| Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block] | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Unaudited Interim Financial Information The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2016 , the consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , the consolidated statement of stockholders' equity for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and the consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are unaudited but include all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position at such dates and our results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), does not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2016. Nature of Business IZEA, Inc. (together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, "we," "us," "our" or the "Company") was founded in February 2006 under the name PayPerPost, Inc. and became a public company incorporated in the state of Nevada in May 2011. On March 9, 2016, the Company formed IZEA Canada, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in Ontario, Canada to operate as a sales office for its Canadian customers beginning in the second quarter of 2016. On April 5, 2016, the Company filed Articles of Merger with the Secretary of State of Nevada to effect the merger of its wholly-owned, non-operating subsidiary, IZEA Innovations, Inc., a Delaware corporation originally incorporated on September 19, 2006, into the parent operations of IZEA, Inc., a Nevada corporation. The Company is headquartered near Orlando, Florida with additional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and Toronto, and a sales presence in New York, Detroit and Boston. The Company operates online marketplaces that facilitate transactions between brands and influential content creators. These creators produce and distribute text, videos and photos on behalf of brands through websites, blogs and social media channels. The Company's technology enables transactions to be completed at scale through the management of content workflow, creator search and targeting, bidding, analytics and payment processing. On January 30, 2015, the Company purchased all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Ebyline, Inc. (“Ebyline”) (see Note 2). Based in Los Angeles, California, Ebyline operates an online marketplace that enables publishers to access a network of over 15,000 content creators ranging from writers to illustrators in 84 countries. Over 2,000 fully vetted individuals in the Ebyline network have professional journalism credentials with backgrounds at well-known media outlets. Ebyline’s proprietary workflow is utilized by leading media organizations to obtain the content they need from professional content creators. In addition to publishers, Ebyline is leveraged by brands to produce custom branded content for use on their owned and operated sites, as well as third party content marketing and native advertising efforts. The Company currently operates the Ebyline online marketplace along with its own online marketplace that connects brands with creators at IZEA.com as well as other white label marketplaces. IZEA.com and all white label sites are powered by the IZEA Exchange (“ IZEAx ”), a platform that handles content workflow, creator search and targeting, bidding, analytics and payment processing. IZEAx is designed to provide a unified ecosystem that enables the creation of multiple types of content including blog posts, status updates, videos and photos through a wide variety of social channels including blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr, among others. Reverse Stock Split On January 6, 2016, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of Nevada to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of its common stock at a ratio of one share for every 20 shares outstanding prior to the effective date of the reverse stock split. All current and historical information contained herein related to the share and per share information for the Company's common stock or stock equivalents reflects the 1-for-20 reverse stock split of the Company's outstanding shares of common stock that became market effective on January 11, 2016. There was no change in the number of the Company's authorized shares of common stock. Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of IZEA, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ebyline. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements were prepared using the acquisition method of accounting with IZEA considered the accounting acquirer of Ebyline. Under the acquisition method of accounting, the purchase price is allocated to the underlying Ebyline tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their respective fair market values with any excess purchase price allocated to goodwill. Cash and Cash Equivalents For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Accounts Receivable and Concentration of Credit Risk Accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms. Uncollectibility of accounts receivable is not significant since most customers are bound by contract and are required to fund the Company for all the costs of an “opportunity,” defined as an order created by an advertiser for a creator to write about the advertiser’s product. If a portion of the account balance is deemed uncollectible, the Company will either write-off the amount owed or provide a reserve based on the uncollectible portion of the account. Management determines the collectibility of accounts by regularly evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. The Company had a reserve of $190,000 and $139,000 for doubtful accounts as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 , respectively. Management believes that this estimate is reasonable, but there can be no assurance that the estimate will not change as a result of a change in economic conditions or business conditions within the industry, the individual customers or the Company. Any adjustments to this account are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations as a general and administrative expense. Bad debt expense was less than 1% of revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 . Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable are typically limited because a large number of geographically diverse customers make up the Company’s customer base, thus spreading the trade credit risk. The Company also controls credit risk through credit approvals, credit limits and monitoring procedures. The Company performs credit evaluations of its customers but generally does not require collateral to support accounts receivable. At March 31, 2016 , the Company had two customers which accounted for 26% of total accounts receivable in the aggregate. At December 31, 2015 , the Company had one customer which accounted for 13% of total accounts receivable in the aggregate. The Company had two customers that accounted for 24% of its revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and one customer that accounted for 12% of its revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2015 . Property and Equipment Property and equipment are recorded at cost, or if acquired in a business combination, at the acquisition date fair value. Depreciation and amortization is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows: Computer Equipment 3 years Software Costs 3 years Office Equipment 3 - 10 years Furniture and Fixtures 5 - 10 years Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the term of the lease or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Property and equipment under capital leases are depreciated over their estimated useful lives. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for betterments and major improvements are capitalized and depreciated over the remaining useful lives of the assets. The carrying amounts of assets sold or retired and the related accumulated depreciation are eliminated in the year of disposal, with resulting gains or losses included in general and administrative expense. Depreciation expense on property and equipment recorded in general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations was $60,595 and $47,019 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Software Development Costs In accordance with ASC 350-40, Internal Use Software and ASC 985-730, Computer Software Research and Development , research phase costs related to internal use software should be expensed as incurred and development phase costs including direct materials and services, payroll and benefits and interest costs may be capitalized. The Company amortizes software development costs equally over 5 years upon initial launch of the software or additional features. Amortization expense on software development costs recorded in general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations was $39,879 and $28,444 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. As of December 31, 2015 , future estimated amortization expense related to software development costs over the next five years is set forth in the following schedule: Year ending December 31: Software Amortization Expense 2016 $ 204,289 2017 204,289 2018 204,289 2019 118,958 2020 82,107 $ 813,932 Intangible Assets The Company acquired the majority of its intangible assets through its acquisition of Ebyline on January 30, 2015. The Company is amortizing the identifiable intangible assets over a period of 12 to 60 months. Management reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, software development costs and other intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If an evaluation is required, the estimated future undiscounted cash flows associated with the asset are compared with the asset's carrying amount to determine if there has been an impairment, which is calculated as the difference between the fair value of an asset and its carrying value. Estimates of future undiscounted cash flows are based on expected growth rates for the business, anticipated future economic conditions and estimates of residual values. Fair values take into consideration management estimates of risk-adjusted discount rates, which are believed to be consistent with assumptions that marketplace participants would use in their estimates of fair value. For the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , there were no impairment charges associated with the Company's long-lived assets. The Company is amortizing the identifiable intangible assets over a weighted average period of 3 years . Amortization expense on the Ebyline related identifiable intangible assets costs recorded in general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations was $195,823 and $98,833 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. As of December 31, 2015 , future estimated amortization expense related to identifiable intangible assets over the next five years is set forth in the following schedule: Year ending December 31: Amortization Expense 2016 $ 765,794 2017 759,961 2018 148,849 2019 93,294 2020 38,293 Total $ 1,806,191 Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase consideration of an acquired business over the fair value of the underlying net tangible and intangible assets. The Company has goodwill that has been recorded in connection with its acquisition of Ebyline. Goodwill is not amortized, but instead it is tested for impairment at least annually. In the event that management determines that the value of goodwill has become impaired, the Company will record a charge for the amount of impairment during the fiscal quarter in which the determination is made. The Company performs its annual impairment tests of goodwill during the fourth quarter of each year, or more frequently, if certain indicators are present. Goodwill is required to be tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below the operating segment level, which is referred to as a component. Management identifies its reporting units by assessing whether components (i) have discrete financial information available; (ii) engage in business activities; and (iii) whether a segment manager regularly reviews the component's operating results. Net assets and goodwill of acquired businesses are allocated to the reporting unit associated with the acquired business based on the anticipated organizational structure of the combined entities. If two or more components are deemed economically similar, those components are aggregated into one reporting unit when performing the annual goodwill impairment review. The Company has determined that prior to and after the acquisition of Ebyline, it had and continues to have one reporting unit. Revenue Recognition The Company derives its revenue from three sources: revenue from an advertiser when it pays for a social media publisher or influencer such as a blogger or tweeter ("creators") to share sponsored content with their social network audience ("Sponsored Revenue"), revenue when a publisher or company purchases custom branded content for use on its owned and operated sites, as well as third party content marketing and native advertising efforts ("Content Revenue") and revenue derived from various service and license fees charged to users of our platforms ("Service Fee Revenue"). For managed customers, the Company enters into an agreement to provide services that may require multiple deliverables in the form of (a) sponsored social items, such as blogs, tweets, photos or videos shared through social network offerings that provide awareness or advertising buzz regarding the advertiser's brand; (b) media advertisements, such as click-through advertisements appearing in websites and social media channels and (c) original content items, such as a research or news article, informational material or videos that a publisher or brand can use. The Company may provide one type or a combination of all types of these deliverables including a management fee on a statement of work for a lump sum fee. These deliverables are to be provided over a stated period that may range from one day to one year. Each of these items are considered delivered once the content is live through a public or social network or content has been delivered to the customer for their own use. Revenue is accounted for separately on each of the deliverables in the time frames set forth below. The statement of work typically provides for a cancellation fee if the agreement is canceled by the customer prior to completion of services. Payment terms are typically 30 days