S&P Global (SPGI) 10-K 7 Feb 14 2013 FY Annual report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Billions, except Share data in Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]	'	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'MCGRAW HILL FINANCIAL INC	'	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0000064040	'	'
Document Type	'10-K	'	'
Document Period End Date	31-Dec-13	'	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'FY	'	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'	'
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	'Yes	'	'
Entity Voluntary Filers	'No	'	'
Entity Current Reporting Status	'Yes	'	'
Entity Filer Category	'Large Accelerated Filer	'	'
Entity Public Float	'	'	$14.60
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	271	'

Consolidated_Statements_of_Inc

Consolidated Statements of Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income Statement [Abstract]	'	'	'
Revenue	$4,875	$4,450	$3,954
Expenses:	'	'	'
Operating-related expenses	1,584	1,486	1,387
Selling and general expenses	1,737	1,664	1,377
Depreciation	86	93	93
Amortization of intangibles	51	48	33
Total expenses	3,458	3,291	2,890
Other loss (income)	12	-52	-13
Operating profit	1,405	1,211	1,077
Interest expense, net	59	81	77
Income from continuing operations before taxes on income	1,346	1,130	1,000
Provision for taxes on income	443	404	374
Income from continuing operations	903	726	626
Discontinued operations, net of tax:	'	'	'
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	-26	-234	234
Gain on sale of discontinued operations (includes $(75) accumulated other comprehensive income reclassifications in 2013 for foreign currency translation adjustment)	589	0	74
Discontinued operations, net	563	-234	308
Net income	1,466	492	934
Less: net income from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	-91	-50	-19
Less: net income from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interests	1	-5	-4
Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.	1,376	437	911
Amounts attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders:	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations	812	676	607
Income (loss) from discontinued operations	564	-239	304
Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.	$1,376	$437	$911
Basic:	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$2.96	$2.43	$2.03
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$2.05	($0.86)	$1.02
Net income (in dollars per share)	$5.01	$1.57	$3.05
Diluted:	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$2.90	$2.37	$2
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	$2.01	($0.84)	$1
Net income (in dollars per share)	$4.91	$1.53	$3
Average number of common shares outstanding:	'	'	'
Basic (in shares)	274.5	278.6	298.1
Diluted (in shares)	279.8	284.6	303.6
Dividend declared per common share (in usd per share)	$1.12	$1.02	$1
Special dividend declared per common share (in usd per share)	$0	$2.50	$0

Consolidated_Statements_of_Inc1

Consolidated Statements of Income (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Statement [Abstract]	'
Accumulated other comprehensive income reclassifications for foreign currency translation adjustment	($75)

Consolidated_Statements_of_Com

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]	'	'	'
Net income	$1,466	$492	$934
Other comprehensive income:	'	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustment	93	29	-35
Income tax effect	-2	-19	11
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax effect	91	10	-24
Pension and other postretirement benefit plans	385	-164	-45
Income tax effect	-154	63	9
Pension and other post-retirement benefit plans, net of income tax effect	231	-101	-36
Unrealized gain (loss) on investment and forward exchange contract	2	-4	-12
Income tax effect	-2	2	4
Unrealized loss on investments and forward exchange contracts, net of income tax effect	0	-2	-8
Comprehensive income	1,788	399	866
Less: comprehensive income attributable to nonredeemable noncontrolling interests	-18	-20	-13
Less: comprehensive income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests	-73	-34	0
Comprehensive income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc.	$1,697	$345	$853

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and equivalents	$1,542	$760
Short-term investments	18	1
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts: 2013 - $52; 2012 - $54	979	954
Deferred income taxes	108	117
Prepaid and other current assets	228	127
Assets held for sale	61	1,940
Total current assets	2,936	3,899
Property and equipment:	'	'
Buildings and leasehold improvements	436	439
Equipment and furniture	430	701
Total property and equipment	866	1,140
Less: accumulated depreciation	-617	-772
Property and equipment, net	249	368
Goodwill	1,412	1,438
Other intangible assets, net	1,033	1,081
Asset for pension benefits	261	98
Other non-current assets	170	168
Total assets	6,061	7,052
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	219	249
Accrued compensation and contributions to retirement plans	427	453
Short-term debt	0	457
Income taxes currently payable	15	158
Unearned revenue	1,309	1,229
Other current liabilities	402	457
Liabilities held for sale	0	664
Total current liabilities	2,372	3,667
Long-term debt	799	799
Pension and other postretirement benefits	264	529
Deferred income taxes	205	56
Other non-current liabilities	267	351
Total liabilities	3,907	5,402
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	810	810
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12)	'	'
Equity:	'	'
Common stock, $1 par value: authorized - 600 million shares; issued - 412 million shares in 2013 and 2012	412	412
Additional paid-in capital	447	492
Retained income	7,384	6,525
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-196	-517
Less: common stock in treasury - at cost: 2013 - 141 million shares; 2012 - 133 million shares	-6,746	-6,145
Total equity – controlling interests	1,301	767
Total equity – noncontrolling interests (including 2013 - $25 and 2012 - $25 attributable to discontinued operations)	43	73
Total equity	1,344	840
Total liabilities and equity	$6,061	$7,052

Consolidated_Balance_Sheets_Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Allowance for doubtful accounts and sale returns	$52	$54
Stock-holders equity attributable to noncontrolling interest, discontinued operations	$25	$25
Common stock, par value (in usd per share)	$1	$1
Common stock, authorized (in shares)	600,000,000	600,000,000
Common stock, issued (in shares)	412,000,000	412,000,000
Common Stock, In Treasury (in shares)	141,000,000	133,000,000

Consolidated_Statements_of_Cas

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Operating Activities:	'	'	'
Net income	$1,466	$492	$934
Less: income (loss) from discontinued operations	563	-234	308
Net income from continuing operations	903	726	626
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations:	'	'	'
Depreciation	86	93	93
Amortization of intangibles	51	48	33
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	22	32	6
Deferred income taxes	43	53	17
Stock-based compensation	99	93	77
Gain on dispositions, net	-24	0	-13
Other	136	16	63
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisitions and dispositions:	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	-35	-239	14
Prepaid and other current assets	-29	3	-16
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	-93	60	-29
Unearned revenue	108	17	44
Other current liabilities	-89	-70	-52
Net change in prepaid / accrued income taxes	-238	119	55
Net change in other assets and liabilities	-124	-204	6
Cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations	816	747	924
Investing Activities:	'	'	'
Capital expenditures	-117	-97	-92
Acquisitions, including contingent payments, net of cash acquired	-47	-177	-194
Proceeds from dispositions	51	0	21
Changes in short-term investments	-17	27	-6
Cash used for investing activities from continuing operations	-130	-247	-271
Financing Activities:	'	'	'
(Payments on) / additions to short-term debt	-457	457	0
Payments on senior notes	0	-400	0
Dividends paid to shareholders	-308	-984	-296
Dividends and other payments paid to noncontrolling interests	-75	-24	-23
Repurchase of treasury shares	-978	-295	-1,500
Exercise of stock options	258	299	139
Contingent payments	-12	0	0
Purchase of additional CRISIL shares	-214	0	0
Excess tax benefits from share-based payments	43	42	20
Cash used for financing activities from continuing operations	-1,743	-905	-1,660
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash from continuing operations	-1	5	-10
Cash used for continuing operations	-1,058	-400	-1,017
Cash (used for) provided by operating activities	-265	520	420
Cash provided by (used for) investing activities	2,129	-198	25
Cash used for financing activities	-25	-12	-4
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	1	3	-5
Effect of change in cash and equivalents	0	12	0
Cash provided by discontinued operations	1,840	325	436
Net change in cash and equivalents	782	-75	-581
Cash and equivalents at beginning of year	760	835	1,416
Cash and equivalents at end of year	1,542	760	835
Cash paid during the year for:	'	'	'
Interest (including discontinued operations)	50	77	71
Income taxes (including discontinued operations)	$787	$243	$452

Consolidated_Statements_of_Equ

Consolidated Statements of Equity (USD $)		Total	Common Stock $1 par	Additional Paid-in Capital	Retained Income	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Less: Treasury Stock	Total MHFI Equity	Noncontrolling Interests
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2010		$2,292	$412	$67	$7,057	($367)	$4,958	$2,211	$81
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]		'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income		866	'	'	911	-58	'	853	13
Dividends		-313	'	'	-301	'	'	-301	-12
Noncontrolling interest adjustments related to discontinued operations		-7	'	-3	'	'	'	-3	-4
Share repurchases		-1,500	'	-73	'	'	1,427	-1,500	'
Employee stock plans, net of tax benefit		248	'	103	'	'	-145	248	'
Other		-2	'	'	'	'	'	0	-2
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2011		1,584	412	94	7,667	-425	6,240	1,508	76
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]		'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income		399	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income	[1]	365	'	'	437	-92	'	345	20
Dividends		-1,011	'	'	-989	'	'	-989	-22
Noncontrolling interest adjustments related to discontinued operations		-223	'	350	-573	'	'	-223	'
Share repurchases		-298	'	50	'	'	345	-295	-3
Employee stock plans, net of tax benefit		438	'	-2	'	'	-440	438	'
Change in redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interest		-17	'	'	-17	'	'	-17	'
Other		2	'	'	'	'	'	0	2
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2012		840	412	492	6,525	-517	6,145	767	73
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]		'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income		1,788	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Comprehensive income	[1]	1,715	'	'	1,376	321	'	1,697	18
Dividends		-325	'	'	-315	'	'	-315	-10
Noncontrolling interest adjustments related to discontinued operations		-22	'	'	'	'	'	0	-22
Share repurchases		-989	'	'	'	'	989	-989	'
Employee stock plans, net of tax benefit		343	'	-45	'	'	-388	343	'
Change in redemption value of redeemable noncontrolling interest		11	'	'	11	'	'	11	'
Increase in CRISIL ownership		-233	'	'	-216	'	'	-216	-17
Other		4	'	'	3	'	'	3	1
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2013		$1,344	$412	$447	$7,384	($196)	$6,746	$1,301	$43
[1]	Excludes $73 million and $34 million in 2013 and 2012, respectively, attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest.

Consolidated_Statements_of_Equ1

Consolidated Statements of Equity (Parenthetical) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]	'	'	'
Comprehensive income attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interests	$73	$34	$0

Accounting_Policies

Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Accounting Policies	'
	Accounting Policies
	Nature of operations
	McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company,” the “Registrant,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a leading content and analytics provider serving the capital, commodities and commercial markets. The capital markets include asset managers, banks, exchanges, issuers and financial advisors; the commodities markets include producers, traders and intermediaries within energy, metals, and agriculture; and the commercial markets include professionals and corporate executives within automotive, construction and marketing / research information services.
	Our operations consist of four reportable segments: Standard & Poor’s Ratings (“S&P Ratings”), S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices ("S&P DJ Indices") and Commodities & Commercial (“C&C”).
	•	S&P Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research and analytics, offering investors and market participants information, ratings and benchmarks.
	•	S&P Capital IQ is a global provider of multi-asset-class data, research and analytical capabilities, which integrate cross-asset analytics and desktop services.
	•	S&P DJ Indices is a global leading index provider that maintains a wide variety of valuation and index benchmarks for investment advisors, wealth managers and institutional investors.
	•	C&C consists of business-to-business companies specializing in commercial and commodities markets that deliver their customers access to high-value information, data, analytic services and pricing benchmarks.
	See Note 11 – Segment and Geographic Information for further discussion on our operating segments, which are also our reportable segments.
	We completed the sale of our McGraw-Hill Education business ("MHE") on March 22, 2013 and, accordingly, the results of operations of MHE have been reclassified to reflect the business as a discontinued operation for the year ended December 31, 2013 and all prior periods presented. The assets and liabilities of MHE have been removed from the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 and classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2012. See Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures for further discussion.
	Discontinued Operations
	In determining whether a group of assets disposed or to be disposed of should be presented as a discontinued operation, we make a determination of whether the group of assets being disposed of comprises a component of the entity; that is, whether it has historic operations and cash flows that can be clearly distinguished both operationally and for financial reporting purposes. We also determine whether the cash flows associated with the group of assets have been or will be eliminated from our ongoing operations as a result of the disposal transaction and whether we will have significant continuing involvement in the operations of the group of assets after the disposal transaction. If we conclude that the cash flows have been eliminated and we have no significant continuing involvement, then the results of operations of the group of assets being disposed of (as well as any gain or loss on the disposal transaction) are aggregated for separate presentation apart from our continuing operating results in the consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures for a summary of discontinued operations. Unless otherwise indicated, all disclosures and amounts in the notes to our consolidated financial statements relate to our continuing operations.
	Principles of consolidation
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all subsidiaries and our share of earnings or losses of joint ventures and affiliated companies under the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
	Use of estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
	Cash and cash equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include ordinary bank deposits and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less that consist primarily of money market funds with unrestricted daily liquidity and fixed term time deposits. Such investments and bank deposits are stated at cost, which approximates market value and were $1.5 billion and $760 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These investments are not subject to significant market risk.
	Short-term investments
	Short-term investments are securities with original maturities greater than 90 days that are available for use in our operations in the next twelve months. The short-term investments, primarily consisting of certificates of deposit, are classified as held-to-maturity and therefore are carried at cost. Interest and dividends are recorded into income when earned.
	Accounts receivable
	Credit is extended to customers based upon an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition. Accounts receivable, which include billings consistent with terms of contractual arrangements, are recorded at net realizable value.
	Allowance for doubtful accounts
	The allowance for doubtful accounts reserve methodology is based on historical analysis, a review of outstanding balances and current conditions. In determining these reserves, we consider, amongst other factors, the financial condition and risk profile of our customers, areas of specific or concentrated risk as well as applicable industry trends or market indicators.
	Deferred technology costs
	We capitalize certain software development and website implementation costs. Capitalized costs only include incremental, direct costs of materials and services incurred to develop the software after the preliminary project stage is completed, funding has been committed and it is probable that the project will be completed and used to perform the function intended. Incremental costs are expenditures that are out-of-pocket to us and are not part of an allocation or existing expense base. Software development and website implementation costs are expensed as incurred during the preliminary project stage. Capitalized costs are amortized from the year the software is ready for its intended use over its estimated useful life, three to seven years, using the straight-line method. Periodically, we evaluate the amortization methods, remaining lives and recoverability of such costs. Capitalized software development and website implementation costs are included in other non-current assets and are presented net of accumulated amortization. Gross deferred technology costs were $131 million and $115 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Accumulated amortization of deferred technology costs was $71 million and $58 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
	Fair Value
	Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value and classified within a fair value hierarchy based on inputs used when measuring fair value. We have an immaterial amount of forward exchange contracts that are adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis.
	Other financial instruments, including cash and equivalents and short-term investments, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity and highly liquid nature of these instruments. The fair value of our long-term debt borrowings were $801 million and $916 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and was estimated based on quoted market prices.
	Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets (including other intangible assets)
	We evaluate long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Upon such an occurrence, recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to current forecasts of undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized equal to the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. For long-lived assets held for sale, assets are written down to fair value, less cost to sell. Fair value is determined based on market evidence, discounted cash flows, appraised values or management’s estimates, depending upon the nature of the assets.
	During the fourth quarter of 2013, we entered the final stages of discussions to sell the facilities and associated infrastructure equipment of one of our data centers to a third party, causing us to recognize a non-cash impairment charge of $36 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 when the facilities and associated infrastructure were reclassified as held for sale. Additionally, we incurred a $26 million non-cash impairment charge associated with an intangible asset acquired through the formation of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture.
	There were no material impairments of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.
	Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets
	Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price and related costs over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized, but instead are tested for impairment annually during the fourth quarter each year or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. We have four reporting units with goodwill that are evaluated for impairment.
	We initially perform a qualitative analysis evaluating whether any events and circumstances occurred or exist that provide evidence that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount. If, based on our evaluation we do not believe that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount, no quantitative impairment test is performed. Conversely, if the results of our qualitative assessment determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying amounts we perform a two-step quantitative impairment test.
	When conducting the first step of our two step impairment test to evaluate the recoverability of goodwill at the reporting unit level, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its carrying value including goodwill. Fair value of the reporting units are estimated using the income approach, which incorporates the use of a discounted free cash flow (“DCF”) analyses and are corroborated using the market approach, which incorporates the use of revenue and earnings multiples based on market data. The DCF analyses are based on the current operating budgets and estimated long-term growth projections for each reporting unit. Future cash flows are discounted based on a market comparable weighted average cost of capital rate for each reporting unit, adjusted for market and other risks where appropriate. In addition, we analyze any difference between the sum of the fair values of the reporting units and our total market capitalization for reasonableness, taking into account certain factors including control premiums.
	If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, a second step is performed which compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the carrying value of the goodwill. The fair value of the goodwill is determined based on the difference between the fair value of the reporting unit and the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than the carrying value, the difference is recognized as an impairment charge.
	We evaluate the recoverability of indefinite-lived intangible assets by first performing a qualitative analysis evaluating whether any events and circumstances occurred that provide evidence that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. If, based on our evaluation of the events and circumstances that occurred during the year we do not believe that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired, no quantitative impairment test is performed. Conversely, if the results of our qualitative assessment determine that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired a quantitative impairment test is performed. If necessary, the impairment test is performed by comparing the estimated fair value of the intangible asset to its carrying value. If the indefinite-lived intangible asset carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment analysis is performed using the income approach. The fair value of loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
	Significant judgments inherent in these analyses include estimating the amount and timing of future cash flows and the selection of appropriate discount rates, royalty rates and long-term growth rate assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value for each reporting unit and indefinite-lived intangible asset and could result in an impairment charge, which could be material to our financial position and results of operations.
	We performed our impairment assessment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets and concluded that no impairment existed for the years ended December 31, 2013, and 2011. As further discussed in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures, we determined that during the year ended December 31, 2012, the goodwill at MHE's School Education Group was impaired.
	Foreign currency translation
	We have operations in many foreign countries. For most international operations, the local currency is the functional currency. For international operations that are determined to be extensions of the parent company, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency. For local currency operations, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using end of period exchange rates, and revenue and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. Foreign currency translation adjustments are accumulated in a separate component of equity.
	Revenue recognition
	Revenue is recognized as it is earned when goods are shipped to customers or services are rendered. We consider amounts to be earned once evidence of an arrangement has been obtained, services are performed, fees are fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue relating to products that provide for more than one deliverable is recognized based upon the relative fair value to the customer of each deliverable as each deliverable is provided. Revenue relating to agreements that provide for more than one service is recognized based upon the relative fair value to the customer of each service component as each component is earned. If the fair value to the customer for each service is not objectively determinable, management makes its best estimate of the services’ stand-alone selling price and records revenue as it is earned over the service period. For arrangements that include multiple services, fair value of the service components are determined using an analysis that considers cash consideration that would be received for instances when the service components are sold separately. Advertising revenue is recognized when the page is run. Subscription income is recognized over the related subscription period.
	Depreciation
	The costs of property and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method based upon the following estimated useful lives: buildings and improvements from 15 to 40 years and equipment and furniture from 2 to 10 years. The costs of leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the useful lives or the terms of the respective leases.
	Advertising expense
	The cost of advertising is expensed as incurred. We incurred $43 million, $34 million and $32 million in advertising costs for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
	Stock-based compensation
	Stock-based compensation expense is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized over the requisite service period, which typically is the vesting period. Stock-based compensation is classified as both operating-related expense and selling and general expense in the consolidated statements of income.
	Income taxes
	Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to be applied to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns. Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized in interest expense and operating expense, respectively.
	Judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities and unrecognized tax benefits. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, the historical and projected financial performance of the operation that is recording a net deferred tax asset is considered along with any other pertinent information.
	We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various states, and foreign jurisdictions, and we are routinely under audit by many different tax authorities. We believe that our accrual for tax liabilities is adequate for all open audit years based on our assessment of many factors including past experience and interpretations of tax law. This assessment relies on estimates and assumptions and may involve a series of complex judgments about future events. It is possible that examinations will be settled prior to December 31, 2014. If any of these tax audit settlements do occur within that period we would make any necessary adjustments to the accrual for unrecognized tax benefits. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the tax authorities, the determination of a possible audit settlement range with respect to the impact on unrecognized tax benefits is not practicable. On the basis of present information, our opinion is that any assessments resulting from the current audits will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
	Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest
	The agreement with the minority partners of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture discussed in Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures, contains redemption features whereby interests held by our minority partners is redeemable both at the option of the holder and upon the occurrence of an event that is not solely within our control. Since redemption of the noncontrolling interest is outside of our control, this interest is presented on our consolidated balance sheets under the caption “Redeemable noncontrolling interest.” If the interest were to be redeemed, we would be required to purchase all of such interest at fair value on the date of redemption. We adjust the redeemable noncontrolling interest each reporting period to its estimated redemption value, but never less than its initial fair value, using a combination of an income and market valuation approach. Our income and market valuation approaches may incorporate Level 3 measures for instances when observable inputs are not available, including assumptions related to expected future net cash flows, long-term growth rates, the timing and nature of tax attributes, and the redemption features. Any adjustments to the redemption value will impact retained income. See Note 8 – Equity, for further detail.
	Contingencies
	We accrue for loss contingencies when both (a) information available prior to issuance of the financial statements indicates that it is probable that a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial statements and (b) the amount of loss can reasonably be estimated. When we accrue for loss contingencies and the reasonable estimate of the loss is within a range, we record its best estimate within the range. We disclose an estimated possible loss or a range of loss when it is at least reasonably possible that a loss may have been incurred.
	Recent Accounting Standards
	In July of 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. This new accounting guidance requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits ("UTBs") against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. Under the new standard, UTBs will be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carryforwards that would be utilized, rather than only against carryforwards that are created by the UTBs. The new standard requires prospective adoption but allows retrospective adoption for all periods presented. We will adopt the FASB’s amended guidance for our annual reporting period beginning January 1, 2014. We do not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In March of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment upon derecognition of certain subsidiaries or groups of assets within a foreign entity. The amended guidance requires that when a parent entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity, the parent is required to release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income in instances when a sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. Additionally, the amended guidance clarifies that the sale of an investment in a foreign entity includes both (1) events that result in the loss of a controlling financial interest in a foreign entity and (2) events that result in an acquirer obtaining control of an acquiree in which it held an equity interest immediately before the acquisition date. In these instances, an entity is required to release the cumulative translation adjustment into net income. We will adopt the FASB's amended guidance during the three months ended March 31, 2014. We do not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In February of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance expanding the disclosure requirements for amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendments require an entity to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes to its financial statements, details of significant items reclassified in their entirety out of accumulated other comprehensive income and identification of the respective line items effecting net income for instances when reclassification is required under U.S. GAAP. For other amounts that are not required under U.S. GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period, an entity will be required to cross-reference to other disclosures required under U.S. GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. The amendments do not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements. However, the amendments require an entity to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by type. The amendments were effective on January 1, 2013 and have been incorporated into this Form 10-K. Adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Reclassification
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for comparability purposes.

