Stock-based compensation expense and other disclosures for stock-based awards made to our employees pursuant 
to the equity plans was as follows: 

(in millions)

Cost of providing services

Sales and marketing

General and administrative

Systems development and programming costs

Total stock-based compensation expense

Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation expense

Tax benefit realized from stock options exercised and similar awards

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

10 $

8 $

8

22

4

44 $

11 $

23 $

6

14

4

32 $

7 $

28 $

7

6

11

2

26

9

7

$

$

$

$

The table below summarizes unrecognized compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2018 associated 
with the following:

Nonvested stock options

Nonvested RSUs

Nonvested RSAs

Stock Repurchases 

Amount
(in millions)

Weighted-Average
Period (in Years)

$

—

49

12

0.11

2.07

2.44

During 2018, the board of directors did not authorize additional repurchases. During 2017 and 2016, the board of 
directors authorized $120 million and $100 million, respectively, of outstanding common stock to be repurchased with 
no expiration from the date of authorization. As of December 31, 2018, approximately $75 million remained available 
for repurchase pursuant to our stock repurchase program. During 2018, 2017, and 2016, we repurchased 1,190,995
shares, 1,549,434 shares and 3,414,675 shares, respectively.

On  February  6,  2019,  our  board  of  directors  authorized  a  $300  million  incremental  increase  to  our  ongoing  stock 
repurchase program initiated in May 2014. 

NOTE 10. INCOME TAXES 

Provision for Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes consists of the following: 

(in millions)

Current:

Federal

State

 Total Current

Deferred:

Federal

State

Revaluation due to legislative changes

Total Deferred

Total

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

$

41 $

7

48

(3)

4

—

1

$

49 $

46 $

1

47

12

3

(40)

(25)

22 $

1

—

1

38

5

(1)

42

43

79

 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The U.S. federal statutory income tax rate reconciled to our effective tax rate is as follows: 

Year Ended December 31,

2018

Tax
Expense/
(Benefit)

Percent
of Pre-
Tax
Income
(Loss)

Pre-Tax
Income

$

241

Pre-Tax
Income

$

200

2017

Tax
Expense
/(Benefit)

Percent
of Pre-
Tax
Income
(Loss)

Pre-Tax
Income

$

104

2016

Tax
Expense
/(Benefit)

Percent
of Pre-
Tax
Income
(Loss)

$

$

51

18

—

1

(9)

1

(4)

(7)

—

(2)

49

21%

$

8

—

1

(4)

—

(2)

(3)

—

(1)

$

70

10

(40)

1

(15)

4

(3)

(5)

(3)

3

35%

5

(20)

—

(7)

2

(1)

(3)

(1)

1

20%

$

22

11%

$

37

4

(1)

4

1

—

(1)

(1)

—

—

43

35%

4

(1)

4

1

—

(1)

(1)

—

—

41%

(in millions, except percent)

U.S. federal statutory tax rate

State income taxes, net of federal benefit

Tax rate change

Nondeductible meals, entertainment and
penalties

Stock-based compensation

Uncertain tax positions

Tax credits

State and tax return to provision
adjustment

Sec 199 benefits

Other

Total

Our effective income tax rate increased by 9% to 20% in 2018 from 11% in 2017. The increase was primarily attributable 
to  federal  legislative  changes  enacted  in  the  prior  year  resulting  from  non-recurring  discrete  tax  benefits  and 
apportionment changes. The remaining increase consisted of a reduction from excess tax benefits related to stock-
based compensation and a one-time qualified production activities deduction for certain software offerings recorded 
in the prior year. These increases were partially offset by decreases due to changes related to the ongoing litigation 
and changes in uncertain tax positions. 

The revaluation of deferred taxes resulted in a discrete tax benefit representing an immaterial amount in 2018, and 
20% and 1% for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

80

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Deferred Income Taxes

Significant components of our deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows: 

(in millions)

Deferred tax assets:

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

Net operating losses (federal and state)

$

3 $

Accrued expenses

Accrued workers' compensation costs

Stock-based compensation

Tax benefits relating to uncertain positions

Tax credits (federal and state)

Total

Valuation allowance

Total deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities:

Depreciation and amortization

Deferred service revenues

Prepaid health plan expenses

Prepaid commission expenses

Total deferred tax liabilities

Net deferred tax liabilities

8

9

8

—

7

35

(7)

28

(24)

(62)

—

(9)

(95)

$

(67) $

4

6

8

8

1

9

36

(7)

29

(13)

(79)

(3)

—

(95)

(66)

We recorded an immaterial change to the valuation allowance in 2018, related to certain state net operating loss and 
state tax credit carryforwards. We have $61 million in state net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2018 
and have utilized all of the federal net operating loss carryforwards. The state net operating loss carryforwards will 
begin expiring in 2019. 

Excess tax benefits or deficiencies from equity-based award activities are now reflected as a component of the provision 
for income taxes instead of equity. The provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2018 included
$10 million of excess tax benefits resulting from equity incentive plan activities.

We have $7 million state tax credit carryforwards (net of federal benefit) available that will begin expiring in 2021, which 
are offset by a valuation allowance of $6 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

We are subject to tax in U.S. federal and various state and local jurisdictions, as well as Canada. We are not subject 
to any material income tax examinations in federal or state jurisdictions for tax years prior to January 1, 2012. We 
previously paid Notices of Proposed Assessments disallowing employment tax credits totaling $11 million, plus interest 
of $4 million in connection with the IRS examination of Gevity HR, Inc. and its subsidiaries, which was acquired by 
TriNet in June 2009. TriNet filed suit in June 2016 to recover the disallowed credits, and the issue is being resolved 
through the litigation process. TriNet and the IRS filed cross motions for summary judgment in this matter in federal 
district court on February 27, 2018. On September 17, 2018, the district court granted our motion for summary judgment 
and denied the IRS' motion. On January 18, 2019, the district court entered judgment in favor of TriNet in the amount 
of $15 million, plus interest. The IRS has 60 days to appeal the district court’s decision. We will continue to vigorously 
defend  our  position  through  the  litigation  process,  including  the  appeal,  if  necessary.  Given  the  uncertainty  of  the 
outcome of any appeal, it remains possible that our recovery of the refund will be less than the total amount in dispute.

81

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Uncertain Tax Positions

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the total unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain income tax positions, 
which would affect the effective tax rate if recognized, were $6 million.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits (excluding interest and penalties) is 
presented in the table below: 

(in millions)

Unrecognized tax benefits at January 1

Additions for tax positions of prior periods

Additions for tax positions of current period

Reductions for tax positions of prior period:

Settlements with taxing authorities

Lapse of applicable statute of limitations

Unrecognized tax benefits at December 31

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

6 $

1 $

1

—

—

(1)

4

1

—

—

6 $

6 $

3

—

—

(2)

—

1

$

$

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the total amount of gross interest and penalties accrued were immaterial. The 
unrecognized tax benefit, including accrued interest and penalties are included in other liabilities on the consolidated 
balance sheet. 

It is reasonably possible the amount of the unrecognized benefit could increase or decrease within the next twelve 
months, which would have an impact on net income.

NOTE 11. EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic EPS is computed based on the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted 
EPS is computed based on those shares used in the basic EPS computation, plus potentially dilutive shares issuable 
under our equity-based compensation plans using the treasury stock method. Shares that are potentially anti-dilutive 
are excluded.

The following table presents the computation of our basic and diluted EPS attributable to our common stock:

(in millions, except per share data)

Net income

Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding

Basic EPS

Net income

Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding

Dilutive effect of stock options and restricted stock units

Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding

Diluted EPS

Year Ended December 31,

2018

2017

2016

192 $

70

2.72 $

178 $

69

2.57 $

192 $

178 $

70

2

72

69

2

71

61

70

0.88

61

70

2

72

2.65 $

2.49 $

0.85

$

$

$

$

Common stock equivalents excluded from income per
diluted share because of their anti-dilutive effect

1

2

1

82

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 12. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

