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Amount of long-term senior note issued in exchange for a corporate bond AFS security from a non-affiliated VIE whose primary activities are to acquire, hold, and issue notes and loans, as well as pay and collect interest on the notes and loans.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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The outstanding principal balance is variable in nature; moving concurrently with any variability in the face amount of the corporate bond AFS security up to this maximum amount.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	lnc_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Amount of principal balance outstanding of long-term senior note issued in exchange for a corporate bond AFS security from a non-affiliated VIE whose primary activities are to acquire, hold, and issue notes and loans, as well as pay and collect interest on the notes and loans.

No definition available.

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Namespace Prefix:	lnc_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Amount of principal balance outstanding of the suplus note held by LFLLCI and issued by LRCVV.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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The amount of net gains and losses recognized in income during the period on derivative instruments not designated and not qualifying as hedging instruments associated with consolidated variable interest entities.

No definition available.

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Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
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Amount of affordable housing tax credits and other tax benefits recognized.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 323
-SubTopic 740
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=116633289&loc=SL49122993-202985

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Amount of investments classified as other.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.1(f,g))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=119400593&loc=d3e572229-122910

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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 10
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-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.12)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

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Financial instruments issued by insurance entities (surplus notes) that are includable in surplus for statutory accounting purposes as prescribed or permitted by state laws and regulations that are liabilities of the issuer.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 470
-Section 45
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6486086&loc=d3e24387-158525

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The reporting entity's maximum amount of exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with the Variable Interest Entity (VIE).

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=118582676&loc=d3e5728-111685

Name:	us-gaap_VariableInterestEntityEntityMaximumLossExposureAmount
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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

No definition available.