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Income Tax Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Rate
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Federal Income Tax Note      
2013 UK Tax Rate 23.00%unm_A2013UKTaxRate    
2014 UK Tax Rate 21.00%unm_A2014UKTaxRate    
2015 UK Tax Rate 20.00%unm_A2015UKTaxRate    
Income Tax Reconciliation, Change in Enacted Tax Rate   $ 6,300,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationChangeInEnactedTaxRate $ 9,300,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationChangeInEnactedTaxRate
Excess of Financial Reporting Carrying Amount Over the Tax Basis of Investments in Foreign Subsidiaries, Provision Not Practicable 1,000,000,000unm_ExcessofFinancialReportingCarryingAmountOvertheTaxBasisofInvestmentsinForeignSubsidiariesProvisionNotPracticable    
Liability for unrecognized tax benefits 10,400,000us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent 10,200,000us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent 15,000,000us-gaap_LiabilityForUncertainTaxPositionsNoncurrent
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Interest on Income Taxes Expense 200,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense (1,100,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense (10,400,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsInterestOnIncomeTaxesExpense
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Income Tax Penalties and Interest Accrued 1,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued  
Tax Adjustments, Settlements, and Unusual Provisions 17,500,000us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions   11,000,000us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions
Impact of Reinstatement of Exemption of Active Finance Income 900,000unm_ImpactofReinstatementofExemptionofActiveFinanceIncome    
Operating Loss Carryforwards 0us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards 0us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards  
Income Taxes Paid, Net 155,700,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaidNet 398,100,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaidNet 185,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxesPaidNet
Maximum      
Federal Income Tax Note      
Liability (Refund) Adjustment from Settlement with Taxing Authority $ 19,300,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationLiabilityRefundAdjustmentFromSettlementWithTaxingAuthority
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