We use an independent pricing source to determine the fair value of our available-for-sale securities included as Level 
1 and Level 2. For purposes of valuing our securities, the independent pricing source utilizes the following market 
approach by investment class:

• Money market mutual funds are valued on a spread or discount rate basis,

•

Asset-backed securities are valued using historical and projected prepayments speed and loss scenarios and
spreads obtained from the new issue market, dealer quotes and trade prices,

•  U.S. treasuries, corporate bonds, and other debt securities are priced based on dealer quotes from multiple sources, 

and

•  US government agencies and government sponsored agencies are priced using LIBOR/swap curves, credit spreads 

and interest rate volatilities.

We have not adjusted the prices obtained from the independent pricing service and we believe the prices received 
from the independent pricing service are representative of the prices that would be received to sell the assets at the 
measurement date (exit price).

On a recurring basis, we did not have any Level 3 financial instruments as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 
2017. There were transfers between levels as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

Fair Value Measurements on a Recurring Basis 

The following tables summarize our financial instruments by significant categories and fair value measurement on a 
recurring basis as of December 31, 2018 and 2017:

(in millions)

December 31, 2018

Cash equivalents:

Level 1

Level 2

Total

  Money market mutual funds

$

4 $

— $

  U.S. treasuries

Total cash equivalents

Investments:

Asset-backed securities

Corporate bonds

U.S. government agencies and government-sponsored
agencies

U.S. treasuries

Other debt securities

Total investments

Restricted cash equivalents:

Money market mutual funds

Commercial paper

Total restricted cash equivalents

Restricted investments:

U.S. treasuries

Exchange traded fund

Certificate of deposit

Total restricted investments

—

4

—

—

—

—

—

—

48

20

68

—

1

—

1

1

1

33

99

7

41

9

4

1

5

33

99

7

41

9

189

189

—

—

—

5

—

2

7

48

20

68

5

1

2

8

Total investments and restricted cash equivalents and
investments

$

73 $

197 $

270

83

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(in millions)

December 31, 2017

Restricted cash equivalents:

Money market mutual funds

Commercial paper

Total restricted cash equivalents

Restricted investments:

U.S. treasuries

Exchange traded fund

Certificate of deposit

Total restricted investments

Level 1

Level 2

Total

$

199 $

21

220

37

1

—

38

— $

—

—

—

—

2

2

Total restricted cash equivalents and investments

$

258 $

2 $

Restricted Cash Equivalents

199

21

220

37

1

2

40

260

The Company's restricted cash equivalents include money market mutual funds and commercial paper. The carrying 
value of cash equivalents approximate their fair values due to the short-term maturities and are classified as Level 1 
in  the  fair  value  hierarchy  because  we  use  quoted  market  prices  that  are  readily  available  in  an  active  market  to 
determine the fair value. 

Restricted Investments

The Company's restricted investments include U.S. treasuries, an exchange traded fund and a certificate of deposit. 
The exchange traded fund is classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy as we use active quoted market prices 
that are readily available in an active market to determine fair value. The U.S. treasuries are classified as Level 2 in 
the fair value hierarchy as their prices are based on dealer quotes from multiple sources. The certificate of deposit is 
classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy as we use a market approach that compares the fair values on certificates 
with similar maturities.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Disclosure 

Long-Term Debt

The carrying value of our long-term debt at December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $414 million and $425 million, respectively. 
The estimated fair values of our debt payable at December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $414 million and $428 million, 
respectively. On September 30, 2018 we changed our methodology of estimating the fair values of our debt payable 
to a discounted cash flow, which incorporates credit spreads and market interest rates to estimate the fair value and 
is considered Level 3 in the hierarchy for fair value measurement. The valuation at December 31, 2017 is considered 
Level 2 in the hierarchy for fair value measurement.

NOTE 13. 401(k) PLAN 

Under  our  401(k)  plan,  participants  may  direct  the  investment  of  contributions  to  their  accounts  among  certain 
investments. Effective July 1, 2018, we matched 100% of individual employee 401(k) plan contributions, up to 4% of 
cash compensation per the calendar year, and made a one-time contribution to certain employees. Prior to July 1, 
2018 and in the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we matched individual employee 401(k) plan contributions 
at the rate of $0.50 for every dollar contributed by employees subject to a cap. We recorded matching contributions 
to the 401(k) plan of $11 million, $6 million, and $5 million during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 
2016,  respectively,  which  are  reflected  in  various  operating  expense  lines  within  the  accompanying  consolidated 
statements of income and comprehensive income. 

We also maintain multiple employer defined contribution plans, which cover WSEs for client companies electing to 
participate in the plan and for their internal staff employees. We contribute, on behalf of each participating client, varying 
amounts based on the clients’ policies and serviced employee elections. 

84

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 14. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

We have service agreements with certain stockholders that we process their employees' payrolls and payroll taxes.  
From time to time, we also enter into sales and purchases agreements with various companies that have a relationship 
with our executive officers or members of our board of directors. The relationships are typically an equity investment 
by the executive officer or board member in the customer / vendor company or our executive officer or board member 
is a member of the customer / vendor company's board of directors. We have received $20 million, $22 million, and 
$10 million in total revenues from such related parties during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, 
respectively.

We  have  also  entered  into  various  software  license  agreements  with  software  service  providers  who  have  board 
members in common with us. We paid the software service providers $5 million, $6 million, and $7 million during the 
years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, for services we received, respectively.

NOTE 15. QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)

(in millions, except per share data)

March 31

June 30

September 30

December 31

Quarter ended

2018

Total revenues

Insurance costs

Operating income

Net income

Basic net income per share

Diluted net income per share

2017

Total revenues

Insurance costs

Operating income
Net income (1)
Basic net income per share (1)
Diluted net income per share (1)

$

$

$

$

$

$

861 $

850 $

875 $

641

71

54

0.77 $

0.75 $

630

76

58

0.82 $

0.80 $

647

62

51

0.73 $

0.71 $

808 $

801 $

818 $

609

49

29

0.42 $

0.41 $

600

57

40

0.58 $

0.56 $

613

63

43

0.62 $

0.60 $

917

692

42

29

0.41

0.40

848

644

48

66

0.95

0.92

(1) Results of the quarter ended December 31, 2017 included a $40 million benefit due to tax rate change as a result of the TCJA enactment on 
December 22, 2017.

85

DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial 
Disclosure. 

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and our Chief Financial Officer (CFO), evaluated 
the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2018, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) 
and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2018, our Chief Executive 
Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective 
as of December 31, 2018 in ensuring that (i) information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it 
files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including 
the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and (ii) 
such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities 
and Exchange Commissions rules and forms.  

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in 
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act to provide reasonable assurance regarding the 
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements for external purposes in accordance with 
GAAP.

Due to inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that 
a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Also, projections of any evaluation of 
effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in 
conditions or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

We have performed an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 
31, 2018 based upon criteria set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  

Based on this assessment, we determined that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 
31, 2018.  

Deloitte & Touche LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an audit report on the effectiveness 
of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018. This audit report appears in Part II, Item 8. 
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Throughout 2018, we implemented enhanced review procedures and documentation standards to remediate the control 
deficiencies aggregating to a material weakness related to the operating effectiveness of controls over professional 
service and workers' compensation insurance services revenues as of December 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2018, 
our testing of both the design and operating effectiveness of these controls was completed, and we have concluded 
that the material weakness existing at December 31, 2017 has been remediated.

Item 9B. Other Information. 

Not applicable. 

86

 
MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN SECURITY HOLDERS

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. 

Information required by this item is incorporated by reference to TriNet Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for its 2019 Annual 
Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2018.

Item 11. Executive Compensation. 

Information required by this item is incorporated by reference to TriNet Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for its 2019 Annual 
Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2018.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related 
Stockholder Matters. 

Information required by this item is incorporated by reference to TriNet Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for its 2019 Annual 
Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2018.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. 

Information required by this item is incorporated by reference to TriNet Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for its 2019 Annual 
Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2018.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

Information required by this item is incorporated by reference to TriNet Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for its 2019 Annual 
Meeting of Shareholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2018.

