Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Holding’s financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes of AllianceBernstein, which are included in this Form 10-K.
Investment in AllianceBernstein	Investment in AllianceBernstein Holding records its investment in AllianceBernstein using the equity method of accounting. Holding’s investment is increased to reflect its proportionate share of income of AllianceBernstein and decreased to reflect its proportionate share of losses of AllianceBernstein and cash distributions made by AllianceBernstein to its unitholders. In addition, its investment is adjusted to reflect its proportionate share of certain capital transactions of AllianceBernstein.
Cash Distributions	Cash Distributions Holding is required to distribute all of its Available Cash Flow, as defined in the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Holding (“Holding Partnership Agreement”), to its unitholders pro rata in accordance with their percentage interests in Holding. Available Cash Flow is defined as the cash distributions Holding receives from AllianceBernstein minus such amounts as the General Partner determines, in its sole discretion, should be retained by Holding for use in its business or plus such amounts as the General Partner determines, in its sole discretion, should be released from previously retained cash flow. On February 12, 2014, the General Partner declared a distribution of $0.60 per unit, representing Available Cash Flow for the three months ended December 31, 2013. Each general partnership unit in Holding is entitled to receive distributions equal to those received by each Holding Unit. The distribution is payable on March 13, 2014 to holders of record at the close of business on February 24, 2014. Total cash distributions per Unit paid to unitholders during 2013, 2012 and 2011 were $1.59, $0.95 and $1.44, respectively.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plans	Long-term Incentive Compensation Plans AllianceBernstein maintains several unfunded, non-qualified long-term incentive compensation plans, under which the company grants awards of restricted Holding Units and options to buy Holding Units to its employees and eligible members of the Board of Directors (“Eligible Directors”). During the fourth quarter of 2011, AllianceBernstein implemented changes to its employee long-term incentive compensation award program to ensure that its compensation practices are competitive, and to better align the costs of employee compensation and benefits with the company’s current year financial performance and provide employees with a higher degree of certainty that they will receive the incentive compensation they are awarded. Specifically, AllianceBernstein amended all outstanding year-end long-term incentive compensation awards of active employees, so that employees who terminate their employment or are terminated without cause may retain their award, subject to compliance with certain agreements and restrictive covenants set forth in the applicable award agreement, including restrictions on competition and employee and client solicitation, and a claw-back for failing to follow existing risk management policies. Most equity replacement, sign-on or similar deferred compensation awards included in separate employment agreements or arrangements were not amended in 2011 to reflect these changes. AllianceBernstein recognizes compensation expense related to equity compensation grants in the financial statements using the fair value method. Fair value of restricted Holding Unit awards is the closing price of a Holding Unit on the grant date; fair value of options is determined using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Under the fair value method, compensatory expense is measured at the grant date based on the estimated fair value of the award and is recognized over the required service period. Prior to the changes made to the employee long-term incentive compensation award program in the fourth quarter of 2011, an employee’s service requirement was typically the same as the delivery dates. These changes eliminated employee service requirements, but did not modify delivery dates contained in the original award agreements. As a result of these changes, AllianceBernstein recorded a one-time, non-cash charge of $587.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 for all unrecognized long-term incentive compensation on the amended outstanding awards from prior years. AllianceBernstein funds its restricted Holding Unit awards either by purchasing Holding Units on the open market or purchasing newly-issued Holding Units from Holding, all of which are held in a consolidated rabbi trust until they are distributed to employees upon vesting or retired. In accordance with the Holding Partnership Agreement, when AllianceBernstein purchases newly-issued Holding Units from Holding, Holding is required to use the proceeds it receives from AllianceBernstein to purchase the equivalent number of newly-issued AllianceBernstein Units, thus increasing its percentage ownership interest in AllianceBernstein. Holding Units held in the consolidated rabbi trust are corporate assets in the name of the trust and are available to the general creditors of AllianceBernstein. During 2013 and 2012, AllianceBernstein purchased 5.2 million and 15.7 million Holding Units for $111.3 million and $239.5 million, respectively (on a trade date basis). These amounts reflect open-market purchases of 1.9 million and 12.3 million Holding Units for $38.5 million and $182.3 million, respectively, with the remainder relating to purchases of Holding Units from employees to allow them to fulfill statutory tax withholding requirements at the time of distribution of long-term incentive compensation awards, offset by Holding Units purchased by