Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Income Taxes.
Income Taxes	NOTE 8. Income Taxes The Company is under IRS examination or appeals for the tax years 2015 through 2018. The IRS has completed its field examination of the U.S. federal income tax returns for all years through 2016, but the years have not closed as the Company is in the process of resolving issues identified during those examinations. In addition to the U.S. federal examination, there is also audit activity in several U.S. state and foreign jurisdictions. As of March 31, 2020, no taxing authority has proposed significant adjustments to the Company’s tax positions for which the Company is not adequately reserved. It is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change within the next 12 months. At this time, the Company is not able to estimate the range by which these potential events could impact 3M’s unrecognized tax benefits in the next 12 months. The total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 are $1,107 million and $1,178 million, respectively. The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits includes a $52 million decrease associated with the tax treatment of the 2018 agreement reached with the State of Minnesota that resolved the Natural Resources Damages (NRD) lawsuit. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had valuation allowances of $158 million and $158 million on its deferred tax assets, respectively. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2020 was 17.4 percent, compared to 17.9 percent in the first quarter of 2019, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points. Primary factors that decreased the Company’s effective tax rate include resolution of the tax treatment of the 2018 NRD lawsuit, increased benefit from U.S. international tax provisions, and geographical income mix. These decreases were partially offset by decreased benefit from stock options and higher prior year litigation charges. In March 2020, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and across the globe, the United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the enactment period impacts to 3M were immaterial to income taxes, the Company continues to assess other aspects of the CARES Act.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

NOTE 8. Income Taxes

The Company is under IRS examination or appeals for the tax years 2015 through 2018. The IRS has completed its field examination of the U.S. federal income tax returns for all years through 2016, but the years have not closed as the Company is in the process of resolving issues identified during those examinations. In addition to the U.S. federal examination, there is also audit activity in several U.S. state and foreign jurisdictions. As of March 31, 2020, no taxing authority has proposed significant adjustments to the Company’s tax positions for which the Company is not adequately reserved.

It is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits could significantly change within the next 12 months. At this time, the Company is not able to estimate the range by which these potential events could impact 3M’s unrecognized tax benefits in the next 12 months. The total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 are $1,107 million and $1,178 million, respectively. The decrease in unrecognized tax benefits includes a $52 million decrease associated with the tax treatment of the 2018 agreement reached with the State of Minnesota that resolved the Natural Resources Damages (NRD) lawsuit.

As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had valuation allowances of $158 million and $158 million on its deferred tax assets, respectively.

The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2020 was 17.4 percent, compared to 17.9 percent in the first quarter of 2019, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points. Primary factors that decreased the Company’s effective tax rate include resolution of the tax treatment of the 2018 NRD lawsuit, increased benefit from U.S. international tax provisions, and geographical income mix. These decreases were partially offset by decreased benefit from stock options and higher prior year litigation charges.

In March 2020, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and across the globe, the United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While the enactment period impacts to 3M were immaterial to income taxes, the Company continues to assess other aspects of the CARES Act.