INVESTMENTS - DERIVATIVES GROSS COLLATERAL AMOUNTS LIABILITIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Offsetting Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Assets	$ 1,904	$ 1,887
Collateral (Received)/Held
Expense in securities sold under agreement to repurchase	13,446	14,228
Initial Margin
Collateral (Received)/Held
Expense in securities sold under agreement to repurchase	7	5
Securities sold under agreement to repurchase
Offsetting Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Assets	1,897	1,882
Collateral (Received)/Held
Financial Instruments	0	(1,988)
Cash	0	(21)
Net Amounts	$ 1,897	(127)
Securities sold under agreement to repurchase \| Other financial liabilities
Offsetting Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Assets		2,663
Collateral (Received)/Held
Financial Instruments		0
Cash		0
Net Amounts		2,663
Securities sold under agreement to repurchase \| Other liabilities
Offsetting Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair Value of Assets		2,663
Collateral (Received)/Held
Financial Instruments		0
Cash		0
Net Amounts		$ 2,663

Fair value, after offset of derivative liability, of financial asset or other contract with one or more underlyings, notional amount or payment provision or both, and the contract can be net settled by means outside the contract or delivery of an asset, before offset against an obligation to return collateral under a master netting arrangement. Includes assets elected not to be offset. Excludes assets not subject to a master netting arrangement.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51825145&loc=SL20226008-175313

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 9
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51825145&loc=SL20226006-175313

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 815
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 8
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=64837297&loc=d3e41678-113959

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51824906&loc=SL20225862-175312

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeFairValueOfDerivativeAssetAmountNotOffsetAgainstCollateral
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_OffsettingLiabilitiesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount, after the effects of master netting arrangements, of funds outstanding borrowed in the form of a security repurchase agreement between the entity and another party for the sale and repurchase of identical or substantially the same securities at a date certain for a specified price. Includes liabilities not subject to a master netting arrangement and not elected to be offset.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51824906&loc=SL20225862-175312

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(m)(1)(a)(i))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 210
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-03.13(1))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6876686&loc=d3e534808-122878

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51825145&loc=SL20226008-175313

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 11
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49176635&loc=d3e9760-107771

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Repurchase Agreement Accounted for as a Collateralized Borrowing
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49203159

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchase
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount, after effects of master netting arrangements, of funds outstanding borrowed in the form of a security repurchase agreement between the entity and another party for the sale and repurchase of identical or substantially the same securities at a date certain for a specified price offset against a right to receive collateral. Includes liabilities not subject to a master netting arrangement and not elected to be offset.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseAmountOffsetAgainstCollateral
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseAmountOffsetAgainstCollateralAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of right to receive cash collateral under master netting arrangements that have not been offset against securities sold under agreement to repurchase.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseCollateralRightToReclaimCash
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of right to receive securities collateral under master netting arrangements that have not been offset against securities sold under agreement to repurchase.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Repurchase Agreement Accounted for as a Collateralized Borrowing
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49203159

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 13
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51825145&loc=SL20226016-175313

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 210
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 3
-Subparagraph (d)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51824906&loc=SL20225862-175312

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseCollateralRightToReclaimSecurities
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_DerivativeInstrumentRiskAxis=axaeq_InitialMarginMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_SecuritiesSoldUnderAgreementsToRepurchaseMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis=axaeq_CounterpartycMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_CounterpartyNameAxis=axaeq_CounterpartyWMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: