Paychex 2022 10-K Annual Report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022

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 0-11330

Paychex, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (585) 385-6666

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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 Section 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 whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes  No 

As of November 30, 2021, the last business day of the most recently completed second fiscal quarter, shares held by non-affiliates of the registrant had an aggregate market value of $30,609,113,270 based on the closing price reported for such date on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

As of June 30, 2022, 359,906,888 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value, were outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be issued in connection with its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on or about October 13, 2022, to the extent not set forth herein, are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10 through 14, inclusive.

Table of Contents

PAYC****HEX, INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022

i

Table of Contents

PA****RT I

CAU****TIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain written and oral statements made by management of Paychex, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (“we,” “our,” “us,” “Paychex,” or the “Company”) may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States (“U.S.”) Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by such words and phrases as “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “overview,” “outlook,” “guidance,” “we look forward to,” “will,” “would,” “project,” “projections,” “strategy,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “may,” “target,” “potential,” “strive,” “mission,” and other similar words or phrases. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding operating performance, events, or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future, including statements relating to our outlook, revenue growth, earnings, earnings-per-share growth, or similar projections.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict, many of which are outside our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance upon any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:

our ability to keep pace with changes in technology and to provide timely enhancements to our products and services;

software defects, undetected errors, or development delays for our products;

the possibility of cyberattacks, security vulnerabilities and Internet disruptions, including breaches of data security and privacy leaks, data loss and business interruptions;

the possibility of failure of our operating facilities, computer systems, or communication systems during a catastrophic event;

the failure of third-party service providers to perform their functions;

the possibility that we may be subject to additional risks related to our co-employment relationship with our professional employer organization (“PEO”);

changes in health insurance and workers’ compensation insurance rates and underlying claim trends;

risks related to acquisitions and the integration of the businesses we acquire;

our clients’ failure to reimburse us for payments made by us on their behalf;

the effect of changes in government regulations mandating the amount of tax withheld or the timing of remittances;

our failure to comply with covenants in our debt agreements;

changes in governmental regulations and policies;

our ability to comply with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations;

our compliance with data privacy laws and regulations;

our failure to protect our intellectual property rights;

potential outcomes related to pending or future litigation matters;

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other macroeconomic factors on the U.S. and global economy, and in particular on our small- and medium-sized business clients;

volatility in the political and economic environment, including rising inflation;

changes in the availability of qualified people; and

the possible effects of negative publicity on our reputation and the value of our brand.

Table of Contents

Any of these factors, as well as such other factors as discussed in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and throughout Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10‑K (“Form 10-K”), and in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), 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 as of the date of this report, and any forward-looking statements made by us in this Form 10‑K speak only as of the date on which they are made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date of filing this Form 10-K with the SEC to reflect events or circumstances after such date, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Our investor presentation regarding the financial results for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 is available and accessible on our Paychex Investor Relations page at https://investor.paychex.com. Information available on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Form 10-K. We intend to make future investor presentations available exclusively on our Paychex Investor Relations page.

Table of Contents

Unless we state otherwise or the context otherwise requires, the terms “Paychex,” “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to Paychex, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Overview

We are a leading human capital management (“HCM”) software and services company, offering integrated solutions for human resources (“HR”), payroll, benefits, and insurance services for small- to medium-sized businesses. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of technology solutions and services, supported by HR and compliance expertise, that help our clients address the evolving challenges of HR. Our purpose is to allow our customers the freedom to succeed. The workplace is evolving, and we lead the way by making complex HR, payroll, and benefits simple for our clients.

Paychex incorporated in Delaware in 1979 and has a fiscal year that ends May 31st. We maintain our corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York, and serve clients throughout the U.S. and parts of Europe. As of May 31, 2022, we served greater than 730,000 payroll and PEO clients.

For any organization, a key function is effective HCM, which requires both resources and expertise. Organizations are faced with complex and ever-changing requirements, including diverse and complicated federal, state, and local regulations across multiple jurisdictions. In addition, the workplace is rapidly changing as employees increasingly become mobile, work remotely, and expect a user experience similar to consumer-oriented applications. We focus on helping small- to medium-sized businesses who do not have the resources or expertise to adapt to the constantly evolving environment.

Paychex offers a wide range of solutions – including fully outsourced HR, HCM software, payroll processing, retirement and insurance solutions – allowing us to customize our offering to the client's business, whether it is small or large, simple, or complex. We believe that we have the breadth of solutions to cover the spectrum of the employee life cycle, but we also allow integration with some of the most popular HR, accounting, point-of-sale, and productivity applications on the market today.

Our comprehensive solutions allow our clients to manage their workforces effectively from hire to retire. We provide leading-edge HCM technology solutions, coupled with human expertise, to make complex HR, payroll, and benefits issues simple for our clients. The key features of our solutions are:

Comprehensive cloud-based platform optimized to meet the HR and payroll needs of small- and medium-sized organizations;

Streamlined workforce management that combines technology with flexible service options;

Modern, mobile, and intuitive user experience and self-service capabilities;

Scalable and customizable platform that allows clients the ability to add services as they grow;

Software as a service, or “SaaS”, delivery model that reduces total cost of ownership for our clients; and

Expertise in HR and payroll with our technology backed by over 200 compliance experts and more than 700 HR business professionals.

We market our solutions through our direct and virtual sales forces which are supported by various corporate lead generation and marketing initiatives. Over 50% of our revenues are gained from our services beyond payroll processing. We focus on providing an industry-leading client experience.

Company Strategy

Our mission is to be the leading provider of HCM solutions for HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance by being an essential partner to small- and medium-sized businesses across the U.S. and parts of Europe. We believe that success in this mission will lead to strong, long-term financial performance. We intend to strengthen and extend our position as a leading provider through continued investments in both our technology and service offerings. Key elements of our strategy include:

Providing industry-leading, integrated technology**.** We continue to invest significantly in our award-winning Paychex Flex® platform and mobility applications to increase efficiency and functionality for our clients and their employees.

Table of Contents

Increasing client satisfaction. Our flexible and technology-enabled service model allows us to provide a personalized experience for our clients and their employees. We continue to invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning and self-service capabilities to allow clients and their employees easy, intuitive, and flexible service how, when, and where they want it.

Expanding our leadership in HR. We have a comprehensive suite of value-added HR solutions for our clients and their employees. Our solutions include industry leading HR technology for managing client's workforce along with comprehensive HR outsourcing delivered by over 700 HR business professionals. Our unique combination of industry leading HR Technology serviced by trained HR business professionals sets us apart in the industry. We are the second largest publicly traded provider of PEO services in the U.S.

Growing our client base. We believe we operate in a significantly under-penetrated and growing market, with significant potential to expand within our current target markets. We have invested significantly in new demand generation and sales tools and expanding certain areas of our sales force. We continue to focus on sales productivity with the intent of expanding our market share across all our product lines.

Engaging in strategic acquisitions**.** In the past, we utilized acquisitions as a means to expand our portfolio, enter new markets or increase our scale. We continue to evaluate and monitor potential acquisitions and will utilize this when the acquisition targets are in alignment with our overall strategy.

Our Solutions

Our solutions bring together payroll and HCM software with HR and compliance expertise, along with flexible, personalized, and technology-enabled service capabilities. Clients have the option of doing payroll online using our SaaS technology, outsourcing to our payroll specialists, or using a combination of those solutions. Payroll is then integrated with HCM software modules for clients who have more complex HR needs. We also provide comprehensive HR outsourcing through our administrative services organization (“ASO”) and PEO solutions. The integration of leading-edge technology and flexible service options allows us to meet our clients’ needs how, when, and where they want.

As the global economy continues to evolve, we remain committed to helping our clients navigate the complexity of macroeconomic challenges, legislative changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, or other factors. In the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 (“fiscal 2022”), top challenges for employers were obtaining and retaining talent, ensuring employee welfare, introducing comprehensive and differentiated benefits offerings to meet the needs of a competitive labor market, leveraging technology to drive efficiency and support a distributed workforce, and cash flows. Product developments in fiscal 2022 designed to meet the evolving needs of employers and employees included:

Paychex Pre-Check, a self-service solution that allows employees to review their paystubs and alert their employer of discrepancies before payday. This significantly reduces errors, increasing efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Retention Insights, which utilizes predictive analytics to help identify employees that may be more likely to consider leaving.

Paychex Employee Retention Tax Credit (“ERTC”) Service, which helps businesses retroactively identify tax credits, based on wages already paid, and file amended returns to claim the credit.

Talent Dashboard, which brings retention insights, time off balances, and performance ratings together in one place. This allows employers to compare the performance rating and compensation of each job position to ensure they are rewarding employees appropriately and equitably.

Acquisition of a powerful state-of-the-art benefits administration software to help employers drive efficiencies in managing their employee benefits.

Vaccination Management, utilizing enhanced Document Management features, where employees can confidentially upload proof of vaccination or COVID-19 test results.

Additional tools that aid in talent management, including Total Compensation Summary, Pay Benchmarking, Time Off Management, Financial Wellness, etc.

HCM Technology: Paychex Flex is our proprietary HCM SaaS platform that unites HR, payroll, time and attendance, and benefits processes to maximize efficiency and savings. Paychex Flex helps clients manage the employee life cycle from recruiting and hiring to retirement, providing an integrated suite of solutions including recruiting, onboarding, HR, time and attendance and

Table of Contents

employee benefits. It utilizes a single cloud-based platform, with single client and employee records. Clients can select the modules they need and easily add on services as they grow. In addition, Paychex Flex presents function-focused analytics throughout the platform, providing HR leaders with data to make more informed business decisions. Paychex Flex uses a device-independent design throughout our HCM suite, which allows full functionality of all application components, regardless of device or screen size. We believe our Paychex mobile applications add greater value and convenience for our clients and their employees by allowing them instant access on their mobile device, and we have experienced strong growth in mobile and self-service usage over the past year.

We continue to invest in Paychex Flex, making significant enhancements designed to simplify the complexity of HR. In fiscal 2022, product development focused on new products geared toward increasing digital transformation and use of technology to deliver efficiency for a distributed workforce. Our fiscal 2022 product development included enhancements to:

HR and Compliance Expertise: Paychex supports its HCM software solutions with 50+ years of experience. We have over 700 HR business professionals who are dedicated to our clients and have the experience and training to provide HR best practices and advice. Our HR business partners are available to provide our ASO and PEO clients with specific guidance on HR issues. In addition, we have over 200 compliance professionals who are in real-time contact with tax agencies and regulators to understand upcoming or newly enacted laws and regulations and advocate for our clients’ interests. The contributions of these compliance experts are intended to ensure that our HCM solutions are updated timely to adhere to regulations and to help our clients stay in compliance.

Technology-Enabled Client Service: Paychex Flex also provides technology-enabled service with options that include self-service, a 24/7 dedicated service center, an individual payroll specialist, and integrated service via a multi-product service center. In addition, medium-sized clients can utilize a relationship manager for more personalized service. This flexible platform services our small- to medium-sized clients and a portion of our PEO business.

Within Paychex Flex there is embedded technology to assist clients. The Paychex Flex Intelligence Engine includes the Flex Assistant, a customer service chatbot that can answer approximately 680 commonly asked questions and offer access to over 1,200 instructional resources. Our Paychex Flex Intelligence Engine allows clients to elect their preference for learning – via written how-to-documents, tutorial-style video vignettes, or a guided interactive tour. At any time, a live Paychex agent is just a click away, with the entire chat conversation available real-time to provide a better, more personalized service experience.

The platform embeds self-service capabilities that empower client employees to manage their HR and benefits information from any location, on any device. These self-service capabilities allow for greater access and convenience for client employees and greater productivity for clients.

