SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Description of Business

Aflac Incorporated (the Parent Company) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) primarily sell supplemental health and life insurance in the United States (U.S.) and Japan. The Company's insurance business is marketed and administered through American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac) in the U.S. and through Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd. (ALIJ) in Japan. The Company’s operations consist of two reportable business segments: Aflac U.S., which includes Aflac, and Aflac Japan, which includes ALIJ. American Family Life Assurance Company of New York (Aflac New York) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aflac. Most of Aflac's policies are individually underwritten and marketed through independent agents. With the exception of group dental and vision products administered by Argus Dental & Vision, Inc. (Argus) and certain group life insurance products, Aflac U.S. markets and administers group products through Continental American Insurance Company (CAIC), branded as Aflac Group Insurance. The Company's insurance operations in the U.S. and Japan service the two markets for the Company's insurance business. Aflac Japan's revenues, including net gains and losses on its investment portfolio, accounted for 69% and 67% of the Company's total revenues in the six-month periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The percentage of the Company's total assets attributable to Aflac Japan was 82% at June 30, 2021, compared with 83% at December 31, 2020.

Basis of Presentation

The Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP). These principles are established primarily by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, references to U.S. GAAP issued by the FASB are derived from the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM (ASC). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates based on currently available information when recording transactions resulting from business operations. The most significant items on the Company's balance sheet that involve a greater degree of accounting estimates and actuarial determinations subject to changes in the future are the valuation of investments and derivatives, deferred policy acquisition costs (DAC), liabilities for future policy benefits and unpaid policy claims, and income taxes. These accounting estimates and actuarial determinations are sensitive to market conditions, investment yields, mortality, morbidity, commission and other acquisition expenses, and terminations by policyholders. As additional information becomes available, or actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates will be revised and reflected in operating results. Although some variability is inherent in these estimates, the Company believes the amounts provided are adequate.

The unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Parent Company, its subsidiaries and those entities required to be consolidated under applicable accounting standards. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company contain all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, which are necessary to fairly present the consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, and the consolidated statements of earnings and comprehensive income (loss) for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the consolidated statement of shareholders' equity for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 and June 30, 2021 and 2020, and the consolidated statement of cash flows for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2021 and 2020. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. As a result, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (2020 Annual Report).

COVID-19: The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the Company continues to evolve, and its future effects remain uncertain. The Company continues to closely monitor the effects and risks of COVID-19, including its variants, to assess its impact on economic conditions in Japan and the U.S. and on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and capital position.

The Company entered the crisis in a strong capital and liquidity position, having maintained capital ratios in Japan and the U.S. at a level designed to absorb a degree of market volatility. The Company has the ability to adjust cash flow management from other sources of liquidity including reinvestment cash flows and selling investments.

Reclassifications

Reclassifications: Certain reclassifications have been made to prior-year amounts to conform to current-year reporting classifications. These reclassifications had no impact on net earnings or total shareholders' equity.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Description of Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

Standard	Description	Effect on Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
ASU 2018-12 Financial Services - Insurance, Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts as clarified and amended by: ASU 2019-09 Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Effective Date ASU 2020-11 Financial Services - Insurance (Topic 944): Effective Date and Early Application	In August 2018, the FASB issued amendments that will significantly change how insurers account for long-duration contracts. The amendments will change existing recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure requirements. Issues addressed in the new guidance include: 1) a requirement to review and, if there is a change, update assumptions for the liability for future policy benefits at least annually, and to update the discount rate assumption quarterly, 2) accounting for market risk benefits at fair value, 3) simplified amortization for deferred acquisition costs, and 4) enhanced financial statement presentation and disclosures. In November 2019, the FASB issued an amendment extending the effective date for public business entities that meet the definition of an SEC filer, excluding entities eligible to be small reporting companies as defined by the SEC, by one year. In November 2020, the FASB issued an amendment providing an additional year deferral for all insurance entities due to the impact of COVID-19. The amendments are now effective for the Company for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2022. Early application of the amendments is permitted.	The Company continues to thoroughly evaluate the impact of adoption and expects that the adoption will have a significant impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and disclosures. The Company anticipates that the requirement to update assumptions for liability for future policy benefits will have a significant impact on its results of operations, systems, processes and controls while the requirement to update the discount rate will have a significant impact on its equity. The Company has no products with market risk benefits. The Company has created a robust governance framework and a detailed implementation plan to support timely implementation of the ASU. As part of the implementation, the Company has made significant progress on key accounting policy decisions (discount rate, cash flow assumptions, deferred acquisition costs amortization, and disclosures), and is working toward modernization of its actuarial platform to increase automation of key reporting and analytical processes and optimize a control framework around new technologies, data sourcing and maintenance solutions. The Company has also incorporated into its ASU implementation project other functional areas, such as Financial Planning and Analysis and Executive Compensation, not directly associated with U.S. GAAP reporting that nonetheless will be impacted by the accounting changes. The Company has recently begun testing its reporting and disclosure capabilities under the new ASU for post-transition date accounting periods. The Company does not expect to early adopt the updated standard and has selected a modified retrospective transition method.