Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP") and are unaudited. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The inputs into the Company's estimates and assumptions consider the economic implications of COVID-19 on the Company's critical and significant accounting estimates. Those estimates are inherently subject to change and actual results could differ from those estimates, and the differences may be material to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Voya Financial, Inc. and its subsidiaries, as well as other voting interest entities ("VOEs") and variable interest entities ("VIEs") in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. See the Consolidated and Nonconsolidated Investment Entities Note to these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect adjustments (including normal, recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2022, its results of operations, comprehensive income and changes in shareholders' equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and its statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of full year performance.

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior-period amounts to conform to current-period reporting classifications. These reclassifications had no impact on Net income (loss) or Total shareholders’ equity.

The December 31, 2021 Consolidated Balance Sheets are from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC. Therefore, these unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Adoption of New Pronouncements

Future Adoption of Accounting Pronouncements

The following table provides a description of future adoptions of new accounting standards that may have an impact on the Company's financial statements when adopted:

Standard	Description of Requirements	Effective Date and Transition Provisions	Effect on the Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2022-03, Fair Value Measurement of Equity Securities Subject to Contractual Sale Restrictions	This standard, issued in June 2022, clarifies that contractual restrictions on equity security sales are not considered part of the security unit of account and, therefore, are not considered in measuring fair value. In addition, the restrictions cannot be recognized and measured as separate units of account. Disclosures on such restrictions are also required.	The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, and are required to be applied prospectively, with any adjustments from the adoption recognized in earnings and disclosed.	The Company is currently in the process of determining the impact of adoption of the provisions of ASU 2022-03.

Standard	Description of Requirements	Effective Date and Transition Provisions	Effect on the Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
ASU 2022-02, Troubled Debt Restructurings ("TDRs") and Vintage Disclosures	This standard, issued in March 2022, eliminates the accounting guidance on troubled debt restructurings for creditors, requires enhanced disclosures for creditors about loan modifications when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty, and requires public business entities to include current-period gross write-offs in the vintage disclosure tables.	The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities have the option to apply the amendments involving the recognition and measurement of TDRs using a modified retrospective transition method; the other amendments are required to be applied prospectively.	The Company is currently in the process of determining the impact of adoption of the provisions of ASU 2022-02.
ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform	This standard, issued in March 2020, provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP principles to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. In January, 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2021-01, which clarified the scope of relief related to ASU 2020-04.	The amendments are effective as of March 12, 2020, the issuance date of the ASU. An entity may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022.	The Company expects that it may elect to apply some of the expedients and exceptions provided in ASU 2020-04; however, the Company is still evaluating its options under this guidance as the reference rate reform adoption process continues. To date, adoption of the ASU has not had an impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. The Company will continue to evaluate the impacts of reference rate reform on contract modifications and hedging relationships as transition progresses.

Standard	Description of Requirements	Effective Date and Transition Provisions	Effect on the Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
ASU 2018-12, Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts	This standard, issued in August 2018, changes the measurement and disclosures of insurance liabilities and deferred acquisition costs ("DAC") for long-duration contracts issued by insurers. In addition to expanded disclosures, the standard’s requirements include: •Annual review and, if necessary, update of cash flow assumptions used to measure the liability for future policy benefits for nonparticipating traditional and limited payment insurance contracts. The effect of updating cash flow assumptions will be measured on a retrospective catch-up basis and presented in the Statement of Operations in the period in which the update is made. The rate used to discount these liabilities will be required to be updated quarterly, with related changes in the liability recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI").	The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Initial adoption for the liability for future policy benefits and DAC is required to be reported using either a full retrospective or modified retrospective approach. For market risk benefits, full retrospective application is required.	Evaluation of the implications of these requirements and related potential financial statement impacts is continuing, in accordance with an established governance framework and implementation plan, which includes design and testing of internal controls related to new processes. The Company does not plan to early adopt the ASU and expects to apply a modified retrospective transition method for the liability of future policy benefits and DAC. The Company expects the January 1, 2021 transition impact will increase Total shareholders’ equity by $0.1 billion to $0.2 billion, primarily driven by a positive impact to AOCI resulting from the reversal of DAC, value of business acquired ("VOBA"), and other adjustment balances of approximately $1.3 billion after tax, offset by an unfavorable impact to AOCI of between $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion after tax resulting from the remeasurement of Future policy benefits and Reinsurance recoverable using January 1, 2021 discount rates. The expected transition effect on Total shareholders’ equity will also include an unfavorable impact on Retained earnings (deficit) of approximately $0.1 billion after tax associated with the establishment of MRB liabilities related to guaranteed minimum benefits on certain deferred annuity contracts.