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures

Acquisitions and Divestitures	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
Acquisitions and Divestitures	'
	Acquisitions and Divestitures
	Acquisitions
	2013
	For the year ended December 31, 2013, we paid cash for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, totaling $273 million. None of our acquisitions were material either individually or in the aggregate, including the pro forma impact on earnings. All acquisitions were funded with cash flows from operations. Acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2013 by segment included:
	S&P DJ Indices
	•	In December 2013 we purchased the intellectual property rights to a range of commodities indices developed by Goldman Sachs as well as a limited-use license to promote the commodities indices using the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index trade marks. The commodities indices provide us with a leading benchmark that measures general price movements and inflation in the world economy. We accounted for the acquisition of the intellectual property on a cost basis.
	S&P Ratings
	•	In June of 2013 we made a voluntary open offer to purchase up to an additional 22.23% of the total equity shares outstanding in CRISIL Limited ("CRISIL"), our majority owned Indian credit rating agency within our S&P Ratings segment. In August of 2013, at the conclusion of the tender offer period, we acquired approximately 11 million equity shares representing 15.07% of CRISIL's total outstanding equity shares for $214 million, increasing our ownership percentage in CRISIL to 67.84% from 52.77%.
	Following CRISIL's acquisition of Coalition Development Ltd. ("Coalition") that occurred in July of 2012, we made a contingent purchase price payment in 2013 for $12 million that has been reflected in the consolidated statement of cash flows as a financing activity.
	2012
	For the year ended December 31, 2012, we paid cash for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, totaling $177 million. None of our acquisitions were material either individually or in the aggregate, including the pro forma impact on earnings. All acquisitions were funded with cash flows from operations. Acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2012 by segment included:
	S&P DJ Indices
	•	On June 29, 2012, we closed our transaction with CME Group, Inc. (“CME Group”) and CME Group Index Services LLC (“CGIS”), a joint venture between CME Group and Dow Jones & Company, Inc., to form a new company, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. See below for further detail related to this transaction.
	S&P Capital IQ
	•	On June 29, 2012, we acquired Credit Market Analysis Limited (“CMA”) from the CME Group. CMA provides independent data concerning the over-the-counter markets. CMA's data and technology will enhance our capability to provide pricing and related over-the-counter information.
	•	On April 3, 2012, we completed the acquisition of QuantHouse, an independent global provider of end-to-end systematic low-latency market data solutions. The acquisition allows us to offer real-time monitors, derived data sets and analytics as well as the ability to package and resell this data as part of a core solution.
	•	On February 8, 2012, we completed the acquisition of R² Technologies (“R²”). R² provides advanced risk and scenario-based analytics to traders, portfolio and risk managers for pricing, hedging and capital management across asset classes.
	C&C
	•	On November 1, 2012, we completed the acquisition of Kingsman SA (“Kingsman”), a privately-held, Switzerland-based provider of price information and analytics for the global sugar and biofuels markets. The acquisition of Kingsman will expand our presence in sugar and biofuels information markets and has the potential to provide growth in the global agricultural information markets.
	S&P Ratings
	•	On July 4, 2012, CRISIL, our majority owned Indian credit rating agency, completed the acquisition of Coalition Development Ltd. (“Coalition”), a privately-held U.K. analytics company, and its subsidiaries. Coalition provides high-end analytics to leading global investment banks and other financial services firms. Coalition has been integrated into CRISIL's Global Research & Analytics business.
	Our acquisitions during 2012 were accounted for using the purchase method. Under the purchase method, the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired is allocated to goodwill and other intangibles. Intangible assets recorded for all transactions are amortized using the straight-line method for periods not exceeding 20 years. None of the goodwill acquired from our acquisitions during 2012 will be deductible for tax purposes.
	Acquisition of Dow Jones Index Business
	We own 73% and CME Group and CGIS collectively own 27% of S&P Dow Jones LLC. In exchange for their 27% minority interest, CME Group and CGIS contributed their Dow Jones Index (“DJI”) business; in exchange for our 73% and controlling interest, we contributed our Standard & Poor's Index (“S&P Index”) business. The DJI business focuses on the development of financial benchmarks used by licensees to create exchange-traded funds, option contracts and futures contracts traded on exchanges as well as used as a metric to evaluate economic performance. The combination of these businesses creates the world's premier provider of financial market indices; we expect to increase revenue through international and asset-class expansion, new product development, enhanced market data offerings and increased cross-selling opportunities. The pro forma impact on revenue and earnings from our joint venture with the DJI business was not material to our consolidated results for the year ended December 31, 2012.
	The terms of the operating agreement of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC contain redemption features whereby interests held by minority partners are redeemable. See Note 8 – Equity for further discussion.
	Acquisition-Related Expenses
	During the year ended December 31, 2012, we incurred $15 million of acquisition-related costs related to the formation of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. These expenses are included in selling and general expenses in our consolidated statement of income.
	Allocation of Purchase Price
	Because we consolidate S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, we have applied the purchase method of accounting to the S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC contributed business. DJI's results of operations have been included in our consolidated results of operations subsequent to June 29, 2012 (the "Acquisition Date").
	The fair value of the DJI business acquired of $792 million was estimated by applying a market approach and an income approach. This fair value measurement is based on significant inputs not observable in the market and thus represents a Level 3 measurement. The fair value estimates of the proportionate shares of the contributed businesses are based on, but not limited to, future expected cash flows, appropriate discount rates ranging from 10% to 11%, long term growth rates of 2.5% to 3.5%, assumed financial multiples of companies deemed to be similar to the DJI, and market rate assumptions for contractual obligations. S&P Index continues to be recorded at its historical or carry-over basis.
	At the Acquisition Date, our noncontrolling interest has been recorded at the fair value of DJI we acquired plus the proportionate interest of the S&P Index business at our carry-over basis. As of June 30, 2012, we recorded a redeemable noncontrolling interest in our consolidated financial statements (see Note 8 – Equity for further discussion) at the preliminary fair value of 27% of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or $792 million due to the redemption provisions described above, representing CME Group's and CGIS' interest in S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC.
	The tables below present the consideration transferred and the allocation of purchase price to the assets and liabilities of the DJI business acquired as a result of the transaction.
	Consideration Transferred
	(in millions)
	Fair value of 27% of S&P Index	$	571
	Fair value of redeemable noncontrolling interest associated with net assets acquired	221
	Total	$	792
	Purchase Price Allocation
	(in millions)
	Current assets	$	79
	Intangible assets:
	Indefinite-lived intangibles	470
	Customer relationships	110
	Other intangibles	33
	Goodwill	111
	Current liabilities	(11		)
	Total net assets	$	792
	The intangible assets, excluding goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles, will be amortized over their anticipated useful lives of between 5 and 20 years.
	Income Taxes
	We are responsible for the tax matters for S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, including the filing of returns and the administration of any proceedings with taxing authorities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC is treated as a partnership. The income of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC flows through and is subject to tax at the partners' level. However S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC incurs current and deferred income taxes in a limited number of states and localities and its foreign subsidiaries incur immaterial current and deferred foreign income taxes.
	We recognized $216 million of non-current deferred tax liabilities in connection with CME Group and CGIS acquiring an indirect noncontrolling interest in the S&P Index business in exchange for our acquisition of a portion of our interest in the DJI business. Because we maintained control of the S&P Index business, the excess of fair value received over historical carrying value and the related tax impact were recorded in additional paid-in capital.
	Goodwill and Identifiable Intangibles
	Goodwill consists primarily of intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition, including assembled workforce, noncontractual relationships and agreements. The goodwill is not expected to be deductible for tax purposes.
	2011
	For the year ended December 31, 2011, we completed acquisitions totaling $194 million. None of our acquisitions were material either individually or in the aggregate, including the pro forma impact on earnings. All acquisitions were funded with cash flows from operations. Acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2011 included:
	•	On July 1, 2011, we acquired the issued and outstanding shares of Steel Business Briefing Group (the “SBB Group”), a privately held U.K. company and leading provider of news, pricing and analytics to the global steel market. The SBB Group provides subscription-based, electronic products to the steel industry and its participants through two principal businesses, Steel Business Briefing and The Steel Index. The SBB Group is included within Platts, part of our C&C segment. In connection with the preliminary purchase price allocation, estimates of the fair values of long-lived and intangible assets have been determined utilizing currently available information and are subject to finalization.
	•	On January 3, 2011, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding membership interest units of Bentek Energy LLC (“Bentek”), which is included as part of our C&C segment. Bentek offers its customers a comprehensive portfolio of data, information and analytics products in the natural gas and liquids sector. The primary purpose of the acquisition was to acquire Bentek’s knowledge, skill and expertise in gathering high-quality detailed data and their ability to identify key relationships within the data critical to industry participants.
	Our acquisitions of the SBB Group and Bentek were accounted for using the purchase method. Under the purchase method, the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired is allocated to goodwill and other intangibles. Intangible assets recorded for all transactions are amortized using the straight-line method for periods not exceeding 12 years. The goodwill acquired from the Bentek acquisition will be deductible for tax purposes; the goodwill acquired from the SBB Group acquisition will not be deductible for tax purposes.
	Non-cash investing activities
	Liabilities assumed in conjunction with the acquisition of businesses are as follows:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Fair value of assets acquired	$	—		$	1,071		$	214
Fair value of consideration transferred for DJI business	—			792			—
Cash paid (net of cash acquired)	—			177			194
Liabilities assumed 1	$	—		$	102		$	20
1	2013 acquisitions did not result in any liabilities assumed.
Divestitures - Continuing Operations
During the year ended December 31, 2013, we completed the following dispositions that resulted in a net pre-tax gain of $24 million, which was included in other loss (income) in the consolidated statement of income:
•	On September 30, 2013, we completed the sale of Financial Communications, which was part of our S&P Capital IQ segment.
•	On August 27, 2013, CRISIL sold its 49% equity interest in India Index Services & Products Ltd. This investment was held within our S&P Ratings segment.
•	On August 1, 2013, we completed the sale Aviation Week within our C&C segment to Penton, a privately held business information company.
Additionally, S&P Capital IQ closed several of their non-core businesses during 2013.
We did not complete any dispositions during the year ended December 31, 2012.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, we recorded a pre-tax gain of $13 million within other loss (income) in the consolidated statement of income related to the sale of our interest in the LinkedIn Corporation as part of their initial public offering. This investment was held within our C&C segment.
Discontinued Operations
On March 22, 2013, we completed the sale of MHE to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC for a purchase price of $2.4 billion in cash. We recorded an after-tax gain on the sale of $589 million , which is included in discontinued operations, net in the consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2013. We have used a portion of the after-tax proceeds from the sale to pay down short-term debt, for the special dividend paid in 2012, and to continue share repurchases. We intend to continue to use a portion of the after-tax proceeds to make selective acquisitions and investments.
In addition to the sale of MHE, our discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 also include the Broadcasting Group as we entered into a definitive agreement on October 3, 2011 with The E.W. Scripps Company to sell the Broadcasting Group. The sale was completed on December 30, 2011, when we received net proceeds of approximately $216 million. As a result of the sale, we recognized a pre-tax gain of $123 million, which was included in discontinued operations, net. For the year ended December 31, 2011 and prior periods presented, we reported our Broadcasting Group, previously included in our C&C segment, as a discontinued operation.
The key components of income from discontinued operations consist of the following:
(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
	2013			2012			2011
Revenue	$	268		$	2,062		$	2,382
Expenses	310			2,287			2,035
Operating (loss) income	(42		)	(225		)	347
Interest expense (income), net	2			(2		)	(3		)
(Loss) income before taxes on (loss) income	(44		)	(223		)	350
(Benefit) provision for taxes on (loss) income	(18		)	11			116
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax	(26		)	(234		)	234
Pre-tax gain on sale from discontinued operations	888			—			122
Provision for taxes on gain on sale	299			—			48
Gain on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	589			—			74
Discontinued operations, net	563			(234		)	308
Less: net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1		)	5			4
Income (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders	$	564		$	(239	)	$	304
Results from discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2013 included the after-tax gain on sale of MHE of $589 million.
Results from discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2012 included several non-recurring items:
•	Intangible asset impairments of $497 million that consisted of goodwill, prepublication and inventory assets at MHE's School Education Group ("SEG").
◦	As a result of the offer we received from Apollo Global Management, LLC in the fourth quarter of 2012, we performed a goodwill impairment review at MHE, which resulted in a full impairment of goodwill of $478 million at SEG.
◦	An impairment charge of $19 million was recorded on certain prepublication and inventory assets as targeted school programs were shut down.
•	Restructuring charges of $39 million consisting primarily of employee severance costs related to a workforce reduction of approximately 530 positions.
•	Direct transaction costs of $17 million for legal and professional fees related to the sale of MHE.
•	A charge related to a lease commitment of $3 million.
•	These charges were partially offset by a vacation accrual reversal of $17 million related to a change in our vacation policy.
Results from discontinued operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 included the after-tax gain on sale of the Broadcasting Group of $123 million.
The components of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale in the consolidated balance sheet consist of the following:
(in millions)	31-Dec-12
Accounts receivable, net	$	333
Property and equipment, net	122
Goodwill	469
Other intangible assets, net	156
Inventories, net	235
Prepublication costs	304
Other assets	321
Assets held for sale	$	1,940
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	123
Unearned revenue	192
Other liabilities	349
Liabilities held for sale	$	664

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	'
	Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
	Goodwill
	Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price and related costs over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired.
	The change in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment is shown below:
	(in millions)	S&P Ratings			S&P Capital IQ			S&P DJ Indices			C&C			Total
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	197		$	238		$	223		$	446		$	1,104
	Acquisitions	29			164			111			21			325
	Transfers/reorganizations	(95		)	53			45			—			3
	Other (primarily Fx)	(1		)	2			1			4			6
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	130			457			380			471			1,438
	Dispositions	—			(3		)	(4		)	(29		)	(36		)
	Other (primarily Fx)	(5		)	15			—			—			10
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	125		$	469		$	376		$	442		$	1,412
	Goodwill additions and dispositions in the table above relate to transactions discussed in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures.
	Other Intangible Assets
	Other intangible assets include both indefinite-lived assets not subject to amortization and definite-lived assets subject to amortization. We have indefinite-lived assets with a carrying value of $634 million as of both December 31, 2013 and 2012 that consist of:
	•	$380 million and $90 million, for Dow Jones Indices intellectual property and the Dow Jones tradename, respectively, that we recorded as part of the transaction to form S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC in 2012 further described in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures, and
	•	$164 million within our C&C segment for the J.D. Power and Associates tradename.
	The following table summarizes our definite-lived intangible assets:
	(in millions)
	Cost	Databases and software			Content			Customer relationships			Tradenames			Other intangibles			Total
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	109		$	139		$	115		$	45		$	62		$	470
	Acquisitions	17			—			110			1			108			236
	Other (primarily Fx)	—			—			—			(1		)	1			—
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	126			139			225			45			171			706
	Acquisitions	—			—			—			—			44			44
	Dispositions	(9		)	—			—			—			(13		)	(22		)
	Impairment 1	—			—			—			—			(26		)	(26		)
	Other (primarily Fx)	(2		)	—			—			—			(6		)	(8		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	115		$	139		$	225		$	45		$	170		$	694
	Accumulated amortization
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	70		$	17		$	43		$	27		$	50		$	207
	Current year amortization	10			14			11			3			10			48
	Other (primarily Fx)	—			—			1			—			3			4
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	80			31			55			30			63			259
	Current year amortization	9			14			11			2			15			51
	Dispositions	(6		)	—			—			—			(9		)	(15		)
	Other (Primarily Fx)	—			—			1			—			(1		)	—
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	83		$	45		$	67		$	32		$	68		$	295
	Net definite-lived intangibles:
	31-Dec-12	$	46		$	108		$	170		$	15		$	108		$	447
	31-Dec-13	$	32		$	94		$	158		$	13		$	102		$	399
	1	We incurred a $26 million non-cash impairment charge associated with an intangible asset acquired through the formation of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture.
	Definite-lived intangible assets are being amortized on a straight-line basis over periods of up to 40 years. The weighted-average life of the intangible assets as of December 31, 2013 is approximately 9 years. Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and the projected amortization expense for intangible assets over the next 5 years for the years ended December 31, assuming no further acquisitions or dispositions, is as follows:
	(in millions)	Amortization			Expected
		expense			amortization
					expense
	2011	$	33
	2012	48
	2013	51
	2014				$	47
	2015				45
	2016				45
	2017				42
	2018				36

