General (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Weatherford International plc (the “Company”) are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include all adjustments of a normal recurring nature which, in our opinion, are necessary to present fairly our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the first quarter of 2016 and 2015. When referring to “Weatherford” and using phrases such as “we,” “us,” and “our,” the intent is to refer to Weatherford International plc, a public limited company organized under the law of Ireland, and its subsidiaries as a whole or on a regional basis, depending on the context in which the statements are made.

Although we believe the disclosures in these financial statements are adequate, certain information relating to our organization and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted in this Form 10-Q pursuant to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules and regulations. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for the first quarter of 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the year ending December 31, 2016.

Use of Estimates

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 at the date of the financial statements, the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related to uncollectible accounts receivable, lower of cost or market of inventories, equity investments, intangible assets and goodwill, property, plant and equipment, income taxes, percentage-of-completion accounting for long-term contracts, self-insurance, foreign currency exchange rates, pension and post-retirement benefit plans, disputes, litigation, contingencies and share-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation

We consolidate all wholly-owned subsidiaries, controlled joint ventures and variable interest entities where the Company has determined it is the primary beneficiary. Investments in affiliates in which we exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies are accounted for using the equity method. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation related to the adoption of new accounting standards. Net income and shareholders’ equity were not affected by these reclassifications. See “Note 15 – New Accounting Pronouncements” for additional details.