Standard	Description of Requirements	Effective Date and Transition Provisions	Effect on the Financial Statements or Other Significant Matters
ASU 2018-12, Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts (cont.)	•Fair value measurement of contract guarantee features qualifying as Market Risk Benefits (“MRB”), with changes in fair value recognized in the Statement of Operations, except for changes in the instrument-specific credit risk, which will be recorded in AOCI. •Amortization of DAC on a constant level basis over the expected term of the contracts, without reference to revenue or profitability. Elimination of adjustments in AOCI related to DAC and balances amortized on a basis consistent with DAC. DAC will no longer be subjected to loss recognition testing.		The majority of the ASU 2018-12 transition impact of between $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion associated with Future policy benefits and Reinsurance recoverable and approximately 50% of the $0.1 billion transition impact associated with the establishment of MRB liabilities are related to business that was reinsured to Resolution Life US in January 2021. The ultimate effects the standard will have on the financial statements are highly dependent on policyholder behavior, actuarial assumptions and macroeconomic conditions, particularly interest rates and spreads, which may materially change ASU 2018-12-related equity impacts in periods subsequent to transition. The Company estimates the impact of ASU 2018-12 will shift to a reduction of Total shareholders’ equity as of September 30, 2022, primarily related to a negative impact in AOCI resulting from the reversal of DAC, VOBA, and other adjustment balances, which have declined significantly since January 2021 due to increases in interest rates and spreads. While rising interest rates since January 1, 2021 will result in a less unfavorable impact on AOCI due to remeasurement of the liability for Future policy benefits, this will be materially offset by the impact from remeasurement of Reinsurance recoverable.

Derivatives

The Company primarily enters into the following types of derivatives:

Interest rate swaps: Interest rate swaps are used by the Company primarily to reduce market risks from changes in interest rates and to alter interest rate exposure arising from mismatches between assets and/or liabilities. Interest rate swaps are also used to hedge the interest rate risk associated with the value of assets it owns or in an anticipation of acquiring them. Using interest rate swaps, the Company agrees with another party to exchange, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed rate and floating rate interest payments, calculated by reference to an agreed upon notional principal amount. These transactions are entered into pursuant to master agreements that provide for a single net payment to be made to/from the counterparty at each due date. The Company utilizes these contracts in qualifying hedging relationships as well as non-qualifying hedging relationships.

Foreign exchange swaps: The Company uses foreign exchange or currency swaps to reduce the risk of change in the value, yield or cash flows associated with certain foreign denominated invested assets. Foreign exchange swaps represent contracts that require the exchange of foreign currency cash flows against U.S. dollar cash flows at regular periods, typically quarterly or semi-annually. The Company utilizes these contracts in qualifying hedging relationships as well as non-qualifying hedging relationships.

Total return swaps: The Company uses total return swaps as a hedge of interest related risks within various Legacy Annuity and Retirement products. Total return swaps are also used as a hedge of other corporate liabilities. Using total return swaps, the Company agrees with another party to exchange, at specified intervals, the difference between the economic performance of assets or a market index and a fixed or variable funding multiplied by reference to an agreed upon notional amount. No cash is exchanged at the onset of the contracts. Cash is paid and received over the life of the contract based upon the terms of the swaps. The Company utilized these contracts in non-qualifying hedging relationships.

Futures: Futures contracts are used to hedge against a decrease in certain equity indices. Such decreases may correlate to a decrease in variable annuity account values which would increase the possibility of the Company incurring an expense for guaranteed benefits in excess of account values. The Company also uses interest rate futures contracts to hedge its exposure to market risks due to changes in interest rates. The Company enters into exchange traded futures with regulated futures commissions that are members of the exchange. The Company also posts initial and variation margins, with the exchange, on a daily basis. The Company utilizes exchange-traded futures in non-qualifying hedging relationships. The Company may also use futures contracts as a hedge against an increase in certain equity indices.

Embedded derivatives: The Company also invests in certain fixed maturity instruments and has issued certain products that contain embedded derivatives for which market value is at least partially determined by, among other things, levels of or changes in domestic and/or foreign interest rates (short-term or long-term), exchange rates, prepayment rates, equity rates or credit ratings/spreads. In addition, the Company has entered into coinsurance with funds withheld arrangements, which contain embedded derivatives.

Income Tax

The Company uses the estimated annual effective tax rate method in computing its interim tax provision. Certain items, including changes in the realizability of deferred tax assets and changes in liabilities for uncertain tax positions, are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate and the actual tax expense or benefit is reported in the period the related item is incurred.