Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of HQI and all of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

U.S. GAAP requires the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) to consolidate that entity. To be the primary beneficiary of a VIE, an entity must have both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that are significant to the beneficiary. We provide acquisition financing to some of our franchisees that could result in our having to absorb losses. This results in some franchisees being considered VIEs. We have reviewed our relationship with each of these franchisees and determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of any of these entities. Accordingly, we have not consolidated these entities.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Significant estimates and assumptions underlie our workers’ compensation claim liabilities, our workers’ compensation Risk Management Incentive Program, our deferred taxes, our allowance for credit losses, potential impairment of goodwill and other intangibles, stock-based compensation, and estimated fair value of assets and liabilities acquired.

Revenue [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

Our primary source of revenue comes from royalty fees based on the operation of our franchised offices. Royalty fees from our HireQuest Direct business model are based on a percentage of sales for services our franchisees provide to customers, which ranges from 6.0% to 8.0%. Royalty fees from our HireQuest business line, including HireQuest franchisees, DriverQuest franchisees, the Northbound franchisee, the HireQuest Health franchisees, and Snelling and LINK franchisees who executed new franchise agreements upon closing, are 4.5% of the payroll we fund plus 18.0% of the gross margin for the territory. The MRI franchisees with a lower royalty scale generally pay a flat annual fee plus a percentage-based royalty. For contract staffing, MRI franchisees pay a royalty that ranges from 20% to 25% of payroll, depending on sales volume. Some customers that utilize qualified independent contractors cause the franchisee to pay a royalty that ranges from 4% to 10% of contractor payments, depending on sales volume. Royalty fees from the Snelling and SearchPath franchise agreements assumed and not renegotiated at closing range from 5.0% to 8.0% of sales for services our franchisees provide to customers. Our franchisees are responsible for taking customer orders, providing customers with services, establishing the prices charged for services, and controlling other aspects related to providing service to customers prior to the service being transferred to the customer, such as determining which temporary employees to dispatch to the customer and establishing pay rates for the temporary employees. Accordingly, we present revenue from franchised locations on a net basis as agent as opposed to a gross basis as principal.

For franchised locations, we recognize revenue when we satisfy our performance obligations. Our performance obligations primarily take the form of a franchise license and promised services. Promised services consist primarily of paying temporary employees, completing all statutory payroll related obligations, and providing workers' compensation insurance on behalf of temporary employees. Because these performance obligations are interrelated, we do not consider them to be individually distinct and therefore account for them as a single performance obligation. Because our franchisees receive and consume the benefits of our services simultaneously, our performance obligations are satisfied when our services are provided. Franchise royalties are billed on a weekly basis other than with MRI franchise royalties, which are billed on a monthly basis. We also offer various incentive programs for franchisees including royalty incentives, royalty credits, and other support initiatives. These incentives and credits are provided to encourage new office development and organic growth, and to limit workers' compensation exposure. We present franchise royalty fees net of these incentives and credits.

For owned locations, we account for revenue when both parties to the contract have approved the contract, the rights and obligations of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, and collectability of consideration is probable. Revenue derived from owned locations is recognized at the time we satisfy our performance obligation. Our contracts have a single performance obligation, which is the transfer of services. Because our customers receive and consume the benefits of our services simultaneously, our performance obligations are satisfied when our services are provided. Revenue from owned locations is reported net of customer credits, discounts, and taxes collected from customers that are remitted to taxing authorities. Our customers are invoiced every week and we rarely require payment prior to the delivery of service. Substantially all of our contracts include payment terms of 30 days or less and are short-term in nature. Because of our payment terms with our customers, there are no significant contract assets or liabilities. We do not extend payment terms beyond one year.

Below are summaries of our franchise royalties disaggregated by business model (in thousands):

	*Three months ended*
	*March 31, 2024*		*March 31, 2023*
HireQuest Direct	$	3,823	$	4,078
Snelling and HireQuest		2,110	$	2,433
DriverQuest and TradeCorp		155	$	137
HireQuest Health		94	$	91
Northbound, MRI, and SearchPath		1,649		2,584
Total	$	7,831	$	9,323

Service revenue, which forms the other component of our total revenue, consists of interest we charge our franchisees on overdue customer accounts receivable, trademark license fees, and other fees for optional services we provide. We recognize interest income based on the effective interest rate applied to the outstanding principal balance of overdue accounts. License fees are charged to some locations that utilize our intellectual property that are not franchisees. License fees are 9.0% of the gross margin for the location and are recognized when earned. We recognize revenue from optional services as we provide them.

Advertising fund revenue includes contributions to our National Advertising Fund by franchisees. Revenue related to these contributions is based on a percentage of sales of certain franchised locations and is recognized as earned.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets acquired are initially recorded at fair value. We test our finite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. We test our indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, we recognize an impairment in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value. Management uses considerable judgment to determine key assumptions, including projected revenue, royalty rates and appropriate discount rates. There were no intangible asset impairment charges during the three months ended March 31, 2024 or March 31, 2023.

Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives, which ranges from 5 to 15 years. Our finite-lived intangible assets include acquired franchise agreements, acquired customer relationships, acquired customer lists, internally developed software, and purchased software. Our indefinite-lived intangible assets include acquired domain names and acquired trade names. For additional information related to significant additions to intangible assets, see Note 2 - Acquisitions.

Intangible assets internally developed are measured at cost. We capitalize costs to develop or purchase computer software for internal use which are incurred during the application development stage. These costs include fees paid to third parties for development services and payroll costs for employees' time spent developing the software. We expense costs incurred during the preliminary project stage and the post-implementation stage. Capitalized development costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the software. The capitalization and ongoing assessment of recoverability of development costs requires considerable judgment by management with respect to certain external factors, including, but not limited to, technological and economic feasibility, and estimated economic life.

The table below reflects information related to our intangible assets (in thousands).

		*March 31, 2024*							*December 31, 2023*
	*Estimated useful life*	*Gross*		*Accumulated amortization*			*Net*		*Gross*		*Accumulated amortization*			*Net*
*Finite-lived intangible assets:*
Franchise agreements	15 years	$	25,556	$	(4,542	)	$	21,014	$	25,556	$	(4,116	)	$	21,440
Purchased software	7 years		3,200		(1,143	)		2,057		3,200		(1,029	)		2,171
Internally developed software	5 years		2,782		(614	)		2,168		2,683		(498	)		2,185
Total finite-lived intangible assets			31,538		(6,299	)		25,239		31,439		(5,643	)		25,796
*Indefinite-lived intangible assets:*
Domain name	Indefinite		2,226		-			2,226		2,226		-			2,226
Trade name	Indefinite		3,580		-			3,580		3,580		-			3,580
Total intangible assets		$	37,344	$	(6,299	)	$	31,045	$	37,245	$	(5,643	)	$	31,602

Impairment - Intangible Assets

Indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested annually for impairment during the fourth quarter or earlier upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances that indicate the Indefinite-lived intangible asset is more likely than not impaired. Such indicators may include a deterioration in macroeconomic conditions; a significant increase in cost factors; negative overall financial performance (including a decline in our expected future cash flows); entity-specific changes in key personnel, strategy or customers; and industry considerations including competition, legal, regulatory, contractual or asset-specific factors, among others. The occurrence of these indicators could have a significant impact on the recoverability of the indefinite-lived intangible and could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. For purposes of our impairment test, the assessment of indefinite-lived intangibles is performed at the asset level.

Impairment of indefinite-lived intangibles is determined using a two-step process. The first step involves assessing qualitative factors to determine if a quantitative impairment test is necessary. Further testing is only required if we determine, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible asset's fair value is less than its carrying amount. Otherwise, no further impairment testing is required. The qualitative assessment may be performed on none, some, or all of our indefinite-lived intangible assets. Alternatively, we can bypass the qualitative assessment for any indefinite-lived intangible asset in any period and proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test.