87

FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

(a) The following documents are filed as a part of the report: 

PART IV 

(1) The financial statements filed as part of this report are listed in the “Index to Financial Statements” under Part II, 
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. 

(2) Financial statement schedules. 

SCHEDULE II-VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS 

(in millions)
Allowances for Doubtful Accounts and Authorized
Credits

Year ended December 31, 2018

Year ended December 31, 2017

Year ended December 31, 2016

Tax Valuation Allowance

Year ended December 31, 2018

Year ended December 31, 2017

Year ended December 31, 2016

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

None.

Balance at
Beginning of
Period

Credited/
Charged to
Net Income

Charges
Utilized/
Write-Offs

Balance at
End of
Period

$

$

$

$

$

$

—

—

1

7

6

5

2

1

1

—

1

1

(1) $

(1) $

(2) $

— $

— $

— $

1

—

—

7

7

6

88

EXHIBITS

Exhibit
No.

3.1

3.2

3.3

4.1

10.1*

10.2*

10.3*

10.4*

10.5*

10.6*

10.7*

10.8*

EXHIBIT INDEX

Description of Exhibit

Form  

File No.

  Exhibit

Filing

Filed
Herewith

Incorporated by Reference

Amended  and  Restated  Certificate  of 
Incorporation of TriNet Group, Inc.

Certificate  of  Correction  of  Amended  and 
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of TriNet 
Group, Inc.

8-K

001-36373

3.1

4/1/2014  

10-Q

001-36373

3.1

11/2/2017

Amended  and  Restated  Bylaws  of  TriNet 
Group, Inc.

S-1/A 333-192465

8-K

001-36373

3.4

4.1

3/4/2014  

2/2/2017

Registration  Rights  Agreement,  by  and 
between  TriNet  Group,  Inc.  and AGI-T,  L.P., 
dated as of February 1, 2017.

Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive 
Plan.

Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock 
Unit  Award  Agreement  and  Performance-
Based  Restricted  Stock  Unit  Grant  Notice 
under the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity 
Incentive Plan.

Form of Option Agreement and Option Grant 
Notice under the Amended and Restated 2009 
Equity Incentive Plan.

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement and 
Restricted Stock Unit Award Notice under the 
Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive 
Plan.

Form  of  Restricted  Stock  Unit  Award 
Agreement  and  Restricted  Stock  Unit  Grant 
Notice  under  2009  Equity  Incentive  Plan.  as 
amended through February 20, 2014. 

Form of Performance-Based Restricted 
Stock Unit Award Agreement and 
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit 
Grant Notice under the 2009 Equity Incentive 
Plan, as amended through February 20, 
2014.

Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement 
and Restricted Stock Grant Notice under the 
2009 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended 
through February 20, 2014.

Form of Performance-Based Restricted 
Stock Award Agreement and Performance-
Based Restricted Stock Grant Notice under 
the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended 
through February 20, 2014.

S-1/A 333-192465

10.3

3/14/2014  

10-Q

001-36373

10.1

5/8/2015

S-1/A 333-192465

10.4

3/4/2014  

S-1/A 333-192465

10.6

3/4/2014  

10-Q

001-36373

10.1

4/30/2018

10-Q

001-36373

10.2

4/30/2018

10-Q

001-36373

10.3

4/30/2018

10-Q

001-36373

10.4

4/30/2018

10.9*

2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

S-1/A 333-192465

10.7

3/14/2014  

10.10*

2015 Executive Bonus Plan.

8-K

001-36373

N/A

3/11/2015

10.11*

Amended  and  Restated  Non-Employee 
Director Compensation Policy.

10-K

001-36373

10.7

2/27/2018

10.12*

TriNet Group, Inc. Severance Benefit Plan.

