Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Mar. 27, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes We file income tax returns with the IRS and in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. On December 8, 2011 and January 23, 2012, the IRS issued Statutory Notices of Deficiency (the “Notices”) determining, respectively, additional taxes for 2002 through 2004 of $19.8 million and additional taxes for 2005 through 2007 of $21.4 million, excluding interest. The IRS’s determinations relate primarily to inter-company transactions, computational adjustments to the R&D credit and reductions to the benefits of tax credit carry backs and carry forwards. We deposited $18.0 million as a cash bond with the IRS in 2008, and converted this amount to tax payments in March 2012. On March 6, 2012 and April 20, 2012, we filed petitions challenging the Notices in the U.S. Tax Court. The petitions request redetermination of the deficiencies produced by the IRS’s adjustments. The IRS has filed responses to our petitions, in which the IRS conceded the R&D credit adjustment for 2004. The Tax Court has consolidated the two cases and a judge has been assigned. The federal statute of limitations for the 2002 and 2003 tax years has expired, and the ongoing Tax Court litigation concerns only the 2004 through 2007 years. On January 31, 2013, the IRS conceded one of the adjustments at issue in the litigation for the 2004 through 2007 tax years. The conceded adjustment related to certain inter-company services transactions. The concession only impacted our 2007 tax year. As a result of this concession, we recognized a tax and interest benefit of $6.8 million in 2013 due to the release of certain tax reserves. Altera and the IRS have filed cross motions for partial summary judgment on the largest adjustment still at issue, which is related to the treatment of stock-based compensation in an inter-company cost-sharing transaction. As part of the partial motion for summary judgment process, both sides filed briefs on May 28, 2013, July 25, 2013 and September 9, 2013. We expect to present additional legal arguments related to certain affirmative adjustments raised by Altera in the litigation. The parties have filed a series of Joint Status Reports with the court addressing these affirmative adjustments. The parties presented oral arguments on the partial summary judgment issue to the Tax Court on July 24, 2014 and we are awaiting a ruling. We believe we have made adequate tax payments or accrued adequate amounts for our tax liabilities for 2004 through 2007 and that the outcome of the above matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results or financial position. On April 19, 2013, the IRS notified us that we would be audited for each of the 2010 and 2011 tax years. We believe we have made adequate tax payments or accrued adequate amounts for our tax liabilities for 2010 and 2011 and that the outcome of the audit will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results or financial position. Other significant jurisdictions in which we are or may be subject to examination for fiscal years 2002 forward include China (including Hong Kong), Denmark, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom and the state of California. We believe we have made adequate tax payments and/or accrued adequate amounts such that the outcome of these audits will have no material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results. Due to the potential resolution of various tax examinations, and the expiration of various statutes of limitations, it is possible that our gross unrecognized tax benefits may change within the next twelve months. However, given the number of years remaining subject to examination and the number of matters being examined, we are unable to estimate the full range of potential adjustments to the balance of gross unrecognized tax benefits. Our effective tax rate reflects the impact of a significant amount of our earnings being taxed in foreign jurisdictions at rates substantially below the U.S. statutory tax rate of 35%. The fluctuations in our effective tax rate in a given year are also impacted by the recognition of net tax benefits associated with the reversal of unrecognized tax benefits and related interest resulting from the expiration of statutes of limitations in federal and foreign jurisdictions and the resolution of certain issues with the IRS. Our effective tax rate for the three months ended March 27, 2015 was 6.7% compared with 10.5% for the three months ended March 28, 2014. The decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily due to higher one-time tax benefits in 2015 compared with the same period in 2014. During the three months ended March 27, 2015, we recognized a net benefit of $7.1 million related to foreign tax credits earned in excess of a foreign dividend. During the three months ended March 28, 2014, we reversed $4.0 million of liabilities and the related interest for uncertain tax positions upon the expiration of domestic statutes of limitation, which was offset by $0.9 million of true-up adjustments resulting from the filing of tax returns in foreign jurisdictions. As of March 27, 2015, we had total gross unrecognized tax benefits of $348.9 million which, if recognized, would potentially impact our effective tax rate. On December 31, 2014, we had total gross unrecognized tax benefits of $341.1 million. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate as to if and when cash settlements with the relevant taxing authorities may occur. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in our income tax provision. We have accrued approximately $47.3 million and $45.8 million for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as of March 27, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, we recorded a deferred charge for the deferral of income tax expense on intercompany profits that resulted from the sale of our newly acquired intellectual property rights from one of our U.S. subsidiaries to one of our foreign subsidiaries. The deferred charge is included in Other current assets and Other assets, net on our consolidated balance sheets. As of March 27, 2015, the deferred charge balance in Other current assets was $2.2 million, and $16.4 million in Other assets, net. The deferred charge will be amortized on a straight-line basis as a component of income tax expense over ten years, based on the economic life of the intellectual property and is not expected to have a material impact on our effective tax rate. In connection with one of our acquisitions in 2013, we are indemnified by the selling company for certain potential tax obligations arising prior to the acquisition. We have recognized a tax indemnification receivable of $6.5 million in Other assets, net on our consolidated balance sheets. We do not expect any significant effect on earnings or cash flows related to these potential tax obligations.

