v3.21.2
Income Taxes
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 is based on the estimated annual effective tax rate for fiscal year 2021. The Company's provision for income taxes is based on estimated effective tax rates derived from an estimate of annual consolidated earnings before taxes, adjusted for nondeductible expenses, other permanent items, valuation allowances, and any applicable income tax credits.
The Company's provision for income taxes reflected an effective tax rate of approximately (1.9)% and (0.4)% for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and (1.1)% and (0.6)% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company's effective tax rate was lower than the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to its valuation allowance offsetting the benefits of losses in the United States.
To date, the Company has provided a valuation allowance against most of its deferred tax assets as it believes the objective and verifiable evidence of its historical pretax net losses outweighs any positive evidence of its forecasted future results. The Company will continue to monitor the positive and negative evidence, and it will adjust the valuation allowance as sufficient objective positive evidence becomes available.
At September 30, 2021, the Company had no unrecognized tax benefits representing a $0.4 million decrease, including an insignificant amount of accrued interest, from the balance at December 31, 2020. Of this amount, $0.2 million resulted in an income tax benefit during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Operating losses generated in years prior to 2017 remain open to adjustment until the statute of limitations closes for the tax year in which the net operating losses are utilized. The Company's tax years 2017 through 2020 generally remain open to examination by the major taxing jurisdictions to which the Company is subject. The Company is not currently under examination by any other taxing jurisdiction.