Income Taxes	6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes For the three and six months ended March 31, 2014, the Company's effective tax rates of 19.2% and (77.2)%, respectively, were negatively impacted by the following: (i) the profitability of our life insurance group, which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the United States and some foreign jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable, resulting in valuation allowances; (iii) book expense for the increase in the fair value of the equity conversion feature of Preferred Stock, for which no tax benefit is available; and (iv) tax amortization of certain indefinite lived intangibles. In addition, the Company is not permanently reinvesting income from its foreign operations, thereby subjecting current unremitted foreign earnings to an incremental tax in the U.S. at the Federal statutory income tax rate of 35%, as no U.S. foreign tax credits can be claimed due to U.S. net operating losses. Partially offsetting these factors in the three and six months ended March 31, 2014 was the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $35.0 on deferred tax assets that FGL has determined are more-likely-than-not-realizable due to viable tax planning strategies For the three and six months ended March 31, 2013, the Company's effective tax rates of 425.8% and 88.1%, respectively, were negatively impacted by the following: (i) the profitability of our life insurance group which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the United States 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. In addition, the Company is not permanently reinvesting current income from its foreign operations, thereby subjecting unremitted foreign earnings to an incremental tax in the U.S. at the Federal statutory income tax rate of 35%, as no U.S. foreign tax credits can be claimed due to U.S. net operating losses. Partially offsetting these factors in the six months ended March 31, 2013 was the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $49.3 on deferred tax assets that Spectrum Brands determined are more-likely-than-not realizable as a result of an acquisition. Net operating loss (“NOL”) and tax credit carryforwards of HGI and Spectrum Brands are subject to full valuation allowances and those of FGL are subject to partial valuation allowances, as the Company concluded all or a portion of the associated tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable. Utilization of NOL and other tax credit carryforwards of HGI, 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. The Company recognizes in its consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position if it concludes that the position is more likely than not sustainable upon audit, based on the technical merits of the position. At March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2013, the Company had $11.7 and $13.8, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions. If recognized in the future, $8.0 and $10.1, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits would impact the effective tax rate at those dates. The Company also had approximately $3.9 and $3.7, respectively, of accrued interest and penalties related to the uncertain tax positions at those dates. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions are reported in the financial statements as part of income tax expense. As of March 31, 2014, certain of the Company’s legal entities in various jurisdictions are undergoing income tax audits. The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of the examinations; however, it is reasonably possible that during the next 12 months some portion of previously unrecognized tax benefits could be recognized. Effective October 1, 2012, Spectrum Brands’ management decided to not permanently reinvest earnings for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012, and future foreign subsidiary earnings, except to the extent repatriation of such earnings is limited or precluded by law. With these remitted earnings, Spectrum Brands plans to voluntarily prepay its U.S. debt, repurchase shares and fund U.S. acquisitions and ongoing U.S. operational cash flow requirements. As a result of the valuation allowance recorded against Spectrum Brands’ U.S. net deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards, Spectrum Brands does not expect to incur incremental U.S. tax expense on expected future repatriations of foreign earnings. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, Spectrum Brands expect to accrue less than $2.0 of additional foreign tax expense from non-U.S. withholding and other taxes expected to be incurred as a result of the repatriation of current foreign earnings. During the six months ended March 31, 2014, Spectrum Brands recorded a $178.7 reduction of its U.S. net operating loss carryforwards as a result of actual and deemed repatriations of foreign earnings. Due to full valuation allowances on the Spectrum Brands’ U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, there was no material impact on Spectrum Brands’ quarterly or projected annual income tax expense.

Income Taxes

For the three and six months ended March 31, 2014, the Company's effective tax rates of 19.2% and (77.2)%, respectively, were negatively impacted by the following: (i) the profitability of our life insurance group, which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the United States and some foreign jurisdictions for which the Company concluded that the tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable, resulting in valuation allowances; (iii) book expense for the increase in the fair value of the equity conversion feature of Preferred Stock, for which no tax benefit is available; and (iv) tax amortization of certain indefinite lived intangibles. In addition, the Company is not permanently reinvesting income from its foreign operations, thereby subjecting current unremitted foreign earnings to an incremental tax in the U.S. at the Federal statutory income tax rate of 35%, as no U.S. foreign tax credits can be claimed due to U.S. net operating losses. Partially offsetting these factors in the three and six months ended March 31, 2014 was the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $35.0 on deferred tax assets that FGL has determined are more-likely-than-not-realizable due to viable tax planning strategies

For the three and six months ended March 31, 2013, the Company's effective tax rates of 425.8% and 88.1%, respectively, were negatively impacted by the following: (i) the profitability of our life insurance group which files its own consolidated Federal income tax return; (ii) pretax losses in the United States 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. In addition, the Company is not permanently reinvesting current income from its foreign operations, thereby subjecting unremitted foreign earnings to an incremental tax in the U.S. at the Federal statutory income tax rate of 35%, as no U.S. foreign tax credits can be claimed due to U.S. net operating losses. Partially offsetting these factors in the six months ended March 31, 2013 was the release of U.S. valuation allowances totaling $49.3 on deferred tax assets that Spectrum Brands determined are more-likely-than-not realizable as a result of an acquisition.

Net operating loss (“NOL”) and tax credit carryforwards of HGI and Spectrum Brands are subject to full valuation allowances and those of FGL are subject to partial valuation allowances, as the Company concluded all or a portion of the associated tax benefits are not more likely-than-not realizable. Utilization of NOL and other tax credit carryforwards of HGI, 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.

The Company recognizes in its consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position if it concludes that the position is more likely than not sustainable upon audit, based on the technical merits of the position. At March 31, 2014 and September 30, 2013, the Company had $11.7 and $13.8, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions. If recognized in the future, $8.0 and $10.1, respectively, of unrecognized tax benefits would impact the effective tax rate at those dates. The Company also had approximately $3.9 and $3.7, respectively, of accrued interest and penalties related to the uncertain tax positions at those dates. Interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions are reported in the financial statements as part of income tax expense. As of March 31, 2014, certain of the Company’s legal entities in various jurisdictions are undergoing income tax audits. The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of the examinations; however, it is reasonably possible that during the next 12 months some portion of previously unrecognized tax benefits could be recognized.

Effective October 1, 2012, Spectrum Brands’ management decided to not permanently reinvest earnings for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012, and future foreign subsidiary earnings, except to the extent repatriation of such earnings is limited or precluded by law. With these remitted earnings, Spectrum Brands plans to voluntarily prepay its U.S. debt, repurchase shares and fund U.S. acquisitions and ongoing U.S. operational cash flow requirements. As a result of the valuation allowance recorded against Spectrum Brands’ U.S. net deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards, Spectrum Brands does not expect to incur incremental U.S. tax expense on expected future repatriations of foreign earnings. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, Spectrum Brands expect to accrue less than $2.0 of additional foreign tax expense from non-U.S. withholding and other taxes expected to be incurred as a result of the repatriation of current foreign earnings.

During the six months ended March 31, 2014, Spectrum Brands recorded a $178.7 reduction of its U.S. net operating loss carryforwards as a result of actual and deemed repatriations of foreign earnings. Due to full valuation allowances on the Spectrum Brands’ U.S. net operating loss carryforwards, there was no material impact on Spectrum Brands’ quarterly or projected annual income tax expense.