QUARTERLY INTERIM FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) - REVISION OF PRIOR PERIOD FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - INCOME STATEMENT AND COMPRHENSIVE INCOME (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended								6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Jun. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income		$ 907	$ 847	$ 852					$ 1,698	$ 2,605	$ 3,334	$ 3,344	$ 3,291
Premiums		208	225	232					457	665	904	880	852
Net derivative gains (losses)		(406)	1,762	(362)					1,398	992	890	(1,211)	(1,161)
Total revenues	$ 2,442	2,429	4,548	2,314	$ (213)	$ 2,153	$ 3,297	$ 3,901	6,859	9,288	11,733	9,138	8,961
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits		907	1,364	975					2,338	3,246	3,462	2,771	2,474
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances		245	205	279					484	729	1,040	1,029	887
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net		(12)	(49)	29					(20)	(32)	268	52	(243)
Other operating costs and expenses			149	381					530		1,431	1,458	1,497
Total benefits and other deductions	2,066	2,409	2,514	2,489	1,638	2,013	2,424	2,441	5,002	7,412	9,478	8,516	7,923
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes		20	2,034	(175)					1,857	1,876	2,255	622	1,038
Income tax (expense) benefit		101	(419)	121					(298)	(197)	1,139	84	22
Net income (loss)	$ 1,712	121	1,615	(54)	(1,144)	175	600	1,075	1,559	1,679	3,394	706	1,060
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		(1)	1,502	(172)					1,328	1,326	2,860	210	662
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment		(79)	293	92					386	315	563	(194)	(832)
Other comprehensive income (loss)		(76)	273	127					401	333	599	(215)	(861)
Comprehensive income (loss)		45	1,888	73					1,960	2,012	3,993	491	199
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		(109)	1,795	(52)					1,742	1,640	$ 3,441	12	(184)
As Previously Reported
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income		914	865	896					1,761	2,626
Premiums		204	216	225					441	645		854	828
Net derivative gains (losses)		(318)	1,693	(724)					969	1,376		(1,163)	(1,075)
Total revenues		2,520	4,488	1,989	(1,942)	2,006	4,157	4,927	6,477	9,673		9,160	9,023
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits		995	1,452	891					2,343	3,308		2,745	2,457
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances		350	321	337					658	1,008		1,079	973
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net		(33)	(82)	125					43	15		287	(254)
Other operating costs and expenses			155	384					539
Total benefits and other deductions		2,581	2,691	2,562	1,627	2,036	2,581	2,473	5,253	7,800		8,775	7,981
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes		(61)	1,797	(573)					1,224	1,873		385	1,042
Income tax (expense) benefit		127	(338)	260					(78)	(196)		168	23
Net income (loss)		66	1,459	(313)	(2,259)	22	1,061	1,720	1,146	1,677		553	1,065
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		(56)	1,346	(431)					915	1,324		57	667
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment		(55)	314	144					458	362		(208)	(828)
Other comprehensive income (loss)		(52)	294	179					473	380		(229)	(857)
Comprehensive income (loss)		14	1,753	(134)					1,619	2,057		324	208
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		(140)	1,660	(259)					1,401	1,685		(155)	(175)
Impact of Revisions
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income		(7)								(21)
Premiums		4								20		26	24
Net derivative gains (losses)		(88)								(384)		(48)	(86)
Total revenues		(91)								(385)		(22)	(62)
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits		(88)								(62)		26	17
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances		(105)								(279)		(50)	(86)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net		21								(47)		(235)	11
Total benefits and other deductions		(172)								(388)		(259)	(58)
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes		81								3		237	(4)
Income tax (expense) benefit		(26)								(1)		(84)	(1)
Net income (loss)		55								2		153	(5)
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		55								2		153	(5)
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment		(24)								(47)		14	(4)
Other comprehensive income (loss)		(24)								(47)		14	(4)
Comprehensive income (loss)		31								(45)		167	(9)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable		31								$ (45)		$ 167	$ (9)
Impact of Revisions
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income			50	23					72
Premiums			9	7					16
Net derivative gains (losses)			(197)	(97)					(296)
Total revenues		(91)	(138)	(67)	75	(8)	12	110	(208)
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits			46	15					60
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances			(116)	(58)					(174)
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net			31	(97)					(66)
Other operating costs and expenses			(6)	(3)					(9)
Total benefits and other deductions		(172)	(45)	(143)	73	(22)	(5)	67	(189)
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes			(93)	76					(19)
Income tax (expense) benefit			34	(26)					8
Net income (loss)		55	(59)	50	0	51	7	29	(11)
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			(59)	50					(11)
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment			(29)	(20)					(48)
Other comprehensive income (loss)			(29)	(20)					(48)
Comprehensive income (loss)			(88)	30					(59)
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			(88)	30					(59)
As Revised and Adjusted Herein
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income			915	919					1,833
Premiums			225	232					457
Net derivative gains (losses)			1,496	(821)					673
Total revenues		2,429	4,350	1,922	(1,867)	1,998	4,169	5,037	6,269
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits			1,498	906					2,403
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances			205	279					484
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net			(51)	28					(23)
Other operating costs and expenses			149	381					530
Total benefits and other deductions		2,409	2,646	2,419	1,700	2,014	2,576	2,540	5,064
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes			1,704	(497)					1,205
Income tax (expense) benefit			(304)	234					(70)
Net income (loss)		121	1,400	(263)	(2,259)	73	1,068	1,749	1,135
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			1,287	(381)					904
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment			285	124					410
Other comprehensive income (loss)			265	159					425
Comprehensive income (loss)			1,665	(104)					1,560
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			1,572	(229)					1,342
Impact of Accounting Change
Revenues:
Policy charges and fee income			(68)	(67)					(135)
Premiums			0	0					0
Net derivative gains (losses)			266	459					725
Total revenues		0	198	392	1,654	155	(872)	(1,136)	590
Benefits and other deductions:
Policyholders’ benefits			(134)	69					(65)
Interest credited to policyholder's account balances			0	0					0
Amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, net			2	1					3
Other operating costs and expenses			0	0					0
Total benefits and other deductions		0	(132)	70	(62)	(1)	(152)	(99)	(62)
Income (loss) from operations, before income taxes			330	322					652
Income tax (expense) benefit			(115)	(113)					(228)
Net income (loss)		$ 0	215	209	$ 1,115	$ 102	$ (468)	$ (674)	424
Net income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			215	209					424
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Change in unrealized gains (losses), net of reclassification adjustment			8	(32)					(24)
Other comprehensive income (loss)			8	(32)					(24)
Comprehensive income (loss)			223	177					400
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to AXA Equitable			$ 223	$ 177					$ 400