Taxes_on_Income

Taxes on Income	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Taxes on Income	'
	Taxes on Income
	Income before taxes on income resulted from domestic and foreign operations as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
	Domestic operations	$	868			$	841			$	700
	Foreign operations	478				289				300
	Total continuing income before taxes	$	1,346			$	1,130			$	1,000
	The provision/(benefit) for taxes on income consists of the following:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
	Federal:
	Current	$	209			$	194			$	238
	Deferred	51				74				(6		)
	Total federal	260				268				232
	Foreign:
	Current	152				91				93
	Deferred	(19		)		(9		)		13
	Total foreign	133				82				106
	State and local:
	Current	40				40				36
	Deferred	10				14				—
	Total state and local	50				54				36
	Total provision for taxes for continuing operations	443				404				374
	Provision for discontinued operations	281				11				164
	Total provision for taxes	$	724			$	415			$	538
	A reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate to our effective income tax rate for financial reporting purposes is as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	U.S. federal statutory income tax rate	35	%		35	%		35	%
	State and local income taxes	2.8			3.6			2.4
	Foreign operations	(3.7	)		(2.6	)		(3.0	)
	S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture	(1.9	)		(1.1	)		—
	Other, net	0.7			0.9			3
	Effective income tax rate for continuing operations	32.9	%		35.8	%		37.4	%
	The principal temporary differences between the accounting for income and expenses for financial reporting and income tax purposes are as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013				2012
	Deferred tax assets:
	Postretirement benefits	$	32			$	201
	Employee compensation	72				123
	Accrued expenses	142				105
	Unearned revenue	55				60
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	15				17
	Loss carryforwards	28				25
	Other	10				—
	Total deferred tax assets	354				531
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Goodwill and intangible assets 1	(379		)		(379		)
	Fixed assets	(55		)		(54		)
	Other	—				(1		)
	Total deferred tax liabilities	(434		)		(434		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset before valuation allowance	(80		)		97
	Valuation allowance	(5		)		(7		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	$	(85	)		$	90
	Reported as:
	Current deferred tax assets	$	108			$	117
	Current deferred tax liabilities	(10		)		(7		)
	Non-current deferred tax assets	22				36
	Non-current deferred tax liabilities	(205		)		(56		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	$	(85	)		$	90
	1	See Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures for further discussion regarding the impact related to the S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC.
	We record valuation allowances against deferred income tax assets when we determine that it is more likely than not based upon all the available evidence that such deferred income tax assets will not be realized. The valuation allowance is primarily related to operating losses.
	We have not recorded deferred income taxes applicable to undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that are indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations. Undistributed earnings that are indefinitely reinvested in foreign operations amounted to $930 million at December 31, 2013. Quantification of the deferred tax liability, if any, associated with indefinitely reinvested earnings is not practicable.
We made net income tax payments for continuing and discontinued operations totaling $787 million in 2013, $243 million in 2012, and $452 million in 2011. As of December 31, 2013, we had net operating loss carryforwards of $165 million, some of which will expire over varying periods.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
	2013				2012				2011
Balance at beginning of year	$	74			$	58			$	53
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	27				14				12
Additions for tax positions of prior years	10				3				3
Reduction for tax positions of prior years	(9		)		(1		)		(10		)
Reduction for settlements	(20		)		—				—
Balance at end of year	$	82			$	74			$	58
The total amount of federal, state and local, and foreign unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 was $82 million and $74 million, respectively, exclusive of interest and penalties. The increase of $28 million in 2013 (excluding settlements) is the amount of unrecognized tax benefits that unfavorably impacted tax expense for continuing and discontinued operations. The unfavorable impact to the tax provision was partially offset by the resolution of tax audits in multiple jurisdictions.
We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and operating-related expense, respectively. In addition to the unrecognized tax benefits, as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, we had $19 million and $14 million, respectively, of accrued interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions.
During 2013, we made a U.S. federal income tax payment in settlement of an issue related to tax years 2007 through 2010 and also effectively completed the audit for 2011. However, even though we have effectively completed the U.S. federal tax audit for 2011, it remained open pending an unresolved issue. Also during 2013, we completed various state and foreign tax audits and, with few exceptions, we are no longer subject to federal, state and local, or non-U.S. income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before 2005. During 2011 and 2012, we completed various state and foreign tax audits. The impact to tax expense in 2013, 2012 and 2011 was not material.
We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various states, and foreign jurisdictions, and we are routinely under audit by many different tax authorities. We believe that our accrual for tax liabilities is adequate for all open audit years based on an assessment of many factors including past experience and interpretations of tax law. This assessment relies on estimates and assumptions and may involve a series of complex judgments about future events. It is possible that tax examinations will be settled prior to December 31, 2014. If any of these tax audit settlements do occur within that period, we would make any necessary adjustments to the accrual for unrecognized tax benefits. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the tax authorities, the determination of a possible audit settlement range with respect to the impact on unrecognized tax benefits is not practicable. On the basis of present information, it is our opinion that any assessments resulting from the current audits will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Although the timing of income tax audit resolution and negotiations with taxing authorities are highly uncertain, we do not anticipate a significant change to the total amount of unrecognized income tax benefits within the next twelve months.

Debt

Debt	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Debt	'
	Debt
	A summary of short-term and long-term debt outstanding is as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013		2012
	5.9% Senior Notes, due 2017 1	$	400	$	400
	6.55% Senior Notes, due 2037 2	399		399
	Commercial paper	—		457
	Total debt	799		1,256
	Less: short-term debt including current maturities	—		457
	Long-term debt	$	799	$	799
	1	Interest payments are due semiannually on April 15 and October 15, and as of December 31, 2013, the unamortized debt discount is less than $1 million.
	2	Interest payments are due semiannually on May 15 and November 15, and as of December 31, 2013, the unamortized debt discount is approximately $1 million.
	Annual long-term debt maturities are scheduled as follows based on book values as of December 31, 2013: no amounts due from 2014 – 2016, approximately $400 million due in 2017 and approximately $399 million due thereafter.
	Currently, we have the ability to borrow a total of $1.0 billion through our commercial paper program, which is supported by our credit facility described below. As of December 31, 2013, there were no commercial paper borrowings outstanding. In connection with the December 2012 special dividend in the amount of $2.50 per share on our common stock, we utilized our commercial paper program and as a result, commercial paper borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2012 totaled $457 million with an average interest rate and term of 0.48% and 28 days.
	On June 19, 2013, we entered into a $1.0 billion four-year credit agreement (our “credit facility”) that will terminate on June 19, 2017. This credit facility replaced our $1.2 billion three-year credit facility that was scheduled to terminate on July 30, 2013. The previous credit facility was canceled immediately after the new credit facility became effective. There were no outstanding borrowings under the previous credit facility when it was replaced.
	We pay a commitment fee of 20 to 45 basis points for our credit facility, depending on our indebtedness to cash flow ratio, whether or not amounts have been borrowed and currently pay a commitment fee of 25 basis points. The interest rate on borrowings under our credit facility is, at our option, calculated using rates that are primarily based on either the prevailing London Inter-Bank Offer Rate, the prime rate determined by the administrative agent or the Federal funds rate. For certain borrowings under this credit facility there is also a spread based on our indebtness to cash flow ratio added to the applicable rate.
	Our credit facility contains certain covenants. The only financial covenant requires that our indebtedness to cash flow ratio, as defined in our credit facility, is not greater than 3.25 to 1, and this covenant has never been exceeded.
	On February 7, 2013, Fitch Ratings downgraded our credit rating to BBB+ from A- and placed our ratings on Rating Watch Negative. There has been no change to our short-term / commercial paper rating of F2 from Fitch Ratings. On February 14, 2013, Moody's Investors Service downgraded our credit rating from A3 to Baa2 with negative outlook. In March 2013, upon the completion of the sale of McGraw-Hill Education, Moody's withdrew our credit ratings (due to Moody's own business reasons).

Employee_Benefits

Employee Benefits	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Employee Benefits	'
	Employee Benefits
	We maintain a number of active defined contribution retirement plans for our employees. The majority of our defined benefit plans are frozen. As a result, no new employees will be permitted to enter these plans and no additional benefits for current participants in the frozen plans will be accrued.
	We also have supplemental benefit plans that provide senior management with supplemental retirement, disability and death benefits. Certain supplemental retirement benefits are based on final monthly earnings. In addition, we sponsor voluntary 401(k) plans under which we may match employee contributions up to certain levels of compensation as well as profit-sharing plans under which we contribute a percentage of eligible employees' compensation to the employees' accounts.
	We also provide certain medical, dental and life insurance benefits for active and retired employees and eligible dependents. The medical and dental plans and supplemental life insurance plan are contributory, while the basic life insurance plan is noncontributory. We currently do not prefund any of these plans.
	We recognize the funded status of our retirement and postretirement plans in the consolidated balance sheets, with a corresponding adjustment to accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes. The amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income represent net unrecognized actuarial losses and unrecognized prior service costs. These amounts will be subsequently recognized as net periodic pension cost pursuant to our accounting policy for amortizing such amounts.
	As part of the sale of MHE, described further in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures, we retained the benefit obligations and plan assets related to MHE, however, the benefit cost for periods presented is bifurcated between continuing and discontinued operations.
	Benefit Obligation
	A summary of the benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets, as well as the funded status for the retirement and postretirement plans as of December 31, is as follows (benefits paid in the table below include only those amounts contributed directly to or paid directly from plan assets):
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans								Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2013			2012
	Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	2,171			$	1,834			$	129		$	129
	Service cost	10				24				2			3
	Interest cost	91				93				5			5
	Plan participants’ contributions	—				1				4			5
	Actuarial (gain) loss	(178		)		287				(13		)	3
	Gross benefits paid	(77		)		(71		)		(13		)	(17		)
	Foreign currency effect	8				11				—			—
	Curtailment 1	(26		)		—				(11		)	—
	Other adjustments	5				(8		)		—			1
	Net benefit obligation at end of year	2,004				2,171				103			129
	Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	1,851				1,505				—			—
	Actual return on plan assets	281				212				—			—
	Employer contributions	27				193				9			12
	Plan participants’ contributions	—				1				4			5
	Gross benefits paid	(77		)		(71		)		(13		)	(17		)
	Foreign currency effect	6				11				—			—
	Fair value of plan assets at end of year	2,088				1,851				—			—
	Funded status	$	84			$	(320	)		$	(103	)	$	(129	)
	Amounts recognized in consolidated balance sheets:
	Non-current assets	$	261			$	98			$	—		$	—
	Current liabilities	(7		)		(7		)		(9		)	(11		)
	Non-current liabilities	(170		)		(411		)		(94		)	(118		)
		$	84			$	(320	)		$	(103	)	$	(129	)
	Accumulated benefit obligation	$	2,004			$	2,093
	Plans with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of the fair value of plan assets:
	Projected benefit obligation	$	176			$	1,773
	Accumulated benefit obligation	$	158			$	1,756
	Fair value of plan assets	$	—			$	1,356
	Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax:
	Net actuarial loss (gain)	$	227			$	455			$	(11	)	$	(3	)
	Prior service credit	1				(4		)		(1		)	(1		)
	Total recognized	$	228			$	451			$	(12	)	$	(4	)
	1	The curtailment gain for our retirement plans relates to a freeze of pension accruals for MHE employees as well as all remaining active employees in the United Kingdom ("U.K."). The curtailment gain for our postretirement plans relates to the sale of MHE on March 22, 2013.
	The actuarial loss included in accumulated other comprehensive loss for our retirement plans and expected to be recognized in net periodic pension cost during the year ending December 31, 2014 is $7 million. There is no prior service credit included in accumulated other comprehensive loss for our retirement plans expected to be recognized in net periodic benefit cost during the year ending December 31, 2014.
	There are immaterial amounts of prior service credit and actuarial loss included in accumulated other comprehensive loss for our postretirement plans expected to be recognized in net periodic benefit cost during the year ending December 31, 2014.
	Net Periodic Cost
	For purposes of determining annual pension cost, prior service costs are being amortized straight-line over the average remaining service period of employees expected to receive benefits.
	A summary of net periodic benefit cost for our retirement and postretirement plans for the years ended December 31, is as follows:
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans											Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2011			2013				2012			2011
	Service cost	$	10			$	24			$	67		$	2			$	3		$	3
	Interest cost	91				93				99			5				5			6
	Expected return on assets	(129		)		(124		)		(127		)	—				—			—
	Amortization of:
	Actuarial loss	26				32				31			—				—			—
	Prior service credit	5				(1		)		—			(1		)		(1		)	(1		)
	Curtailment 1	(8		)		—				—			(12		)		—			—
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	(5	)		$	24			$	70		$	(6	)		$	7		$	8
	1	The curtailment gain for our retirement plans relates to a freeze of pension accruals for MHE employees as well as all remaining active employees in the United Kingdom ("U.K."). The curtailment gain for our postretirement plans relates to the sale of MHE on March 22, 2013.
	Our U.K. retirement plan accounted for a benefit of $10 million in 2013, including the $8 million curtailment gain discussed above, and $3 million in 2012 and 2011 of the net periodic benefit cost attributable to the funded plans.
	Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax for the years ended December 31, are as follows:
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans											Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2011			2013				2012			2011
Net actuarial (gain) loss	$	(213	)		$	116			$	65		$	(8	)		$	2		$	(12	)
Recognized actuarial gain	(15		)		(20		)		(18		)	—				—			—
Prior service credit	5				2				—			—				1			1
Total recognized	$	(223	)		$	98			$	47		$	(8	)		$	3		$	(11	)
The total cost for our retirement plans was $96 million for 2013, $129 million for 2012 and $175 million for 2011. Included in the total retirement plans cost are defined contribution plans cost of $75 million for 2013, $86 million for 2012 and $88 million 2011.
Assumptions
	Retirement Plans									Postretirement Plans
	2013			2012			2011			2013		2012			2011
Benefit obligation: 1
Discount rate	5	%		4.1	%		5.1	%		4.2	%	3.45	%		4.45	%
Compensation increase factor	N/A			N/A			4.5	%
Net periodic cost:
Weighted-average healthcare cost rate 2										7	%	7.5	%		8	%
Discount rate - U.S. plan 3	4.1	%		5.1	%		5.4	%		3.45	%	4.45	%		4.65	%
Discount rate - U.K. plan 3	4.8	%		5.1	%		5.5	%
Compensation increase factor - U.S. plan	N/A			4.5	%		4.5	%
Compensation increase factor - U.K. plan	5.75	%		5.85	%		6.25	%
Return on assets 4	7.25	%		7.75	%		8	%
1	These assumptions for the retirement plans relate to our U.S. ERP and a compensation increase factor is no longer applicable because there are no further salary increases as the U.S. ERP was frozen in April 2012.
2	The assumed weighted-average healthcare cost trend rate will decrease ratably from 7% in 2013 to 5% in 2020 and remain at that level thereafter. Assumed healthcare cost trends have an effect on the amounts reported for the healthcare plans. A one percentage point change in assumed healthcare cost trend creates the following effects:
(in millions)	1% point				1% point
	increase				decrease
Effect on postretirement obligation	$	4			$	(4	)
3	Effective January 1, 2014, we changed our discount rate assumption on our U.S. retirement plans to 5.0% from 4.1% in 2013 and changed our discount rate assumption on our U.K. plan to 4.5% from 4.8% in 2013.
4	The expected return on assets assumption is calculated based on the plan’s asset allocation strategy and projected market returns over the long-term. Effective January 1, 2014, we changed our return on assets assumption to 7.125% from 7.25% for the U.S. plan in 2013 and to 6.75% from 7.25% for the U.K. plan in 2013.
Cash Flows
In December 2003, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (the “Act”) was enacted. The Act established a prescription drug benefit under Medicare, known as “Medicare Part D”, and a federal subsidy to sponsors of retiree healthcare benefit plans that provide a benefit that is at least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part D. Our benefits provided to certain participants are at least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part D, and, accordingly, we are entitled to a subsidy.
Expected employer contributions in 2014 are $23 million for our retirement plans and $10 million for our postretirement plans. In 2014, we may elect to make additional non-required contributions depending on investment performance and the pension plan status. Information about the expected cash flows for our retirement and postretirement plans and the impact of the Medicare subsidy is as follows:
(in millions)					Postretirement Plans 2
	Retirement 1				Gross				Retiree			Medicare				Net
	Plans				payments				contributions			subsidy				payments
2014	$	76			$	14			$	(5	)	$	(1	)		$	8
2015	79				14				(5		)	(1		)		8
2016	84				15				(6		)	(1		)		8
2017	88				15				(6		)	(1		)		8
2018	92				15				(7		)	(1		)		7
2019-2023	512				79				(44		)	(3		)		32
1	Reflects the total benefits expected to be paid from the plans or from our assets including both our share of the benefit cost and the participants’ share of the cost.
2	Reflects the total benefits expected to be paid from our assets.
Fair Value of Plan Assets
In accordance with authoritative guidance for fair value measurements certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the amount that would be received for selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. A fair value hierarchy has been established which requires us to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:
•	Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
•	Level 2 - Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
•	Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
The fair value of our defined benefit plans assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, by asset class is as follows:
(in millions)	31-Dec-13
	Total				Level 1				Level 2			Level 3
Cash and short-term investments, and other	$	68			$	20			$	48		$	—
Equity securities:
U.S. indexes 1	514				145				369			—
U.S. growth and value	373				325				48			—
U.K.	183				101				82			—
International, excluding U.K.	227				131				96			—
Fixed income securities:
Long duration strategy 2	517				—				517			—
Intermediate duration securities	11				—				11			—
Agency mortgage backed securities	7				—				7			—
Asset backed securities	16				—				16			—
Non-agency mortgage backed securities 3	45				—				45			—
U.K. 4	66				—				66			—
International, excluding U.K.	61				—				61			—
Total	$	2,088			$	722			$	1,366		$	—
(in millions)	31-Dec-12
	Total				Level 1				Level 2			Level 3
Cash and short-term investments, and other	$	180			$	2			$	178		$	—
Equity securities:
U.S. indexes 1	399				119				280			—
U.S. growth and value	344				307				37			—
U.K.	154				85				69			—
International, excluding U.K.	225				137				87			1
Fixed income securities:
Long duration strategy 2	370				—				370			—
Intermediate duration securities	3				—				3			—
Agency mortgage backed securities	13				—				13			—
Asset backed securities	10				—				10			—
Non-agency mortgage backed securities 3	52				—				52			—
U.K. 4	41				—				41			—
International, excluding U.K.	43				—				43			—
Real estate:
U.K. 5	17				—				—			17
Total	$	1,851			$	650			$	1,183		$	18
1	Includes securities that are tracked in the following indexes: S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, S&P MidCap 400 Growth and S&P Smallcap 600.
2	Includes securities that are investment grade obligations of issuers in the U.S.
3	Includes U.S. mortgage-backed securities that are not backed by the U.S. government.
4	Includes securities originated by the government of and other issuers from the U.K.
5	Includes a fund which holds real estate properties in the U.K.
For securities that are quoted in active markets, the trustee/custodian determines fair value by applying securities’ prices obtained from its pricing vendors. For commingled funds that are not actively traded, the trustee applies pricing information provided by investment management firms to the unit quantities of such funds. Investment management firms employ their own pricing vendors to value the securities underlying each commingled fund. Underlying securities that are not actively traded derive their prices from investment managers, which in turn, employ vendors that use pricing models (e.g. discounted cash flow, comparables). The domestic defined benefit plans have no investment in our stock, except through the S&P 500 commingled index fund.
The trustee obtains estimated prices from vendors for securities that are not easily quotable and they are categorized accordingly as Level 3. The following tables details further information our plan assets where we have used significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):
(in millions)
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2012	$	18
Capital distributions	(18		)
Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	$	—
Pension Trusts’ Asset Allocations
There are two pension trusts, one in the U.S. and one in the U.K.
•	The U.S. pension trust had assets of $1.7 billion and $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and the target allocations in 2014 include 48% domestic equities, 12% international equities, and 40% debt securities and short-term investments.
•	The U.K. pension trust had assets of $399 million and $318 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and the target allocations in 2014 include 30% equities, 40% diversified growth funds, and 30% fixed income.
The pension assets are invested with the goal of producing a combination of capital growth, income, and a liability hedge. The mix of assets is established after consideration of the long-term performance and risk characteristics of asset classes. Investments are selected based on their potential to enhance returns, preserve capital, and reduce overall volatility. Holdings are diversified within each asset class. The portfolios employ a mix of index and actively managed equity strategies by market capitalization, style, geographic regions, and economic sectors. The fixed income strategies include U.S. long duration securities, opportunistic fixed income securities, and U.K. debt instruments. The short-term portfolio, whose primary goal is capital preservation for liquidity purposes, is composed of government and government-agency securities, un-invested cash, receivables, and payables. The portfolios do not employ any financial leverage.
U.S. Defined Contribution Plans
Assets of the defined contribution plans in the U.S. consist primarily of investment options which include actively managed equity, indexed equity, actively managed equity/bond funds, McGraw Hill Financial common stock, stable value, and money market strategies. There is also a self-directed mutual fund investment option. The plans purchased 261,672 and sold 1,182,318 shares of McGraw Hill Financial common stock in 2013 and purchased 620,455 and sold 869,199 shares of McGraw Hill Financial common stock in 2012. The plans held approximately 2.2 million shares of McGraw Hill Financial common stock as of December 31, 2013 and 3.7 million shares as of December 31, 2012, with market values of $172 million and $200 million, respectively. The plans received dividends on McGraw Hill Financial common stock of $3 million during the year ended December 31, 2013 and $13 million during the year ended December 31, 2012.