Our Clients

Paychex has HR solutions to fit the needs of any small- to medium-sized business, from do-it-yourself payroll to comprehensive HR outsourcing. The target market for our integrated HCM solutions is small- to medium-sized businesses. Within this space, we serve a diverse client base operating in a broad range of industries throughout the U.S. and parts of Europe. The flexibility and scalability of our solutions allow our clients to define the solution that best meets their needs and to grow within the Paychex Flex platform. We utilize service agreements and arrangements with clients that generally do not contain specified contract periods and may be terminated by either party with 30-days notice of termination. For fiscal 2022, client retention was at approximately 84% of our beginning client base, remaining near record levels.

We support our small-business clients, reducing the complexity and risk of running their own payroll, while ensuring greater accuracy with up-to-date tax rates and regulatory information. We simplify their payroll with a combination of our solutions and customer service options for a quick and easy payday. Clients may choose to have our service team handle everything for them, or process payroll themselves utilizing our proprietary, robust SaaS Paychex Flex platform and our SurePayroll® SaaS-based products. Both products allow users to process payroll when they want, how they want, and on any device (desktop, tablet, and mobile phone).

Table of Contents

Our medium-sized clients generally have more complex payroll and employee benefit needs, though with the environment of increasing regulations, we believe the need for HR outsourcing services has been moving down-market. Any of our clients on Paychex Flex can opt for the integrated suite of HCM solutions, which allows clients to choose the services and software that will meet the needs of their business.

While Paychex Flex is our primary SaaS-based platform utilized by the majority of our clients for their HCM needs, there are some clients that use other platforms, including SurePayroll clients, certain PEO clients, and some smaller tenured clients.

Both our small- and medium-sized clients can choose one of our comprehensive HR outsourcing services, which include ASO and PEO solutions, and participate in our benefits offerings, which include our insurance and retirement services. Our insurance services simplify the insurance process to make it easy to find plans with the features and affordability to meet the client’s needs. Our retirement services product line offers many plan design options to meet the client’s requirements, as well as investment options.

Description of Solutions

Within our HCM solutions we offer a comprehensive portfolio of products and services that allow our clients to meet their diverse HR and payroll needs. Clients can select services on an á la carte basis or as part of various product bundles. Our offerings often leverage the information gathered in our base payroll processing service, allowing us to provide comprehensive outsourcing services covering the HCM spectrum.

Our portfolio of solutions is comprised of the following:

Management Solutions:

Payroll processing services: Our payroll processing services include the calculation, preparation, and delivery of employee payroll checks; production of internal accounting records and management reports; preparation of federal, state, and local payroll tax returns; and collection and remittance of clients’ payroll obligations.

Payroll tax administration services: Payroll tax administration services provide for accurate preparation and timely filing of quarterly and year-end tax returns, as well as the electronic transfer of funds to the applicable federal, state, and local tax or regulatory agencies. In connection with these services, we electronically collect payroll taxes from clients’ bank accounts, typically on payday, prepare and file the applicable tax returns, and remit taxes to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies on the respective due dates. These taxes are typically paid between one and 30 days after receipt of collections from clients, with some items extending up to 90 days. We handle regulatory correspondence, amendments, and penalty and interest disputes.

Employee payment services: Our employee payment services provide an employer the option of paying their employees by direct deposit, payroll debit card, a check drawn on a Paychex account (Readychex®), or a check drawn on the employer’s account and electronically signed by us. For each of the first three methods, we electronically collect net payroll from the clients’ bank accounts, typically one business day before payday, and provide payment to the employees on payday. Our Readychex service provides a cost-effective solution that offers the benefit of convenient, one-step payroll account reconciliation for employers.

We also allow employers to opt for more flexible pay options. Same day ACH functionality is also available for clients using direct deposit, allowing employers the flexibility to pay employees via direct deposit on the same day they initiate payroll. In addition, we are giving business owners the ability to leverage real-time payments to process payroll and deliver net pay to their employees immediately for time worked. Pay-on-demand functionality enables an employee to request access to a portion of earned pay before the scheduled pay date, which is deposited into a traditional bank account or a third-party account.

Table of Contents

Regulatory compliance services: We offer new-hire reporting services, which enable clients to comply with federal and state requirements to report information on newly hired employees. This information aids the government in enforcing child support orders and minimizes fraudulent unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance claims. Our garnishment processing service provides deductions from employees’ pay, forwards payments to third-party agencies, including those that require electronic payments, and tracks the obligations to fulfillment. These services enable employers to comply with legal requirements and reduce the risk of penalties. We also offer comprehensive solutions to help employers and employees with certain mandates under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), which sets forth specific coverage and reporting requirements that employers must meet.

HR Solutions (ASO): Our ASO offers businesses a combined package that includes payroll, employer compliance, HR and employee benefits administration, risk management outsourcing, and the on-site availability of a professionally trained HR representative, among other services. Paychex HR Essentials is an ASO product that provides support to our clients over the phone or online to help manage employee-related topics.

Retirement solutions administration: Our retirement solutions product line offers a variety of options to clients, including 401(k) plans, 401(k) SIMPLE plans, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k) plans with safe harbor provisions, owner-only 401(k) plans, Pooled Employer Plans, profit sharing plans, and money purchase plans. These services provide plan implementation, ongoing compliance with government regulations, employee and employer reporting, participant and employer online access, electronic funds transfer, and other administrative services. Auto enrollment is an optional plan feature that allows employers to automatically enroll employees in their company’s 401(k) plan and increase overall plan participation. Clients may choose from a group of pre-defined fund selections or customize their investment options within their plan. We are the largest 401(k) recordkeeper for small businesses in the U.S. Our large-market retirement services clients include relationships with financial advisors.

HR administration solutions: We offer cloud-based HR administration software for employee benefits management and administration, time and attendance solutions, recruiting, and onboarding. These services include:

Paychex HR Online offers powerful tools for managing employee personnel information, performance management, HR compliance and reporting. Our Learning Management solution complements our performance management tool. When combined with our workflow and approval engine, we offer clients the flexibility to capture ongoing performance feedback, recommend and enroll employees in specific training courses, and leverage automated workflows to track progress and approve compensation changes tied to performance.

Digital communication solutions, including Paychex Flex HR Connect and HR Conversations, which helps strengthen connections and keep workers engaged no matter their work location. Paychex Flex HR Connect provides the ability to digitally submit questions, requests, and incident reports directly to HR through an easy-to-use workflow. HR Conversations enables managers and HR leaders to initiate communications with employees, and enhancements to performance assessments allow for 360-degree feedback digitally within the tool.

Benefits administration software that manages the employee-benefit enrollment process for both open-enrollment and life events.

Time and attendance products, including our integrated Paychex Flex Time software, provide timekeeping, scheduling, and workforce analytics. The InVisionTM IRIS Time Clock, a biometric clock that scans the iris, provides fast and accurate time capture. Paychex Flex Time also works with wearable technology to allow for employees to clock in and out using their smartwatch.

Applicant tracking suite provides technology that streamlines, simplifies, and drives the applicant workflow and onboarding process for companies of all sizes.

Other HR services and products: We offer the outsourcing of plan administration under section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code, allowing employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for certain health insurance benefits and health and dependent care expenses not covered by insurance. All required implementation, administration, compliance, claims processing and reimbursement, and coverage tests are provided with these services. We offer state unemployment insurance services, which provide clients with prompt processing for all claims, appeals, determinations, change statements, and requests for separation documents.

Table of Contents

Business services: We offer various business services for small- to medium-sized businesses. Our wholly owned subsidiary, Paychex Advance, LLC, provides a portfolio of services to the temporary staffing industry, including payroll funding (via the purchase of accounts receivable) and outsourcing services, which include payroll processing, invoicing, and tax preparation. Paychex Promise, a subscription-based service, offers protection against payroll interruptions and solutions to address routine challenges of running a successful business. The primary offering is payroll protection, which extends the collection of payroll funds from a client’s bank account by seven days without interruption of service or charges for insufficient funds. Employee Retention Tax Credit Service, which proactively helps businesses retroactively identify tax credits available under the COVID-19 Cares Act, based on wages already paid, and file amended returns to claim the credit. In addition, through partnerships with third-party providers, we provide clients opportunities for services such as payment processing services, financial fitness programs, and a small-business loan resource center.

PEO and Insurance Solutions:

PEO solutions: Our licensed PEO subsidiaries offer businesses a combined package that includes payroll, employer compliance, HR and employee benefits administration, risk management outsourcing, and the on-site availability of a professionally trained HR representative, among other services. What differentiates our PEO solutions from our ASO solutions is that we serve as a co-employer of our clients’ employees and assume the risks and rewards of certain workers’ compensation insurance and certain health insurance offerings. We are certified under the Small Business Efficiency Act to provide PEO solutions. We offer the PEO Protection Plus Package, which helps business owners protect their bottom line from unforeseen costs, including cyberattacks and employee lawsuits, as exposure to these risks rapidly increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Insurance solutions: Our licensed insurance agency, Paychex Insurance Agency, Inc., provides insurance through a variety of carriers, allowing employers to expand their employee benefit and corporate offerings at an affordable cost. Insurance offerings include property and casualty coverage such as workers’ compensation, business-owner policies, cyber security protection, commercial auto, and health and benefits coverage, including health, dental, vision, and life. Our insurance services simplify the insurance process to make it easy to find plans with the features and affordability to meet the client’s needs. With access to numerous top national and regional insurance carriers, our professional insurance agents have access to a wide selection of plans from which they can best match the insurance needs of small businesses. Additionally, clients have the option to integrate their insurance plans with Paychex payroll processing for easy, accurate plan administration.

Sales and Marketing

We market and sell our services primarily through our direct sales force based in the markets we serve. Our direct sales force includes sales representatives who have defined geographical territories and specialize within our portfolio of services. Our sales representatives are also supported by marketing, advertising, public relations, trade shows, and telemarketing programs. Our virtual sales force manages inbound sales leads for the under twenty employee space, sales in areas without a direct sales force presence, and sales of various ancillary services.

In addition to our direct selling and marketing efforts, we utilize other indirect sales channels such as our relationships with existing clients, certified public accountants (“CPAs”), and banks for new client referrals. More than 50% of our new small-market payroll clients (excluding business acquisitions) come from these referral sources. Our dedicated business development group drives sales through banking, national associations, and franchise channels. We also utilize digital marketing as a means to market our services.

We have a long-standing partnership with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”) as the preferred payroll provider for its AICPA Business SolutionsTM Program. Our current partnership agreement with the AICPA is in place through September 2023. We also partner with numerous state CPA society organizations.

Our website is available at www.paychex.com. It is a cost-efficient channel that serves as a source of leads and new sales, while complementing the efforts of our direct and virtual sales forces. The website allows us to market to existing and prospective clients that want to learn more about our products and services and offers information about our core lines of business: human resources (www.paychex.com/human-resources), payroll (www.paychex.com/payroll), benefits (www.paychex.com/employee-benefits), and insurance (www.paychex.com/business-insurance).

Table of Contents

Paychex also builds on its reputation as an expert in the HCM industry by providing education and assistance primarily to clients and the CPA community. We provide free webinars, podcasts, white papers, and other information on our website to inform existing and prospective clients on the impact of regulatory change as well as HR and business best practices. Paychex WORX, available at www.paychex.com/worx, is a digital destination for insightful resources useful for businesses at every stage, from entrepreneur to enterprise. Paychex WORX highlights our expertise and ability to help businesses of all sizes with a wide range of HR and financial information for current clients and prospects alike.

We also track current regulatory issues that impact the business community and provide regulatory updates. We issue small business trend reports through our Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch. Our Paychex Accountant Knowledge Center is a free online resource available through our website that brings valuable information and time-saving online tools to accounting professionals. Through Paychex Flex, AccountantHQ offers access to authorized client payroll and HR data and key account contacts, along with an extensive accountant resource library. AccountantHQ drives efficiency by putting accountants in the best position possible to easily access critical client payroll and HR data, as well as powerful reporting tools, including our Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness estimator.

