Description of Business and Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation	Description of Business and Basis of Presentation Pitney Bowes Inc. (we, us, our, or the company), was incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1920. We are a global technology company offering innovative products and solutions that help our clients navigate the complex world of commerce. We offer products and solutions for customer information management, location intelligence and customer engagement to help our clients market to their customers, and products and solutions for shipping, mailing, and cross border ecommerce that enable the sending of packages across the globe. Clients around the world rely on our products, solutions and services. For more information about us, our products, services and solutions, visit www.pb.com. We have prepared the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In addition, the December 31, 2015 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. In management's opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to fairly state our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the year ending December 31, 2016. These statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report to Stockholders on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 (2015 Annual Report). In 2015, we determined that certain investments were classified as cash and cash equivalents and made reclassifications primarily between short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents. Accordingly, the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the period ended March 31, 2015 has been revised to reduce beginning cash and cash equivalents by $25 million and ending cash and cash equivalents by $26 million and investments have been increased in these same periods. New Accounting Pronouncements - Standards Adopted in 2016 In September 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2015-16, Business Combinations - Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which eliminates the requirement to restate prior period financial statements for measurement period adjustments. The new guidance requires that the cumulative impact of a measurement period adjustment (including the impact on prior periods) be recognized in the reporting period in which the adjustment is identified. Consistent with existing guidance, the new guidance requires an acquirer to disclose the nature and amount of measurement period adjustments. We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and will apply when applicable. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement, which provides guidance on fees paid by an entity in a cloud computing arrangement and whether an arrangement includes a license to the underlying software. We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and there was no impact to the financial statements. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability. This standard is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We retrospectively adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2016. Accordingly, the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2015, has been revised to reduce other assets and long-term debt by $18 million. In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-01, Income Statement - Extraordinary and Unusual Items, which removes the concept of extraordinary items, thereby eliminating the need for companies to assess transactions for extraordinary treatment. The standard retained the presentation and disclosure requirements for items that are unusual in nature and/or infrequent in occurrence. We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and will apply when applicable. New Accounting Pronouncements - Standards Not Yet Adopted In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments–Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. Changes under this guidance primarily affect the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. Lessees will need to recognize almost all leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. Lessor accounting is similar to the current model, but updated to align with certain changes to the lessee model and the new revenue recognition standard. The standard will also result in enhanced disclosures. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The standard requires modified retrospective transition and early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The ASU includes multiple provisions intended to simplify various aspects of the accounting for share-based payments. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory - Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value (estimated selling price less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation). Prior to this guidance, inventory was measured at the lower of cost or market (where market was defined as replacement cost, with a ceiling of net realizable value and a floor of net realizable value of inventory, less a normal profit margin). Inventory measured using LIFO is not impacted by the new guidance. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. We do not believe this standard will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The standard requires companies to recognize revenue for the transfer of goods and services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration the company expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. The standard will also result in enhanced disclosures about revenue. In July 2015, the FASB approved a one-year deferral of the effective date. This standard is now effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard can be adopted either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment. Companies are permitted to adopt the standard as early as the original public entity effective date (fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2016). Early adoption prior to that date is prohibited. We are currently in the process of evaluating a sample of contracts with customers under the new standard and cannot currently estimate the financial statement impact of adoption. We have not decided on the transition method we will use to adopt the new standard. Areas of potential change include, but are not limited to: units of accounting; estimating and allocating variable consideration as well as changes in variable consideration and cumulative adjustments to revenue; determining standalone selling price of software; and capitalization of certain contract costs, including sales commissions. In addition, we continue to monitor additional changes, clarifications or interpretations being undertaken by the FASB.

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation

Pitney Bowes Inc. (we, us, our, or the company), was incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1920. We are a global technology company offering innovative products and solutions that help our clients navigate the complex world of commerce. We offer products and solutions for customer information management, location intelligence and customer engagement to help our clients market to their customers, and products and solutions for shipping, mailing, and cross border ecommerce that enable the sending of packages across the globe. Clients around the world rely on our products, solutions and services. For more information about us, our products, services and solutions, visit www.pb.com.

We have prepared the accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information and the instructions to Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In addition, the December 31, 2015 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. In management's opinion, all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to fairly state our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented have been included. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the year ending December 31, 2016.

These statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report to Stockholders on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 (2015 Annual Report).

In 2015, we determined that certain investments were classified as cash and cash equivalents and made reclassifications primarily between short-term investments and cash and cash equivalents. Accordingly, the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the period ended March 31, 2015 has been revised to reduce beginning cash and cash equivalents by $25 million and ending cash and cash equivalents by $26 million and investments have been increased in these same periods.

New Accounting Pronouncements - Standards Adopted in 2016

In September 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2015-16, Business Combinations - Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which eliminates the requirement to restate prior period financial statements for measurement period adjustments. The new guidance requires that the cumulative impact of a measurement period adjustment (including the impact on prior periods) be recognized in the reporting period in which the adjustment is identified. Consistent with existing guidance, the new guidance requires an acquirer to disclose the nature and amount of measurement period adjustments.

We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and will apply when applicable.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software, Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement, which provides guidance on fees paid by an entity in a cloud computing arrangement and whether an arrangement includes a license to the underlying software. We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and there was no impact to the financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability. This standard is effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We retrospectively adopted this ASU effective January 1, 2016. Accordingly, the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2015, has been revised to reduce other assets and long-term debt by $18 million.

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-01, Income Statement - Extraordinary and Unusual Items, which removes the concept of extraordinary items, thereby eliminating the need for companies to assess transactions for extraordinary treatment. The standard retained the presentation and disclosure requirements for items that are unusual in nature and/or infrequent in occurrence. We adopted this standard as of January 1, 2016, and will apply when applicable.

New Accounting Pronouncements - Standards Not Yet Adopted

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments–Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. Changes under this guidance primarily affect the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option, and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. Lessees will need to recognize almost all leases on their balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. Classification will be based on criteria that are largely similar to those applied in current lease accounting, but without explicit bright lines. Lessor accounting is similar to the current model, but updated to align with certain changes to the lessee model and the new revenue recognition standard. The standard will also result in enhanced disclosures. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The standard requires modified retrospective transition and early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The ASU includes multiple provisions intended to simplify various aspects of the accounting for share-based payments. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory - Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which requires inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value (estimated selling price less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation). Prior to this guidance, inventory was measured at the lower of cost or market (where market was defined as replacement cost, with a ceiling of net realizable value and a floor of net realizable value of inventory, less a normal profit margin). Inventory measured using LIFO is not impacted by the new guidance. The ASU is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. We do not believe this standard will have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The standard requires companies to recognize revenue for the transfer of goods and services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration the company expects to receive in exchange for those goods and services. The standard will also result in enhanced disclosures about revenue. In July 2015, the FASB approved a one-year deferral of the effective date. This standard is now effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard can be adopted either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment. Companies are permitted to adopt the standard as early as the original public entity effective date (fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2016). Early adoption prior to that date is prohibited. We are currently in the process of evaluating a sample of contracts with customers under the new standard and cannot currently estimate the financial statement impact of adoption. We have not decided on the transition method we will use to adopt the new standard. Areas of potential change include, but are not limited to: units of accounting; estimating and allocating variable consideration as well as changes in variable consideration and cumulative adjustments to revenue; determining standalone selling price of software; and capitalization of certain contract costs, including sales commissions. In addition, we continue to monitor additional changes, clarifications or interpretations being undertaken by the FASB.