Accounts Receivable

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

2. Accounts Receivable

We had accounts receivable of $1.8 billion and $2.3 billion, net of an allowance for bad debt of $25.0 million and $25.7 million, as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Accounts receivable are written‑off when it becomes apparent based upon age or customer circumstances that such amounts will not be collected.

The following table sets forth activities in our allowance for bad debt (in millions):


	2015		2014		2013
Balance as of beginning of period	$	25.7	$	29.1	$	23.7
Charges to provision for bad debt		7.5		3.8		11.7
Write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable		(8.3)		(8.0)		(6.9)
Recoveries of bad debt		0.5		0.8		0.6
Translation Adjustments		(0.4)		—		—
Balance as of end of period	$	25.0	$	25.7	$	29.1

Included in accounts receivable is a retained beneficial interest related to accounts receivable sold under our receivables purchase agreements. The retained beneficial interest was not significant as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.