Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Our three months ended March 31, 2017 income tax benefit of $1.5 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 16.7%. The effective income tax benefit calculated for the three months ended March 31, 2017 differs from the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to the nondeductible interest associated with the 3Q Digital contingent consideration and foreign tax credit limitations on dividends paid from foreign subsidiaries. We have calculated the provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full calendar year to ordinary income or loss for the reporting period. Our three months ended March 31, 2016 income tax benefit of $2.6 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 27.8%. The effective income tax rate calculated for the three months ended March 31, 2016 differs from the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to foreign tax credit limitations on dividends paid from foreign subsidiaries. We used a discrete effective tax rate method to calculate income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2016 because we determined that small changes in estimated ordinary income would result in significant changes in the estimated annual effective tax rate, such that the historical method would not provide a reliable estimate for the three months ended March 31, 2016. Harte Hanks, or one of our subsidiaries, files income tax returns in the U.S. federal, U.S. state, and foreign jurisdictions. For U.S. state returns, we are no longer subject to tax examinations for tax years prior to 2012. For U.S. federal and foreign returns, we are no longer subject to tax examinations for tax years prior to 2013. We have elected to classify any interest expense and penalties related to income taxes within income tax expense in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. We did not have a significant amount of interest or penalties accrued at March 31, 2017 or December 31, 2016.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Our three months ended March 31, 2017 income tax benefit of $1.5 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 16.7%. The effective income tax benefit calculated for the three months ended March 31, 2017 differs from the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to the nondeductible interest associated with the 3Q Digital contingent consideration and foreign tax credit limitations on dividends paid from foreign subsidiaries.

We have calculated the provision for income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full calendar year to ordinary income or loss for the reporting period.

Our three months ended March 31, 2016 income tax benefit of $2.6 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 27.8%. The effective income tax rate calculated for the three months ended March 31, 2016 differs from the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to foreign tax credit limitations on dividends paid from foreign subsidiaries.

We used a discrete effective tax rate method to calculate income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2016 because we determined that small changes in estimated ordinary income would result in significant changes in the estimated annual effective tax rate, such that the historical method would not provide a reliable estimate for the three months ended March 31, 2016.

Harte Hanks, or one of our subsidiaries, files income tax returns in the U.S. federal, U.S. state, and foreign jurisdictions. For U.S. state returns, we are no longer subject to tax examinations for tax years prior to 2012. For U.S. federal and foreign returns, we are no longer subject to tax examinations for tax years prior to 2013.

We have elected to classify any interest expense and penalties related to income taxes within income tax expense in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss. We did not have a significant amount of interest or penalties accrued at March 31, 2017 or December 31, 2016.