Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of TSYS include the accounts of TSYS and its wholly- and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements requires management of the Company to make estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period. These estimates and assumptions are developed based upon all information available. Actual results could differ from estimated amounts. All adjustments, consisting of normal recurring accruals, which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of financial position and results of operations for the periods covered by this report, have been included. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation, which includes the following changes. The Company reclassified an immaterial amount of operating expenses between cost of services and selling, general and administrative expense on the income statement due to an error in classification in 2016. The Company had investments in private equity funds as of December 31, 2016 with a value of $22.8 million. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and in prior periods, this investment was reclassified from other assets to equity investments on the balance sheets. The income statement impact was to reclassify an immaterial amount of gains and losses from nonoperating expenses to equity in income of equity investments. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s summary of significant accounting policies, consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Results of interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year.
Recently Adopted, New and Recent Revenue Recognition Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements The Company adopted the following Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) on January 1, 2017: ASU 2016-09 “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirement, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The adoption of this standard results in the excess tax benefits and deficiencies associated with share-based payments being recorded on the income statement at the time they are deducted on the income tax return instead of being recorded in additional paid-in capital. The excess tax benefits are recorded along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. The Company recorded excess tax benefits of $5.8 million in its provision for income taxes rather than as an increase to additional paid-in capital for the three months ended March 31, 2017 on a prospective basis. Therefore, the prior period presented has not been adjusted. The Company excluded the excess tax benefits from the assumed proceeds available to repurchase shares in the computation of diluted earnings per share, which did not have a material impact on its diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Company elected to apply the presentation requirement for cash flows related to excess tax benefits prospectively, and thus, the prior period presented has not been adjusted. This adoption resulted in an increase in net cash provided by operating activities and a decrease in net cash used in financing activities of $5.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. ASU 2016-19 “Technical Corrections,” required changes to clarify, correct errors or make minor improvements to the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). Most of the amendments in this Update do not require transition guidance and were effective upon issuance of this Update. Six amendments in this Update clarify guidance or correct references in the ASC that could potentially result in changes in current practice because of either misapplication or misunderstanding of current guidance. Early adoption is permitted for the amendments that require transition guidance. The Company was impacted by the amendment to Subtopic 350-40, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, which adds a reference to guidance to use when accounting for internal-use software licensed from third parties that is within the scope of Subtopic 350-40. The transition guidance for that amendment is the same as the transition guidance in ASU 2015-05, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement,” to which the amendment relates and was adopted on a prospective basis. The adoption of this ASU resulted in the Company's recording of acquired software as an intangible asset at present value rather than treating the software as a lease arrangement. The Company expects the annual impact of adopting the amendment to result in approximately $6.4 million of assets being recorded and $6.1 million of expense being characterized as amortization expense instead of rental expense during 2017. New Accounting Pronouncements In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-05 “Other Income – Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets,” which defines the term in substance nonfinancial assets as financial assets promised to a counterparty in a contract if substantially all of the fair value of the assets promised to the counterparty is concentrated in nonfinancial assets. If substantially all of the fair value of the assets that are promised to the counterparty in a contract is concentrated in nonfinancial assets, then all of the financial assets promised to the counterparty are in substance nonfinancial assets within the scope of Subtopic 610-20. The amendments in this Update exclude all business and nonprofit activities from the scope of Subtopic 610-20. The amendments in the Update may be applied either retrospectively to each period presented in the financial statements or retrospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04 “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which modifies the concept of impairment from the condition that exists when the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value to the condition that exists when the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. An entity no longer will determine goodwill impairment by calculating the implied fair value of goodwill by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities as if that reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. An entity should apply the amendments in this Update on a prospective basis. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted by all entities for interim or annual goodwill impairment test performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company plans to early adopt the ASU in May 2017 in conjunction with its goodwill impairment testing. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01 “Business Combinations (Topic 805), Clarifying the Definition of a Business,” which provides a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. The framework assists entities in evaluating whether both an input and a substantive process are present. The framework includes two sets of criteria to consider that depend on whether a set has outputs. Although outputs are not required for a set to be a business, outputs generally are a key element of a business; therefore, the FASB has developed more stringent criteria for sets without outputs. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. Early application of the amendments in this Update is allowed under certain circumstances. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Recent Revenue Recognition Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The FASB has issued several additional ASUs since this time that add additional clarification to certain issues existing after the original ASU was released. All of the new standards are effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted no sooner than January 1, 2017. The standards permit the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is in the process of determining the effect on its ongoing financial reporting for adoption of these ASUs. The Company is reviewing the requirements of the new revenue standard, and amendments described below, while following activities of the FASB and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for certain interpretive guidance applicable to IT outsourcers and payment processors. The Company is evaluating customer contracts under the new standard for each type of significant revenue stream (and related costs) to evaluate differences from current accounting. TSYS plans to adopt ASU 2014-09, as well as all other clarifications and technical guidance issued by the FASB and AICPA related to this new revenue standard, on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Such adoption method will result in an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings (or other appropriate components of net assets in the statement of financial position) for the cumulative effect, of applying the standard to contracts that are not completed on January 1, 2018. Under the modified retrospective transition method, the Company is required to disclose the impact of changes to financial statement line items due to the application of the new revenue standard, including an explanation of the reasons for any significant changes. The new standard is likely to change the amount and timing of revenue and costs for certain significant revenue streams, accelerate revenue for certain license arrangements, extend the amortization of certain costs such as commissions, incentive payments, and conversion costs, increase areas of judgment and related internal controls requirements, change the presentation of revenue for certain contract arrangements and require changes to the Company’s software systems to assist in both internally capturing accounting differences and externally reporting such differences through enhanced disclosure requirements. In this respect the Company is completing its development of technical positions and analysis of the expected accounting differences and beginning implementation of a revenue software solution. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)," which improves the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations by providing indicators as to which party controls the good or service provided to a customer (the principal). In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” which clarifies two aspects of Topic 606: identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance, while retaining the related principles for those areas. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients,” which affects only the following narrow aspects of Topic 606: Assessing the Collectability Criterion; Presentation of Sales and Other Taxes Collected from Customers; Noncash Consideration; Contract Modification at Transition; Completed Contracts at Transition; and Technical Correction. In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-20 “Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which affects only the following narrow aspects of Topic 606: Disclosure of Remaining Performance Obligations as it relates to entities such as processors which may not be required to estimate revenue under ASU 2014-09 due to direct allocation of variable consideration; Disclosure of Prior - Period Performance Obligations; Loan Guarantee Fees; Contract Costs – Impairment Testing; Contract Costs - Interaction of Impairment Testing with Guidance in Other Topics; Provisions for Losses on Construction-Type and Production Type Contracts; Contracts within the scope of Topic 944 (insurance) are excluded from the scope of Topic 606; Contract Modifications; Contract Asset versus Receivable; Refund Liability; Advertising Costs; Fixed - Odds Wagering Contracts in the Casino Industry.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