10-K

001-36373

10.10

4/1/2016

89

 
 
 
EXHIBITS

Exhibit
No.
10.13*

Description of Exhibit
TriNet  Group,  Inc.  Amended  and  Restated 
Executive Severance Benefit Plan

Form  
8-K

File No.
001-36373

  Exhibit
10.1

Filing

5/23/2017

Filed
Herewith

Incorporated by Reference

10.14*

TriNet  Group  Inc.  Amended  and  Restated 
Executive Severance Benefit Plan

10-Q

001-36373

10.5

4/30/2018

10.15

10.16*

10.17*

10.18*

10.19*

10.20*

10.21*

10.22*

10.23*

10.24*

10.25*

10.26*

10.27*

  Form of Indemnification Agreement made by 
and between TriNet Group, Inc. and each of its 
directors and executive officers.

  Employment Agreement, dated November 9, 
2009, between Burton M. Goldfield and TriNet 
Group, Inc.

Employment  Agreement,  dated  March  31, 
2017,  between  Richard  Beckert  and  TriNet 
Group, Inc.

Employment Agreement, dated May 8, 2015, 
between Brady Mickelsen and TriNet Group, 
Inc.

Second Amended and Restated Employment 
Agreement, dated December 31, 2016 
between Edward Griese and TriNet Group, 
Inc.

Employment Agreement, dated October 16, 
2017, between Barrett Boston and TriNet 
Group, Inc., as amended on February 26, 
2018.

Employment  Agreement,  dated  August  23, 
2010,  between  William  Porter  and  TriNet 
Group, Inc.

Employment Agreement dated November 19, 
2018  between  Samantha  Wellington  and 
TriNet Group, Inc. 

Transition  Agreement  by  and  among  TriNet 
Group,  Inc.  and  William  Porter, dated  as  of 
September 30, 2016

Amendment  to Transition Agreement  by  and 
among TriNet Group, Inc. and William Porter, 
dated as of January 1, 2018

Transition Agreement by and among TriNet 
Group, Inc. and Brady Mickelsen, dated as of 
August 16, 2018

Stockholder  Agreement,  by  and  between 
TriNet Group, Inc. and AGI-T, L.P., dated as of 
December 21, 2016

Credit Agreement, dated as of June 22, 
2018, among TriNet Group, Inc., TriNet USA, 
Inc., as borrower, the lenders party thereto, 
and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative 
agent.

S-1/A 333-192465

10.8

3/4/2014  

S-1/A 333-192465

10.9

2/13/2014  

10-Q

001-36373

10.1

8/1/2017

10-Q

001-36373

10.2

8/6/2015

10-Q

001-36373

10.2

8/1/2017

10-K

001-36373

10.15

2/27/2018

S-1/A 333-192465

10.11

2/13/2014

X

8-K

001-36373

10.1

10/3/2016

10-K

001-36373

10.19

2/27/2018

10-Q

001-36373

10.1

10/29/2018

8-K

001-36373

10.1

12/22/2016

8-K

001-36373

10.1

6/22/2018

90

 
 
 
Description of Exhibit

Form  

File No.

  Exhibit

Filing

Filed
Herewith

Incorporated by Reference

EXHIBITS

Exhibit
No.

21.1

23.1

24.1

31.1

31.2

List of Subsidiaries.

Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent 
registered public accounting firm.

Power of Attorney (included on the signature 
page of this report).

Certification  of  Principal  Executive  Officer 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley 
Act of 2002.

Certification  of  Principal  Financial  Officer 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley 
Act of 2002.

32.1**

Certification of Principal Executive Officer and 
Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

101.INS

XBRL Instance Document.

101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema

Document.

101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation

Linkbase Document.

101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition

Linkbase Document.

101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase

Document.

101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation

Linkbase Document.

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

*

**

Constitutes a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

Document has been furnished, is deemed not filed and is not to be incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s filings
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, irrespective of any general
incorporation language contained in any such filing.

91

 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
SIGNATURES

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly 
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Dublin, State 
of California, on the day of 14th February, 2019. 

Date: February 14, 2019

Date: February 14, 2019

TRINET GROUP, INC.

