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Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] |
Schedule of total income tax benefit (expense) | The total income tax (expense) benefit for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 consisted of the following:
|  | Year Ended December 31,
Millions |  | 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Current tax (expense) benefit: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. federal |  | $ | 9.1 |  |  | $ | (4.3 | ) |  | $ | (20.3 | )
State |  | (1.8 | ) |  | (2.0 | ) |  | (1.0 | )
Non-U.S. |  | (1.5 | ) |  | (1.4 | ) |  | (1.2 | )
Total current tax expense |  | 5.8 |  |  | (7.7 | ) |  | (22.5 | )
Deferred tax (expense) benefit: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. federal |  | (5.1 | ) |  | 22.5 |  |  | (10.1 | )
Total deferred tax benefit (expense) |  | (5.1 | ) |  | 22.5 |  |  | (10.1 | )
Total income tax (expense) benefit |  | $ | .7 |  |  | $ | 14.8 |  |  | $ | (32.6 | )
Reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate and actual effective tax rate on pre-tax income | A reconciliation of taxes calculated using the 35% U.S. statutory rate (the tax rate at which the majority of White Mountains’s worldwide operations are taxed) to the income tax (expense) benefit on pre-tax income follows:
|  | Year Ended December 31,
Millions |  | 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Tax (expense) benefit at the U.S. statutory rate |  | $ | (54.2 | ) |  | $ | 10.2 |  |  | $ | (55.5 | )
Differences in taxes resulting from: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Non-U.S. earnings, net of foreign taxes |  | 76.7 |  |  | 37.8 |  |  | 75.1 |
Change in valuation allowance |  | (18.7 | ) |  | (36.0 | ) |  | (49.9 | )
Tax exempt interest and dividends |  | 2.6 |  |  | 2.5 |  |  | 2.4 |
Tax reserve adjustments |  | (1.7 | ) |  | 5.2 |  |  | (1.2 | )
Withholding tax |  | (1.2 | ) |  | (2.4 | ) |  | (1.0 | )
Other, net |  | (2.8 | ) |  | (2.5 | ) |  | (2.5 | )
Total income tax (expense) benefit on pre-tax income |  | $ | .7 |  |  | $ | 14.8 |  |  | $ | (32.6 | )
Schedule of components of deferred income tax assets and liabilities | An outline of the significant components of White Mountains’s deferred tax assets and liabilities follows:
|  | December 31,
Millions |  | 2015 |  | 2014
Deferred income tax assets related to: |  |  |  |  |  |
U.S. federal net operating and capital loss carryforwards |  | $ | 186.6 |  |  | $ | 152.3 |
Incentive compensation |  | 45.4 |  |  | 40.2 |
Unearned premiums |  | 37.5 |  |  | 38.3 |
Non-U.S. net operating loss carryforwards |  | 33.8 |  |  | 33.1 |
Loss reserve discount |  | 26.8 |  |  | 41.4 |
Tax credit carryforwards |  | 16.9 |  |  | 13.4 |
Runoff Transaction |  | 12.6 |  |  | 12.6 |
Deferred compensation |  | 6.2 |  |  | 6.7 |
Fixed assets |  | 1.7 |  |  | 2.3 |
Accrued interest |  | 1.3 |  |  | 5.0 |
Other items |  | 3.0 |  |  | 2.8 |
Total gross deferred income tax assets |  | 371.8 |  |  | 348.1 |
Less: valuation allowances |  | (156.8 | ) |  | (140.5 | )
Total net deferred income tax assets |  | 215.0 |  |  | 207.6 |
Deferred income tax liabilities related to: |  |  |  |  |  |
Deferred acquisition costs |  | 34.9 |  |  | 32.0 |
Net unrealized investment gains |  | 28.2 |  |  | 31.1 |
Members surplus contributions |  | 19.0 |  |  | 10.3 |
Investment basis difference |  | 13.8 |  |  | 17.0 |
Purchase accounting |  | 9.3 |  |  | — |
Pension and benefit accruals |  | 3.5 |  |  | 2.5 |
Other items |  | .5 |  |  | .1 |
Total deferred income tax liabilities |  | 109.2 |  |  | 93.0 |
Net deferred tax asset |  | $ | 105.8 |  |  | $ | 114.6 |
Schedule of net operating and capital loss carryforwards by expiration dates and the deferred tax assets thereon | Net operating loss and capital loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2015, the expiration dates and the deferred tax assets thereon are as follows:
|  | December 31, 2015
Millions |  | United States |  | Luxembourg |  | Netherlands |  | Israel |  | Total