Markets and Competition

We remain focused on servicing small- to medium-sized businesses based upon the growth potential that we believe exists in the markets we serve. Our internal database source indicates that in the U.S., there are approximately 8 million employer firms in our target markets.

The market for HCM services is highly competitive and fragmented. We have one primary national competitor and we also compete with other national, international, regional, local, and online service providers. In addition to traditional payroll processing and HR service providers, we compete with in-house payroll and HR systems and departments. Payroll and HR systems and software are sold by many vendors. Our products also compete with a variety of providers of HR services, such as retirement services companies, insurance companies, HR and benefits consulting firms, and national and regional PEOs.

Competition in the payroll processing and HR services industry is primarily based on service responsiveness, product quality and reputation, including ease of use and accessibility of technology, breadth of service and product offerings, and price. We believe we are competitive in each of these areas. We believe that our leading-edge technology and mobility applications, combined with personalized service provided by industry professionals and our technology-enabled service capabilities, distinguishes us from our competitors.

Software Maintenance and Development

The ever-changing mandates of federal, state, and local tax and regulatory agencies require us to regularly update our proprietary software to provide payroll and HR services to our clients. We are continually engaged in developing enhancements to and maintaining our various software platforms to meet the changing requirements of our clients and the marketplace. We continue to enhance our SaaS solutions and mobility applications to offer our users an integrated and unified experience. Continued enhancement of the client and client employee experience is important to our future success.

Human Capital

We believe our ability to attract and retain qualified employees in all areas of our business is critical to our future success and growth. We strive to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive (“DE&I”) workplace; attract, retain, and develop talented employees; and keep them safe.

For detailed information regarding our human capital activities, we encourage investors to visit our Corporate Responsibility website page at https://www.paychex.com/corporate/corporate-responsibility. We have also made our Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) report available on our website. The information contained on our website and in our CSR report is not and should not be viewed as being incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

Our Employees: As of May 31, 2022, we employed approximately 16,000 people, primarily in the U.S. and on a full-time basis. None of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. We have not experienced a strike or similar work stoppage, and we consider our relations with our employees to be good.

Table of Contents

Paychex Culture: Our core cultural values (“Paychex Values”) are designed to guide decision making aligned to the expectations of clients, stockholders, regulators, employees, and the multiple communities in which we operate and to reflect our continuing commitment to DE&I. The Paychex Values are:

Each of these values guide our decision-making process and are critical to our ongoing success. All employees are required to verify their understanding and observance of these values during our annual “Right Way” training, review these values with management during periodic performance discussions, and are further encouraged to attend ongoing training during the year. Volunteer “Culture Champions” throughout the Company also help promote these values daily. We encourage employee feedback through our employee engagement surveys, as described below. This approach empowers our employees and allows us to make a positive impact in the communities we work and serve. As a result of our commitment to these principles, in 2022 we were recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. We have achieved this recognition 14 times, and consecutively since 2012.

Talent Acquisition and Development: We compete for talent along with our direct competitors and other companies in the geographic areas we serve. We invest significant resources to attract and retain top talent. Our Talent Acquisition Team, in conjunction with certain third-party partners, have developed comprehensive processes to identify and recruit accomplished professionals.

Once hired, our world-class Training Department provides functional training for payroll and HCM specialists and sales associates and also offers personal training, professional development, and leadership-development programs. As a result of our efforts, we have been recognized as one of the top training organizations in the world with a 2022 Training APEX Award presented by Training magazine. Paychex ranked number five on the list, its highest-ever ranking after 21 consecutive appearances, including a number seven ranking in 2021.

Comprehensive Compensation and Benefits: We are committed to providing a fair wage and a total rewards package that allows our employees to be their best in every area of their lives. We regularly review employee salaries to ensure we are competitive in the industry and offer financial benefits such as a 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, tuition assistance, scholarships for children of employees, and financial education. We are also committed to rewarding employees with comprehensive and competitive wellness benefits and well-being programs which include medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance, short- and long-term disability, employee assistance program, paid family leave, and a variety of well-being programs. For fiscal 2022, compensation-related expenses accounted for approximately 59% of our total expenses.

Employee Well-being Initiatives: In addition to providing a comprehensive compensation and benefits package, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for our employees. Healthier employees are at lower risk of injury from workplace related exposures, perform work more safely with lower rates of absenteeism, and experience better job performance. Our well-being program is a robust and comprehensive program focusing on the physical, emotional, community, career, and financial health of our employees. In 2022, Paychex was recognized by the Business Group on Health with the Best Employers: Excellence in Health & Well-being Award for our commitment to advancing employee well-being through comprehensive and innovative benefits offerings. This marks the ninth time Paychex has earned such recognition from the Business Group on Health.

Our award-winning well-being initiatives offer a wide variety of services, tools, and resources that can help employees achieve their health goals using a holistic approach. In addition, we sponsor onsite health screenings, Red Cross blood donation events, flu vaccination clinics, vaping and tobacco cessation, weight management, resiliency training, meditation and yoga classes, and a variety of other programs. Similar to our Culture Champions, we also promote the use of “Well-Being Champions” - Paychex employees who serve as a liaison between the Employee Well-Being Program and their team members. Our employees’ financial well-being is equally important, so we have developed programs for financial education and support. We maintain procedures for events such as fires, severe weather, medical emergencies, and active shooters, as well as other important information related to general workforce safety.

In recognizing the ever-growing diversity of our workplace, we announced the Paychex Culture Day in May 2022. It is an additional paid day off for employees to celebrate and recognize a holiday that is significant to them. This is just one of the many ways we celebrate our unique heritages, and it reflects our Company's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and flexibility.

Table of Contents

Employee Engagement: We regularly ask our employees to share their views on working at Paychex through company-wide engagement surveys. Facilitated internally by our Human Resources Organizational Development Team, the survey methodology is periodically updated to reflect currents trends and issues including company direction and strategy, DE&I, individual development, collaboration, and our Paychex Values. A third-party administers the survey in order to maintain confidentiality of responses. We use the survey responses to help inform management and assist in developing programs and policies that will maintain and promote Paychex Values.

Intellectual Property

We own or license and use a number of trademarks, trade names, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets, computer programs and software, and other intellectual property rights. Collectively, our intellectual property rights are material to the conduct of our business. Where it is determined to be appropriate, we take measures to protect our intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to, confidentiality/non-disclosure agreements or policies with employees, vendors, and others; license agreements with licensees and licensors of intellectual property; and registration of certain trademarks. We believe that the “Paychex” name, trademark, and logo are of material importance to us.

Seasonality

There is no significant seasonality to our business. However, during our third fiscal quarter, which ends in February, the number of new payroll clients, new retirement services clients, and new worksite employees associated with our ASO and PEO businesses tends to be higher than during the rest of the fiscal year, primarily because many new clients prefer to start using our services at the beginning of a calendar year. In addition, calendar year-end transaction processing and client funds activity are traditionally higher during our third fiscal quarter due to clients paying year-end bonuses, clients requesting additional year-end services, and the preparation and delivery of end-of year reporting requirements.

Available Information

We are subject to the informational and reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Therefore, we file periodic reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that includes our reports, proxy statements, and other information.

Our corporate website, www.paychex.com, provides materials for investors and information about our services. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings, as well as any amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are made available, free of charge, on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports have been filed with or furnished to the SEC. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into our Form 10-K. Also, copies of our Annual Report to Stockholders and Proxy Statement, to be issued in connection with our 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, will be made available, free of charge, upon written request submitted to Paychex, Inc., c/o Corporate Secretary, 911 Panorama Trail South, Rochester, New York 14625-2396.

Table of Contents

Our future results of operations are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical and current results, and from our projections. The following risk factors represent our current view of some of the most important risks facing our business and are important to understanding our business. These are not the only risks we face. Additional factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may adversely affect, possibly to a material extent, our business, cash flows, financial condition, or results of operations in future periods. In addition, refer to the cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements at the beginning of Part I of this Form 10-K.

Business and Operational Risks

We may not be able to keep pace with changes in technology or provide timely enhancements to our products and services.

The market for our products is characterized by rapid technological advancements, changes in customer requirements, frequent new product introductions and enhancements, and changing industry standards. To maintain our growth strategy, we must adapt and respond to technological advances and technological requirements of our clients. Our future success will depend on our ability to: enhance our current products and introduce new products in order to keep pace with products offered by our competitors; enhance capabilities and increase the performance of our internal systems, particularly our systems that meet our clients’ requirements; and adapt to technological advancements and changing industry standards. We continue to make significant investments related to the development of new technology. If our systems become outdated, it may negatively impact our ability to meet performance expectations related to quality, time to market, cost and innovation relative to our competitors. The failure to provide a more efficient and user-friendly customer-facing digital experience across internet and mobile platforms as well as in physical locations may adversely impact our business and operating results. There can be no assurance that our efforts to update and integrate systems will be successful. If we do not integrate and update our systems in a timely manner, or if our investments in technology fail to provide the expected results, there could be a material adverse effect to our business and results of operations. The failure to continually develop enhancements and use of technologies such as robotics and other workflow automation tools, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence/machine learning may impact our ability to increase the efficiency of and reduce costs associated with operational risk management and compliance activities.

We may experience software defects, undetected errors, and development delays, which could damage our relationship with clients, decrease our potential profitability and expose us to liability.

Our products rely on software and computing systems that can encounter development delays, and the underlying software may contain undetected errors, viruses or defects. Defects in our products and errors or delays caused by our products could result in additional development costs, diversion of technical and other resources from our other development efforts, loss of credibility with current or potential clients, harm to our reputation and exposure to liability. In addition, we rely on technologies and software supplied by third parties that may also contain undetected errors, viruses or defects that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We could be subject to reduced revenues, increased costs, liability claims, or harm to our competitive position as a result of cyberattacks, security vulnerabilities or Internet disruptions.

We rely upon information technology (“IT”) networks, cloud-based platforms, and systems to process, transmit, and store electronic information, and to support a variety of business processes, some of which are provided by third-party vendors. Cyberattacks and security threats are a risk to our business and reputation. A cyberattack, unauthorized intrusion, malicious software infiltration, network disruption or outage, corruption of data, or theft of personal or other sensitive information, could have a material adverse effect on our business operations or that of our clients, result in liability or regulatory sanction, or cause harm to our business and reputation and result in a loss in confidence in our ability to serve clients all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. The rapid speed of disruptive innovations involving cyberattacks, security vulnerabilities and Internet disruptions enabled by new and emerging technologies may outpace our organization's ability to compete and/or manage the risk appropriately. In addition, cybercriminals may seek to engage in payment-related fraud or by more frequently attempting to gain access to our systems through phishing or other means. Furthermore, security industry experts and government officials have warned about the risks of hackers and cyberattacks targeting IT products and businesses. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

Data Security and Privacy Leaks: We collect, use, and retain increasingly large amounts of personal information about our clients, employees of our clients, and our employees, including: bank account, credit card, and social security numbers, tax return

Table of Contents

information, health care information, retirement account information, payroll information, system and network passwords, and other sensitive personal and business information. At the same time, the continued occurrence of high-profile cyber and ransomware attacks and data breaches provides evidence of an external environment increasingly hostile to information security. We may be particularly targeted for cyberattack because of the amount and type of personal and business information that we collect, use, and retain. Vulnerabilities, threats, and more sophisticated and targeted computer crimes pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks, and the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data. Furthermore, if any of our products contains a software vulnerability, the vulnerability may be exploited to obtain access to our data or our clients’ data.

