Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income taxes The provision for income taxes for the first nine months of 2020 reflected an estimated annual tax rate of 31 percent, compared with 26 percent for the first nine months of 2019, excluding the discrete items discussed in the following paragraphs. The increase in the estimated annual tax rate was primarily related to changes in the expected geographic mix of profits from a tax perspective for 2020, including the impact of U.S. tax on non-U.S. earnings as a result of U.S. tax reform. During the first nine months of 2020, we recorded discrete tax benefits of $80 million to adjust prior year U.S. taxes including the impact of regulations received in 2020 and $21 million for the settlement of stock-based compensation awards with associated tax deductions in excess of cumulative U.S. GAAP compensation expense. In addition, we recorded a $10 million tax charge related to the $55 million of net remeasurement gain resulting from the settlements of pension obligations. We excluded this net remeasurement gain and related tax from the estimated annual tax rate as the future period remeasurement impacts cannot currently be estimated. During the first nine months of 2019, we recorded discrete tax benefits of $178 million to adjust previously unrecognized tax benefits as a result of receipt of additional guidance related to the calculation of the mandatory deemed repatriation of non-U.S. earnings and $28 million for the settlement of stock-based compensation awards with associated tax deductions in excess of cumulative U.S. GAAP compensation expense. On January 31, 2018, we received a Revenue Agent’s Report from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) indicating the end of the field examination of our U.S. income tax returns for 2010 to 2012. In the audits of 2007 to 2012 including the impact of a loss carryback to 2005, the IRS has proposed to tax in the United States profits earned from certain parts transactions by Caterpillar SARL (CSARL), based on the IRS examination team’s application of the “substance-over-form” or “assignment-of-income” judicial doctrines. We are vigorously contesting the proposed increases to tax and penalties for these years of approximately $2.3 billion. We believe that the relevant transactions complied with applicable tax laws and did not violate judicial doctrines. We have filed U.S. income tax returns on this same basis for years after 2012. Based on the information currently available, we do not anticipate a significant change to our unrecognized tax benefits for this position within the next 12 months. We currently believe the ultimate disposition of this matter will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.