| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | Period [Axis] |
|---|
2016-01-01 - 2016-12-31 |
|---|
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
Schedule of Earnings Before Income Taxes and Provision for Income Taxes | Earnings before income taxes and provision for income taxes consisted of the following for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014: | | | | | | | | | | | | | (in millions) | 2016 |
| | 2015 |
| | 2014 |
| Earnings before income taxes: | | | | | | United States | $ | 21,867 |
| | $ | 8,078 |
| | $ | 7,763 |
| Outside United States | (15 | ) | | — |
| | 11 |
| Total | $ | 21,852 |
| | $ | 8,078 |
| | $ | 7,774 |
| Provision for income taxes: | | | | | | Current: | | | | | | Federal | $ | 4,093 |
| | $ | 2,516 |
| | $ | 2,350 |
| State and local | 390 |
| | 451 |
| | 480 |
| Outside United States | 6 |
| | — |
| | 3 |
| | 4,489 |
| | 2,967 |
| | 2,833 |
| Deferred: | | | | | | Federal | 3,102 |
| | (140 | ) | | (124 | ) | State and local | 20 |
| | 8 |
| | (5 | ) | Outside United States | (3 | ) | | — |
| | — |
| | 3,119 |
| | (132 | ) | | (129 | ) | Total provision for income taxes | $ | 7,608 |
| | $ | 2,835 |
| | $ | 2,704 |
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Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Unrecognized Tax Benefits | A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 was as follows: | | | | | | | | | | | | | (in millions) | 2016 |
| | 2015 |
| | 2014 |
| Balance at beginning of year | $ | 158 |
| | $ | 258 |
| | $ | 227 |
| Additions based on tax positions related to the current year | 15 |
| | 15 |
| | 15 |
| Additions for tax positions of prior years | 29 |
| | 57 |
| | 29 |
| Reductions for tax positions due to lapse of statutes of limitations | (4 | ) | | (4 | ) | | (2 | ) | Reductions for tax positions of prior years | (28 | ) | | (86 | ) | | — |
| Settlements | (1 | ) | | (82 | ) | | (11 | ) | Balance at end of year | $ | 169 |
| | $ | 158 |
| | $ | 258 |
|
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Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits and Consolidated Liability for Tax Contingencies | Unrecognized tax benefits and Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated liability for tax contingencies at December 31, 2016 and 2015 were as follows: | | | | | | | | | (in millions) | 2016 |
| | 2015 |
| Unrecognized tax benefits | $ | 169 |
| | $ | 158 |
| Accrued interest and penalties | 23 |
| | 14 |
| Tax credits and other indirect benefits | (6 | ) | | (3 | ) | Liability for tax contingencies | $ | 186 |
| | $ | 169 |
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|
Reconciliation of Effective Tax Rate and U.S. Federal Statutory Rate | The effective income tax rate on pre-tax earnings differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate for the following reasons for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014: | | | | | | | | | | | 2016 |
| | 2015 |
| | 2014 |
| U.S. federal statutory rate | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | | 35.0 | % | Increase (decrease) resulting from: | | | | | | State and local income taxes, net of federal tax benefit | 1.2 |
| | 3.7 |
| | 4.0 |
| Uncertain tax positions | — |
| | (0.8 | ) | | 0.5 |
| AB InBev/SABMiller dividend benefit | (0.6 | ) | | (0.5 | ) | | (2.3 | ) | Domestic manufacturing deduction | (0.8 | ) | | (2.0 | ) | | (2.4 | ) | Other | — |
| | (0.3 | ) | | — |
| Effective tax rate | 34.8 | % | | 35.1 | % | | 34.8 | % |
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Schedule of Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities | The tax effects of temporary differences that gave rise to deferred income tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following at December 31, 2016 and 2015: | | | | | | | | | (in millions) | 2016 |
| | 2015 |
| Deferred income tax assets: | | | | Accrued postretirement and postemployment benefits | $ | 952 |
| | $ | 953 |
| Settlement charges | 1,446 |
| | 1,393 |
| Accrued pension costs | 330 |
| | 512 |
| Net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards | 288 |
| | 335 |
| Total deferred income tax assets | 3,016 |
| | 3,193 |
| Deferred income tax liabilities: | | | | Property, plant and equipment | (429 | ) | | (441 | ) | Intangible assets | (4,032 | ) | | (3,968 | ) | Investment in AB InBev/SABMiller | (5,546 | ) | | (1,794 | ) | Finance assets, net | (708 | ) | | (909 | ) | Other | (125 | ) | | (116 | ) | Total deferred income tax liabilities | (10,840 | ) | | (7,228 | ) | Valuation allowances | (240 | ) | | (260 | ) | Net deferred income tax liabilities | $ | (8,064 | ) | | $ | (4,295 | ) |
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