General	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
General	Note 1. General The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire” or “Company”) consolidated with the accounts of all its subsidiaries and affiliates in which Berkshire holds controlling financial interests as of the financial statement date. In these notes, the terms “us,” “we” or “our” refer to Berkshire and its consolidated subsidiaries. Reference is made to Berkshire’s most recently issued Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”), which includes information necessary or useful to understanding Berkshire’s businesses and financial statement presentations. Our significant accounting policies and practices were presented as Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Annual Report. Changes to those policies due to the adoption of new accounting standards are described in Note 2. Financial information in this Quarterly Report reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to a fair statement of results for the interim periods in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). For a number of reasons, our results for interim periods are not normally indicative of results to be expected for the year. The timing and magnitude of catastrophe losses incurred by insurance subsidiaries and the estimation error inherent to the process of determining liabilities for unpaid losses of insurance subsidiaries can be more significant to results of interim periods than to results for a full year. Given the size of our equity security investment portfolio, changes in market prices and the related changes in unrealized gains on equity securities will produce significant volatility in our interim and annual earnings. In addition, changes in the fair values of certain derivative contract liabilities, gains and losses from the periodic revaluation of certain assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and the magnitude of asset impairment charges can cause significant variations in periodic net earnings. The novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) spread rapidly across the world in the first quarter of 2020 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The government and private sector responses to contain its spread began to significantly affect our operating businesses in March and adversely affected nearly all of our operations in the second quarter, although such effects vary significantly. The duration and extent of the effects over longer terms cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. The risks and uncertainties resulting from the pandemic that may affect our future earnings, cash flows and financial condition include the nature and duration of the curtailment or closure of our various facilities and the long-term effect on the demand for our products and services. Accordingly, significant estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements including those associated with evaluations of certain long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, expected credit losses on amounts owed to us and the estimations of certain losses assumed under insurance and reinsurance contracts may be subject to significant adjustments in future periods. Additionally, GEICO’s underwriting results will likely be negatively affected over the remainder of the year and in the first quarter of 2021 as the full impact of the GEICO Giveback program (a program whereby auto insurance policies renewed and newly issued during the period between April 8, 2020 and October 7, 2020 receive a 15% premium rate reduction) will be reflected in earned premiums during these periods.

General

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Note 1. General

The accompanying unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire” or “Company”) consolidated with the accounts of all its subsidiaries and affiliates in which Berkshire holds controlling financial interests as of the financial statement date. In these notes, the terms “us,” “we” or “our” refer to Berkshire and its consolidated subsidiaries. Reference is made to Berkshire’s most recently issued Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”), which includes information necessary or useful to understanding Berkshire’s businesses and financial statement presentations. Our significant accounting policies and practices were presented as Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Annual Report. Changes to those policies due to the adoption of new accounting standards are described in Note 2.

Financial information in this Quarterly Report reflects all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to a fair statement of results for the interim periods in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). For a number of reasons, our results for interim periods are not normally indicative of results to be expected for the year. The timing and magnitude of catastrophe losses incurred by insurance subsidiaries and the estimation error inherent to the process of determining liabilities for unpaid losses of insurance subsidiaries can be more significant to results of interim periods than to results for a full year. Given the size of our equity security investment portfolio, changes in market prices and the related changes in unrealized gains on equity securities will produce significant volatility in our interim and annual earnings. In addition, changes in the fair values of certain derivative contract liabilities, gains and losses from the periodic revaluation of certain assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and the magnitude of asset impairment charges can cause significant variations in periodic net earnings.

The novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) spread rapidly across the world in the first quarter of 2020 and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The government and private sector responses to contain its spread began to significantly affect our operating businesses in March and adversely affected nearly all of our operations in the second quarter, although such effects vary significantly. The duration and extent of the effects over longer terms cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. The risks and uncertainties resulting from the pandemic that may affect our future earnings, cash flows and financial condition include the nature and duration of the curtailment or closure of our various facilities and the long-term effect on the demand for our products and services. Accordingly, significant estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements including those associated with evaluations of certain long-lived assets, goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, expected credit losses on amounts owed to us and the estimations of certain losses assumed under insurance and reinsurance contracts may be subject to significant adjustments in future periods. Additionally, GEICO’s underwriting results will likely be negatively affected over the remainder of the year and in the first quarter of 2021 as the full impact of the GEICO Giveback program (a program whereby auto insurance policies renewed and newly issued during the period between April 8, 2020 and October 7, 2020 receive a 15% premium rate reduction) will be reflected in earned premiums during these periods.