2016 - 2020 |  | $ | .8 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | .8 |
2021 - 2025 |  | 2.0 |  |  | — |  |  | .3 |  |  | — |  |  | 2.3 |
2026 - 2035 |  | 540.6 |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 540.6 |
No expiration date |  | — |  |  | 96.8 |  |  | — |  |  | 21.8 |  |  | 118.6 |
Total |  | $ | 543.4 |  |  | $ | 96.8 |  |  | $ | .3 |  |  | $ | 21.8 |  |  | $ | 662.3 |
Gross deferred tax asset |  | $ | 186.6 |  |  | $ | 28.3 |  |  | $ | .1 |  |  | $ | 5.5 |  |  | $ | 220.5 |
Valuation allowance |  | (121.2 | ) |  | (28.3 | ) |  | (.1 | ) |  | (5.5 | ) |  | (155.1 | )
Net deferred tax asset |  | $ | 65.4 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 65.4 |
Reconciliation of changes in the amount of unrecognized tax benefits | A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
Millions |  | Permanent Differences(1) |  | Temporary Differences(2) |  | Interest and Penalties(3) |  | Total
Balance at January 1, 2013 |  | $ | 8.4 |  |  | $ | 23.6 |  |  | $ | 8.0 |  |  | $ | 40.0 |
Changes in prior year tax positions |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | 1.0 |  |  | 1.0 |
Tax positions taken during the current year |  | — |  |  | (7.0 | ) |  | — |  |  | (7.0 | )
Lapse in statute of limitations |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Settlements with tax authorities |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | (.3 | ) |  | (.3 | )
Balance at December 31, 2013 |  | 8.4 |  |  | 16.6 |  |  | 8.7 |  |  | 33.7 |
Changes in prior year tax positions |  | (2.2 | ) |  | (.8 | ) |  | (1.9 | ) |  | (4.9 | )
Tax positions taken during the current year |  | — |  |  | 7.3 |  |  | — |  |  | 7.3 |
Lapse in statute of limitations |  | (.8 | ) |  | — |  |  | (.3 | ) |  | (1.1 | )
Balance at December 31, 2014 |  | 5.4 |  |  | 23.1 |  |  | 6.5 |  |  | 35.0 |
Changes in prior year tax positions |  | — |  |  | (12.4 | ) |  | 1.7 |  |  | (10.7 | )
Tax positions taken during the current year |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Lapse in statute of limitations |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Settlements with tax authorities |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Balance at December 31, 2015 |  | $ | 5.4 |  |  | $ | 10.7 |  |  | $ | 8.2 |  |  | $ | 24.3 |
(1) | Represents the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would impact the effective tax rate.
(2) | Represents the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized would create a temporary difference between the reported amount of an item in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet and its tax basis.
(3) | Net of tax benefit.

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of tax positions taken in the tax returns filed or to be filed for which it is more likely than not that the tax position will not be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities (i.e., uncertain tax positions) and other types of income tax contingencies, including: (1) the policy on classification of interest and penalties; (2) a tabular reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits at the beginning and end of the period; the total amount(s) of: (3) unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would affect the effective tax rate, and (4) interest and penalties recognized in each of the income statement and balance sheet; (5) for positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts unrecognized will significantly change within 12 months of the reporting date the: (i) nature of the uncertainty, (ii) nature of the event that could occur that would cause the change, and (iii) an estimate of the range of the reasonably possible change or a statement that an estimate of the range cannot be made; and (6) a description of tax years that remain subject to examination by major tax jurisdictions. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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