Advertising Cost [Policy Text Block]

Marketing and Advertising

We expense advertising and marketing costs as we incur them. These costs were approximately $329 thousand and $206 thousand during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively. These costs are included in general and administrative expenses.

Some of our MRI franchisees are required to pay an advertising fee equal to 0.5% - 1.0% of total net sales, which supports national advertising designed to build brand awareness and drive traffic for both potential customers and potential candidates. The national advertising effort is administered by us, with franchisees providing input. Some examples include subscriptions to various job boards, the creation of digital content for social media, supporting investments in marketing-related software, and purchasing video and print media.

Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value Measures

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an ordinary transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Our policy on fair value measures requires us to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The policy establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The policy prioritizes the inputs into three levels that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.

Level 3: Applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

The carrying amounts of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, the line of credit and all other current assets and liabilities approximate fair values due to their short-term nature. The fair value of notes receivable approximates the amortized cost basis as adjusted by an allowance for credit losses as we believe the stated interest rates reflects the prevailing market rates given our unique collateral position and the scarce capital resources willing to finance a franchise. The fair value of the term loan payable approximates its carrying value because current rates for similar borrowings do not have a material impact.

	*March 31, 2024*
(in thousands)		*Total*		*Level 1*		*Level 2*		*Level 3*
Cash	$	1,569	$	1,569	$	-	$	-
Notes receivable		9,238		-		9,238		-
Accounts receivable		47,712		-		47,712		-
Total assets at fair value	$	58,519	$	1,569	$	56,950	$	-

Term loans payable	$	476	$	-	$	476	$	-
Line of credit		16,107		-		16,107		-
Total liabilities at fair value	$	16,583	$	-	$	16,583	$	-

	*December 31, 2023*
(in thousands)		*Total*		*Level 1*		*Level 2*		*Level 3*
Cash	$	1,342	$	1,342	$	-	$	-
Notes receivable		9,622		-		9,622		-
Accounts receivable		44,394		-		44,394		-
Total assets at fair value	$	55,358	$	1,342	$	54,016	$	-

Term loan payable	$	646	$	-	$	646	$	-
Line of credit		14,119		-		14,119		-
Total liabilities at fair value	$	14,765	$	-	$	14,765	$	-

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform ("Topic 848"), Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. On December 21, 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform ("Topic 848"), Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, which extends the period of time financial statement preparers can utilize the reference rate reform relief guidance contained in ASU 2022-04. The guidance provides optional practical expedients to ease the potential burden in accounting for contract modifications and hedge accounting related to reference rate reform. The provisions apply only to those transactions that reference the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform. On February 28, 2023 the Company refinanced its credit agreement and a term loan that each referenced LIBOR into a replacement line of credit that references the Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index ("BSBY"), therefore the optional expedient is no longer relevant to the Company’s financial statements and related disclosures.

In October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06, Disclosure Improvements: Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification Initiative. In U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Release No. 33-10532, Disclosure Update and Simplification, issued August 17, 2018, the SEC referred certain of its disclosure requirements that overlap with, but require incremental information to, U.S. GAAP to the FASB for potential incorporation into the FASB ASU. The ASU is the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities. ASU 2023-06 is the result of the Board’s decision to incorporate into the Codification 14 of the 27 disclosures referred by the SEC. Since we are already subject to the SEC’s existing disclosure requirements, the effective date for each amendment will be the date on which the SEC’s removal of that related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K becomes effective, with early adoption prohibited. The adoption of this new guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements and related disclosures.

In November 2023, FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting ("Topic 280"): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires disclosure of incremental segment information on an interim and annual basis, primarily regarding significant segment expenses and information used to assess segment performance. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024. Retrospective application is required for all periods presented. The adoption of this new guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes ("Topic 740") - Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires enhancements and further transparency to certain income tax disclosures, primarily to the tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, on a prospective basis with retrospective application permitted. The adoption of this new guidance is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements and related disclosures.

There are no other new accounting pronouncements, issued or effective during the fiscal year, that are expected to have a significant impact on our financial statements and related disclosures.