2.2.0.7 false Income Taxes 10701 - Disclosure - Income Taxes true false false false 1 USD false false Unit1 Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 Unit13 Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 Unit12 Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 $ 2 Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract] 0 awk_NotesToFinancialStatementsAbstract awk false na duration Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract] false false false false false true false false false false false false 1 false false false false 0 0 false false false xbrli:stringItemType string Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract] false 3 Income Taxes 1 us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureTextBlock us-gaap true na duration No definition available. false false false false false false false false false false false false 1 false false false false 0 0 <div> Note 7: Income Taxes The Company's estimated annual effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was 39.7% compared to 39.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, excluding various discrete items including goodwill impairment. The Company's actual effective tax rates for the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 were 38.8% and 35.4%, respectively. The Company's actual effective rates for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009 were 39.2% and (54.3%), respectively. The 2009 nine month rate reflects the tax effects of goodwill impairments as discrete items as the Company considers these charges as infrequently occurring or unusual. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "PPACA") became law on March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 became law on March 30, 2010, which makes various amendments to certain aspects of the PPACA (together, the "Acts"). The PPACA effectively changes the tax treatment of federal subsidies paid to sponsors of retiree health benefit plans that provide a benefit that is at least actuarially equivalent to the benefits under Medicare Part D. As a result of the Acts, these subsidy payments will effectively become taxable in tax years beginning after December 31, 2012. Although this change does not take effect immediately, companies are required to recognize the full accounting impact in their financial statements in the period in which the legislation was enacted. As a result, in the first quarter of 2010, the Company followed its original accounting for the underfunded status of other postretirement benefits for the Medicare Part D adjustment and recorded a reduction in its deferred tax assets and an increase in its regulatory assets amounting to $27,128. </div> Note 7: Income Taxes The Company's estimated annual effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was 39.7% compared to 39.6% for the false false false us-types:textBlockItemType textblock Description containing the entire income tax disclosure. Examples include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information. This element may be used as a single block of text to encapsulate the entire disclosure including data and tables. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 08 -Paragraph h -Article 4 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 109 -Paragraph 136, 172 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 109 -Paragraph 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 false 1 2 false UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown false true