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Income Taxes
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]  
Income Taxes Income Taxes
The components of income before income tax expense are as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
20232022
U.S.$15,319 $9,636 
Foreign1,794 322 
$17,113 $9,958 

Income tax expense consists of current and deferred components, further categorized by federal, state and foreign jurisdictions, as shown below. The current provision is generally that portion of income tax expense that is currently payable to the taxing authorities. The Company makes estimated payments of these amounts during the year. The deferred tax provision results from changes in the Company’s deferred tax assets (future deductible amounts) and tax liabilities (future taxable amounts), which are presented in the table below:
 
CurrentDeferredTotal
 (In thousands)
Year Ended December 31, 2023
Federal$3,267 $7 $3,274 
State664 72 736 
Foreign1,126 (31)1,095 
$5,057 $48 $5,105 
Year Ended December 31, 2022
Federal$1,772 $528 $2,300 
State376 221 597 
Foreign348 25 373 
$2,496 $774 $3,270 
Income tax expense differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal statutory tax rates applicable to the Company’s level of pretax income as a result of the following (in thousands):  
Year Ended December 31,
20232022
Federal tax at statutory rates$3,594 $2,091 
State taxes, net of federal income tax benefit584 471 
Change of valuation allowance— (34)
Uncertain tax positions 43 107 
Foreign income taxed at different rates539 (38)
Stock-based compensation expense
30 469 
Other
315 204 
Total income tax expense$5,105 $3,270 
The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows (in thousands): 
December 31,
20232022
Deferred tax assets:
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards$3,349 $4,935 
Operating lease liabilities1,947 2,417 
State income taxes109 74 
Accruals and allowances391 627 
Stock-based compensation432 256 
Unrealized foreign exchange losses363 329 
Deferred revenue61 191 
Property, equipment and intangible assets156 — 
Capital loss carryforward404 410 
Total deferred tax assets 7,212 9,239 
Valuation allowance(2,878)(4,455)
Total deferred tax assets net of valuation allowance4,334 4,784 
Deferred tax liabilities:
Operating lease right-of-use assets(1,138)(1,416)
Property, equipment and intangible assets— (146)
Total deferred tax liabilities(1,138)(1,562)
Net deferred tax assets$3,196 $3,222 
Changes in the deferred tax assets valuation allowance for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows (in thousands):
Balance at the beginning of the yearCharged (Credited) to expensesCharged (Credited) to other account (*)Balance at end of year
Deferred tax assets valuation allowance
2023$4,455 (1,577)$2,878 
2022$8,717 — (4,262)$4,455 
(*) Amounts not charged (credited) to expenses are charged (credited) to stockholders' equity or deferred tax assets (liabilities).

As of December 31, 2023, the Company has a valuation allowance of approximately $2.3 million related to foreign net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of approximately $18.2 million primarily related to the Company's Asia Pacific entities (whose operations were classified as discontinued operations as of March 2020), for which it is more likely than not that the tax benefit will not be realized.
The liquidations of Travelzoo Australia, Travelzoo (Hong Kong) Limited and Travelzoo Local (Hong Kong) were completed in 2023, resulting in a write-off of the remaining net deferred tax assets of approximately $1.8 million for these entities, offset by the release of the corresponding valuation allowance. If not utilized, $10.9 million of the remaining foreign NOL may be carried forward indefinitely, and $7.3 million will expire at various times between 2024 and 2027.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company has U.S. federal NOL carryforwards of $48.4 million as a result of the acquisition of MTE discussed in Note 3 above. If not utilized, $7.4 million of the remaining NOL may be carried forward indefinitely, and $41.0 million will expire at various times between 2030 and 2037. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had state and local NOL carryforwards of $121.7 million, which expire at various times between 2035 and 2042. The Company has not recorded these net operating losses because an uncertain tax position has been recorded relating to them.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company is permanently reinvested in certain non-U.S. subsidiaries and does not have a deferred tax liability related to its undistributed foreign earnings.  The estimated amount of the unrecognized deferred tax liability attributable to future withholding taxes on dividend distributions of undistributed earnings for certain non-U.S. subsidiaries, which the Company intends to reinvest the related earnings indefinitely in its operations outside the U.S., is approximately $775,000 at December 31, 2023.
The total amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits was $23.9 million as of December 31, 2023, of which up to $16.6 million would affect the Company’s effective tax rate if realized. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of gross unrecognized tax benefits in 2022 and 2023 is as follows (in thousands):
Gross unrecognized tax benefits balance at December 31, 2021$1,044 
Increase related to current year tax positions15,833 
Settlements— 
Gross unrecognized tax benefits balance at December 31, 202216,877 
Increase related to prior year tax positions7,018 
Settlements— 
Gross unrecognized tax benefits balance at December 31, 2023$23,895 

The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax positions in income tax expense. To the extent accrued interest and penalties do not ultimately become payable, amounts accrued will be reduced and reflected as a reduction in the overall income tax provision in the period that such determination is made. At December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $803,000 in accrued interest and penalties.
The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The Company is subject to U.S. federal and certain state tax examinations for certain years after 2019, and is subject to California tax examinations for years after 2018. The IRS and taxing authorities can also audit the NOL carryforwards acquired through the MTE acquisition, which were generated starting in 2008.
Although the timing of any initiation, resolution and/or closure of any audits is highly uncertain, it is reasonably possible that the balance of the gross unrecognized tax benefits related to the method of computing income taxes in certain jurisdictions and losses reported on certain income tax returns could significantly change in the next 12 months. These changes may occur through settlement with taxing authorities or expiration of the statute of limitations on returns filed. The Company is unable to estimate a range of possible adjustments to the balance of gross unrecognized tax benefits.