employees as part of a distribution reinvestment election. Each quarter, since the third quarter of 2011, AllianceBernstein has implemented plans to repurchase Holding Units pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). A Rule 10b5-1 plan allows a company to repurchase its shares at times when it otherwise might be prevented from doing so because of self-imposed trading blackout periods and because it possesses material non-public information. Each broker selected by AllianceBernstein has the authority under the terms and limitations specified in the plan to repurchase Holding Units on AllianceBernstein’s behalf in accordance with the terms of the plan. Repurchases are subject to SEC regulations as well as certain price, market volume and timing constraints specified in the plan. The plan adopted during the fourth quarter of 2013 expired at the close of business on February 11, 2014. AllianceBernstein did not buy any Holding Units pursuant to this plan during the fourth quarter of 2013. AllianceBernstein may adopt additional Rule 10b5-1 plans in the future to engage in open-market purchases of Holding Units to help fund anticipated obligations under its incentive compensation award program and for other corporate purposes. During 2013, AllianceBernstein granted to employees and Eligible Directors 13.9 million restricted Holding Unit awards (including 6.5 million granted in December 2013 for 2013 year-end awards and 6.5 million granted in January 2013 for 2012 year-end awards). During 2012, AllianceBernstein granted to employees and Eligible Directors 12.1 million restricted Holding Unit awards (including 2.7 million granted in June 2012 to Peter Kraus, our Chief Executive Officer, in connection with his extended employment agreement and 8.7 million granted in January 2012 for 2011 year-end awards). Prior to the third quarter of 2013 (and our decision described in the next paragraph to retire unallocated Holding Units in AllianceBernstein’s consolidated rabbi trust), AllianceBernstein funded awards by allocating previously repurchased Holding Units that had been held in the rabbi trust. In December 2013, we newly issued 3.9 million Holding Units to fund the restricted Holding Unit awards granted by AllianceBernstein in December 2013. Effective July 1, 2013, management retired all unallocated Holding Units in AllianceBernstein’s consolidated rabbi trust. To retire such units, AllianceBernstein delivered the unallocated Holding Units held in its consolidated rabbi trust to Holding in exchange for the same amount of AllianceBernstein units. Each entity then retired its respective units. As a result, on July 31, 2013, each of AllianceBernstein’s and Holding’s units outstanding decreased by approximately 13.1 million units. AllianceBernstein and Holding intend (subject to compliance with applicable safe harbor rules to avoid AllianceBernstein being treated as a publicly traded partnership) to retire additional units as AllianceBernstein purchases Holding Units on the open market or when AllianceBernstein purchases Holding Units from employees to allow them to fulfill statutory tax withholding requirements at the time of distribution of long-term incentive compensation awards, if such units are not required to fund new employee awards in the near future. If a sufficient number of Holding Units is not available in the rabbi trust to fund new awards, Holding will newly issue Holding Units in exchange for newly-issued AllianceBernstein units, as was done in December 2013. Generally, when a corporate entity repurchases its shares, the shares no longer are deemed outstanding. Because of our two-tier partnership structure, Holding Units purchased by AllianceBernstein and held in its consolidated rabbi trust are considered outstanding (unlike repurchased shares of a single corporate entity). Accordingly, management’s decision to retire repurchased Holding Units rather than allowing them to remain outstanding in the rabbi trust more closely aligns the effect of AllianceBernstein’s Holding Unit purchases with that of corporate entities that repurchase their shares. During 2013, Holding issued 887,642 Holding Units upon exercise of options to buy Holding Units. Holding used the proceeds of $15.1 million to purchase the equivalent number of newly-issued AllianceBernstein Units.

Disclosure of accounting policy for the equity method of accounting for investments in common stock or other interests including unconsolidated subsidiaries, corporate joint ventures, noncontrolling interests in real estate ventures, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. The accounting policy may include information such as: (1) initially recording an investment in the stock of an investee at cost; (2) adjusting the carrying amount of the investment to recognize the investor's share of the earnings or losses of the investee after the date of acquisition; and (3) adjustments to reflect the investor's share of changes in the investee's capital (dividends). This disclosure may also include a detailed description of the policy for determining the amount of equity method losses recognized after an investment has been reduced to zero as a result of previous losses, reasons for not using the equity method when the investor company owns 20 percent or more of the voting stock of the investee's company (including identification of the significant investee), reasons for using the equity method when the ownership percentage is less than 20 percent, and discussion of recognition of equity method losses when an investor's total investment in an investee includes, in addition to an investment in common stock, other investments such as preferred stock and loans to the investee. An entity also may describe how such investments are assessed for impairment.

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