Restrictions on Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Restricted cash collection and payment accounts	$ 16.0	$ 20.3

Amount of cash and cash equivalents restricted as to withdrawal or usage. Cash includes, but is not limited to, currency on hand, demand deposits with banks or financial institutions, and other accounts with general characteristics of demand deposits. Cash equivalents include, but are not limited to, short-term, highly liquid investments that are both readily convertible to known amounts of cash and so near their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates.

No definition available.

Name:	gwgh_RestrictedCashCollectionandPaymentAccounts
Namespace Prefix:	gwgh_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant