Recent Accounting Pronouncements	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]	Recent Accounting Pronouncements (a) Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance Revenue Recognition On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes virtually all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The update's core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. During 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which clarified principal versus agent considerations, ASU 2016-10, which clarified identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance, ASU 2016-12, which addressed implementation issues and provided additional practical expedients and ASU 2016-20, which provided technical corrections to narrow aspects of the guidance (collectively, with ASU 2014-09, Topic 606). Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method, which did not require the restatement of prior years. In connection with the adoption of Topic 606, Federated has applied the guidance to all contracts that were not completed on the effective date of adoption. Management reevaluated the capitalization and amortization policies of deferred sales commission assets, which resulted in a shorter amortization period. Upon adoption, Federated recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.1 million as a reduction to Other Long-Term Assets and Retained Earnings. Contingent deferred sales charges (CDSCs) received, which were previously recorded as a reduction of deferred sales commission assets, are now being recorded as revenue. Upon adoption, Federated recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.0 million as an increase to Other Long-Term Assets and Retained Earnings. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, $0.4 million and $1.2 million, respectively, of CDSCs received were recorded as revenue in Other Service Fees, net—Affiliates on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Consideration Payable to Customers (which includes reimbursements or assumptions of fund-related expenses) of $8.7 million and $25.6 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, was recorded as a reduction of revenue in Investment Advisory Fees, net—Affiliates (previously recorded primarily as Distribution expense) on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Additionally, certain revenue is now being recorded as a single asset management fee, as it is part of a unitary fee arrangement with a single performance obligation. As such, $1.5 million and $4.8 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, was recorded in Investment Advisory Fees, net—Other (previously recorded in Other Service Fees, net—Other) on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Financial Instruments Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The ASU significantly revises an entity's accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities, including investments in mutual funds and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities. The ASU also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. Management elected the modified retrospective transition method which was applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the Consolidated Balance Sheets. While the modified retrospective transition method did not require the restatement of prior years, management elected to reclassify certain prior year presentations and disclosures, primarily the investment and fair value measurement footnotes and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, to ensure comparability with current year investment classifications. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Statement of Cash Flows On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The standard addresses eight specific cash flow issues to reduce diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and payments are presented on the Statement of Cash Flows. One relevant issue addressed contingent consideration payments made after a business combination. However, Federated was already classifying these payments appropriately. While the ASU required the retrospective adoption approach, the adoption did not have an impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force. Under this ASU, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statements of cash flows. The ASU required the retrospective adoption approach, which required the restatement of prior periods presented. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Clarifying the Definition of a Business On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The amendments in this update require that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset (or a group of similar identifiable assets), the assets are not considered to be a business. To be considered a business, an acquisition or disposal must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. The amendments also narrow the definition of the term "outputs" to be consistent with Topic 606. The ASU was required to be applied prospectively. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Reporting on Comprehensive Income Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Due to the revaluation of deferred taxes resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Act) being required to be included in income, regardless of the source of income or loss to which the deferred item related, the tax effects of items within Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net of tax did not reflect the appropriate tax rate. The amendments in this update allow a reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net of tax to Retained earnings for these stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act. Management elected to apply the guidance in the period of adoption, which did not require the restatement of prior years, and was applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. (b) Recently Issued Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted Leases On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The core principle is that a lessee should recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet, while retaining a distinction between finance and operating leases. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2019. While early adoption is permitted, Federated does not plan to early adopt. In the third quarter of 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, which provides improvements to narrow aspects of the guidance and ASU 2018-11, which provides an optional alternative transition method to initially apply the new leases standard at the adoption date (collectively, with ASU 2016-02, Topic 842). Topic 842 now allows for the use of either the modified retrospective adoption method or the alternative transition method. Management has substantially completed contract scoping, with the exception of the Hermes' contracts. Management has elected the package of practical expedients, which allows entities to not reassess (1) whether contracts are or contain leases, (2) lease classification and (3) initial direct costs. Management has also elected the practical expedient to not separate lease components from non-lease components, and will not be electing the hindsight practical expedient to determine the lease term. Management has made an accounting policy election to apply the short-term lease exception, which does not require the capitalization of leases with terms of 12 months or less. Management plans to elect the alternative transition method, which does not require the restatement of prior years. Management continues to evaluate the appropriate incremental borrowing rates and the new disclosure requirements, as well as the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Goodwill Impairment On January 26, 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. Under this ASU, an entity should perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, and recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value. However, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Additionally, the ASU retains the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and requires the prospective adoption method. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Fair Value Measurement On August 28, 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The amendments in this update remove, modify or add disclosure requirements for fair value measurements to improve the effectiveness of disclosures. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and allows for either the prospective or retrospective adoption method. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements. Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement On August 29, 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). The amendments in this update align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and allows for either the prospective or retrospective adoption method. Management plans to elect the prospective adoption approach, which does not require the restatement of prior years. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

(a) Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance

Revenue Recognition

On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which supersedes virtually all existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. The update's core principle is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. During 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which clarified principal versus agent considerations, ASU 2016-10, which clarified identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance, ASU 2016-12, which addressed implementation issues and provided additional practical expedients and ASU 2016-20, which provided technical corrections to narrow aspects of the guidance (collectively, with ASU 2014-09, Topic 606).

Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted Topic 606 using the modified retrospective method, which did not require the restatement of prior years. In connection with the adoption of Topic 606, Federated has applied the guidance to all contracts that were not completed on the effective date of adoption.

Management reevaluated the capitalization and amortization policies of deferred sales commission assets, which resulted in a shorter amortization period. Upon adoption, Federated recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.1 million as a reduction to Other Long-Term Assets and Retained Earnings. Contingent deferred sales charges (CDSCs) received, which were previously recorded as a reduction of deferred sales commission assets, are now being recorded as revenue. Upon adoption, Federated recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment of $8.0 million as an increase to Other Long-Term Assets and Retained Earnings.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, $0.4 million and $1.2 million, respectively, of CDSCs received were recorded as revenue in Other Service Fees, net—Affiliates on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Consideration Payable to Customers (which includes reimbursements or assumptions of fund-related expenses) of $8.7 million and $25.6 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, was recorded as a reduction of revenue in Investment Advisory Fees, net—Affiliates (previously recorded primarily as Distribution expense) on the Consolidated Statements of Income. Additionally, certain revenue is now being recorded as a single asset management fee, as it is part of a unitary fee arrangement with a single performance obligation. As such, $1.5 million and $4.8 million, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, was recorded in Investment Advisory Fees, net—Other (previously recorded in Other Service Fees, net—Other) on the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Financial Instruments

Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The ASU significantly revises an entity's accounting related to (1) the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities, including investments in mutual funds and (2) the presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities. The ASU also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. Management elected the modified retrospective transition method which was applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the Consolidated Balance Sheets. While the modified retrospective transition method did not require the restatement of prior years, management elected to reclassify certain prior year presentations and disclosures, primarily the investment and fair value measurement footnotes and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, to ensure comparability with current year investment classifications. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Statement of Cash Flows

On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The standard addresses eight specific cash flow issues to reduce diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and payments are presented on the Statement of Cash Flows. One relevant issue addressed contingent consideration payments made after a business combination. However, Federated was already classifying these payments appropriately. While the ASU required the retrospective adoption approach, the adoption did not have an impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force. Under this ASU, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statements of cash flows. The ASU required the retrospective adoption approach, which required the restatement of prior periods presented. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Clarifying the Definition of a Business

On January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. The amendments in this update require that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset (or a group of similar identifiable assets), the assets are not considered to be a business. To be considered a business, an acquisition or disposal must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create outputs. The amendments also narrow the definition of the term "outputs" to be consistent with Topic 606. The ASU was required to be applied prospectively. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Reporting on Comprehensive Income

Effective January 1, 2018, Federated adopted ASU 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. Due to the revaluation of deferred taxes resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (Tax Act) being required to be included in income, regardless of the source of income or loss to which the deferred item related, the tax effects of items within Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net of tax did not reflect the appropriate tax rate. The amendments in this update allow a reclassification from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net of tax to Retained earnings for these stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act. Management elected to apply the guidance in the period of adoption, which did not require the restatement of prior years, and was applied by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The adoption did not have a material impact to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

(b) Recently Issued Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted

Leases

On February 25, 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The core principle is that a lessee should recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases on the balance sheet, while retaining a distinction between finance and operating leases. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2019. While early adoption is permitted, Federated does not plan to early adopt. In the third quarter of 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, which provides improvements to narrow aspects of the guidance and ASU 2018-11, which provides an optional alternative transition method to initially apply the new leases standard at the adoption date (collectively, with ASU 2016-02, Topic 842). Topic 842 now allows for the use of either the modified retrospective adoption method or the alternative transition method.

Management has substantially completed contract scoping, with the exception of the Hermes' contracts. Management has elected the package of practical expedients, which allows entities to not reassess (1) whether contracts are or contain leases, (2) lease classification and (3) initial direct costs. Management has also elected the practical expedient to not separate lease components from non-lease components, and will not be electing the hindsight practical expedient to determine the lease term. Management has made an accounting policy election to apply the short-term lease exception, which does not require the capitalization of leases with terms of 12 months or less. Management plans to elect the alternative transition method, which does not require the restatement of prior years. Management continues to evaluate the appropriate incremental borrowing rates and the new disclosure requirements, as well as the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Goodwill Impairment

On January 26, 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. Under this ASU, an entity should perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, and recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value. However, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. Additionally, the ASU retains the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and requires the prospective adoption method. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Fair Value Measurement

On August 28, 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The amendments in this update remove, modify or add disclosure requirements for fair value measurements to improve the effectiveness of disclosures. The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and allows for either the prospective or retrospective adoption method. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.

Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement

On August 29, 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). The amendments in this update align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). The update is effective for Federated on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and allows for either the prospective or retrospective adoption method. Management plans to elect the prospective adoption approach, which does not require the restatement of prior years. Management is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption to Federated's Consolidated Financial Statements.