During the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $13.3 million, inclusive of unrecognized tax benefits, associated with the Tax Act. The income tax benefit was mainly related to theone-time transition tax to adjust the amount previously recorded during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018. The adjustment to theone-time transition tax for the three months ended November 30, 2018 was primarily related to further analysis of the Company’s utilization of foreign tax credits and applicable limitations. The calculation of theone-time transition tax is based upon estimates of post-1986 earnings and profits, applicable foreign tax credits and relevant limitations, utilization of U.S. federal net operating losses and tax credits and the amount of foreign earnings held in cash andnon-cash assets. As of November 30, 2018, the Company believes $129.0 million is a reasonable net estimate of income tax expense related to the Tax Act based on the analysis, interpretations and guidance available at this time. In addition to the adjustment recorded during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Company has elected to record the Global IntangibleLow-Taxed Income effects as a period cost.
As a result of theone-time transition tax, the Company will have a substantial amount of previously taxed earnings that can be distributed to the U.S. without additional U.S. taxation. Additionally, the Tax Act provides for a 100% dividends received deduction for dividends received by U.S. corporations from10-percent or more owned foreign corporations. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018, the Company recorded liabilities of $85.0 million from a change in the indefinite reinvestment assertion on certain earnings from its foreign subsidiaries, primarily associated with foreign withholding taxes that would be incurred upon such future remittances of cash. The Company intends to indefinitely reinvest the remaining earnings from the Company’s foreign subsidiaries for which a deferred tax liability has not already been recorded. The accumulated earnings are the most significant component of the basis differences which are indefinitely reinvested.
The Company has substantially completed its accounting for the following Tax Act provisions: post-1986 earnings and profits calculations, utilization of U.S. federal net operating losses and tax credits, the amount of foreign earnings held in cash andnon-cash assets, there-measurement of the Company’s deferred tax balances, and the impact of the Tax Act to the existing valuation allowance assessments from both a federal and state tax perspective. As the Company finalizes the accounting for the utilization of foreign tax credits and applicable limitations, the Company will reflect any adjustments to the amounts previously recorded in the period such adjustments are identified. At this time, the Company does not anticipate a material change to the net estimate recorded as of November 30, 2018 related to the Tax Act. Changes could be driven in part by additional regulatory guidance that may be issued or changes in interpretations and assumptions related to existing guidance.
The effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21.0% during the three months ended November 30, 2018 primarily due to: (i) losses in tax jurisdictions with existing valuation allowances; (ii) tax incentives granted to sites in Brazil, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam; and (iii) adjustments to amounts previously recorded for the Tax Act.
The effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35.0% during the three months ended November 30, 2017 primarily due to: (i) income in tax jurisdictions with lower statutory tax rates than the U.S.; (ii) tax incentives granted to sites in Brazil, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam; and (iii) losses in tax jurisdictions with existing valuation allowances, including losses from stock based compensation.
16. Revenue
Effective September 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards UpdateNo. 2014-09 (“ASU2014-09”), Revenue Recognition (Topic 606). The new standard is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires the Company to recognize revenue in a manner which depicts the transfer of goods or services to its customers at an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.
Prior to the adoption of the new standard, the Company recognized substantially all of its revenue from contracts with customers at a point in time, which was generally when the goods were shipped to or received by the customer, title and risk of ownership had passed, the price to the buyer was fixed or determinable and collectability was reasonably assured (net of estimated returns). Under the new standard, the Company will recognize revenue over time for the majority of its contracts with customers which will result in revenue for those customers being recognized earlier than under the previous guidance. Revenue for all other contracts with customers will continue to be recognized at a point in time, similar to recognition prior to the adoption of the standard.
Additionally, the new standard impacts the Company’s accounting for certain fulfillment costs, which include upfront costs to prepare for manufacturing activities that are expected to be recovered. Under the new standard, such upfront costs will be recognized as an asset and amortized on a systematic basis consistent with the pattern of the transfer of control of the products or services to which to the asset relates.
The Company adopted ASU2014-09 using the modified retrospective method by applying the guidance to all open contracts upon adoption and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment as of September 1, 2018, net of tax, of $42.6 million. No adjustments have been made to prior periods. Following is a summary of the cumulative effect adjustment (in thousands):
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