Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with Urban Outfitters, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2020. The Company’s business experiences seasonal fluctuations in net sales and net income, with a more significant portion typically realized in the second half of each year predominantly due to the year-end holiday period. Historically, and consistent with the retail industry, this seasonality also impacts our working capital requirements, particularly with regard to inventory. Accordingly, the results of operations for the three and six months ended July 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The Company’s fiscal year ends on January 31. All references in these notes to the Company’s fiscal years refer to the fiscal years ended on January 31 in those years. For example, the Company’s fiscal year 2021 will end on January 31, 2021. Historically, the Company has calculated its provision for income taxes during its interim reporting periods by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full year "ordinary" income or loss for the respective reporting period. For the six months ended July 31, 2020, the Company has computed its provision for income taxes under the discrete method which allows the Company to calculate its tax provision based upon the actual effective tax rate for the year-to-date. The discrete method was determined to be an appropriate method for estimating its tax provision for the six months ended July 31, 2020 as it provides a reliable estimate as opposed to changes in estimated "ordinary" income or loss which would have resulted in significant fluctuations when estimating the annual effective tax rate. Recent Accounting Pronouncements The Company has considered all new accounting standards updates issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and has concluded that there are no recent accounting standard updates that will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Basis of Presentation

6 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2020

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with Urban Outfitters, Inc.’s (the “Company’s”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31, 2020.

The Company’s business experiences seasonal fluctuations in net sales and net income, with a more significant portion typically realized in the second half of each year predominantly due to the year-end holiday period. Historically, and consistent with the retail industry, this seasonality also impacts our working capital requirements, particularly with regard to inventory. Accordingly, the results of operations for the three and six months ended July 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

The Company’s fiscal year ends on January 31. All references in these notes to the Company’s fiscal years refer to the fiscal years ended on January 31 in those years. For example, the Company’s fiscal year 2021 will end on January 31, 2021.

Historically, the Company has calculated its provision for income taxes during its interim reporting periods by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full year "ordinary" income or loss for the respective reporting period. For the six months ended July 31, 2020, the Company has computed its provision for income taxes under the discrete method which allows the Company to calculate its tax provision based upon the actual effective tax rate for the year-to-date. The discrete method was determined to be an appropriate method for estimating its tax provision for the six months ended July 31, 2020 as it provides a reliable estimate as opposed to changes in estimated "ordinary" income or loss which would have resulted in significant fluctuations when estimating the annual effective tax rate.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has considered all new accounting standards updates issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and has concluded that there are no recent accounting standard updates that will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.