Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes [Text Block]	Income Tax Autodesk’s effective tax rate was 23% during the three months ended April 30, 2013 compared to 19% during the three months ended April 30, 2012. Autodesk's effective tax rate increased 4% during the three months ended April 30, 2013 as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year primarily due to discrete tax benefits from closure of the statute of limitations during the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and lower tax benefits related to stock based compensation in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, partially offset by tax benefits from the reinstated federal research credit. Excluding the impact of discrete tax items, the effective tax rate for the three months ended April 30, 2013 was 24%, and was lower than the Federal statutory tax rate of 35% primarily due to foreign income taxed at lower rates partially offset by the impact of non-deductible stock based compensation expense. As of April 30, 2013, the Company had $214.7 million of gross unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest, of which approximately $205.4 million represents the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized. It is possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next twelve months; however, an estimate of the range of the possible change cannot be made at this time. At April 30, 2013, Autodesk had net deferred tax assets of $190.3 million. The Company believes that it will generate sufficient future taxable income in appropriate tax jurisdictions to realize these assets.

Income Taxes

3 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2013

Income Tax

Autodesk’s effective tax rate was 23% during the three months ended April 30, 2013 compared to 19% during the three months ended April 30, 2012. Autodesk's effective tax rate increased 4% during the three months ended April 30, 2013 as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year primarily due to discrete tax benefits from closure of the statute of limitations during the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and lower tax benefits related to stock based compensation in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, partially offset by tax benefits from the reinstated federal research credit. Excluding the impact of discrete tax items, the effective tax rate for the three months ended April 30, 2013 was 24%, and was lower than the Federal statutory tax rate of 35% primarily due to foreign income taxed at lower rates partially offset by the impact of non-deductible stock based compensation expense.

As of April 30, 2013, the Company had $214.7 million of gross unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest, of which approximately $205.4 million represents the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized. It is possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next twelve months; however, an estimate of the range of the possible change cannot be made at this time.

At April 30, 2013, Autodesk had net deferred tax assets of $190.3 million. The Company believes that it will generate sufficient future taxable income in appropriate tax jurisdictions to realize these assets.