Business and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Business and Basis of Presentation	Jun. 30, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Business and Basis of Presentation	BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation (the “Company” or “PALAC”), with its principal offices in Shelton, Connecticut, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Annuities, Inc. (“PAI”), which in turn is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. ("Prudential Financial"), a New Jersey corporation. The Company has developed long-term savings and retirement products, which were distributed through its affiliated broker/dealer company, Prudential Annuities Distributors, Inc. (“PAD”). The Company issued variable and fixed deferred and immediate annuities for individuals and groups in the United States of America and Puerto Rico. In addition, the Company has a relatively small in force block of variable life insurance policies. The Company stopped actively selling annuity products in March 2010. In March 2010, the Company ceased offering its variable annuity products (and where offered, the companion market value adjustment option) to new investors upon the launch of a new product line by each of Pruco Life Insurance Company ("Pruco Life") and its wholly-owned subsidiary Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey ("PLNJ") (which are affiliates of the Company). These initiatives were implemented to create operational and administrative efficiencies by offering a single product line of annuity products from a more limited group of legal entities. During 2012, the Company suspended additional customer deposits for variable annuities with certain living benefit guarantees. However, the Company continues to accept additional customer deposits on certain in force contracts, subject to applicable contract provisions and administrative rules. The Company resumed offering annuity products to new investors (except in New York) when it launched a new fixed indexed annuity and a new deferred income annuity in 2018. The Company is engaged in a business that is highly competitive because of the large number of stock and mutual life insurance companies and other entities engaged in marketing long-term savings and retirement products, including insurance products, and individual and group annuities. The Company surrendered its New York license effective December 31, 2015, and reinsured the majority of its New York business to an affiliate, The Prudential Insurance Company of America (“Prudential Insurance”). The license surrender relieves the Company of the requirement to hold New York statutory reserves on its business in excess of the statutory reserves required by its domiciliary regulator, the Arizona Department of Insurance. For the small portion of New York business retained by the Company, a custodial account has been established to hold collateral assets in an amount equal to a percentage of the reserves associated with such business, as calculated in accordance with PALAC's New York Regulation 109 Plan approved by the New York Department of Financial Services. Effective April 1, 2016, the Company reinsured the variable annuity base contracts, along with the living benefit guarantees, from Pruco Life, excluding the PLNJ business which was reinsured to Prudential Insurance, in each case under a coinsurance and modified coinsurance agreement. This reinsurance agreement covers new and in force business and excludes business reinsured externally. In addition, the living benefit hedging program related to the living benefit guarantees as well as the product risks for retained and reinsured businesses are being managed within the Company and Prudential Insurance, as applicable. Basis of Presentation The Unaudited Interim Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) on a basis consistent with reporting interim financial information in accordance with instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the financial position and results of operations have been made. All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant estimates include those used in determining deferred policy acquisition costs ("DAC") and related amortization; value of business acquired and its amortization; amortization of deferred sales inducements ("DSI"); valuation of investments including derivatives and the recognition of other-than-temporary impairments (“OTTI”); future policy benefits including guarantees; reinsurance recoverables; provision for income taxes and valuation of deferred tax assets; and accruals for contingent liabilities, including estimates for losses in connection with unresolved legal and regulatory matters. Reclassifications Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.