Income Taxes

We file income tax returns with the IRS and in various U.S. states and foreign jurisdictions. On December 8, 2011 and January 23, 2012, the IRS issued Statutory Notices of Deficiency (the “Notices”) determining, respectively, additional taxes for 2002 through 2004 of $19.8 million and additional taxes for 2005 through 2007 of $21.4 million, excluding interest. The IRS’s determinations relate primarily to inter-company transactions, computational adjustments to the R&D credit and reductions to the benefits of tax credit carry backs and carry forwards. We deposited $18.0 million as a cash bond with the IRS in 2008, and converted this amount to tax payments in March 2012. On March 6, 2012 and April 20, 2012, we filed petitions challenging the Notices in the U.S. Tax Court. The petitions request redetermination of the deficiencies produced by the IRS’s adjustments. The IRS has filed responses to our petitions, in which the IRS conceded the R&D credit adjustment for 2004. The Tax Court has consolidated the two cases and a judge has been assigned. The federal statute of limitations for the 2002 and 2003 tax years has expired, and the ongoing Tax Court litigation concerns only the 2004 through 2007 years.

On January 31, 2013, the IRS conceded one of the adjustments at issue in the litigation for the 2004 through 2007 tax years. The conceded adjustment related to certain inter-company services transactions. The concession only impacted our 2007 tax year. As a result of this concession, we recognized a tax and interest benefit of $6.8 million in 2013 due to the release of certain tax reserves. Altera and the IRS have filed cross motions for partial summary judgment on the largest adjustment still at issue, which is related to the treatment of stock-based compensation in an inter-company cost-sharing transaction. As part of the partial motion for summary judgment process, both sides filed briefs on May 28, 2013, July 25, 2013 and September 9, 2013. We expect to present additional legal arguments related to certain affirmative adjustments raised by Altera in the litigation. The parties have filed a series of Joint Status Reports with the court addressing these affirmative adjustments. The parties presented oral arguments on the partial summary judgment issue to the Tax Court on July 24, 2014 and we are awaiting a ruling. We believe we have made adequate tax payments or accrued adequate amounts for our tax liabilities for 2004 through 2007 and that the outcome of the above matters will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results or financial position.

On April 19, 2013, the IRS notified us that we would be audited for each of the 2010 and 2011 tax years. We believe we have made adequate tax payments or accrued adequate amounts for our tax liabilities for 2010 and 2011 and that the outcome of the audit will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results or financial position.

Other significant jurisdictions in which we are or may be subject to examination for fiscal years 2002 forward include China (including Hong Kong), Denmark, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom and the state of California. We believe we have made adequate tax payments and/or accrued adequate amounts such that the outcome of these audits will have no material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results. Due to the potential resolution of various tax examinations, and the expiration of various statutes of limitations, it is possible that our gross unrecognized tax benefits may change within the next twelve months. However, given the number of years remaining subject to examination and the number of matters being examined, we are unable to estimate the full range of potential adjustments to the balance of gross unrecognized tax benefits.

Our effective tax rate reflects the impact of a significant amount of our earnings being taxed in foreign jurisdictions at rates substantially below the U.S. statutory tax rate of 35%. The fluctuations in our effective tax rate in a given year are also impacted by the recognition of net tax benefits associated with the reversal of unrecognized tax benefits and related interest resulting from the expiration of statutes of limitations in federal and foreign jurisdictions and the resolution of certain issues with the IRS. Our effective tax rate for the three months ended March 27, 2015 was 6.7% compared with 10.5% for the three months ended March 28, 2014. The decrease in our effective tax rate was primarily due to higher one-time tax benefits in 2015 compared with the same period in 2014. During the three months ended March 27, 2015, we recognized a net benefit of $7.1 million related to foreign tax credits earned in excess of a foreign dividend. During the three months ended March 28, 2014, we reversed $4.0 million of liabilities and the related interest for uncertain tax positions upon the expiration of domestic statutes of limitation, which was offset by $0.9 million of true-up adjustments resulting from the filing of tax returns in foreign jurisdictions.

As of March 27, 2015, we had total gross unrecognized tax benefits of $348.9 million which, if recognized, would potentially impact our effective tax rate. On December 31, 2014, we had total gross unrecognized tax benefits of $341.1 million. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate as to if and when cash settlements with the relevant taxing authorities may occur.

We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in our income tax provision. We have accrued approximately $47.3 million and $45.8 million for interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions as of March 27, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, we recorded a deferred charge for the deferral of income tax expense on intercompany profits that resulted from the sale of our newly acquired intellectual property rights from one of our U.S. subsidiaries to one of our foreign subsidiaries. The deferred charge is included in Other current assets and Other assets, net on our consolidated balance sheets. As of March 27, 2015, the deferred charge balance in Other current assets was $2.2 million, and $16.4 million in Other assets, net. The deferred charge will be amortized on a straight-line basis as a component of income tax expense over ten years, based on the economic life of the intellectual property and is not expected to have a material impact on our effective tax rate.

In connection with one of our acquisitions in 2013, we are indemnified by the selling company for certain potential tax obligations arising prior to the acquisition. We have recognized a tax indemnification receivable of $6.5 million in Other assets, net on our consolidated balance sheets. We do not expect any significant effect on earnings or cash flows related to these potential tax obligations.