StockBased_Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock-Based Compensation	'
	Stock-Based Compensation
	We issue stock-based incentive awards to our eligible employees and Directors under the 2002 Employee Stock Incentive Plan and a Director Deferred Stock Ownership Plan.
	•	2002 Employee Stock Incentive Plan (the “2002 Plan”) – The 2002 Plan permits the granting of nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance stock, restricted stock and other stock-based awards.
	•	Director Deferred Stock Ownership Plan – Under this plan, common stock reserved may be credited to deferred stock accounts for eligible Directors. In general, the plan requires that 50% of eligible Directors’ annual compensation plus dividend equivalents be credited to deferred stock accounts. Each Director may also elect to defer all or a portion of the remaining compensation and have an equivalent number of shares credited to the deferred stock account. Recipients under this plan are not required to provide consideration to us other than rendering service. Shares will be delivered as of the date a recipient ceases to be a member of the Board of Directors or within five years thereafter, if so elected. The plan will remain in effect until terminated by the Board of Directors or until no shares of stock remain available under the plan.
	The number of common shares reserved for issuance are as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013		2012
	Shares available for granting under the 2002 Plan	30.3		26.8
	Options outstanding	12.2		18.6
	Total shares reserved for issuance 1	42.5		45.4
	1	Shares reserved for issuance under the Director Deferred Stock Ownership Plan are not included in the total, but are less than 0.2 million.
	We issue treasury shares upon exercise of stock options and the issuance of restricted stock and unit awards. To offset the dilutive effect of the exercise of employee stock options, we periodically repurchase shares, see Note 8 – Equity for further discussion.
	Common shares reserved for issuance in 2012 was impacted by the special dividend announced in the fourth quarter of 2012. In conjunction with the special dividend, the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee of the Board of Directors decided that employees who hold stock options, performance share units and restricted unit awards under the employee stock ownership plans should receive the economic benefit of the special dividend. Therefore, employees' equity awards have been adjusted to maintain the value of the award prior to the special dividend.
	Stock-based compensation expense and the corresponding tax benefit are as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012				2011
	Stock option expense	$	13		$	10			$	19
	Restricted stock and unit awards expense	86			83				58
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	99		$	93			$	77
	Tax benefit	$	38		$	36			$	29
	Stock-based compensation of $7 million, $16 million and $19 million is recorded in discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, as as result of the sale of MHE described further in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures. Additionally, stock-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 include amounts related to employees at the Company's corporate offices who transferred to MHE of $5 million and $4 million, respectively.
	Stock Options
	Stock options may not be granted at a price less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Stock options granted in 2013 vest over a three years service period in equal annual installments and have a maximum term of 10 years. Stock option compensation costs for 2013 grants are recognized from the date of grant, utilizing a three-year graded vesting method. Under this method, one third of the costs are ratably recognized over the first twelve months, one third of the costs are ratably recognized over a twenty-four month period starting from the date of grant with the remaining costs ratably recognized over a thirty-six month period starting from the date of grant.
	Stock options granted in 2011 and prior years vest over a two years service period in equal annual installments and have a maximum term of 10 years. Stock option compensation costs for 2011 and prior year grants are recognized from the date of grant, utilizing a two-year graded vesting method. Under this method, fifty percent of the costs are ratably recognized over the first twelve months with the remaining costs ratably recognized over a twenty-four month period starting from the date of grant.
	We use a lattice-based option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of options granted. The following assumptions were used in valuing the options granted (in 2012, stock options were not granted as part of employees' total stock-based incentive awards):
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Risk-free average interest rate	0.1 - 2.9%			N/A		0.2 - 3.5%
	Dividend yield	2.09 - 2.07%			N/A		2.5 - 3.0%
	Volatility	29 - 45%			N/A		21 - 51%
	Expected life (years)	6.1 - 6.2			N/A		6.1 - 6.2
	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per option	$	14.46		N/A		$	10.61
	Because lattice-based option-pricing models incorporate ranges of assumptions, those ranges are disclosed. These assumptions are based on multiple factors, including historical exercise patterns, post-vesting termination rates, expected future exercise patterns and the expected volatility of our stock price. The risk-free interest rate is the imputed forward rate based on the U.S. Treasury yield at the date of grant. We use the historical volatility of our stock price over the expected term of the options to estimate the expected volatility. The expected term of options granted is derived from the output of the lattice model and represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding.
	Stock option activity is as follows:
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted average exercise price				Weighted-average remaining years of contractual term		Aggregate intrinsic value
	Options outstanding as of December 31, 2012	18.6			$	39.58
	Granted	1.4		1	$	51.69
	Exercised	(7.4	)		$	37.78
	Canceled, forfeited and expired	(0.4	)		$	50.33
	Options outstanding as of December 31, 2013	12.2			$	41.78			4.3		$	445
	Options exercisable as of December 31, 2013	10.9			$	40.55			3.7		$	409
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted-average grant-date fair value
	Nonvested options outstanding as of December 31, 2012	1.1			$	10.61
	Granted	1.4			$	14.46
	Vested	(1.2		)	$	10.61
	Nonvested options outstanding as of December 31, 2013	1.3			$	14.46
	Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested options	$	9
	Weighted-average years to be recognized over	2.3
	The total fair value of our stock options that vested during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $12 million, $21 million and $18 million, respectively. In 2012, stock options were not granted as part of employees' total stock-based incentive awards which contributed to the decrease in the fair value of our stock options that vested during the year ended December 31, 2013.
	We receive a tax deduction for certain stock option exercises during the period in which the options are exercised, generally for the excess of the quoted market value of the stock at the time of the exercise of the options over the exercise price of the options (“intrinsic value”). For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, $43 million, $42 million and $20 million, respectively, of excess tax benefits from stock options exercised are reported in our cash flows used for financing activities.
	Information regarding our stock option exercises is as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012				2011
	Net cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options	$	258		$	299			$	139
	Total intrinsic value of stock option exercises	$	158		$	120			$	41
	Income tax benefit realized from stock option exercises	$	61		$	47			$	16
	Restricted Stock and Unit Awards
	Restricted stock and unit awards (performance and non-performance) have been granted under the 2002 Plan. Restricted stock and unit performance awards will vest only if we achieve certain financial goals over the performance period. Restricted stock non-performance awards have various vesting periods (generally three years), with vesting beginning on the first anniversary of the awards. Recipients of restricted stock and unit awards are not required to provide consideration to us other than rendering service.
	The stock-based compensation expense for restricted stock and unit awards is determined based on the market price of our stock at the grant date of the award applied to the total number of awards that are anticipated to fully vest. For restricted stock and unit performance awards, adjustments are made to expense dependent upon financial goals achieved.
	Restricted stock and unit activity for performance and non-performance awards is as follows:
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted-average grant-date fair value
	Nonvested shares as of December 31, 2012	3.4			$	40.49
	Granted	3			$	44.22
Vested	(3.1		)	$	38.93
Forfeited	(0.2		)	$	46.28
Nonvested shares as of December 31, 2013	3.1			$	47.89
Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested awards	$	84
Weighted-average years to be recognized over	1.6
	Year Ended December 31,
	2013			2012				2011
Weighted-average grant-date fair value per award	$	44.22		$	44.38			$	37.8
Total fair value of restricted stock and unit awards vested	$	119		$	90			$	1
Tax benefit relating to restricted stock activity	$	33		$	32			$	22