The Company adopted the following Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) on January 1, 2017:

ASU 2016-09 “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting,” which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures and statutory tax withholding requirement, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The adoption of this standard results in the excess tax benefits and deficiencies associated with share-based payments being recorded on the income statement at the time they are deducted on the income tax return instead of being recorded in additional paid-in capital. The excess tax benefits are recorded along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. The Company recorded excess tax benefits of $5.8 million in its provision for income taxes rather than as an increase to additional paid-in capital for the three months ended March 31, 2017 on a prospective basis. Therefore, the prior period presented has not been adjusted. The Company excluded the excess tax benefits from the assumed proceeds available to repurchase shares in the computation of diluted earnings per share, which did not have a material impact on its diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The Company elected to apply the presentation requirement for cash flows related to excess tax benefits prospectively, and thus, the prior period presented has not been adjusted. This adoption resulted in an increase in net cash provided by operating activities and a decrease in net cash used in financing activities of $5.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.

ASU 2016-19 “Technical Corrections,” required changes to clarify, correct errors or make minor improvements to the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). Most of the amendments in this Update do not require transition guidance and were effective upon issuance of this Update. Six amendments in this Update clarify guidance or correct references in the ASC that could potentially result in changes in current practice because of either misapplication or misunderstanding of current guidance. Early adoption is permitted for the amendments that require transition guidance. The Company was impacted by the amendment to Subtopic 350-40, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, which adds a reference to guidance to use when accounting for internal-use software licensed from third parties that is within the scope of Subtopic 350-40. The transition guidance for that amendment is the same as the transition guidance in ASU 2015-05, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement,” to which the amendment relates and was adopted on a prospective basis. The adoption of this ASU resulted in the Company's recording of acquired software as an intangible asset at present value rather than treating the software as a lease arrangement. The Company expects the annual impact of adopting the amendment to result in approximately $6.4 million of assets being recorded and $6.1 million of expense being characterized as amortization expense instead of rental expense during 2017.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-05 “Other Income – Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets,” which defines the term in substance nonfinancial assets as financial assets promised to a counterparty in a contract if substantially all of the fair value of the assets promised to the counterparty is concentrated in nonfinancial assets. If substantially all of the fair value of the assets that are promised to the counterparty in a contract is concentrated in nonfinancial assets, then all of the financial assets promised to the counterparty are in substance nonfinancial assets within the scope of Subtopic 610-20. The amendments in this Update exclude all business and nonprofit activities from the scope of Subtopic 610-20. The amendments in the Update may be applied either retrospectively to each period presented in the financial statements or retrospectively with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04 “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which modifies the concept of impairment from the condition that exists when the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value to the condition that exists when the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. An entity no longer will determine goodwill impairment by calculating the implied fair value of goodwill by assigning the fair value of a reporting unit to all of its assets and liabilities as if that reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. An entity should apply the amendments in this Update on a prospective basis. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted by all entities for interim or annual goodwill impairment test performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company plans to early adopt the ASU in May 2017 in conjunction with its goodwill impairment testing. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01 “Business Combinations (Topic 805), Clarifying the Definition of a Business,” which provides a more robust framework to use in determining when a set of assets and activities is a business. The framework assists entities in evaluating whether both an input and a substantive process are present. The framework includes two sets of criteria to consider that depend on whether a set has outputs. Although outputs are not required for a set to be a business, outputs generally are a key element of a business; therefore, the FASB has developed more stringent criteria for sets without outputs. The ASU is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. Early application of the amendments in this Update is allowed under certain circumstances. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Recent Revenue Recognition Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective.

The FASB has issued several additional ASUs since this time that add additional clarification to certain issues existing after the original ASU was released. All of the new standards are effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted no sooner than January 1, 2017. The standards permit the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is in the process of determining the effect on its ongoing financial reporting for adoption of these ASUs.

The Company is reviewing the requirements of the new revenue standard, and amendments described below, while following activities of the FASB and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for certain interpretive guidance applicable to IT outsourcers and payment processors. The Company is evaluating customer contracts under the new standard for each type of significant revenue stream (and related costs) to evaluate differences from current accounting. TSYS plans to adopt ASU 2014-09, as well as all other clarifications and technical guidance issued by the FASB and AICPA related to this new revenue standard, on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method. Such adoption method will result in an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings (or other appropriate components of net assets in the statement of financial position) for the cumulative effect, of applying the standard to contracts that are not completed on January 1, 2018. Under the modified retrospective transition method, the Company is required to disclose the impact of changes to financial statement line items due to the application of the new revenue standard, including an explanation of the reasons for any significant changes.

The new standard is likely to change the amount and timing of revenue and costs for certain significant revenue streams, accelerate revenue for certain license arrangements, extend the amortization of certain costs such as commissions, incentive payments, and conversion costs, increase areas of judgment and related internal controls requirements, change the presentation of revenue for certain contract arrangements and require changes to the Company’s software systems to assist in both internally capturing accounting differences and externally reporting such differences through enhanced disclosure requirements. In this respect the Company is completing its development of technical positions and analysis of the expected accounting differences and beginning implementation of a revenue software solution.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)," which improves the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations by providing indicators as to which party controls the good or service provided to a customer (the principal).

In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing,” which clarifies two aspects of Topic 606: identifying performance obligations and the licensing implementation guidance, while retaining the related principles for those areas.

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients,” which affects only the following narrow aspects of Topic 606: Assessing the Collectability Criterion; Presentation of Sales and Other Taxes Collected from Customers; Noncash Consideration; Contract Modification at Transition; Completed Contracts at Transition; and Technical Correction.

In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-20 “Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which affects only the following narrow aspects of Topic 606: Disclosure of Remaining Performance Obligations as it relates to entities such as processors which may not be required to estimate revenue under ASU 2014-09 due to direct allocation of variable consideration; Disclosure of Prior - Period Performance Obligations; Loan Guarantee Fees; Contract Costs – Impairment Testing; Contract Costs - Interaction of Impairment Testing with Guidance in Other Topics; Provisions for Losses on Construction-Type and Production Type Contracts; Contracts within the scope of Topic 944 (insurance) are excluded from the scope of Topic 606; Contract Modifications; Contract Asset versus Receivable; Refund Liability; Advertising Costs; Fixed - Odds Wagering Contracts in the Casino Industry.