Our service platforms enable our clients to store and process personal data on premises or, increasingly, in a cloud-based environment that we host. The security of our IT infrastructure is an important consideration in our customers’ purchasing decisions. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service or sabotage systems change frequently, are increasingly more complex and sophisticated and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable or fail to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate or timely preventative or responsive measures. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we are focused on ensuring that our operating environments safeguard and protect personal and business information. We may be required to invest significant additional resources to comply with evolving cybersecurity regulations and to modify and enhance our information security and controls, and to investigate and remediate any security vulnerabilities. While we have security systems and IT infrastructure in place designed to detect and protect against unauthorized access to such information, if our security measures are breached, our business could be substantially harmed, and we could incur significant liabilities. Any such breach or unauthorized access 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. Third-parties, including vendors that provide services for our operations, could also be a source of security risk to us in the event of a failure of their own security systems and infrastructure.

Data Loss and Business Interruption: If our systems are disrupted or fail for any reason, including Internet or systems failure, or if our systems are infiltrated by unauthorized persons, both the Company and our clients could experience data loss, financial loss, harm to reputation, or significant business interruption. Hardware, applications and services, including cloud-based services, that we develop or procure from third-party vendors may contain defects in design or other problems that could compromise the integrity and availability of our services. Any delays or failures caused by network outages, software or hardware failures, or other data processing disruptions, could result in our inability to provide services in a timely fashion or at all. The speed to closure of significant cyber security incidents may be influenced by the cooperation of governmental or law enforcement agencies. We may be required to incur significant costs to protect against damage caused by disruptions or security breaches in the future. Such events may expose us to unexpected liability, litigation, regulatory investigation and penalties, loss of clients’ business, unfavorable impact to business reputation, and there could be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In the event of a catastrophe, our business continuity plan may fail, which could result in the loss of client data and adversely interrupt operations.

Our operations are dependent on our ability to protect our infrastructure against damage from catastrophe or natural disaster, unauthorized security breach, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attack or act of war, public health emergency, pandemic, or other events that could have a significant disruptive effect on our operations. Climate-related weather disasters, including hurricanes, flooding, snowstorms, and severe rainstorms, could also threaten the business continuity of our operations. We have a business continuity plan in place in the event of system failure due to any of these events. Our business continuity plan has been tested in the past by circumstances of severe weather, including hurricanes, floods, snowstorms, and rain storms and has been successful. However, these past successes are not an indicator of success in the future. If the business continuity plan is unsuccessful in a disaster recovery scenario, we could potentially lose client data or experience material adverse interruptions to our operations or delivery of services to our clients.

We may be adversely impacted by any failure of third-party service providers to perform their functions.

As part of providing services to clients, we rely on a number of third-party service providers. These service providers include, but are not limited to, couriers used to deliver client payroll checks, banks used to electronically transfer funds from clients to their employees, and information technology vendors servicing cloud-based platforms we use. Failure by these service providers, for any reason, to deliver their services in a timely manner and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations could result in material interruptions to our operations, impact client relations, and result in significant penalties or liabilities to us.

Table of Contents

We may be exposed to additional risks related to our co-employment relationship within our PEO business.

Many federal and state laws that apply to the employer-employee relationship do not specifically address the obligations and responsibilities of the “co-employment” relationship within our PEO business. State and federal positions regarding co-employment relationships are in a constant state of flux and changed with varying degrees of impact on our operations. We cannot predict when changes will occur or forecast whether any future changes will be favorable or unfavorable to our operations. There is a possibility that we may be subject to liability for violations of employment or discrimination laws by our clients and acts or omissions of client employees, who may be deemed to be our agents, even if we do not participate in any such acts or violations. Although our agreements with clients provide that they will indemnify us for any liability attributable to their own or their employees’ conduct, we may not be able to effectively enforce or collect such contractual obligations. In addition, we could be subject to liabilities with respect to our employee benefit plans if it were determined that we are not the “employer” under any applicable state or federal laws. Incurring additional liabilities related to our PEO business may adversely affect our results of operations.

We may be adversely impacted by changes in health insurance and workers’ compensation rates and underlying claims trends.

Within our PEO business, we maintain health and workers’ compensation insurance covering worksite employees. The insurance costs are impacted by claims experience and are a significant portion of our PEO costs. If we experience a sudden or unexpected increase in claims activity, our costs could increase. In addition, in the event of expiration or cancellation of existing contracts, we may not be able to secure replacement contracts on competitive terms, if at all. Also, as a co-employer in the PEO, we assume or share many of the employer-related responsibilities associated with health care reform, which may result in increased costs. Increases in costs not incorporated into service fees timely or fully could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Incorporating cost increases into service fees could also impact our ability to attract and retain clients.

We made and may continue to make acquisitions that involve numerous risks and uncertainties.

Acquisitions subject us to risks, including increased debt, assumption of unforeseen liabilities, and difficulties in integrating operations. Successful integration involves many challenges, including the difficulty of developing and marketing new products and services, our exposure to unforeseen liabilities of acquired companies, and the loss of key employees of an acquired business. The integration and conversion of our acquired operations or other future acquisitions, if any, could result in increased operating costs if the anticipated synergies of operating these businesses as one are not achieved, a loss of strategic opportunities if management is distracted by the integration process, and a loss of customers if our service levels drop during or following the integration process. In addition, an acquisition could adversely impact cash flows and/or operating results, and dilute stockholder interests, for many reasons, including charges to our income to reflect the impairment of acquired intangible assets including goodwill, interest costs and debt service requirements for any debt incurred in connection with an acquisition, and any issuance of securities in connection with an acquisition or new business venture that dilutes or lessens the rights of our current stockholders. If the integration of any or all of our acquisitions or future acquisitions is not successful, it could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and stock price.

Financial Risks

Our clients could have insufficient funds to cover payments we made on their behalf, resulting in financial loss to us.

As part of our payroll processing service, we are authorized by our clients to transfer money from their accounts to fund amounts owed to their employees and various taxing authorities. It is possible that we could be held liable for such amounts in the event the client has insufficient funds to cover them. We have in the past, and may in the future, make payments on our clients’ behalf for which we may not be reimbursed, resulting in loss to us. If a significant number of our clients are unable to cover payments we make on their behalf, our results of operations will be materially adversely impacted.

Our interest earned on funds held for clients may be impacted by changes in government regulations mandating the amount of tax withheld or timing of remittance.

We receive interest income from investing client funds collected but not yet remitted to applicable tax or regulatory agencies or to client employees. A change in regulations either decreasing the amount of taxes to be withheld or allowing less time to remit taxes to applicable tax or regulatory agencies could adversely impact interest income.

Table of Contents

Certain of our debt agreements contain covenants that may constrain the operation of our business, and our failure to comply with these covenants could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

The Note Purchase and Guarantee Agreement (the “Agreement”) that we entered into in January 2019 in connection with our acquisition of Oasis Outsourcing Group Holdings, L.P. (“Oasis”), contains covenants which may restrict our flexibility to operate our business. These covenants include restrictions regarding the incurrence of liens and indebtedness, substantial changes in the general nature of our business and our subsidiaries (taken as a whole), certain merger transactions, certain sales of assets and other matters, all subject to certain exceptions. The Agreement also contains financial covenants, which are reviewed for compliance on a quarterly basis, that require us not to exceed a maximum leverage ratio of 3.5:1.0 and a minimum interest coverage ratio of 2.0:1.0. In addition, certain of our indebtedness may not exceed 20% of our consolidated stockholders’ equity. If we do not comply with these covenants, it could result in material adverse effects on our operating results and our financial condition.

Legal, Regulatory and Political Risks

Our business, services, and financial condition may be adversely impacted by changes in government regulations and policies.

Many of our services, particularly payroll tax administration services, employee benefit plan administration services, and PEO services are designed according to government regulations that often change. Changes in regulations could affect the extent and type of benefits employers are required, or may choose, to provide employees or the amount and type of taxes employers and employees are required to pay. Such changes could reduce or eliminate the need for some of our services and substantially decrease our revenue. The addition of complex added requirements could also increase our cost of doing business.

Our business and reputation may be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with U.S. and foreign laws and regulations.

Our services are subject to various laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the ACA and anti-money laundering rules. The growth of our international operations via acquisition also subjects us to additional risks, such as compliance with foreign laws and regulations. The enactment of new laws and regulations, modifications of existing laws and regulations, or the adverse application or interpretation of new or existing laws or regulations can adversely affect our business. Failure to update our services to comply with modified or new legislation in the areas of payment networks, health care reform and retirement plans as well as failure to educate and assist our clients regarding this legislation could adversely impact our business reputation and negatively impact our client base. Failure to comply with anti-money laundering laws and regulations, which require us to develop and implement risk-based anti-money laundering programs, and maintain transaction records, could result in civil and criminal penalties and adversely impact our business reputation.

In addition, there has been and may continue to be a significant number of new laws and regulations promulgated by federal, state, local, and foreign governments following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have expended additional resources and incurred additional costs in addressing regulatory requirements applicable to us and our clients. These regulations may be unclear, difficult to interpret or in conflict with other applicable regulations. Failure to comply with laws and regulations could result in the imposition of consent orders or civil and criminal penalties, including fines, which could damage our reputation and have an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

As a U.S. company, we are required to comply with the economic sanctions and embargo programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and similar multi-national bodies and governmental agencies worldwide, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). OFAC places restrictions on the sale or export of certain products and services to certain countries and persons, including most recently to Russia, Belarus, and portions of Ukraine. A violation of a sanction or embargo program, or of the FCPA, or similar laws prohibiting certain payments to governmental officials, could subject us, and individual employees, to a regulatory enforcement action as well as significant civil and criminal penalties which could adversely impact our business and operations.

Our reputation, results of operations, or financial condition may be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with data privacy laws and regulations.

Our services require the storage and transmission of proprietary and confidential information of our clients and their employees, including personal or identifying information, as well as their financial and payroll data. Our applications are subject to various complex government laws and regulations on the federal, state, and local levels, including those governing personal privacy. In the U.S., we are subject to rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of the Federal Trade Commission,

Table of Contents

the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, the ACA, federal and state labor and employment laws, and state data breach notification and data privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Protection Act. In the European Union, we are subject to the European Union’s General Data Privacy Regulation. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could result in the imposition of consent orders or civil and criminal penalties, including fines, which could damage our reputation and have an adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. We could be subject to litigation or reputational risk if we or our third-party providers fail to utilize data practices sufficient to safeguard proprietary, confidential, or personal or identifying information. The regulatory framework for privacy issues is rapidly evolving and future enactment of more restrictive laws, rules, or regulations and/or future enforcement actions or investigations could have a materially adverse impact on us through increased costs or restrictions on our business and noncompliance could result in regulatory penalties and significant legal liability.

Failure to protect our intellectual property rights may harm our competitive position and litigation to protect our intellectual property rights or defend against third-party allegations of infringement may be costly.

Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property and proprietary information, we may be unable to do so effectively in all cases. Our intellectual property could be wrongfully acquired as a result of a cyberattack or other wrongful conduct by employees or third-parties. To the extent that our intellectual property is not protected effectively by trademarks, copyrights, patents, or other means, other parties with knowledge of our intellectual property, including former employees, may seek to exploit our intellectual property for their own and others’ advantage. Competitors may also misappropriate our trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights or duplicate our technology and products. Any significant impairment or misappropriation of our intellectual property or proprietary information could harm our business and our brand and may adversely affect our ability to compete. Third parties may claim that we are infringing on their intellectual property rights. To the extent we seek to enforce or must defend our intellectual property rights with litigation, we could incur significant expenses and/or be required to pay substantial damages. We may also be obligated to indemnify our customers or vendors in connection with claims or litigation. The litigation to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights could be costly and time-consuming.

We are involved in litigation from time to time arising from the operation of our business and, as such, we could incur substantial judgments, fines, legal fees, or other costs.

We are sometimes the subject of complaints or litigation from customers, employees, or other third-parties for various actions. From time to time, we are involved in litigation involving claims related to, among other things, breach of contract, tortious conduct, and employment and labor law matters. The damages sought against us in some of these litigation proceedings could be substantial. Although we maintain liability insurance for some litigation claims, if one or more of the claims were to greatly exceed our insurance coverage limits or if our insurance policies do not cover a claim, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

General Risk Factors

Our business, results of operations, and financial condition may continue to be impacted by COVID-19 and other macroeconomic events and such impact could be materially adverse.

The global spread of COVID-19 created significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. The restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disrupted economic activity, resulting in reduced commercial and consumer confidence and spending, increased unemployment, closure or restricted operating conditions for businesses, volatility in the global capital markets, instability in the credit and financial markets, labor shortages, regulatory relief for impacted consumers, disruption in supply chains, and restrictions on many hospitality and travel industry operations. Inflationary pressure, caused in part by the pandemic, is ongoing and may be compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting impact on commodity prices and supply chains.

Table of Contents

We are subject to the impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic and inflationary pressure for so long as our clients are exposed to those heightened risks and uncertainties. Our business is substantially dependent on our clients’ continued use of our solutions and services, and our results of operations will decline if our clients are no longer willing or able to use them. Our clients are sensitive to negative changes in economic conditions. If they cease operations or file for bankruptcy protection, we may not be paid for services we already provided, and our client base will shrink, which will lower our revenue. If under financial pressure, our clients may determine that they are no longer willing to pay for the services and solutions we provide, which would reduce our revenue. Our clients may decrease their workforce, which would decrease their demand for our services. Because of spending constraints on our clients and competition in the industry, we may face pricing pressure on our services and face challenges in onboarding new clients, which would reduce revenue and ultimately impact our results of operations. Furthermore, if the third-party service providers we rely on are unable to perform their services for us and our clients, our operations could be materially disrupted, and we could face significant penalties or liabilities.

We may be adversely impacted by volatility in the political and economic environment.

Trade, monetary and fiscal policies, and political and economic conditions may substantially change, and credit markets may experience periods of constriction and variability. These conditions may impact our business due to lower transaction volumes or an increase in the number of clients going out of business. Further, rising inflation may negatively impact our business, raise costs and reduce profitability. Current or potential clients may decide to reduce their spending on payroll and other outsourcing services. In addition, new business formation may be affected by an inability to obtain credit.

We invest our funds held for clients in high quality, investment-grade marketable available-for-sale (“AFS”) securities, money markets, and other cash equivalents. We also invest our corporate funds in short- to intermediate-term instruments. Funds held for clients and corporate investments are subject to general market, interest rate, credit, and liquidity risks. These risks may be exacerbated during periods of unusual financial market volatility and inflationary pressure. The interest we earn on funds held for clients and corporate investments may decrease as a result of a decline in funds available to invest or lower interest rates. In addition, during periods of volatility in the credit markets, certain types of investments may not be available to us or may become too risky for us to invest in, further reducing the interest we may earn on client funds. If we are unable to reinvest our AFS securities when they mature, our interest income earned and investment portfolio would be reduced. If we sell AFS securities to satisfy short-term funding requirements, we may recognize losses, which would further reduce the interest income earned on funds held for clients and corporate investments.

Constriction in the credit markets may impact the availability of financing, even to borrowers with the highest credit ratings. Historically, we have periodically borrowed against available credit arrangements to meet short-term liquidity needs. However, should we require additional short-term liquidity during days of large outflows of client funds, a credit constriction may limit our ability to access those funds or the flexibility to obtain them at interest rates that would be acceptable to us. Growth in services for funding payrolls of our clients in the temporary staffing industry may be constricted if access to financing becomes limited. In addition, our ability to grow through significant acquisitions may be limited. See also “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.” If all of these financial and economic circumstances were to remain in effect for an extended period of time, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to attract and retain qualified people, which could impact the quality of our services and customer satisfaction.

Our success, growth, and financial results depend in part on our continuing ability to attract, retain, and motivate highly qualified and diverse personnel at all levels, including management, technical, compliance, and sales personnel. Competition for these individuals can be intense, and we may not be able to retain our key people, or attract, assimilate, or retain other highly-qualified individuals in the future, which could harm our future success.

In the event we receive negative publicity, our reputation and the value of our brand could be harmed, and clients may not use our products and services, which may have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are committed to good corporate citizenship, which is reflected in our company culture and core values. Disclosure of our corporate governance practices including our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives, may draw negative publicity from stakeholders.

Table of Contents

Negative publicity relating to events or activities attributed to us, our policies, our corporate employees, or others associated with us, whether or not justified, may tarnish our reputation and reduce the value of our brand. If we are unable to maintain quality HCM and employee benefit-related solutions and PEO and insurance solutions, our reputation with our clients may be harmed and the value of our brand may diminish. In addition, if our brand is negatively impacted, it may have a material adverse effect on our business, including challenges retaining clients or attracting new clients and recruiting talent and retaining employees.

None.

We owned and leased the following properties as of May 31, 2022:

Our facilities in Rochester, New York house various distribution, processing, and technology functions, certain ancillary functions, a telemarketing unit, and other back-office functions. Facilities outside of Rochester, New York are in various locations throughout the U.S. and house our service centers, fulfillment centers and sales functions. Our international locations primarily house our European operations in Denmark and Germany and a location in India houses information technology, service, and sales support functions.

We are subject to various claims and legal matters that arise in the normal course of our business. Refer to Note P of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further discussion of our legal proceedings, if any.

Not applicable.

Table of Contents

P****ART II

Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “PAYX”. Dividends have historically been paid on our common stock in August, November, February, and May. The level and continuation of future dividends are dependent on our future earnings and cash flows and are subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors (the “Board”).

As of June 30, 2022, there were 9,119 holders of record of our common stock, which includes registered holders and participants in the Paychex, Inc. Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan. There were also 3,503 participants in the Paychex, Inc. Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan and 4,182 participants in the Paychex, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

In May 2019, our Board approved a program to repurchase up to $400.0 million of our common stock with authorization that expired in May 2022 after the Company had repurchased all authorized shares. In July 2021, our Board authorized an additional program allowing us to repurchase up to $400.0 million of our common stock which expires on January 31, 2024. All shares repurchased during fiscal 2022 were retired and were as follows:

Table of Contents

The following graph shows a five-year comparison of the total cumulative returns of investing $100 on May 31, 2017, in Paychex common stock, the S&P 500 Index, and two Peer Group Indexes. All comparisons of stock price performance shown assume reinvestment of dividends. We are a participant in the S&P 500 Index, a market group of companies with a larger than average market capitalization. Our Peer Group is a group of companies with comparable revenue and net income, who are in a comparable industry, or who are direct competitors of Paychex (as detailed below).

There can be no assurance that our stock performance will continue with the same or similar trends depicted in the graph above. We neither make nor endorse any predictions as to future stock performance.

Table of Contents

The Governance & Compensation Committee of our Board annually reviews and approves the selection of Peer Group companies, adjusting the group from year to year based upon our business and changes in the Peer Group companies’ business or the comparability of their metrics. The Peer Group may also be adjusted in the event of mergers, acquisitions, or other significant economic changes. The Peer Group was adjusted for fiscal 2022. IHS Market Ltd. and Sabre Corporation were removed and replaced with Gartner, Inc., a company that is aligned with the Paychex business. Both the old and new peer groups are presented for this year of transition.

Our new Peer Group for fiscal 2022 is comprised of the following companies:

(1)

On March 23, 2022, Alliance Data System Corporation rebranded its business to Bread Financial Solutions, Inc.

Table of Contents

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations reviews the operating results of Paychex, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries (“Paychex,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) for our fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 (“fiscal 2022” or the “fiscal year”), as compared to our fiscal year ended May 31, 2021 (“fiscal 2021”), and our financial condition as of May 31, 2022. A detailed review of our fiscal 2021 performance compared to our fiscal year ended May 31, 2020 performance and our financial condition as of May 31, 2021 is set forth in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) for fiscal 2021. This review should be read in conjunction with the accompanying consolidated financial statements and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K and the “Risk Factors” discussed in Item 1A of this Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements in this review are qualified by the cautionary statement under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” contained at the beginning of Part I of this Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a leading HCM software and services company, offering integrated solutions for HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance services for small- to medium-sized businesses. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of technology solutions and services, supported by HR and compliance expertise, that help our clients address the evolving challenges of HR. Our purpose is to allow our customers the freedom to succeed. The workplace is evolving, and we lead the way by making complex HR, payroll, and benefits simple for our clients.

We support our small-business clients, reducing the complexity and risk of running their own payroll, while ensuring greater accuracy with up-to-date tax rates and regulatory information. Clients may choose to have our service team handle everything for them, or process payroll themselves utilizing our proprietary, robust SaaS Paychex Flex® platform and our SurePayroll® SaaS-based products. Our medium-sized clients generally have more complex payroll and employee benefit needs, though with the environment of increasing regulations, we believe the need for HR outsourcing services has been moving down-market. Any of our clients on Paychex Flex can opt for the integrated suite of HCM solutions, which allows clients to choose the services and software that will meet the needs of their business.

Our portfolio of HCM and employee benefit-related services is disaggregated into two categories, (1) Management Solutions and (2) PEO and Insurance Solutions, as discussed in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K.

Our mission is to be the leading provider of HR, payroll, benefits, and insurance solutions by being an essential partner to small- and medium-sized businesses across the U.S. and parts of Europe. We believe that success in this mission will lead to strong, long-term financial performance. Our strategy focuses on providing industry-leading, integrated technology; increasing client satisfaction; expanding our leadership in HR; growing our client base; and engaging in strategic acquisitions.

We continue to focus on driving growth in the number of clients, revenue per client, total revenue, and profits, while providing industry-leading service and technology solutions to our clients and their employees. We maintain industry-leading margins by managing our personnel costs and expenses while continuing to invest in our business, particularly in sales and marketing and leading-edge technology. We believe these investments are critical to our success. Looking to the future, we believe that investing in our products, people, and service capabilities will position us to capitalize on opportunities for long-term growth.

A key component of our service delivery strategy is to be a proactive partner with our clients and to develop and release integrated solutions within Paychex Flex to meet their current and future needs. Our ongoing investments in our platforms have prepared us well for the demands of the current business and regulatory environments, allowing us to adapt while maintaining strong service delivery, resulting in high levels of client satisfaction and retention.

Table of Contents

Fiscal 2022 Business Highlights

Highlights compared to fiscal 2021 are as follows:

(1)

Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share are not U.S. generally accepted accounting principle (“GAAP”) measures. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this Item 7 for a discussion of non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation to the U.S. GAAP measures of net income and diluted earnings per share.

(2)

Dividends paid to stockholders represented approximately 72% of net income for fiscal 2022 compared to approximately 83% of net income for fiscal 2021.

(3)

Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

For further analysis of our results of operations for fiscal years 2022 and 2021, and our financial position as of May 31, 2022, refer to the tables and analysis in the “Results of Operations” and “Liquidity and Capital Resources” sections of this Item 7.

Business Outlook

Our payroll and PEO client base was greater than 730,000 and 710,000 clients as of May 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Client retention beat our expectations and pre-pandemic levels at approximately 84% of the beginning client base for fiscal 2022, compared to over 85% for fiscal 2021, which was a record.

While our HR product offerings provide services to employers and employees beyond payroll, they effectively leverage payroll processing data. These services are included as part of the integrated HCM solution within Paychex Flex or provided through the PEO platform. The following table illustrates the growth in selected HR product offerings:

(1)

Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

We continue to make investments in technology a priority as companies look to leverage technology solutions to maintain operations, stay connected to employees, and increase productivity. In fiscal 2022, we enhanced our solutions to support businesses as they engage in digital transformation. We have continued to evolve our products to help business leaders find, hire, and retain employees quickly and effectively with an eye on driving engagement and managing labor costs. Our fiscal 2022 technology and solution developments provide a unique combination of data, technology, and service designed to meet the evolving needs of employers and employees, and include:

Paychex Pre-Check, a self-service solution that allows employees to review their paystubs and alert their employer of discrepancies before payday. This significantly reduces errors, increasing efficiency and employee satisfaction.

Retention Insights, which utilizes predictive analytics to help identify employees that may be more likely to consider leaving.

Table of Contents

Paychex Employee Retention Tax Credit (“ERTC”) Service, which helps businesses retroactively identify tax credits, based on wages already paid, and file amended returns to claim the credit.

Talent Dashboard, which brings retention insights, time off balances, and performance ratings in one place. This allows employers to compare the performance rating and compensation of each job position to ensure they are rewarding employees appropriately and equitably.

Acquisition of a powerful state-of-the-art benefits administration software to help employers drive efficiencies in managing their employee benefits.

Vaccination Management, utilizing enhanced Document Management features, where employees can confidentially upload proof of vaccination or COVID-19 test results.

Additional tools that aid in talent management, including Total Compensation Summary, Pay Benchmarking, Time Off Management, Financial Wellness, etc.

We continue to strengthen our position in the industry by serving as a source of education and information to clients, businesses of all sizes, and other interested parties. We provide free webinars, white papers, and other information on our website (www.paychex.com) to aid existing and prospective clients with the impact of regulatory changes. The Paychex Insurance Agency, Inc. website, www.paychex.com/group-health-insurance, helps small-business owners navigate the area of insurance coverage. Both this website and www.paychex.com/worx have sections dedicated to the topic of health care reform.

COVID-19 Update

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and our priority continues to be the health and safety of our employees. The overall recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been uneven and has presented many challenges and risks from general economic uncertainty, changes in consumer demand, disruption of supply chains and challenges with hiring, labor and supply cost inflation. We have maintained health and safety standards for employees meeting all regulatory requirements while providing greater levels of flexibility to employees.

We remain committed to proactively supporting our clients through any lingering uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and navigating the challenges of the future business environment. Our unique blend of technology solutions and expertise provides valuable tools and resources to assist our clients and their employees. As the global economy continues to evolve, whether due to macroeconomic changes, legislative changes, the pandemic, or other factors, we are committed to supporting our clients to help them navigate these challenges.

As part of the COVID-19 CARES Act, the ERTC helps businesses claim tax credits on qualified wages paid to employees and health plan expenses in 2020 and 2021. The Company introduced the Paychex ERTC Service, which helped businesses retroactively identify tax credits and file amended returns to claim the credits based on wages already paid. As of May 31, 2022, over 40,000 Paychex customers have secured more than $8.0 billion in combined employee retention tax credits and paid leave credits.

We continually evaluate the nature and extent of changes to the market and economic conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and assess the potential impact on our business and financial position. Despite the emergence of vaccines and vaccine boosters, less virulent strains of COVID-19 such as the Omicron variant, and reduced positivity rates, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic is still uncertain. As such, we expect that the pandemic may continue to have an effect on our results, although the magnitude, duration, and full effects of the pandemic on our future results of operations or cash flows remain difficult to predict at this time.

For further information on the risks posed to our business from the COVID-19 pandemic, refer to Item 1A of this Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Results of Operations

Summary of Results of Operations for Fiscal Years:

(1)

Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

n/m – not meaningful

The changes in revenue as compared to the prior year period were primarily driven by the following factors:

Management Solutions revenue: $3.4 billion for fiscal 2022, reflecting an increase of 14%:

o

Growth in payroll client base and product penetration across our HCM offerings resulting from strong sales performance and high levels of retention, with continued strong demand for HR Solutions;

o

Increase in revenue per client driven by higher employment levels within our client base and price realization; and

o

Expansion of HCM ancillary services.

PEO and Insurance Solutions revenue: $1.1 billion for fiscal 2022, reflecting an increase of 14%:

o

Growth in the number of average worksite employees and increases in average wages per worksite employee;

o

Higher revenue from PEO health insurance; and

o

Higher state unemployment insurance revenues.

Interest on funds held for clients: $57.7 million for fiscal 2022, reflecting a decrease of 3%:

o

Lower average interest rates, partially offset by

o

Higher average investment balances.

Table of Contents

We invest in highly liquid, investment-grade fixed income securities and do not utilize derivative instruments to manage interest rate risk. As of May 31, 2022, we had no exposure to high-risk or non-liquid investments. Details regarding our combined funds held for clients and corporate cash equivalents and investment portfolios are as follows:

(1)

The net unrealized loss on our investment portfolios was approximately $153.7 million as of July 13, 2022.

(2)

The Federal Funds rate was in the range of 0.75% to 1.00% as of May 31, 2022 and in the range of 0.00% to 0.25% as of May 31, 2021. Effective June 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve raised the Federal Funds rate 0.75% to a range of 1.50% to 1.75%.

(3)

These items exclude the impact of variable rate demand notes (“VRDNs”), as they are tied to short-term interest rates.

Refer to the “Market Risk Factors” section contained in Item 7A of this Form 10-K for more information on changing interest rates.

Total expenses: The following table summarizes total combined cost of service revenue and selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal years:

(1)

Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

n/m – not meaningful

Table of Contents

The changes in total expenses as compared to the prior year were primarily driven by the following factors:

Compensation-related expenses: $1.6 billion for fiscal 2022, reflecting a 7% increase:

o

Higher compensation costs due to increases in headcount to support client growth and higher wage rates, performance-based compensation, and fringe benefits.

PEO insurance costs: $405.2 million in fiscal 2022, reflecting a 15% increase:

o

Growth in the number of PEO worksite employees and health insurance revenue.

Other expenses: $542.5 million in fiscal 2022, reflecting a 9% decrease:

o

Continued investment in product development, technology, and marketing; and

o

Increase in travel-related expenses due to easing of pandemic-related restrictions.

Operating income: Fiscal 2022 operating income was $1.8 billion, an increase of 26% compared to fiscal 2021. Adjusted operating income(1) of $1.8 billion, which excludes the impact of one-time costs, reflects an increase of 23% and higher adjusted operating margin(1). Operating margin and adjusted operating margin are as follows:

Fluctuations in these metrics were attributable to the factors previously discussed.

Income taxes: Our effective income tax rate was 23.7% and 23.5% for fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively. The effective income tax rates in both periods were impacted by the recognition of net discrete tax benefits related to the volume of stock option exercises and the associated employee stock-based compensation payments. The current fiscal year effective tax rate was also impacted by the recording of a tax benefit related to prior and current years' research and development expenses incurred in the production of customer-facing software. Refer to Note K of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional disclosures on income taxes.

Net income and diluted earnings per share: Net income was $1.4 billion and $1.1 billion for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively. Diluted earnings per share was $3.84 per diluted share for fiscal 2022 and $3.03 per diluted share for fiscal 2021. Refer to Note C of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for information on dilutive shares outstanding.

Adjusted net income(1) was $1.4 billion and $1.1 billion for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively, reflecting an increase of 24%. Adjusted diluted earnings per share(1) was $3.77 per diluted share and $3.04 per diluted share for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively, reflecting an increase of 24%.

(1)

Adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted earnings per share are not U.S. GAAP measures. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section below for a discussion of these non-GAAP measures and a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP measure of operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share.

Table of Contents

Non-GAAP Financial Measures: Adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“EBITDA”), and adjusted EBITDA are summarized as follows:

(1)

Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

(2)

One-time costs and corresponding tax benefit recognized related to the acceleration of cost-saving initiatives, including the long-term strategy to reduce our geographic footprint and headcount optimization. These events are not expected to recur.

(3)

Net tax windfall benefits related to employee stock-based compensation payments recognized in income taxes. This item is subject to volatility and will vary based on employee decisions on exercising employee stock options and fluctuations in our stock price, neither of which is within the control of management.

(4)

Non-recurring tax benefit derived from prior years' research and development costs incurred in the production of customer-facing software.

(5)

The calculation of the impact of non-GAAP adjustments on diluted earnings per share is performed on each line independently. The table may not add down by +/- $0.01 due to rounding.

In addition to reporting operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share, which are U.S. GAAP measures, we present adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP measures. We believe these additional measures are indicators of our core business operations performance period over period. Adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income, adjusted diluted earnings per share, EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA, are not calculated through the application of U.S. GAAP and are not required forms of disclosure by the SEC. As such, they should not be considered a substitute for the U.S. GAAP measures of operating income, net income, and diluted earnings per share, and, therefore, they should not be used in isolation but in

Table of Contents

conjunction with the U.S. GAAP measures. The use of any non-GAAP measure may produce results that vary from the U.S. GAAP measure and may not be comparable to a similarly defined non-GAAP measure used by other companies.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our financial position as of May 31, 2022 remained strong with cash, restricted cash, and total corporate investments of $1.3 billion. Total short-term and long-term borrowings, net of debt issuance costs, were $806.4 million as of May 31, 2022. Our primary source of cash is our ongoing operations. Cash flows from operations were $1.5 billion for fiscal 2022. Our positive cash flows for fiscal 2022 allowed us to support our business and pay dividends of approximately $1.0 billion. We currently anticipate that cash, restricted cash, and total corporate investments as of May 31, 2022, along with projected operating cash flows and available short-term financing, will support our business operations, capital purchases, share repurchases, and dividend payments for the foreseeable future.

We believe that our investments in an unrealized loss position as of May 31, 2022 were not impaired due to increased credit risk or other valuation concerns, nor has any event occurred subsequent to that date to indicate any change in our assessment.

Financing

Short-term financing: We maintain committed and unsecured credit facilities and irrevocable letters of credit as part of our normal and recurring business operations. The purpose of these credit facilities is to meet short-term funding requirements, finance working capital needs, and for general corporate purposes. We typically borrow on an overnight or short-term basis on our credit facilities. Refer to Note L of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further discussion on our credit facilities.

Details of our credit facilities are as follows:

Amounts outstanding under the PNC credit facility as of May 31, 2022 remain outstanding as of the date of this report.

Details of borrowings under each credit facility during the fiscal years ended 2022 and 2021 were as follows:

Table of Contents

Short-term borrowings are primarily used for the settlement of client fund obligations, rather than liquidating previously collected client funds that have been invested in AFS securities allocated to our long-term portfolio.

We expect to have access to the amounts available under our current credit facilities to meet our ongoing financial needs. However, if we experience reductions in our operating cash flows due to any of the risk factors outlined in, but not limited to, Item 1A in this Form 10-K and other SEC filings, we may need to adjust our capital, operating, and other discretionary spending to realign our working capital requirements with the capital resources available to us. Furthermore, if we determine the need for additional short-term liquidity, there is no assurance that such financing, if pursued and obtained, would be adequate or on terms acceptable to us.

Letters of credit: As of May 31, 2022, we had irrevocable standby letters of credit available totaling $140.2 million, required to secure commitments for certain insurance policies. The letters of credit expire at various dates between June 8, 2022 and May 26, 2023. No amounts were outstanding on these letters of credit during fiscal 2022 or fiscal 2021, or as of May 31, 2022 and May 31, 2021. Subsequent to May 31, 2022, letters of credit expiring on June 8, 2022, June 15, 2022, June 26, 2022, and July 15, 2022 were renewed for one year terms.