Equity

Equity	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'
Equity	'
	Equity
	Capital Stock
	Two million shares of preferred stock, par value $1 per share, are authorized; none have been issued.
	On January 29, 2014, the Board of Directors approved an increase in the dividends for 2014 to a quarterly rate of $0.30 per common share.
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Quarterly dividend rate	$	0.28		$	0.255	$	0.25
	Annualized dividend rate	$	1.12		$	1.02	$	1
	Special dividend	$	—		$	2.5	$	—
	Dividends paid (in millions)	$	308		$	984	$	296
	Stock Repurchases
	On December 4, 2013, the Board of Directors approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing the purchase of 50 million shares (the "2013 Repurchase Program"), which was approximately 18% of the total shares of our outstanding common stock at that time. In 2011, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the purchase of up to 50 million shares (the “2011 Repurchase Program”), which was approximately 17% of the total shares of our outstanding common stock at that time. In 2007, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program authorizing the purchase of up to 45 million shares (the “2007 Repurchase Program”).
	Share repurchases were as follows:
	(in millions, except average price)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Total number of shares purchased - 2011 Repurchase Program 1, 2	16.9			6.8		26.3
	Total number of shares purchased - 2007 Repurchase Program	—			—		8.4
	Average price paid per share 2, 3	$	58.52		$	50.35	$	40.48
	Total cash utilized	$	989		$	295	$	1,500
	1	2013 and 2012 includes shares received as part of our accelerated share repurchase agreements as described in more detail below.
	2	In any period, cash used in financing activities related to common stock repurchased may differ from the comparable change in equity, reflecting timing differences between the recognition of share repurchase transactions and their settlement for cash. As such, in fourth quarter of 2013, 0.1 million shares were repurchased for approximately $10 million, which settled in January 2014. Excluding these 0.1 million shares, the average price paid per share was $58.36.
	3	Average price paid per share information for 2013 includes the accelerated share repurchase transaction, while 2012 and 2011 does not include the accelerated share repurchase transactions entered in December 2011 as discussed in more detail below.
	Our purchased shares may be used for general corporate purposes, including the issuance of shares for stock compensation plans and to offset the dilutive effect of the exercise of employee stock options. As of December 31, 2013, 50 million shares remained available under the 2013 Repurchase Program. As of December 31, 2013, there were no remaining shares available under the 2007 or 2011 Repurchase Programs. The 2013 Repurchase Program has no expiration date and purchases under this program may be made from time to time on the open market and in private transactions, depending on market conditions.
	Accelerated Share Repurchase Program
	We entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement with a financial institution on March 25, 2013 to initiate share repurchases aggregating $500 million. The ASR agreement was structured as a capped ASR agreement in which we paid $500 million and received an initial delivery of approximately 7.2 million shares during the three months ended March 31, 2013, with an additional 1.4 million shares received on April 1, 2013, in the aggregate, representing the minimum number of shares of our common stock to be repurchased based on a calculation using a specific capped price per share. The total number of shares ultimately purchased was determined based on the volume weighted-average share price (“VWAP”), minus a discount, of our common stock from March 25, 2013 through July 22, 2013. On July 25, 2013 we received a final incremental delivery of 0.7 million shares determined using a VWAP of $53.7995 bringing the total amount of shares received to 9.3 million.
	In December of 2011 we entered into two separate ASR agreements with a financial institution to initiate share repurchases aggregating $500 million. The first ASR agreement was structured as an uncollared ASR agreement for the repurchase of $250 million of shares at a per share price equal to the VWAP of our common stock between December 7, 2011 and February 22, 2012. We purchased and received approximately 5 million and 0.8 million shares in December 2011 and February 2012, respectively, under the agreement. The second agreement was structured as a capped agreement for the repurchase of 250 million of shares where we purchased and received 5 million and 0.1 million shares in December 2011 and April 2012, respectively.
	Redeemable Noncontrolling Interests
	The agreement with the minority partners of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC partnership discussed in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures contains redemption features whereby interests held by minority partners are redeemable either (i) at the option of the holder or (ii) upon the occurrence of an event that is not solely within our control. Specifically, under the terms of the operating agreement of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, after December 31, 2017, CME Group and CGIS will have the right at any time to sell, and we are obligated to buy, at least 20% of their share in S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. In addition, in the event there is a change of control of the Company, for the 15 days following a change in control, CME Group and CGIS will have the right to put their interest to us at the then fair value of CME Group's and CGIS' minority interest.
	If interests were to be redeemed under this agreement, we would generally be required to purchase the interest at fair value on the date of redemption. This interest is presented on the consolidated balance sheet outside of equity under the caption “Redeemable noncontrolling interest” with an initial value based on fair value for the portion attributable to the net assets we acquired, and based on our historical cost for the portion attributable to our S&P Index business. We adjust the redeemable noncontrolling interest each reporting period to its estimated redemption value, but never less than its initial fair value, considering a combination of an income and market valuation approach. Out income and market valuation approaches may incorporate Level 3 fair value measures for instances when observable inputs are not available, including assumptions related to expected future net cash flows, long-term growth rates, the timing and nature of tax attributes, and the redemption features. Any adjustments to the redemption value will impact retained income.
	Noncontrolling interests that do not contain such redemption features are presented in equity.
	Changes to redeemable noncontrolling interest during the year ended December 31, 2013 were as follows:
	(in millions)
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	810
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	73
	Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(62		)
	Redemption value adjustment	(11		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	810

Earnings_per_Share

Earnings per Share	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share	'
	Earnings per Share
	Basic earnings per common share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net income attributable to the common shareholders of the Company by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted EPS is computed in the same manner as basic EPS, except the number of shares is increased to include additional common shares that would have been outstanding if potential common shares with a dilutive effect had been issued. Potential common shares consist primarily of stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units calculated using the treasury stock method.
	The calculation for basic and diluted EPS is as follows:
	(in millions, except per share data)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Amount attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	812		$	676		$	607
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	564			(239		)	304
	Net income attributable to the Company	$	1,376		$	437		$	911
	Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	274.5			278.6			298.1
	Effect of stock options and other dilutive securities	5.3			6			5.5
	Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	279.8			284.6			303.6
	Basic EPS:
	Income from continuing operations	$	2.96		$	2.43		$	2.03
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	2.05			(0.86		)	1.02
	Net income	$	5.01		$	1.57		$	3.05
	Diluted EPS:
	Income from continuing operations	$	2.9		$	2.37		$	2
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	2.01			(0.84		)	1
	Net income	$	4.91		$	1.53		$	3
	There were 0.9 million, 1.4 million and 1.6 million restricted performance shares outstanding as of December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively, that were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per common share because the necessary vesting conditions have not yet been met.
	The effect of the potential exercise of stock options is excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share when the average market price of the common stock is lower than the exercise price of the related option during the period because the effect would have been antidilutive. For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the number of stock options excluded from the computation are as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013		2012			2011
	Stock options excluded from diluted EPS computation	1.2		3.4			10.1

Restructuring

Restructuring	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Restructuring	'
	Restructuring
	As part of our Growth and Value Plan that we began in September of 2011, we have initiated various restructuring plans as we identified opportunities for cost savings through workforce reductions and created a flatter and more agile organization. Additionally, as we continued to evaluate our remaining cost structure in 2013, particularly in light of recent divestitures, we further identified cost savings associated with streamlining our management structure and our decision to exit non-strategic businesses. Our 2013 and 2012 restructuring plans consisted of a company-wide workforce reduction of approximately 520 positions and 670 positions, respectively, and are further detailed below. The charges for each restructuring plan are classified as selling and general expenses within the consolidated statements of income and the reserves are included in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
	In certain circumstances, reserves are no longer needed because of efficiencies in carrying out the plans or because employees previously identified for separation resigned from the Company and did not receive severance or were reassigned due to circumstances not foreseen when the original plans were initiated. In these cases, we reverse reserves through the consolidated statements of income during the period when it is determined they are no longer needed. There was approximately $7 million of reserves from the 2012 restructuring plan that we have reversed in 2013, which offset the initial charge of $49 million recorded for the 2013 restructuring plan.
	As part of the sale of MHE, described further in Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures, we have retained MHE's restructuring liabilities. Therefore, the remaining reserve for the 2012 restructuring plan detailed below includes MHE's restructuring liability, however, the initial charge associated with the reserve has been bifurcated between continuing and discontinued operations.
	The initial restructuring charge recorded and the ending reserve balance as of December 31, 2013 by segment is as follows:
		2013 Restructuring Plan				2012 Restructuring Plan
	(in millions)	Initial Charge Recorded		Ending Reserve Balance		Initial Charge Recorded		Ending Reserve Balance
	S&P Ratings	$	13	$	13	$	15	3
	S&P Capital IQ	10		9		19		1
	S&P DJ Indices	—		—		1		—
	C&C	10		7		12		2
	Corporate	16		10		21		—
	Total continuing operations	49		39		68		6
	MHE	—		—		39		8
	Total	$	49	$	39	$	107	$	14
	For the year ended December 31, 2013, we have reduced the reserve for the 2013 restructuring plan by $10 million and for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, we have reduced the reserve for the 2012 restructuring plan by $78 million and $15 million, respectively. The reductions primarily related to cash payments for employee severance costs.

Segment_and_Geographic_Informa

Segment and Geographic Information	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment and Geographic Information	'
	Segment and Geographic Information
	As discussed in Note 1 – Accounting Policies, we have four reportable segments: S&P Ratings, S&P Capital IQ, S&P DJ Indices and C&C.
	Our Chief Executive Officer is our chief operating decision-maker and evaluates performance of our segments and allocates resources based primarily on operating profit. Segment operating profit does not include unallocated expense or interest expense, which are centrally managed costs. We use the same accounting policies for our segments as those described in Note 1 – Accounting Policies.
	Segment information for the years ended December 31 is as follows:
	(in millions)	Revenue											Operating Profit
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012			2011
	S&P Ratings	$	2,274			$	2,034			$	1,767		$	1,000		$	849		$	720
	S&P Capital IQ	1,170				1,124				1,031			211			208			214
	S&P DJ Indices	493				388				323			278			212			189
	C&C	1,014				973				896			311			248			180
	Intersegment elimination	(76		)		(69		)		(63		)	—			—			—
	Total operating segments	4,875				4,450				3,954			1,800			1,517			1,303
	Unallocated expense	—				—				—			(395		)	(306		)	(226		)
	Total	$	4,875			$	4,450			$	3,954		$	1,405		$	1,211		$	1,077
	(in millions)	Depreciation & Amortization											Capital Expenditures
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012			2011
	S&P Ratings	$	45			$	43			$	40		$	40		$	43		$	40
	S&P Capital IQ	49				50				43			39			22			21
	S&P DJ Indices	10				8				3			4			2			2
	C&C	22				23				23			17			17			14
	Total operating segments	126				124				109			100			84			77
	Corporate	11				17				17			17			13			15
	Total	$	137			$	141			$	126		$	117		$	97		$	92
	Segment information as of December 31 is as follows:
	(in millions)	Total Assets
		2013				2012
	S&P Ratings	$	630			$	726
	S&P Capital IQ	1,054				1,123
	S&P DJ Indices	1,160				1,133
	C&C	943				1,000
	Total operating segments	3,787				3,982
	Corporate 1	2,213				1,130
	Assets held for sale	61				1,940
	Total	$	6,061			$	7,052
	1	Corporate assets consist principally of cash and equivalents, assets for pension benefits, deferred income taxes and leasehold improvements related to subleased areas.
	We have operations with foreign revenue and long-lived assets in approximately 80 countries. We do not have operations in any foreign country that represent more than 8% of our consolidated revenue. Transfers between geographic areas are recorded at agreed upon prices and intercompany revenue and profit are eliminated. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue.
	The following provides revenue and long-lived assets by geographic region:
	(in millions)	Revenue											Long-lived Assets
		Years ended December 31,											December 31,
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012
	United States	$	2,892			$	2,684			$	2,373		$	2,209		$	2,376
	European region	1,227				1,067				951			432			441
	Asia	483				454				423			59			70
	Rest of the world	273				245				207			54			57
	Total	$	4,875			$	4,450			$	3,954		$	2,754		$	2,944
		Revenue									Long-lived Assets
		Years ended December 31,									December 31,
		2013			2012			2011			2013		2012
	United States	59	%		60	%		60	%		80	%	81	%
	European region	25			24			24			16		15
	Asia	10			10			11			2		2
	Rest of the world	6			6			5			2		2
	Total	100	%		100	%		100	%		100	%	100	%
	See Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures, and Note 10 – Restructuring, for actions that impacted the segment operating results.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	Rental Expense and Lease Obligations
	We are committed under lease arrangements covering property, computer systems and office equipment. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the shorter of their economic lives or their lease term. Certain lease arrangements contain escalation clauses covering increased costs for various defined real estate taxes and operating services and the associated fees are recognized on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease period.
	Rental expense for property and equipment under all operating lease agreements is as follows:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Gross rental expense	$	207		$	164		$	158
	Less: sublease revenue	(29		)	(4		)	(2		)
	Less: Rock-McGraw rent credit	(20		)	(19		)	(18		)
	Net rental expense	$	158		$	141		$	138
	In December 2003, we sold our 45% equity investment in Rock-McGraw, Inc., which owns our headquarters building in New York City, and remained an anchor tenant in our corporate headquarters building in New York City by concurrently leasing back space from the buyer through 2020. As of December 31, 2013, we leased approximately 17% of the building space. Proceeds from the disposition were $382 million and the sale resulted in a pre-tax gain, net of transaction costs, of $131 million ($58 million after-tax) upon disposition. As a result of the amount of building space we retained through our leaseback, a pre-tax gain of $212 million ($126 million after-tax) was deferred upon the disposition in 2003.
	In December of 2013, we entered into an arrangement with the buyer to shorten the lease to December 2015 in exchange for approximately $60 million which was recorded as a reduction to the unrecognized deferred gain from the sale. The remaining gain is being amortized over the remaining lease term as a reduction in rent expense. As of December 31, 2013, the remaining deferred gain is $45 million. The amount of the gain amortized during the year ended December 31, 2012 was $15 million. Interest expense associated with this operating lease for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $5 million.
	Cash amounts for future minimum rental commitments, including rent payments on the sale-leaseback, under existing non-cancelable leases with a remaining term of more than one year, along with minimum sublease rental income to be received under non-cancelable subleases are shown in the following table.
	(in millions)	Rent			Sublease			Net rent
		commitment			income
	2014	$	161		$	(14	)	$	147
	2015	155			(14		)	141
	2016	123			(13		)	110
	2017	99			(13		)	86
	2018	90			(13		)	77
	2019 and beyond	238			(16		)	222
	Total	$	866		$	(83	)	$	783
	Related Party Agreements
	In June of 2012, we entered into a new license agreement (the "License Agreement") with the holder of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC noncontrolling interest, CME Group, which replaced the 2005 license agreement between S&P DJ Indices and CME Group. Under the terms of the License Agreement, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC receives a share of the profits from the trading and clearing of CME Group's equity index products. During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC earned $46 million and $21 million of revenue under the terms of the License Agreement, respectively. The entire amount of this revenue is included in our consolidated statement of income, and the portion related to the 27% noncontrolling interest is removed in the net income attributable to noncontrolling interests.
	Legal & Regulatory Matters
	In the normal course of business both in the United States and abroad, the Company and its subsidiaries are defendants in numerous legal proceedings and are involved, from time to time, in governmental and self-regulatory agency proceedings which may result in adverse judgments, damages, fines or penalties. Also, various governmental and self-regulatory agencies regularly make inquiries and conduct investigations concerning compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
	S&P Ratings
	In connection with a previously disclosed investigation by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice ("DOJ") of S&P LLC, the DOJ filed a civil complaint in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on February 4, 2013 against the Company and S&P LLC alleging violations of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 regarding Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ratings in 2004-2007 of certain U.S. collateralized debt obligations and Standard & Poor's Ratings Services models for certain structured finance products. The Company and S&P LLC filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on April 22, 2013. The Court issued an order denying the motion to dismiss on July 16, 2013. Discovery in this case is ongoing. During the course of discovery, DOJ has identified the U.S. collateralized debt obligations and residential mortgage backed securities rated by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services between 2004-2007, additional to those identified in the complaint, that could provide the basis for whatever proof it seeks to introduce at trial and at any penalty phase of the case.
	In connection with the numerous state-court actions that have been brought against the Company and S&P LLC by the attorneys general of various states and the District of Columbia, the Company and S&P LLC have removed most of the actions to federal court and filed a motion before the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ("JPML") to consolidate and transfer those removed actions to one federal court for all pretrial proceedings. On June 6, 2013, the JPML granted the Company and S&P LLC's motion with respect to the state actions then before it and ordered those actions be consolidated before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The Company expects that any similar actions subsequently filed by other state attorneys general will be similarly consolidated in the Southern District of New York upon the Company’s request. On October 4, 2013, the Court heard argument on motions by the states to have the cases remanded to state court.
	A writ of summons was served on The McGraw-Hill Companies, SRL and on The McGraw-Hill Companies, SA (both indirect subsidiaries of the Company) (collectively, “Standard & Poor's”) on September 29, 2005 and October 7, 2005, respectively, in an action brought in the Tribunal of Milan, Italy by Enrico Bondi (“Bondi”), the Extraordinary Commissioner of Parmalat Finanziaria S.p.A. and Parmalat S.p.A. (collectively, “Parmalat”). Bondi had brought numerous other lawsuits in both Italy and the United States against entities and individuals who had dealings with Parmalat. In this suit, Parmalat claims that Standard & Poor's, which had issued investment grade ratings on Parmalat until shortly before Parmalat's collapse in December 2003, breached its duty to issue an independent and professional rating and negligently and knowingly assigned inflated ratings in order to retain Parmalat's business. Alleging joint and several liability, Parmalat claims damages of euros 4,073,984,120 (representing the value of bonds issued by Parmalat and the rating fees paid by Parmalat) with interest, plus damages to be ascertained for Standard & Poor's alleged complicity in aggravating Parmalat's financial difficulties and/or for having contributed in bringing about Parmalat's indebtedness towards its bondholders, and legal fees. On June 29, 2011, the Court issued its final decision dismissing in its entirety Parmalat's main damages claim which was based on the value of the bonds issued. The Court ordered Standard & Poor's to pay Parmalat the sum of approximately euros 784,000 (approximately $1.1 million), representing the amount of rating fees paid to Standard & Poor's by Parmalat, plus interest from the date of service of the Writ of Summons. The Court also ordered Standard & Poor's to reimburse Parmalat for euros 47,390 (less than $0.1 million) in trial costs and for its share of fees paid to Court-appointed experts, amounting to euros 67,797 (also less than $0.1 million). On September 29, 2012, Parmalat submitted a brief to the Court of Appeals of Milan appealing the judgment issued by the Tribunal of Milan and, on November 16, 2012, requested payment of the judgment in the amount of euros 1,103,793. Standard & Poor’s paid the judgment on December 3, 2012. On May 9, 2013, Standard & Poor’s filed its response to the appeal, including its cross-appeal. Hearings in the appeal took place on May 29, 2013 and October 9, 2013. The parties’ final briefs were submitted in December 2013.
	In a separate proceeding, the prosecutor's office in Parma, Italy is conducting an investigation into the bankruptcy of Parmalat. In June 2006, the prosecutor's office issued a Note of Completion of an Investigation (“Note of Completion”) concerning allegations, based on Standard & Poor's investment grade ratings of Parmalat, that individual Standard & Poor's rating analysts conspired with Parmalat insiders and rating advisors to fraudulently or negligently cause the Parmalat bankruptcy. The Note of Completion was served on eight Standard & Poor's rating analysts. While not a formal charge, the Note of Completion indicates the prosecutor's intention that the named rating analysts should appear before a judge in Parma for a preliminary hearing, at which hearing the judge will determine whether there is sufficient evidence against the rating analysts to proceed to trial. No date has been set for the preliminary hearing. On July 7, 2006, a defense brief was filed with the Parma prosecutor's office on behalf of the rating analysts.
	On August 28, 2007, a putative shareholder class action titled Reese v. Bahash was filed in the District Court for the District of Columbia, and was subsequently transferred to the Southern District of New York. The Company and its CEO and former CFO were named as defendants in the suit, which alleged claims under the federal securities laws in connection with alleged misrepresentations and omissions made by the defendants relating to the Company's earnings and S&P's business practices. On April 2, 2012, the District Court entered judgment granting the Defendants' motion to dismiss, and dismissing all claims asserted against the Defendants in their entirety and, on December 20, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal in its entirety. Plaintiff sought to be relieved from the judgment dismissing the case and for permission to file an amended complaint. The Court denied these requests in their entirety on September 24, 2013. Plaintiff is pursuing an appeal from the Court’s decision.
	The Company and its Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC subsidiary ("S&P LLC"), together with other credit rating agencies, have been named in numerous lawsuits in U.S. State and Federal Courts, as well as in foreign jurisdictions, relating to the ratings activity of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services brought by alleged purchasers and issuers of rated securities. The Company and S&P LLC have also received numerous subpoenas and other government inquiries concerning the rating activity of Standard & Poor's Ratings Services in these areas and continue to respond to all such requests. Additional actions, investigations or proceedings may be initiated from time to time in the future.
	On September 22, 2011 the Company received a “Wells Notice” from the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) stating that the staff is considering recommending that the Commission institute a civil injunctive action against Standard & Poor's Ratings Services alleging violations of federal securities laws with respect to Standard & Poor's Ratings Services ratings for a particular 2007 offering of collateralized debt obligations, known as “Delphinus CDO 2007-1”. The Wells Notice is neither a formal allegation nor a finding of wrongdoing. It allows its recipients the opportunity to provide their perspective and to address the issues raised by the staff before any decision is made by the Commission on whether to authorize the commencement of an enforcement proceeding against its recipients. The Company has responded to the staff presenting its position on the issues raised and why the Commission should not commence enforcement proceedings.
	On January 15, 2014 S&P received notification of a potential claim by the Prosecutor General of the Corte dei Conti, an Italian administrative court, with respect to whether S&P’s downgrading of Italian sovereign debt in May 2011 wrongfully damaged Italy’s public finances and international reputation and whether S&P should pay compensation to Italy for the costs of Italian budget adjustments and for ancillary damages in an amount “not lower than Euro 234 billion.”
	The Company believes that the claims in the proceedings described above have no basis and they will be vigorously defended by the Company and/or the subsidiaries involved. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of legal matters, particularly where the claimants seek very large or indeterminate damages, or where the cases present novel legal theories, involve a large number of parties or are in early stages of discovery, we cannot state with confidence what the eventual outcome of these pending matters will be, what the timing of the ultimate resolution of these matters will be or what the eventual loss, fines, penalties or impact related to each pending matter may be. We believe, based on our current knowledge, that the outcome of the legal actions, proceedings and investigations currently pending should not have a material, adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition.
	Additionally, in April 2013 we settled certain subprime litigation cases. Included in selling and general expenses in our consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2013 is a pre-tax amount of approximately $77 million for these settlements. These cases were dismissed under the terms of the settlements.
	S&P Capital IQ
	On November 17, 2009, the European Commission, Directorate-General for Competition (“EC”) sent a Statement of Objections (“SO”) to the Company outlining the EC’s preliminary view that Standard & Poor’s CUSIP Service Bureau (an S&P Rating’s brand that is part of S&P Capital IQ) was abusing its position as the sole-appointed National Numbering Agency for U.S. securities by requiring financial institutions and Information Service Providers to pay licensing fees for the use of International Securities Identification Numbers. As set forth in the SO, the EC’s preliminary view was that this behavior amounted to unfair pricing and infringed European competition law. The Company believed these preliminary views were erroneous but in order to resolve the investigation, proposed a set of commitments to the EC. Following market testing of the commitments, further discussions between the parties and some limited modifications to the commitments, the EC on November 15, 2011 accepted and made those commitments legally binding and ended its investigation. Pursuant to the commitments, CUSIP Global Services has created a new data feed service of US International Securities Identification Numbers tailored specifically to the institutions for their use within the European Economic Area.
	S&P DJ Indices
	On July 17, 2013, International Organization of Securities Commissions ("IOSCO") published its “Principles for Financial Benchmarks.”  S&P DJ Indices has begun voluntary implementation of the principles. As a part of that process S&P DJ Indices is taking into consideration the ESMA-EBA Principles for Benchmark-Setting Processes in the EU published in June 2013 and the Index Industry Association’s Best Practices issued in July 2013. S&P DJ Indices does not believe that aligning its operations to these principles and/or practices will have a significant negative impact on its ongoing business operations.
	C&C
	On October 8, 2009, an action was filed in the District Court for the Southern District of New York entitled Reed Construction Data, Inc. v. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. in which Reed Construction Data asserted eleven claims under various state and federal laws against the Company relating to alleged misappropriation and unfair competition by McGraw-Hill Construction and seeking an unspecified amount of damages, plus attorneys' fees and costs. In response to the Company's motion to dismiss five of the eleven claims in the Reed action, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint on December 10, 2009, among other things adding an allegation that McGraw-Hill Construction misappropriated Plaintiff's confidential and trade secret information regarding specific construction projects. The Company filed a renewed motion to dismiss five of the eleven claims in the Amended Complaint on January 22, 2010. On September 14, 2010, the Court granted the Company's motion to dismiss three of the five claims, including claims that alleged violations by the Company of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and conspiracy to violate RICO. On May 31, 2011, the Court granted Plaintiff's motion to file a Second Amended Complaint that, among other things, added a false advertising claim under the Lanham Act, including a demand for treble damages and attorneys' fees. The Second Amended Complaint also contains allegations purporting to further support Reed's existing tort and antitrust claims. On June 3, 2011, the Court granted the Company's motion to file a counterclaim against Reed alleging, among other things, that Reed misappropriated the Company's trade secrets and engaged in unfair competition as a result of Reed's recruitment of former employees of the Company and use of information about the Company's customers obtained from the former employees to solicit those customers. The parties have completed discovery and are in the summary judgment phase.
	Our commodities business is subject to the potential for increased regulation in the U.S. and abroad. On October 5, 2012, the IOSCO issued its final report to the G-20, including Principles for Oil Price Reporting Agencies ("PRA"), which sets out principles IOSCO states are intended to enhance the reliability of oil price assessments that are referenced in derivative contracts subject to regulation by IOSCO members. Platts completed the assurance review called for by the IOSCO Principles for Oil Price Reporting Agencies and does not believe the Principles will have a significant negative impact on its ongoing business operations.
	In July of 2013 Platts reaffirmed its commitment to aligning its operations to the IOSCO Principles for Oil Price Reporting Agencies and to applying those principles to its price reporting in the other commodity markets in which it publishes price assessments that underlie financial derivatives contracts. The announcement followed IOSCO's publication on July 17, 2013 of its “Principles for Financial Benchmarks,” which stated that it “expects the oil PRAs to continue to implement and comply with the PRA principles.” Platts does not believe that application of the Principles in other commodity markets will have a significant negative impact on its ongoing business operations.
	On May 14, 2013, representatives from the European Commission (DG Competition, the EC's antitrust office) commenced an unannounced inspection of Platts' offices at Canary Wharf in London which lasted until May 19, 2013 in conjunction with the potential anticompetitive conduct (in particular, in the crude oil, refined oil products and biofuels markets) relating to Platts' Market On Close price assessment process. No allegations have been made against Platts at this time. There have also been several civil actions filed in the U.S. relating to potential anticompetitive behavior by market participants relating to the Platts price assessment process, none of which have named Platts as a defendant.

Quarterly_Financial_Informatio

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)	'
	Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)
	(in millions, except per share data)	First			Second		Third			Fourth			Total
		quarter			quarter		quarter			quarter			year
	2013
	Revenue	$	1,181		$	1,250	$	1,194		$	1,250		$	4,875
	Operating profit	$	278		$	436	$	407		$	284		$	1,405
	Income from continuing operations	$	174		$	273	$	265		$	190		$	903
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	$	581		$	4	$	(20	)	$	(2	)	$	563
	Net income	$	755		$	277	$	245		$	188		$	1,466
	Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	153		$	250	$	235		$	173		$	812
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	582			4		(20		)	(2		)	564
	Net income	$	735		$	254	$	215		$	171		$	1,376
	Basic earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.55		$	0.91	$	0.86		$	0.64		$	2.96
	Discontinued operations	2.07			0.01		(0.07		)	(0.01		)	2.05
	Net income	$	2.62		$	0.93	$	0.79		$	0.63		$	5.01
	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.54		$	0.9	$	0.84		$	0.62		$	2.9
	Discontinued operations	2.05			0.01		(0.07		)	(0.01		)	2.01
	Net income	$	2.59		$	0.91	$	0.77		$	0.62		$	4.91
	2012
	Revenue	$	1,035		$	1,072	$	1,116		$	1,226		$	4,450
	Operating profit	$	282		$	308	$	275		$	347		$	1,211
	Income from continuing operations	$	163		$	180	$	172		$	211		$	726
	(Loss) income from discontinued operations	$	(36	)	$	40	$	165		$	(404	)	$	(234	)
	Net income (loss)	$	127		$	220	$	337		$	(193	)	$	492
	Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	158		$	176	$	151		$	190		$	676
	(Loss) income from discontinued operations	(35		)	39		162			(406		)	(239		)
	Net income (loss)	$	123		$	216	$	314		$	(216	)	$	437
	Basic earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.57		$	0.63	$	0.54		$	0.68		$	2.43
	Discontinued operations	(0.13		)	0.14		0.58			(1.46		)	(0.86		)
	Net income (loss)	$	0.44		$	0.77	$	1.13		$	(0.78	)	$	1.57
	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.56		$	0.62	$	0.53		$	0.67		$	2.37
	Discontinued operations	(0.13		)	0.14		0.57			(1.43		)	(0.84		)
	Net income (loss)	$	0.43		$	0.76	$	1.1		$	(0.76	)	$	1.53
	Note - Totals presented may not sum due to rounding.
	Basic and diluted earnings per share are computed independently for each quarter and full year presented. The number of weighted-average shares outstanding changes as common shares are issued pursuant to employee stock plans, as shares are repurchased by us, and other activity occurs throughout the year. Accordingly, the sum of the quarterly earnings per share data may not agree with the calculated full year earnings per share.

