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Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended
--- | --- | ---
Dec. 31, 2014 | Sep. 30, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Tax benefits from an affiliate reorganization |  |  |  | $ 13,000,000 pbi_TaxBenefitFromAnAffiliateReorganization |
Tax benefits from tax planning initiatives |  |  |  | 17,000,000 pbi_IncomeTaxReconciliationTaxPlanningInitiatives |
Tax benefits from the adjustment of non-U.S. tax accounts from prior periods |  |  |  | 5,000,000 pbi_TaxBenefitfromTaxAccountAdjustments |
Tax benefits from the retroactive effect of 2014 U.S. tax legislation |  |  | 5,000,000 us-gaap_IncomeTaxReconciliationChangeInEnactedTaxRate |  |
Tax benefits from sale of non-U.S. leverage lease assets |  |  |  |  | 32,000,000 pbi_TaxBenefitFromSaleOfNonUSLeverageLease
Tax benefits from IRS tax settlements and resolution of U.S. tax examinations |  |  | 22,000,000 us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions |  | 47,000,000 us-gaap_TaxAdjustmentsSettlementsAndUnusualProvisions
Tax accruals from repatriation of additional non-U.S. earnings |  |  |  |  | 43,000,000 pbi_TaxAccrualForRepatriationOfForeignEarnings
Net operating loss carryforwards | 240,000,000 us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards |  | 240,000,000 us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards |  |
Indefinite lived net operating loss carryforwards | 210,000,000 pbi_OperatingLossCarryforwardsNotSubjecttoExpiration |  | 210,000,000 pbi_OperatingLossCarryforwardsNotSubjecttoExpiration |  |
Tax credit carry forwards | 47,493,000 us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwards |  | 47,493,000 us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwards | 48,617,000 us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforwards |
Income taxes on cumulative undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries | 830,000,000 us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries |  | 830,000,000 us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries |  |
Withholding taxes on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries | 12,000,000 pbi_WithholdingTaxesOnUndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries |  | 12,000,000 pbi_WithholdingTaxesOnUndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries |  |
Unrecognized tax benefits that would affect the effective tax rate if recognized | 110,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate |  | 110,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate | 148,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate | 127,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate
Possible change to unrecognized tax benefits | 0.25 us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit |  | 0.25 us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit |  |
Recorded income tax interest and penalties |  |  | 2,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense | 27,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense | (28,000,000)us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense
Income tax interest and penalties accrued | 11,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued |  | 11,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued | 37,000,000 us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued |
Payments for other taxes |  | 54,000,000 us-gaap_PaymentsForOtherTaxes | 0 us-gaap_PaymentsForOtherTaxes | 75,545,000 us-gaap_PaymentsForOtherTaxes | 114,128,000 us-gaap_PaymentsForOtherTaxes
Indemnification agreement, cash to be received | 60,000,000 pbi_IndemnificationAgreementCashtobeReceived |  |  |  |
Restatement Adjustment |  |  |  |  |
Income Tax Contingency [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Increase in retained earnings |  |  | $ 17,000,000 us-gaap_EffectOnRetainedEarningsAccumulatedDeficitDueToChangeInMeasurementDateTax / us-gaap_StatementScenarioAxis = us-gaap_RestatementAdjustmentMember |  |

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- Definition Operating Loss Carryforwards Not Subject to Expiration - Amount of operating loss carryforward, before tax effects, available to reduce future taxable income under enacted tax laws, not subject to expiration. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The estimated amount of withholding taxes that would be paid if all undistributed earnings of subsidiaries outside the United States were remitted to the United States. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition The tax effect as of the balance sheet date of the amount of future tax deductions arising from all unused tax credit carryforwards which have been reduced by a valuation allowance. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32621-109319 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32632-109319 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32559-109319 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Carryforwards -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6506874 + Details
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- Definition Amount of the difference between reported income tax expense (benefit) and expected income tax expense (benefit) computed by applying the domestic federal statutory income tax rates to pretax income (loss) from continuing operations, attributable to increase (decrease) in the income tax rates. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32687-109319 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 13 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32698-109319 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=37586315&loc=d3e32059-109318 + Details
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- Definition Amount of operating loss carryforward, before tax effects, available to reduce future taxable income under enacted tax laws. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (a) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32559-109319 + Details
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- Definition The amount of the unrecognized tax benefit of a position taken for which it is reasonably possible that the total amount thereof will significantly increase or decrease within twelve months of the balance sheet date. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -Subparagraph (d) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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- Definition Amount of increase (decrease) to previously recorded tax expense. Includes, but is not limited to, significant settlements of income tax disputes, and unusual tax positions or infrequent actions taken by the entity, including tax assessment reversal, and IRS tax settlement. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 25 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=29652012&loc=d3e28446-109314 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 25 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=29652012&loc=d3e28511-109314 + Details
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- Definition Amount of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries intended to be permanently reinvested outside the country of domicile. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (b)(c) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6424122&loc=d3e41874-109331 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 942 -SubTopic 740 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6479915&loc=d3e66715-112838 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 740 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6487024&loc=d3e29054-158556 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 995 -SubTopic 740 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (b) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6503627&loc=d3e59836-110443 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 25 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (a)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=29652012&loc=d3e28200-109314 + Details
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- Definition Amount accrued for interest on an underpayment of income taxes and penalties related to a tax position claimed or expected to be claimed in the tax return. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 15 -Subparagraph (c) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32718-109319 + Details
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