Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015, the Company's effective tax rates of (4.3)% and (3.9)%, respectively, differed from the expected U.S. statutory tax rate of 35% and were impacted by pretax losses including significant impairment and bad debt expense in the Company's Insurance, Energy, Asset Management and Corporate and Other segments in the U.S., income earned outside the U.S. that is subject to statutory rates lower than 35% and certain pretax losses from domestic jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more-likely-than-not to be realized, resulting in the recording of valuation allowances. The nine months ended June 30, 2015 included recognition of a nonrecurring net income tax benefit of $12.3 attributable to tax impact related to the impairment of certain FOH indefinite lived intangible assets. Due to the indefinite life of these assets for book purposes, the related deferred tax liability was not regarded as a source of taxable income to support the realization of deferred tax assets. Consequently, the impairment recorded resulted in a reduction to the deferred tax liability previously recorded. In addition, for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015, the Company recognized a $31.0 income tax benefit from the reversal of a portion of Spectrum Brands' U.S. valuation allowance on deferred tax assets in connection with the purchase of AAG. As a result of the business combination, Spectrum determined that a portion of its pre-existing deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized by the combined entity and a portion of the valuation allowance should be eliminated. The discrete tax benefits related to the reversal of Spectrum valuation allowance and impairments at FOH reduced the Company’s income tax expense for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015. For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2014, the Company's effective tax rates of 27.5% and 48.3%, respectively differed from the U.S. Federal statutory tax rate of 35% and were impacted by the following: (i) increased profitability of FGL's life insurance business, which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the U.S. and some foreign jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable, resulting in valuation allowances; and (iii) tax amortization of certain indefinite lived intangibles. The nine months ended June 30, 2014 included the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $35.0 on capital loss deferred tax assets that FGL had determined are more-likely-than-not-realizable due to viable tax planning strategies. The majority of U.S. net operating loss ("NOL"), capital loss and tax credit carryforwards of HRG, Spectrum Brands and FGL are subject to valuation allowances, as the Company concluded all or a portion of the related tax benefits are not more likely-than-not to be realized. Utilization of a portion of the NOL, capital loss and tax credit carryforwards of HRG, Spectrum Brands and FGL are subject to limitations under Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") Sections 382 and 383. Such limitations result from ownership changes of more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.

Income Taxes

For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015, the Company's effective tax rates of (4.3)% and (3.9)%, respectively, differed from the expected U.S. statutory tax rate of 35% and were impacted by pretax losses including significant impairment and bad debt expense in the Company's Insurance, Energy, Asset Management and Corporate and Other segments in the U.S., income earned outside the U.S. that is subject to statutory rates lower than 35% and certain pretax losses from domestic jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more-likely-than-not to be realized, resulting in the recording of valuation allowances. The nine months ended June 30, 2015 included recognition of a nonrecurring net income tax benefit of $12.3 attributable to tax impact related to the impairment of certain FOH indefinite lived intangible assets. Due to the indefinite life of these assets for book purposes, the related deferred tax liability was not regarded as a source of taxable income to support the realization of deferred tax assets. Consequently, the impairment recorded resulted in a reduction to the deferred tax liability previously recorded. In addition, for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015, the Company recognized a $31.0 income tax benefit from the reversal of a portion of Spectrum Brands' U.S. valuation allowance on deferred tax assets in connection with the purchase of AAG. As a result of the business combination, Spectrum determined that a portion of its pre-existing deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized by the combined entity and a portion of the valuation allowance should be eliminated. The discrete tax benefits related to the reversal of Spectrum valuation allowance and impairments at FOH reduced the Company’s income tax expense for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2015.

For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2014, the Company's effective tax rates of 27.5% and 48.3%, respectively differed from the U.S. Federal statutory tax rate of 35% and were impacted by the following: (i) increased profitability of FGL's life insurance business, which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the U.S. and some foreign jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable, resulting in valuation allowances; and (iii) tax amortization of certain indefinite lived intangibles. The nine months ended June 30, 2014 included the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $35.0 on capital loss deferred tax assets that FGL had determined are more-likely-than-not-realizable due to viable tax planning strategies.

The majority of U.S. net operating loss ("NOL"), capital loss and tax credit carryforwards of HRG, Spectrum Brands and FGL are subject to valuation allowances, as the Company concluded all or a portion of the related tax benefits are not more likely-than-not to be realized. Utilization of a portion of the NOL, capital loss and tax credit carryforwards of HRG, Spectrum Brands and FGL are subject to limitations under Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") Sections 382 and 383. Such limitations result from ownership changes of more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.