from the invoice date. If the Company is unable to provide a portion of the services, it may agree with the customer to provide a different type of service or to provide a credit for the value of those services that may be applied to the existing order or used for future services. Sponsored Revenue is recognized and considered earned after an advertiser's sponsored content is posted through IZEAx and shared through a creator's social network for a requisite period of time. The requisite period ranges from 3 days for a tweet to 30 days for a blog, video or other form of content. Management fees related to Sponsored Revenue from advertising campaigns managed by the Company are recognized ratably over the term of the campaign which may range from a few days to several months. Content Revenue is recognized when the content is delivered to and accepted by the customer. Service Fee Revenue is generated when fees are charged to customers primarily related to subscription fees for different levels of service within a platform, licensing fees for white-label use of IZEAx , early cash-out fees if a creator wishes to take proceeds earned for services from their account when the account balance is below certain minimum balance thresholds and inactivity fees for dormant accounts. Service Fee Revenue is recognized immediately when the service is performed or at the time an account becomes dormant or is cashed out. Service Fee Revenue for subscription or licensing fees is recognized straight-line over the term of service. Self-service advertisers must prepay for services by placing a deposit in their account with the Company. The deposits are typically paid by the advertiser via credit card. Advertisers who use the Company to manage their social advertising campaigns or content requests may prepay for services or request credit terms. Payments received or billings in advance of services are recorded as unearned revenue until earned as described above. All of the Company's revenue is generated through the rendering of services and is recognized under the general guidelines of SAB Topic 13 A.1 which states that revenue will be recognized when it is realized or realizable and earned. The Company considers its revenue as generally realized or realizable and earned once (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) services have been rendered, (iii) the price to the advertiser or customer is fixed (required to be paid at a set amount that is not subject to refund or adjustment) and determinable, and (iv) collectibility is reasonably assured. The Company records revenue on the gross amount earned since it generally is the primary obligor in the arrangement, takes on credit risk, establishes the pricing and determines the service specifications. Advertising Costs Advertising costs are charged to expense as they are incurred, including payments to content creators to promote the Company. Advertising expense charged to operations for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 were approximately $111,000 and $118,000 , respectively. Advertising costs are included in sales and marketing expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Deferred Rent The Company’s operating leases for its office facilities contain rent abatements and predetermined fixed increases of the base rental rate during the lease term. The Company accounts for rental expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company records the difference between the straight-line expense and the actual amounts paid under the lease as deferred rent in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Income Taxes The Company has not recorded federal income tax expense due to the generation of net operating losses. Deferred income taxes are accounted for using the balance sheet approach which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company incurs minimal state franchise tax in two states which is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company identifies and evaluates uncertain tax positions, if any, and recognizes the impact of uncertain tax positions for which there is a less than more-likely-than-not probability of the position being upheld when reviewed by the relevant taxing authority. Such positions are deemed to be unrecognized tax benefits and a corresponding liability is established on the balance sheet. The Company has not recognized a liability for uncertain tax positions. If there were an unrecognized tax benefit, the Company would recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company’s tax years subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service are 2012, 2013 and 2014. Derivative Financial Instruments Derivative financial instruments are defined as financial instruments or other contracts that contain a notional amount and one or more underlying factors (e.g., interest rate, security price or other variable), require no initial net investment and permit net settlement. Derivative financial instruments may be free-standing or embedded in other financial instruments. Further, derivative financial instruments are initially, and subsequently, measured at fair value and recorded as liabilities or, in rare instances, assets. The Company accounts for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), which requires additional disclosures about the Company’s objectives and strategies for using derivative instruments, how the derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for, and how the derivative instruments and related hedging items affect the financial statements. The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market or foreign currency risk. Terms of equity instruments are reviewed to determine whether or not they contain embedded derivative instruments that are required under ASC 815 to be accounted for separately from the host contract, and recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. The fair value of derivative liabilities, if any, is required to be revalued at each reporting date, with corresponding changes in fair value recorded in current period operating results. Pursuant to ASC 815, an evaluation of specifically identified conditions is made to determine whether the fair value of warrants issued is required to be classified as equity or as a derivative liability. Fair Value of Financial Instruments The Company’s financial instruments are recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The valuation techniques are based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily obtainable data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect certain market assumptions. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value: • Level 1 – Valuation based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. • Level 2 – Valuation based on quoted market prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets. • Level 3 – Valuation based on unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity, therefore requiring management’s best estimate of what market participants would use as fair value. Fair value estimates discussed herein are based upon certain market assumptions and pertinent information available to management. The Company does not have any Level 1 or 2 financial assets or liabilities. The Company’s Level 3 financial liabilities measured at fair value consisted of its acquisition cost liability (see Note 2) and a warrant liability (see Note 3) as of March 31, 2016 . Significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement of the warrants include the estimated term and risk-adjusted interest rates. In developing our credit risk assumption used in the fair value of warrants, consideration was made of publicly available bond rates and US Treasury Yields. However, since the Company does not have a formal credit-standing, management estimated its standing among various reported levels and grades for use in the model. During all periods, management estimated that the Company's standing was in the speculative to high-risk grades (BB- to CCC in the Standard and Poor's Rating). Significant increases or decreases in the estimated remaining period to exercise or the risk-adjusted interest rate could result in a significantly lower or higher fair value measurement. The respective carrying value of certain on-balance-sheet financial instruments approximated their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. These financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, unearned revenue and accrued expenses. Unless otherwise disclosed, the fair value of the Company’s capital lease obligations approximate their carrying value based upon current rates available to the Company. Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation cost related to stock options granted under the May 2011 Equity Incentive Plan and August 2011 B Equity Incentive Plan (together, the "2011 Equity Incentive Plans") (see Note 5) is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as a straight-lined expense over the employee’s requisite service period. The Company estimates the fair value of each option award on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model that uses the assumptions noted in the table below. The Company estimates the fair value of its common stock using the closing stock price of its common stock on the date of the option award. The Company estimates the volatility of its common stock at the date of grant based on the volatility of comparable peer companies that are publicly traded and have had a longer trading history than itself. The Company determines the expected life based on historical experience with similar awards, giving consideration to the contractual terms, vesting schedules and post-vesting forfeitures. The Company uses the risk-free interest rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term approximately equal to the expected life of the award. The Company has never paid any cash dividends on its common stock and does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The Company used the following assumptions for options granted under the 2011 Equity Incentive Plans during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 : Three Months Ended 2011 Equity Incentive Plans Assumptions March 31, March 31, Expected term 6 years 6 years Weighted average volatility 52.68% 54.00% Weighted average risk free interest rate 1.62% 1.50% Expected dividends — — The Company estimates forfeitures when recognizing compensation expense and this estimate of forfeitures is adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures are recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment, which is recognized in the period of change, and a revised amount of unamortized compensation expense to be recognized in future periods. Average expected forfeiture rates were 10.41% and 13.93% during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 , respectively. Non-Employee Stock-Based Payments The Company's accounting policy for equity instruments issued to consultants and vendors in exchange for goods and services follows the provisions of ASC 505, “Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees.” The measurement date for the fair value of the equity instruments issued is determined at the earlier of (i) the date at which a commitment for performance by the consultant or vendor is reached or (ii) the date at which the consultant or vendor's performance is complete. The fair value of equity instruments issued to consultants that vest immediately is expensed when issued. The fair value of equity instruments issued to consultants that have future vesting and are subject to forfeiture if performance does not occur is recognized as expense over the vesting period. Fair values for the unvested portion of issued instruments are adjusted each reporting period. The change in fair value is recorded to additional paid-in capital. Stock-based payments related to non-employees is accounted for based on the fair value of the related stock or the fair value of the services, whichever is more readily determinable. Segment Information The Company does not identify separate operating segments for management reporting purposes. The results of consolidated operations are the basis on which management evaluates operations and makes business decisions. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Recent Accounting Pronouncements There are new accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") which are not yet effective. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09), which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP. The core principle of ASU 2014-09 is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 defines a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within the revenue recognition process than are required under existing U.S. GAAP. The standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods therein, using either of the following transition methods: (i) a full retrospective approach reflecting the application of the standard in each prior reporting period with the option to elect certain practical expedients, or (ii) a retrospective approach with the cumulative effect of initially adopting ASU 2014-09 recognized at the date of adoption (which includes additional footnote disclosures). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09 on its consolidated financial statements and has not yet determined the method by which it will adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2018. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, " Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) ." The amendments in this ASU are intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations by amending certain existing illustrative examples and adding additional illustrative examples to assist in the application of the guidance. The effective date and transition of these amendments is the same as the effective date and transition of ASU 2014-09 stated above. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing (“ASU 2016-10”). ASU 2016-10 is intended to reduce the cost and complexity of applying the guidance in the FASB's new revenue standard on identifying performance obligations, and is also intended to improve the operability and understandability of the licensing implementation guidance. The effective date for ASU 2016-10 is the same as for ASU 2014-09, which will be the first quarter of 2018. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases . The new standard establishes a right-of-use (ROU) mo |
