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Schedule V Valuation and Qualifying Accounts | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Schedule V - Valuation and Qualifying Accts [Abstract] |
Schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Disclosure [Text Block] | SCHEDULE V--VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS Unum Group and Subsidiaries
Description | Balance at Beginning of Period |  | Additions Charged to Costs and Expenses |  | Additions Charged to Other Accounts (1) |  | Deductions (2) |  | Balance at End of Period
| (in millions of dollars)
Year Ended December 31, 2011 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Real estate reserve (deducted from other long-term investments) | $ | 0.3 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 0.3 |
Allowance for doubtful accounts (deducted from accounts and premiums receivable) | $ | 7.2 |  |  | $ | 1.3 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2.8 |  |  | $ | 5.7 |
Year Ended December 31, 2010 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Real estate reserve (deducted from other long-term investments) | $ | 0.3 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 0.3 |
Allowance for doubtful accounts (deducted from accounts and premiums receivable) | $ | 9.9 |  |  | $ | 1.1 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 3.8 |  |  | $ | 7.2 |
Year Ended December 31, 2009 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Real estate reserve (deducted from other long-term investments) | $ | 0.3 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 0.3 |
Allowance for doubtful accounts (deducted from accounts and premiums receivable) | $ | 14.9 |  |  | $ | 4.6 |  |  | $ | 1.0 |  |  | $ | 10.6 |  |  | $ | 9.9 |
(1) | Additions charged to other accounts are comprised of amounts related to fluctuations in the foreign currency exchange rate.
(2) | Deductions include amounts deemed to reduce exposure of probable losses, amounts deemed uncollectible, and amounts related to fluctuations in the foreign currency exchange rate.
See Notes 3 and 6 of the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" contained herein in Item 8 for discussion of the mortgage loan valuation allowance and the deferred tax valuation allowance.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for any allowance and reserve accounts (their beginning and ending balances, as well as a reconciliation by type of activity during the period). Alternatively, disclosure of the required information may be within the footnotes to the financial statements or a supplemental schedule to the financial statements. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Regulation S-X (SX) -Number 210 -Section 09 -Article 12 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section S99 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6881521&loc=d3e24092-122690 + Details
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