Long-term financing: We have borrowed $800.0 million through the issuance of long-term private placement debt (“Senior Notes”). Certain information related to the Senior Notes is as follows:

Refer to Note M of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further discussion on our long-term financing.

Other commitments: The Company has various long-term contractual obligations as of May 31, 2022, which include:

operating leases for $105.2 million;

purchase obligations for $189.4 million;

workers’ compensation estimated obligations for $189.7 million; and

long-term Senior Notes debt obligations for $800.0 million, plus interest payments of 184.2 million.

Refer to Notes H, M, and P of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for more information on these areas.

The liability for uncertain tax positions, including interest and net of federal benefits, was approximately $48.2 million as of May 31, 2022. Refer to Note K of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for more information on income taxes. We are not able to reasonably estimate the timing of future cash flows related to this liability.

We are involved in three limited partnership agreements and committed to contribute a maximum amount of $30.0 million to venture capital funds in the financial technology sector. As of May 31, 2022, we have contributed approximately $18.1 million of the total funding commitment. The timing of future contributions to be made to these venture capital funds cannot be specifically or reasonably determined. Our investments in venture capital funds are not considered part of our ongoing operations, are accounted for under the equity method, and represented less than one percent of our total assets as of May 31, 2022.

Table of Contents

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. We have also 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.

We currently self-insure the deductible portion of various insured exposures under certain corporate and PEO employee health and medical benefit plans. Our estimated loss exposure under these insurance arrangements is recorded in other current liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Historically, the amounts accrued have not been material and were not material as of May 31, 2022. We also maintain corporate insurance coverage in addition to our purchased primary insurance policies for gap coverage for employment practices liability, errors and omissions, warranty liability, theft and embezzlement, cyber threats, and acts of terrorism; and capacity for deductibles and self-insured retentions through our captive insurance company.

Operating, Investing, and Financing Cash Flow Activities

The changes in our cash flows for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021 were primarily the result of the following key drivers:

Operating Cash Flow Activities

Higher net income attributable to the reasons discussed in the “Results of Operations” section of this Item 7;

Changes in income tax reserves for uncertain tax positions and a decrease in income tax payments. Higher payments in fiscal 2021 resulted from the deferral of payments normally due in fiscal 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and normalized in fiscal 2022; and

Changes in receivables due to funding of temporary staffing clients; offset by,

Increase in costs to obtain and fulfill customer contracts as a result of growth in our client base;

Net cash outflow for corporate payroll due to payments of deferred federal payroll taxes and higher incentive compensation payments, offset by higher payroll accruals due to the timing of payroll cutoff; and

Increase in net cash outflow for worksite employee compensation.

Investing Cash Flow Activities

The increase in cash used was primarily related to an increase in purchases of VRDNs; and

Additional investment in enhancements to our internal-use software.

Fluctuations in the net purchases and sales/maturities of AFS securities are also due to timing within the client funds portfolio and market conditions. Specific timing items impacting cash flows for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021 are discussed further in the financing cash flows discussion of net changes in client fund obligations. Amounts will vary based upon the timing of collection from clients, and the related remittance to applicable tax or regulatory agencies for payroll tax administration services and to employees of clients utilizing employee payment services.

Discussion of interest rates and related risks is included in the “Market Risk Factors” section contained in Item 7A of this Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Financing Cash Flow Activities

Increase in net cash outflows from changes in client fund obligations due to the timing of collections and remittances of client funds;

Dividends paid increased $90.9 million compared to the prior year period due to an increase in our aggregate annual dividends from $2.52 per share to $2.77 per share. The payment of future dividends is dependent on our future earnings and cash flow and is subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors; and

Decrease in cash inflows from equity-based plans primarily due to less stock options exercised during fiscal 2022 when compared with fiscal 2021; offset by,

Decrease in cash outflows from repurchases of common shares as we repurchased 1.2 million shares during fiscal 2022 compared to 1.7 million during fiscal year 2021. The impact of the repurchased share decrease was partially offset by higher average stock purchase price paid during fiscal 2022 when compared to fiscal 2021.

The client fund obligations liability will also vary based on the timing of collecting client funds and the related required remittance of funds to applicable tax or regulatory agencies for payroll tax administration services and to employees of clients utilizing employee payment services. Collections from clients are typically remitted from one to 30 days after receipt, with some items extending to 90 days.

Other

Recently issued accounting pronouncements: Refer to Note A of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for a discussion of recently issued accounting pronouncements.

Table of Contents

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Note A of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K discusses the significant accounting policies of Paychex. Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate the accounting policies and estimates used to prepare the consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, future expectations, and assumptions believed to be reasonable under current facts and circumstances. Actual amounts and results could differ from these estimates. Certain accounting policies that are deemed critical to our results of operations or financial position are discussed below.

Revenue recognition: Service revenue is recognized in the period services are rendered and earned under service arrangements with clients where service fees are fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Our service revenue is largely attributable to processing services where the fee is based on a fixed amount per processing period or a fixed amount per processing period plus a fee per employee or transaction processed. Insurance Solutions revenues are recognized when commissions are earned on premiums billed and collected. Fees earned for funding payrolls of our clients in the temporary staffing industry via the purchase of accounts receivable are based on a percentage of funding amounts as specified in the client contract. These fees are then recognized over the average collection period of 46 to 48 days. The revenue earned from delivery service for the distribution of certain client payroll checks and reports is included in service revenue, and the costs for the delivery are included in cost of service revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

We receive advance payments for set-up fees from our clients. Advance payments received for certain of our service offerings for set-up fees are considered a material right. Therefore, we defer the revenue associated with these advance payments, recognizing the revenue and related expenses over the expected period to which the material right exists.

PEO Solutions revenue is included in service revenue and is reported net of certain pass-through costs billed and incurred, which include payroll wages, payroll taxes, including federal and state unemployment insurance, and certain health insurance benefit premiums, primarily costs related to our guaranteed cost benefit plans. Direct costs related to workers’ compensation and certain benefit plans where we retain risk are recognized as cost of service revenue rather than as a reduction in service revenue.

Interest on funds held for clients is earned primarily on funds that are collected from clients before due dates for payroll tax administration services and for employee payment services and invested until remittance to the applicable tax or regulatory agencies or client employees. These collections from clients are typically remitted from one to 30 days after receipt, with some items extending to 90 days. The interest earned on these funds is included in total revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income because the collecting, holding, and remitting of these funds are components of providing these services.

Assets Recognized from the Costs to Obtain and Fulfill Contracts: We recognize an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a client if it is expected that the economic benefit and amortization period will be longer than one year. Incremental costs of obtaining a contract include only those costs that are directly related to the acquisition of new contracts and that would not have been incurred if the contract had not been obtained. We do not incur incremental costs to obtain a contract renewal. The Company determined that certain sales commissions and bonuses, including related fringe benefits, meet the capitalization criteria under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Subtopic 340-40, “Other Assets and Deferred Costs: Contracts with Customers” (“ASC 340-40”). We also recognize an asset for the costs to fulfill a contract with a client if the costs are specifically identifiable, generate or enhance resources used to satisfy future performance obligations, and are expected to be recovered. We determined that substantially all costs related to implementation activities are administrative in nature and meet the capitalization criteria under ASC 340-40. These capitalized costs to fulfill a contract principally relate to upfront direct costs that are expected to be recovered and enhance our ability to satisfy future performance obligations.

The assets related to both costs to obtain and costs to fulfill contracts with clients are capitalized and amortized using an accelerated method over an eight-year life to closely align with the pattern of client attrition over the estimated life of the client relationship. We regularly review our deferred costs for potential impairment and did not recognize an impairment loss during the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022 or May 31, 2021.

Table of Contents

PEO insurance reserves: As part of our PEO solution, we offer workers’ compensation insurance and health insurance to clients for the benefit of client employees. Workers’ compensation insurance is primarily provided under fully insured high deductible workers’ compensation insurance policies. Workers’ compensation insurance reserves are established to provide for the estimated costs of paying claims up to per occurrence liability limits. These reserves include estimates of certain expenses associated with processing and settling these claims. In establishing the PEO workers’ compensation insurance reserves, we use an independent actuarial estimate of undiscounted future cash payments that would be made to settle claims. The determination of estimated ultimate losses by our independent actuary are based on accepted actuarial methods and assumptions. The estimated ultimate losses are primarily based upon loss development factors, and other factors such as the nature of employees’ job responsibilities, the historical frequency and severity of workers’ compensation claims, and an estimate of future cost trends. Each reporting period, changes in actuarial assumptions resulting from changes in actual claims experience and other trends are incorporated into our workers’ compensation claims cost estimates.

With respect to our PEO health insurance, we offer various health insurance plans that take the form of either fully insured guaranteed cost plans or fully insured insurance arrangements where we retain risk. A reserve for insurance arrangements where we retain risk is established to provide for the payment of claims in accordance with our service contract with the carrier. The claims liability includes estimates for reported losses, plus amounts for those claims incurred but not reported, and estimates of certain expenses associated with processing and settling the claims.

Estimating the ultimate cost of future claims is an uncertain and complex process based upon historical loss experience and independent actuarial loss projections, and is subject to change due to multiple factors, including economic trends, changes in legal liability law, and damage awards, all of which could materially impact the reserves as reported in the consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, final claim settlements may vary from the present estimates, particularly with workers’ compensation insurance where those payments may not occur until well into the future. We regularly review the adequacy of our estimated insurance reserves. Adjustments to previously established reserves are reflected in the results of operations for the period in which the adjustment is identified. Such adjustments could possibly be significant, reflecting any combination of new and adverse or favorable trends. Adjustments to previously established reserves were not material for fiscal 2022 or 2021.

Goodwill and other intangible assets: Goodwill is not amortized, but instead is tested for impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if 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. We perform our annual impairment testing in our fiscal fourth quarter. During fiscal 2022, a qualitative assessment was performed for our Paychex, Inc., excluding Purchased Receivables, reporting unit, and a quantitative assessment was performed on the Purchased Receivable reporting unit to determine if it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the reporting units had declined below their carrying value. A qualitative analysis was performed for all reporting units in fiscal 2021. The qualitative assessment considered various financial, macroeconomic, industry, and reporting unit specific qualitative factors. Based on the results of our testing, no impairment loss was recognized in the results of operations for fiscal 2022 or 2021. Subsequent to the latest review, there have been no events or circumstances that indicate any potential impairment of the Company’s goodwill balance.

We also test intangible assets with indefinite useful lives for potential impairment on an annual basis and between annual tests if events or changes in circumstances change in a way that indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. We have determined that there is no impairment of intangible assets with indefinite useful lives for fiscal 2022 or 2021 as a result of the qualitative analyses performed.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets: Long-lived assets, including intangible assets with finite lives and operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. We have determined that there is no impairment of long-lived assets for fiscal 2022 or as of May 31, 2022

Table of Contents

Stock-based compensation costs: All stock-based awards to employees are recognized as compensation costs in our consolidated financial statements based on their fair values measured as of the date of grant. We estimate the fair value of stock option grants using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. This model requires various assumptions as inputs including expected volatility of the Paychex stock price and expected option life. Volatility is estimated based on a combination of historical volatility using stock prices over a period equal to the expected option life and implied market volatility. Expected option life is estimated based on historical exercise behavior. We periodically reassess our assumptions as well as our choice of valuation model. We will reconsider use of this model if additional information becomes available in the future indicating that another model would provide a more accurate estimate of fair value, or if characteristics of future grants would warrant such a change.

The fair value of stock awards is determined based on the stock price at the date of grant. For grants that do not accrue dividends or dividend equivalents, the fair value is the stock price reduced by the present value of estimated dividends over the vesting period or performance period.

