Short-term Investments (Investments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jun. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	$ 1,816.3	$ 1,262.7
Time deposits	660.9	501.9
Short-term Investments, Total	2,477.2	1,764.6
U.S. Treasury And Agency Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	524.7	544.7
Corporate And Other Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	374.0	358.6
Certificates of Deposit and Commercial Paper [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	549.7	4.6
Asset-Backed Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	231.2	220.1
Municipal Debt Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	114.3	112.8
Mutual Funds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Available-for-sale investment securities	$ 22.4	$ 21.9

Amount of investment in debt and equity securities categorized neither as trading securities nor held-to-maturity securities and intended be sold or mature one year or operating cycle, if longer.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 25

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28360136&loc=d3e22054-111558

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 320

-SubTopic 10

-Section 45

-Paragraph 2

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6871852&loc=d3e26626-111562

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesCurrent
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of other investments not classified as trading, available-for-sale or held-to-maturity, expected to be converted to cash, sold or exchanged within one year or the normal operating cycle, if longer.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 210

-SubTopic 10

-Section S99

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-02.2)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6877327&loc=d3e13212-122682

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher SEC

-Name Regulation S-X (SX)

-Number 210

-Section 02

-Paragraph 2

-Article 5

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_OtherMarketableSecuritiesCurrent
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ScheduleOfAvailableForSaleSecuritiesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Investments which are intended to be sold in the short term (usually less than one year or the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer) including trading securities, available-for-sale securities, held-to-maturity securities, and other short-term investments not otherwise listed in the existing taxonomy.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_ShortTermInvestments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=us-gaap_USTreasuryAndGovernmentMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=ctsh_CorporateAndOtherDebtSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=ctsh_CommercialPaperandCertificatesofDepositMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=us-gaap_AssetBackedSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=us-gaap_MunicipalBondsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_MajorTypesOfDebtAndEquitySecuritiesAxis=ctsh_MutualFundsMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: