1.0.0.3 false Consolidated Statement of Earnings (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data false 1 $ false false shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 usd Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 usdPerShare Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 false 2 $ false false shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 usd Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 usdPerShare Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 false 3 $ false false shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 usd Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 usdPerShare Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 false 4 $ false false shares Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 usd Standard http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 0 usdPerShare Divide http://www.xbrl.org/2003/iso4217 USD iso4217 http://www.xbrl.org/2003/instance shares xbrli 0 6 Revenue: 4 us-gaap_RevenuesAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 7 Services 5 us-gaap_SalesRevenueServicesNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true 13479000000 13479 false false 2 true true 15203000000 15203 false false 3 true true 26656000000 26656 false false 4 true true 29777000000 29777 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 8 Sales 5 us-gaap_SalesRevenueGoodsNet us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 9198000000 9198 false false 2 false true 10976000000 10976 false false 3 false true 17147000000 17147 false false 4 false true 20263000000 20263 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 9 Financing 5 us-gaap_FinancialServicesRevenue us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 574000000 574 false false 2 false true 642000000 642 false false 3 false true 1158000000 1158 false false 4 false true 1282000000 1282 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 10 Total Revenue 5 us-gaap_Revenues us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 23250000000 23250 [1] false false 2 false true 26820000000 26820 [1] false false 3 false true 44962000000 44962 [1] false false 4 false true 51322000000 51322 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 11 Cost: 4 us-gaap_CostOfRevenueAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 12 Services 5 us-gaap_CostOfServices us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 9145000000 9145 false false 2 false true 10709000000 10709 false false 3 false true 18208000000 18208 false false 4 false true 21057000000 21057 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 13 Sales 5 us-gaap_CostOfGoodsSold us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 3221000000 3221 false false 2 false true 4225000000 4225 false false 3 false true 6123000000 6123 false false 4 false true 7899000000 7899 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 14 Financing 5 us-gaap_FinancialServicesCosts us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 303000000 303 false false 2 false true 286000000 286 false false 3 false true 618000000 618 false false 4 false true 600000000 600 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 15 Total Cost 5 us-gaap_CostOfRevenue us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 12669000000 12669 false false 2 false true 15221000000 15221 [1] false false 3 false true 24949000000 24949 false false 4 false true 29556000000 29556 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 16 Gross profit 4 us-gaap_GrossProfit us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 10581000000 10581 false false 2 false true 11599000000 11599 false false 3 false true 20012000000 20012 [1] false false 4 false true 21766000000 21766 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 17 Expense and other income: 3 ibm_ExpenseAndOtherIncomeAbstract ibm false na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 18 Selling, general and administrative 4 us-gaap_SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 5115000000 5115 false false 2 false true 6289000000 6289 false false 3 false true 10379000000 10379 false false 4 false true 11909000000 11909 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 19 Research, development and engineering 4 us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1434000000 1434 false false 2 false true 1660000000 1660 false false 3 false true 2914000000 2914 false false 4 false true 3229000000 3229 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 20 Intellectual property and custom development income 4 ibm_IntellectualPropertyAndCustomDevelopmentIncome ibm false debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true -302000000 -302 false false 2 false true -285000000 -285 false false 3 false true -570000000 -570 false false 4 false true -559000000 -559 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 21 Other (income) and expense 4 ibm_OtherIncomeAndExpense ibm false debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true -28000000 -28 false false 2 false true -24000000 -24 false false 3 false true -331000000 -331 false false 4 false true -149000000 -149 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 22 Interest expense 4 us-gaap_InterestExpense us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 101000000 101 false false 2 false true 145000000 145 false false 3 false true 237000000 237 false false 4 false true 323000000 323 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 23 Total expense and other income 4 ibm_ExpenseAndOtherIncome ibm false debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 6319000000 6319 [1] false false 2 false true 7786000000 7786 [1] false false 3 false true 12628000000 12628 [1] false false 4 false true 14754000000 14754 [1] false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 24 Income before income taxes 3 us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesMinorityInterestAndIncomeLossFromEquityMethodInvestments us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 4262000000 4262 false false 2 false true 3814000000 3814 [1] false false 3 false true 7385000000 7385 [1] false false 4 false true 7012000000 7012 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 25 Provision for income taxes 3 us-gaap_IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit us-gaap true debit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1159000000 1159 false false 2 false true 1049000000 1049 false false 3 false true 1986000000 1986 false false 4 false true 1928000000 1928 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 26 Net income 3 us-gaap_ProfitLoss us-gaap true credit duration monetary No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 true true 3103000000 3103 false false 2 true true 2765000000 2765 false false 3 true true 5398000000 5398 false false 4 true true 5084000000 5084 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. true 27 Earnings per share of common stock: 3 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareAbstract us-gaap true na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 28 Assuming dilution 4 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareDiluted us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 2.32 2.32 false false 2 true true 1.97 1.97 [2] false false 3 true true 4.02 4.02 false false 4 true true 3.61 3.61 [2] false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 29 Basic 4 us-gaap_EarningsPerShareBasic us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 2.34 2.34 false false 2 true true 2.01 2.01 [2] false false 3 true true 4.04 4.04 false false 4 true true 3.67 3.67 [2] false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 30 Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding: (millions) 3 ibm_Weighted-AverageNumberCommonSharesOutstandingAbstract ibm false na duration string No definition available. false false false false false true false false false 1 false false 0 0 false false 2 false false 0 0 false false 3 false false 0 0 false false 4 false false 0 0 false false No definition available. false 31 Assuming dilution 4 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1336900000 1336.9 false false 2 false true 1402100000 1402.1 [2] false false 3 false true 1343200000 1343.2 false false 4 false true 1406700000 1406.7 [2] false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 32 Basic 4 us-gaap_WeightedAverageNumberOfSharesOutstandingBasic us-gaap true na duration shares No definition available. false false false false false false false false false 1 false true 1326100000 1326.1 false false 2 false true 1376200000 1376.2 [2] false false 3 false true 1335200000 1335.2 false false 4 false true 1385200000 1385.2 [2] false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 33 Cash dividend per common share 3 us-gaap_CommonStockDividendsPerShareCashPaid us-gaap true na duration decimal No definition available. false false false false false false false false true 1 true true 0.55 0.55 false false 2 true true 0.50 0.50 false false 3 true true 1.05 1.05 false false 4 true true 0.90 0.90 false false No definition available. No authoritative reference available. false 1 Amounts may not add due to rounding 2 Reflects the adoption of FSP EITF 03-6-1, "Determining Whether Instruments Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions Are Participating Securities." See Note 2, "Accounting Changes," on pages 7 to 9 for additional information. false 4 28 false Millions HundredThousands Hundreds false true