  By:

/s/ Burton M. Goldfield
Burton M. Goldfield
Chief Executive Officer

  By:

/s/ Richard Beckert
Richard Beckert
Chief Financial Officer

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and 
appoints Burton M. Goldfield, Richard Beckert and Samantha Wellington, and each of them, as his or her true and 
lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, each with the full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place 
or stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this report and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, 
and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and 
confirming all that any of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully 
do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

92

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following 
persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ Burton M. Goldfield

Burton M. Goldfield

/s/ Richard Beckert

Richard Beckert

/s/ Michael P. Murphy
Michael P. Murphy

/s/ Michael J. Angelakis

Michael J. Angelakis

/s/ Katherine August-deWilde
Katherine August-deWilde

/s/ Martin Babinec

Martin Babinec

/s/ H. Raymond Bingham
H. Raymond Bingham

/s/ Paul Chamberlain

Paul Chamberlain

/s/ Kenneth Goldman

Kenneth Goldman

/s/ David C. Hodgson

David C. Hodgson

/s/ Wayne B. Lowell
Wayne B. Lowell

Chief Executive Officer (principal 
executive officer)

February 14, 2019

Chief Financial Officer (principal financial 
officer) 

February 14, 2019

Chief Accounting Officer (principal 
accounting officer)

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

93

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE TEAM
EXECUTIVE TEAM

Burton M. Goldfield
Burton M. Goldfield
President and Chief Executive Officer
President and Chief Executive Officer

Richard Beckert
Richard Beckert
Senior Vice President and 
Senior Vice President and 
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Financial Officer

Barrett Boston
Barrett Boston
Senior Vice President and 
Senior Vice President and 
Chief Revenue Officer
Chief Revenue Officer

James “Jimmy” Franzone
James “Jimmy” Franzone
Senior Vice President, Strategy
Senior Vice President, Strategy

Edward Griese
Edward Griese
Senior Vice President, Insurance Services
Senior Vice President, Insurance Services

Olivier Kohler
Olivier Kohler
Senior Vice President and 
Senior Vice President and 
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Operating Officer

Michael Mendenhall
Michael Mendenhall
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing 
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing 
Officer and Chief Communications Officer
Officer and Chief Communications Officer

Dilshad Simons
Dilshad Simons
Senior Vice President, Products
Senior Vice President, Products

Samantha Wellington
Samantha Wellington
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer 
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer 
and Secretary
and Secretary

Catherine Wragg
Catherine Wragg
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
NYSE Trading Symbol: TNET

David C. Hodgson
David C. Hodgson
Chair of the Board of Directors and  
Chair of the Board of Directors and  
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Committee Member
Committee Member

Michael J. Angelakis
Michael J. Angelakis
Compensation Committee Member and 
Compensation Committee Member and 
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Committee Member
Committee Member

Katherine August-deWilde
Katherine August-deWilde
Compensation Committee Chair
Compensation Committee Chair

Martin Babinec
Martin Babinec

H. Raymond Bingham
H. Raymond Bingham
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Nominating and Corporate Governance 
Committee Chair and Compensation 
Committee Chair and Compensation 
Committee Member 
Committee Member 

Paul Chamberlain
Paul Chamberlain
Audit Committee Member
Audit Committee Member

Burton M. Goldfield
Burton M. Goldfield
President and Chief Executive Officer
President and Chief Executive Officer

Kenneth Goldman
Kenneth Goldman
Audit Committee Member
Audit Committee Member

Wayne Lowell
Wayne Lowell
Audit Committee Chair
Audit Committee Chair

CORPORATE INFORMATION
Corporate Headquarters 
One Park Place, Suite 600 
Dublin, CA 94568 
T: 510.352.5000
F: 510.352.6480
TriNet.com

Investor Relations 
investorrelations@trinet.com
510.875.7201

Transfer Agent
Computershare
P.O. Box 505000 
Louisville, KY  40233 
800.736.3001 (US, Canada, Puerto Rico) 
781.575.3100 (non-US)
computershare.com/investor

2018-TriNet_Annual-Report-BACKPAGE.pdf   3   3/28/2019   7:53:10 AM

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