1.0.0.3 false Income Taxes false 1 $ false false Shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 USD Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 USDEPS Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 2 Income Taxes [Abstract] 0 wat_IncomeTaxesAbstract wat false na duration string Income Taxes false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false Income Taxes false 3 Income Taxes 1 us-gaap_IncomeTaxDisclosureTextBlock us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false false 0 0 <div><div><a name="_AUC15deb375e607407ebf0cb4085eda3ccf">7  Income Taxes</a>   The Company’s effective tax rates for the three months ended October 3, 2009 and September 27, 2008 were 19.2% and 23.5%, respectively. The Company’s effective tax rates for the nine months ended October 3, 2009 and September 27, 2008 were 16.3% and 14.1%, respectively. Included in the income tax provision for the three months ended September 27, 2008 is approximately $5 million of tax provision associated with the reorganization of certain foreign legal entities. This one-time provision increased the Company’s effective tax rate by 5.4 percentage points and 2.0 percentage points for the three and nine months ended September 27, 2008, respectively. Included in the income tax provision for the nine months ended October 3, 2009 is approximately $5 million of tax benefit associated with the reversal of the $5 million tax provision described above. The recognition of this tax benefit was a result of changes in income tax regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury in February 2009. This $5 million tax benefit decreased the Company’s effective tax rate by 1.7 percentage points for the nine months ended October 3, 2009. In addition, the effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 27, 2008 included a $16 million benefit resulting from the out-of-period adjustments related to software capitalization amortization. The out-of-period adjustments had the effect of reducing the Company’s effective tax rate by 5.6 percentage points in the nine months ended September 27, 2008. After consideration of these items, the remaining changes in the effective tax rates for the three and nine months ended October 3, 2009 as compared to the three and nine months ended September 27, 2008 are primarily attributable to changes in income in jurisdictions with different effective tax rates.   The Company accounts for its uncertain tax return reporting positions in accordance with the income taxes accounting standard, which requires financial statement reporting of the expected future tax consequences of uncertain tax return reporting positions on the presumption that all relevant tax authorities possess full knowledge of those tax reporting positions, as well as all of the pertinent facts and circumstances, but it prohibits any discounting of any of the related tax effects for the time value of money.   The following is a summary of the activity of the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits for the nine months ended October 3, 2009 and September 27, 2008 (in thousands):   <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; border-collapse: separate;"> <tr> <td width="514" valign="bottom" style="width: 308.35pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 5.05pt; margin-left: 5.05pt; text-indent: -5.05pt; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">  </td> <td width="130" valign="bottom" style="width: 78.1pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">    October 3, 2009    </td> <td width="129" valign="bottom" style="width: 77.2pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">September 27, 2008   </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="514" valign="bottom" style="width: 308.35pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 5.05pt; margin-left: 5.05pt; text-indent: -5.05pt; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">Balance at the beginning of the period  </td> <td width="130" valign="bottom" style="width: 78.1pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">$              77,295 </td> <td width="129" valign="bottom" style="width: 77.2pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">$                68,463 </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="514" valign="bottom" style="width: 308.35pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 5.05pt; margin-left: .25in; white-space: nowrap; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none;">Change in tax positions of the current year </td> <td width="130" valign="bottom" style="width: 78.1pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">                 (1,160) </td> <td width="129" valign="bottom" style="width: 77.2pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">                    7,800 </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="514" valign="bottom" style="width: 308.35pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 5.05pt; margin-left: 5.05pt; text-indent: -5.05pt; line-height: 93%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">  </td> <td width="130" valign="bottom" style="width: 78.1pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;">   </td> <td width="129" valign="bottom" style="width: 77.2pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; border-top: 0px;">   </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 10.35pt;"> <td width="514" valign="top" style="width: 308.35pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; height: 10.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> Balance at the end of the period </td> <td width="130" valign="top" style="width: 78.1pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; height: 10.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">$              76,135 </td> <td width="129" valign="top" style="width: 77.2pt; padding: 0in 2.35pt 0in 2.35pt; height: 10.35pt; border-top: 0px;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: 1.0pt; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-top: 1.0pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; line-height: 94%; text-autospace: none; white-space: nowrap;">$                76,263 </td> </tr> </table>   For the nine months ended October 3, 2009, the Company recorded approximately $5 million of tax benefit associated with the reversal of a $5 million tax provision, recorded in the three months ended September 27, 2008, related to the reorganization of certain foreign legal entities and an increase of approximately $4 million in other unrecognized tax benefits. If all of the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits accrued as of October 3, 2009 were to become recognizable in the future, the Company would record a total reduction of approximately $75 million in the income tax provision. As of October 3, 2009, however, the Company is not able to estimate the portion of that total potential reduction that may occur within the next twelve months.   </div></div> 7  Income Taxes   The Company’s effective tax rates for the three months ended October 3, 2009 and September 27, 2008 were 19.2% and false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false false 1 2 false UnKnown UnKnown UnKnown false true