Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes Our three months ended September 30, 2016 income tax benefit of $1.1 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 20.4%. Our nine months ended September 30, 2016 income tax benefit of $5.8 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 25.5%. We have historically, including for 2015, calculated the provision for income taxes during interim reporting periods by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full calendar year to ordinary income or loss for the reporting period. However, we have used a discrete effective tax rate method to calculate income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2016. The effective income tax benefit calculated for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 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. Our three months ended September 30, 2015 income tax benefit of $35.9 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 17.2%. Our nine months ended September 30, 2015 income tax benefit of $37.9 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 17.4%. The effective income tax rate for both of these periods reflects a $209.9 million goodwill impairment loss that resulted in a $36.8 million tax benefit. The 17.5% effective tax rate of this benefit is less than the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to a portion of the goodwill impairment that was not deductible, partially offset by the impact of state income taxes. Our effective tax rate was derived by estimating pretax income and income tax expense for the year ending December 31, 2015. The effective income tax rate calculated for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 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. 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 2011. 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 September 30, 2016 or December 31, 2015.

Income Taxes

Our three months ended September 30, 2016 income tax benefit of $1.1 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 20.4%. Our nine months ended September 30, 2016 income tax benefit of $5.8 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 25.5%. We have historically, including for 2015, calculated the provision for income taxes during interim reporting periods by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full calendar year to ordinary income or loss for the reporting period. However, we have used a discrete effective tax rate method to calculate income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2016. The effective income tax benefit calculated for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 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.

Our three months ended September 30, 2015 income tax benefit of $35.9 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 17.2%. Our nine months ended September 30, 2015 income tax benefit of $37.9 million resulted in an effective income tax rate of 17.4%. The effective income tax rate for both of these periods reflects a $209.9 million goodwill impairment loss that resulted in a $36.8 million tax benefit. The 17.5% effective tax rate of this benefit is less than the federal statutory rate of 35.0%, primarily due to a portion of the goodwill impairment that was not deductible, partially offset by the impact of state income taxes. Our effective tax rate was derived by estimating pretax income and income tax expense for the year ending December 31, 2015. The effective income tax rate calculated for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 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.

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 2011. 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 September 30, 2016 or December 31, 2015.