We estimate forfeitures and only record compensation costs for those awards that are expected to vest. Our assumptions for forfeitures were determined based on type of award and historical experience. Forfeiture assumptions are adjusted at the point in time a significant change is identified, with any adjustment recorded in the period of change, and the final adjustment at the end of the requisite service period to equal actual forfeitures.

The assumptions of volatility, expected option life, and forfeitures all require significant judgment and are subject to change in the future due to factors such as employee exercise behavior, stock price trends, and changes to type or provisions of stock-based awards. Any material change in one or more of these assumptions could have a material impact on the estimated fair value of a future award.

Refer to Note E of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further discussion of our stock-based compensation plans.

Income taxes: We account for deferred taxes by recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the fiscal year in which the differences are expected to reverse. We record a deferred tax asset related to the stock-based compensation costs recognized for certain stock-based awards. At the time of the exercise of non-qualified stock options or vesting of stock awards, we recognize any excess tax benefit within income taxes in the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income.

We maintain a reserve for uncertain tax positions. We evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return for recognition in our consolidated financial statements. Prior to recording the related tax benefit in our consolidated financial statements, we must conclude that tax positions will be more-likely-than-not to be sustained, assuming those positions will be examined by taxing authorities with full knowledge of all relevant information. The benefit recognized in our consolidated financial statements is the amount we expect to realize after examination by taxing authorities. If a tax position drops below the more-likely-than-not standard, the benefit can no longer be recognized. 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. A change in the assessment of the more-likely-than-not standard could materially impact our results of operations or financial position. Refer to Note K of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for further discussion of our reserve for uncertain tax positions.

Table of Contents

Market Risk Factors

Changes in interest rates and interest rate risk: Funds held for clients are primarily comprised of short-term funds and AFS securities. Corporate investments are primarily comprised of AFS securities. As a result of our investing activities, we are exposed to changes in interest rates that may materially affect our results of operations and financial position. Changes in interest rates will impact the earnings potential of future investments and will cause fluctuations in the fair value of our longer-term AFS securities. We follow an investment strategy of protecting principal and optimizing liquidity. A substantial portion of our portfolios is invested in high credit quality securities with ratings of AA or higher, and A-1/P-1 ratings on short-term securities. We invest predominately in municipal bonds; corporate bonds; U.S. government agency securities; and VRDNs. We limit the amounts that can be invested in any single issuer and invest primarily in short- to intermediate-term instruments whose fair value is less sensitive to interest rate changes. We manage the AFS securities to a benchmark duration of two and one-half to three and three-quarters years.

During fiscal 2022, our primary short-term investment vehicles were bank demand deposit accounts and VRDNs. We have no exposure to high-risk or non-liquid investments. We have insignificant exposure to European investments. We have not and do not utilize derivative financial instruments to manage our interest rate risk.

During fiscal 2022, the average interest rate earned on our combined funds held for clients and corporate cash equivalents and investment portfolios was 1.1%, compared to 1.2% for fiscal 2021. When interest rates are rising, the full impact of higher interest rates will not immediately be reflected in net income due to the interaction of short- and long-term interest rate changes. During a rising interest rate environment, earnings will increase from our short-term investments, and over time, will increase from our longer-term AFS securities. Earnings from the AFS securities, which as of May 31, 2022 had an average duration of 3.2 years, would not reflect increases in interest rates until the investments are sold or mature and the proceeds are reinvested at higher rates.

The amortized cost and fair value of AFS securities that had stated maturities as of May 31, 2022 are shown below by expected maturity.

VRDNs are primarily categorized as due after five years in the table above as the contractual maturities on these securities are typically 20 to 30 years. Although these securities are issued as long-term securities, they are priced and traded as short-term instruments because of the liquidity provided through the tender feature.

As of May 31, 2022 and 2021, the Federal Funds rate was in the range of 0.75% to 1.00% and in the range of 0.00% to 0.25%, respectively. Effective June 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve raised the Federal Funds rate 0.75% to a range of 1.50% to 1.75%. There continues to be uncertainty in the changing market and economic conditions, including the possibility of additional measures that could be taken by the Federal Reserve and other government agencies related to the concerns over inflation risk. We will continue to monitor market conditions.

Calculating the future effects of changing interest rates involves many factors. These factors include, but are not limited to:

governmental action to address inflation;

daily interest rate changes;

seasonal variations in investment balances;

Table of Contents

actual duration of short-term and AFS securities;

the proportion of taxable and tax-exempt investments;

changes in tax-exempt municipal rates versus taxable investment rates, which are not synchronized or simultaneous; and

financial market volatility and the resulting effect on benchmark and other indexing interest rates.

Subject to these factors and under normal financial market conditions, a 25-basis-point change in taxable interest rates generally affects our tax-exempt interest rates by approximately 17 basis points. Under normal financial market conditions, the impact to earnings from a 25-basis-point change in short-term interest rates would be approximately $4.5 million to $5.0 million, after taxes, for a twelve-month period. Such a basis point change may or may not be tied to changes in the Federal Funds rate.

Our total investment portfolio (funds held for clients and corporate cash equivalents and investments) averaged approximately $5.7 billion for fiscal 2022. Our anticipated allocation is approximately 50% invested in short-term securities and VRDNs with an average duration of less than 30 days, and 50% invested in available-for-sale securities with an average duration of two and one-half to three and three-quarters years.

The combined funds held for clients and corporate available-for-sale securities reflected net unrealized losses of $136.3 million and net unrealized gains of $79.3 million as of May 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Refer to Note G of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional disclosures on fair value measurements.

During fiscal 2022, the net unrealized loss or gain on our investment portfolios ranged from a $156.3 million net unrealized loss to a $89.2 million net unrealized gain. During fiscal 2021, the net unrealized gain on our investment portfolios ranged from $62.7 million to $121.9 million. The net unrealized loss on our investment portfolios was approximately $153.7 million as of July 13, 2022.

As of May 31, 2022 and 2021, we had $4.0 billion and $3.0 billion, respectively, invested in AFS securities at fair value. The weighted-average yield-to-maturity was 1.9% as of May 31, 2022 and 2021. The weighted-average yield-to-maturity excludes AFS securities tied to short-term interest rates, such as VRDNs. Assuming a hypothetical increase in longer-term interest rates of 25 basis points, the resulting potential decrease in fair value for our portfolio of AFS securities as of May 31, 2022, would be in the range of $20.0 million to $25.0 million. Conversely, a corresponding decrease in interest rates would result in a comparable increase in fair value. This hypothetical increase or decrease in the fair value of the portfolio would be recorded as an adjustment to the portfolio’s recorded value, with an offsetting amount recorded in stockholders’ equity. These fluctuations in fair value would have no related or immediate impact on our results of operations unless any declines in fair value were considered to be other-than-temporary and an impairment loss recognized.

Credit risk: We are exposed to credit risk in connection with these investments through the possible inability of the borrowers to meet the terms of their bonds. We regularly review our investment portfolios to determine if any investment is impaired due to increased credit risk or other valuation concerns and we believe that the investments we held as of May 31, 2022 were not impaired as a result of the previously discussed reasons. While $2.3 billion of our AFS securities had fair values that were below amortized cost, we believe that it is probable that the principal and interest will be collected in accordance with the contractual terms, and that the gross unrealized losses of $139.0 million were due to changes in interest rates and were not due to increased credit risk or other valuation concerns. Most of the AFS securities in an unrealized loss position as of May 31, 2022 and 2021 held an AA rating or better. We do not intend to sell these investments until the recovery of their amortized cost basis or maturity, and further believe that it is not more-likely-than-not that we will be required to sell these investments prior to that time. Our assessment that an investment is not impaired due to increased credit risk or other valuation concerns could change in the future due to new developments, including changes in our strategies or assumptions related to any particular investment.

We have some credit risk exposure relating to the purchase of accounts receivable as a means of providing payroll funding to clients in the temporary staffing industry. There is also credit risk exposure relating to the Company’s trade accounts receivable. These credit risk exposures are diversified amongst multiple client arrangements and all such arrangements are regularly reviewed for potential write-off. No single client is material in respect to total accounts receivable, service revenue, or results of operations.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

REPO****RT ON MANAGEMENT’S ASSESSMENT OF

INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Management of Paychex, Inc. (the “Company”) is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. 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 the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2022. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in “Internal Control — Integrated Framework” (2013). Based on our assessment, management determined that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2022.

The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, is appointed by the Company’s Audit Committee. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has audited the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2022, and as a part of their integrated audit, has issued their report, included herein, on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Table of Contents

RE****PORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Paychex, Inc.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Paychex, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of May 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, of stockholders’ equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2022, including the related notes and financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2022, 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 consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of May 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2022 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, 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 Report on Management's Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (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 audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated 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 consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting

Showing the first 8K of 151K characters. Open the full section

None.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures: Disclosure controls and procedures are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures: As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based on such evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that as of May 31, 2022, the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting: The Company also carried out an evaluation of the internal control over financial reporting to determine whether any changes occurred during the fiscal quarter ended May 31, 2022. Based on such evaluation, there have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter ended May 31, 2022, that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting: The Report on Management’s Assessment of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

None.

Not Applicable.

Table of Contents

PA****RT III

The following table shows the executive officers of the Company as of May 31, 2022, and information regarding their positions and business experience. Such executive officers hold principal policy-making powers at the Company.

Table of Contents

The additional information required by this item is set forth in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, anticipated to be held on or about October 13, 2022, in the sections “PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS FOR A ONE-YEAR TERM,” “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE,” and “CODE OF BUSINESS ETHICS AND CONDUCT” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this item is set forth in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, anticipated to be held on or about October 13, 2022, in the sections “COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS,” “NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION,” “DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED MAY 31, 2022,” “THE COMPENSATION AND LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT” and the sub-heading “Compensation and Leadership Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” within the section “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this item is set forth below and in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, anticipated to be held on or about October 13, 2022, under the section “BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF PAYCHEX COMMON STOCK,” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The Company maintains equity compensation plans in the form of stock incentive plans. Under the Paychex, Inc. 2002 Stock Incentive Plan, as last amended and restated effective October 15, 2020 (the “2002 Plan”), non-qualified or incentive stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, and performance stock options have been awarded to employees and the Board. The 2002 Plan was adopted on July 9, 2020 by the Board and became effective upon stockholder approval at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on October 15, 2020. Refer to Note E of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K, for more information on the Company’s stock incentive plans.

Table of Contents

The following table details information on securities authorized for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options under the Company’s equity compensation plans as of May 31, 2022:

(1)

Includes shares available for future issuance through grants of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards under our 2002 Plan. Refer to Note E of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K, for more information on the Company’s stock incentive plans.

The information required by this item is set forth in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, anticipated to be held on or about October 13, 2022, under the sub-headings “Board Meetings and Committees,” “Policy on Transactions with Related Persons,” and “Transactions with Related Persons” within the section “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE,” and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information required by this item is set forth in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, anticipated to be held on or about October 13, 2022, under the section “PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM,” and is incorporated herein by reference.

Table of Contents

PA****RT IV

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

None.

SIGN****ATURES

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, on July 15, 2022.

PAYCHEX, INC.

By: /s/ Martin Mucci

Martin Mucci

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on July 15, 2022.

/s/ Martin Mucci

Martin Mucci, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Efrain Rivera

Efrain Rivera, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer

(Principal Financial Officer)

/s/ Robert L. Schrader

Robert L. Schrader, Vice President and Controller

(Principal Accounting Officer)

Thomas F. Bonadio*, Director

Joseph G. Doody*, Director

David J.S. Flaschen*, Director

B. Thomas Golisano*, Director

Pamela A. Joseph*, Director

Kevin A. Price*, Director

Joseph M. Tucci*, Director

Joseph M. Velli*, Director

Kara Wilson*, Director

*By: /s/ Martin Mucci

Martin Mucci, as Attorney-in-Fact