Valuation_and_Qualifying_Accou

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts [Abstract]	'
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'
	Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
	(in millions)
	Additions/(deductions)	Balance at		Net charges		Deductions and other 1			Balance at end
		beginning of		to income					of year
		year
	Year ended December 31, 2013
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	54	$	20	$	(22	)	$	52
	Year ended December 31, 2012
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	29	$	32	$	(7	)	$	54
	Year ended December 31, 2011
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	$	38	$	26	$	(35	)	$	29
	1	Primarily includes uncollectible accounts written off, net of recoveries, impact of acquisitions and divestitures and adjustments for foreign currency translation.

Accounting_Policies_Policies

Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Nature of operations	'
	Nature of operations
	McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the “Company,” the “Registrant,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a leading content and analytics provider serving the capital, commodities and commercial markets. The capital markets include asset managers, banks, exchanges, issuers and financial advisors; the commodities markets include producers, traders and intermediaries within energy, metals, and agriculture; and the commercial markets include professionals and corporate executives within automotive, construction and marketing / research information services.
	Our operations consist of four reportable segments: Standard & Poor’s Ratings (“S&P Ratings”), S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices ("S&P DJ Indices") and Commodities & Commercial (“C&C”).
	•	S&P Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research and analytics, offering investors and market participants information, ratings and benchmarks.
	•	S&P Capital IQ is a global provider of multi-asset-class data, research and analytical capabilities, which integrate cross-asset analytics and desktop services.
	•	S&P DJ Indices is a global leading index provider that maintains a wide variety of valuation and index benchmarks for investment advisors, wealth managers and institutional investors.
	•	C&C consists of business-to-business companies specializing in commercial and commodities markets that deliver their customers access to high-value information, data, analytic services and pricing benchmarks.
	See Note 11 – Segment and Geographic Information for further discussion on our operating segments, which are also our reportable segments.
	We completed the sale of our McGraw-Hill Education business ("MHE") on March 22, 2013 and, accordingly, the results of operations of MHE have been reclassified to reflect the business as a discontinued operation for the year ended December 31, 2013 and all prior periods presented. The assets and liabilities of MHE have been removed from the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2013 and classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2012. See Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures for further discussion.
Discontinued Operations	'
	Discontinued Operations
	In determining whether a group of assets disposed or to be disposed of should be presented as a discontinued operation, we make a determination of whether the group of assets being disposed of comprises a component of the entity; that is, whether it has historic operations and cash flows that can be clearly distinguished both operationally and for financial reporting purposes. We also determine whether the cash flows associated with the group of assets have been or will be eliminated from our ongoing operations as a result of the disposal transaction and whether we will have significant continuing involvement in the operations of the group of assets after the disposal transaction. If we conclude that the cash flows have been eliminated and we have no significant continuing involvement, then the results of operations of the group of assets being disposed of (as well as any gain or loss on the disposal transaction) are aggregated for separate presentation apart from our continuing operating results in the consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures for a summary of discontinued operations. Unless otherwise indicated, all disclosures and amounts in the notes to our consolidated financial statements relate to our continuing operations.
Principles of consolidation	'
	Principles of consolidation
	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all subsidiaries and our share of earnings or losses of joint ventures and affiliated companies under the equity method of accounting. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Use of estimates	'
	Use of estimates
	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and cash equivalents	'
	Cash and cash equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents include ordinary bank deposits and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less that consist primarily of money market funds with unrestricted daily liquidity and fixed term time deposits. Such investments and bank deposits are stated at cost, which approximates market value and were $1.5 billion and $760 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These investments are not subject to significant market risk.
Short-term investments	'
	Short-term investments
	Short-term investments are securities with original maturities greater than 90 days that are available for use in our operations in the next twelve months. The short-term investments, primarily consisting of certificates of deposit, are classified as held-to-maturity and therefore are carried at cost. Interest and dividends are recorded into income when earned.
Accounts receivable	'
	Accounts receivable
	Credit is extended to customers based upon an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition. Accounts receivable, which include billings consistent with terms of contractual arrangements, are recorded at net realizable value.
Allowance for doubtful accounts and sales returns	'
	Allowance for doubtful accounts
	The allowance for doubtful accounts reserve methodology is based on historical analysis, a review of outstanding balances and current conditions. In determining these reserves, we consider, amongst other factors, the financial condition and risk profile of our customers, areas of specific or concentrated risk as well as applicable industry trends or market indicators.
Deferred technology costs	'
	Deferred technology costs
	We capitalize certain software development and website implementation costs. Capitalized costs only include incremental, direct costs of materials and services incurred to develop the software after the preliminary project stage is completed, funding has been committed and it is probable that the project will be completed and used to perform the function intended. Incremental costs are expenditures that are out-of-pocket to us and are not part of an allocation or existing expense base. Software development and website implementation costs are expensed as incurred during the preliminary project stage. Capitalized costs are amortized from the year the software is ready for its intended use over its estimated useful life, three to seven years, using the straight-line method. Periodically, we evaluate the amortization methods, remaining lives and recoverability of such costs. Capitalized software development and website implementation costs are included in other non-current assets and are presented net of accumulated amortization. Gross deferred technology costs were $131 million and $115 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Accumulated amortization of deferred technology costs was $71 million and $58 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Fair Value	'
	Fair Value
	Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value and classified within a fair value hierarchy based on inputs used when measuring fair value. We have an immaterial amount of forward exchange contracts that are adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis.
	Other financial instruments, including cash and equivalents and short-term investments, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity and highly liquid nature of these instruments. The fair value of our long-term debt borrowings were $801 million and $916 million as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and was estimated based on quoted market prices.
Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets (including other intangible assets)	'
	Accounting for the impairment of long-lived assets (including other intangible assets)
	We evaluate long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Upon such an occurrence, recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by comparing the carrying amount of an asset to current forecasts of undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized equal to the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. For long-lived assets held for sale, assets are written down to fair value, less cost to sell. Fair value is determined based on market evidence, discounted cash flows, appraised values or management’s estimates, depending upon the nature of the assets.
	During the fourth quarter of 2013, we entered the final stages of discussions to sell the facilities and associated infrastructure equipment of one of our data centers to a third party, causing us to recognize a non-cash impairment charge of $36 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 when the facilities and associated infrastructure were reclassified as held for sale. Additionally, we incurred a $26 million non-cash impairment charge associated with an intangible asset acquired through the formation of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture.
	There were no material impairments of long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011.
Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets	'
	Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets
	Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price and related costs over the value assigned to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired. Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized, but instead are tested for impairment annually during the fourth quarter each year or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. We have four reporting units with goodwill that are evaluated for impairment.
	We initially perform a qualitative analysis evaluating whether any events and circumstances occurred or exist that provide evidence that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount. If, based on our evaluation we do not believe that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than its carrying amount, no quantitative impairment test is performed. Conversely, if the results of our qualitative assessment determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of any of our reporting units is less than their respective carrying amounts we perform a two-step quantitative impairment test.
	When conducting the first step of our two step impairment test to evaluate the recoverability of goodwill at the reporting unit level, the estimated fair value of the reporting unit is compared to its carrying value including goodwill. Fair value of the reporting units are estimated using the income approach, which incorporates the use of a discounted free cash flow (“DCF”) analyses and are corroborated using the market approach, which incorporates the use of revenue and earnings multiples based on market data. The DCF analyses are based on the current operating budgets and estimated long-term growth projections for each reporting unit. Future cash flows are discounted based on a market comparable weighted average cost of capital rate for each reporting unit, adjusted for market and other risks where appropriate. In addition, we analyze any difference between the sum of the fair values of the reporting units and our total market capitalization for reasonableness, taking into account certain factors including control premiums.
	If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying value, a second step is performed which compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the carrying value of the goodwill. The fair value of the goodwill is determined based on the difference between the fair value of the reporting unit and the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than the carrying value, the difference is recognized as an impairment charge.
	We evaluate the recoverability of indefinite-lived intangible assets by first performing a qualitative analysis evaluating whether any events and circumstances occurred that provide evidence that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. If, based on our evaluation of the events and circumstances that occurred during the year we do not believe that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired, no quantitative impairment test is performed. Conversely, if the results of our qualitative assessment determine that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired a quantitative impairment test is performed. If necessary, the impairment test is performed by comparing the estimated fair value of the intangible asset to its carrying value. If the indefinite-lived intangible asset carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment analysis is performed using the income approach. The fair value of loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
	Significant judgments inherent in these analyses include estimating the amount and timing of future cash flows and the selection of appropriate discount rates, royalty rates and long-term growth rate assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value for each reporting unit and indefinite-lived intangible asset and could result in an impairment charge, which could be material to our financial position and results of operations.
	We performed our impairment assessment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets and concluded that no impairment existed for the years ended December 31, 2013, and 2011. As further discussed in Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures, we determined that during the year ended December 31, 2012, the goodwill at MHE's School Education Group was impaired.
Foreign currency translation	'
	Foreign currency translation
	We have operations in many foreign countries. For most international operations, the local currency is the functional currency. For international operations that are determined to be extensions of the parent company, the U.S. dollar is the functional currency. For local currency operations, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars using end of period exchange rates, and revenue and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars using weighted-average exchange rates. Foreign currency translation adjustments are accumulated in a separate component of equity.
Revenue recognition	'
	Revenue recognition
	Revenue is recognized as it is earned when goods are shipped to customers or services are rendered. We consider amounts to be earned once evidence of an arrangement has been obtained, services are performed, fees are fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue relating to products that provide for more than one deliverable is recognized based upon the relative fair value to the customer of each deliverable as each deliverable is provided. Revenue relating to agreements that provide for more than one service is recognized based upon the relative fair value to the customer of each service component as each component is earned. If the fair value to the customer for each service is not objectively determinable, management makes its best estimate of the services’ stand-alone selling price and records revenue as it is earned over the service period. For arrangements that include multiple services, fair value of the service components are determined using an analysis that considers cash consideration that would be received for instances when the service components are sold separately. Advertising revenue is recognized when the page is run. Subscription income is recognized over the related subscription period.
Depreciation	'
	Depreciation
	The costs of property and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method based upon the following estimated useful lives: buildings and improvements from 15 to 40 years and equipment and furniture from 2 to 10 years. The costs of leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the useful lives or the terms of the respective leases.
Advertising expense	'
	Advertising expense
	The cost of advertising is expensed as incurred. We incurred $43 million, $34 million and $32 million in advertising costs for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Stock-based compensation	'
	Stock-based compensation
	Stock-based compensation expense is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized over the requisite service period, which typically is the vesting period. Stock-based compensation is classified as both operating-related expense and selling and general expense in the consolidated statements of income.
Income taxes	'
	Income taxes
	Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to be applied to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. We recognize liabilities for uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns. Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized in interest expense and operating expense, respectively.
	Judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities and unrecognized tax benefits. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, the historical and projected financial performance of the operation that is recording a net deferred tax asset is considered along with any other pertinent information.
	We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various states, and foreign jurisdictions, and we are routinely under audit by many different tax authorities. We believe that our accrual for tax liabilities is adequate for all open audit years based on our assessment of many factors including past experience and interpretations of tax law. This assessment relies on estimates and assumptions and may involve a series of complex judgments about future events. It is possible that examinations will be settled prior to December 31, 2014. If any of these tax audit settlements do occur within that period we would make any necessary adjustments to the accrual for unrecognized tax benefits. Until formal resolutions are reached between us and the tax authorities, the determination of a possible audit settlement range with respect to the impact on unrecognized tax benefits is not practicable. On the basis of present information, our opinion is that any assessments resulting from the current audits will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest	'
	Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest
	The agreement with the minority partners of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture discussed in Note 2 — Acquisitions and Divestitures, contains redemption features whereby interests held by our minority partners is redeemable both at the option of the holder and upon the occurrence of an event that is not solely within our control. Since redemption of the noncontrolling interest is outside of our control, this interest is presented on our consolidated balance sheets under the caption “Redeemable noncontrolling interest.” If the interest were to be redeemed, we would be required to purchase all of such interest at fair value on the date of redemption. We adjust the redeemable noncontrolling interest each reporting period to its estimated redemption value, but never less than its initial fair value, using a combination of an income and market valuation approach. Our income and market valuation approaches may incorporate Level 3 measures for instances when observable inputs are not available, including assumptions related to expected future net cash flows, long-term growth rates, the timing and nature of tax attributes, and the redemption features. Any adjustments to the redemption value will impact retained income. See Note 8 – Equity, for further detail.
Contingencies	'
	Contingencies
	We accrue for loss contingencies when both (a) information available prior to issuance of the financial statements indicates that it is probable that a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial statements and (b) the amount of loss can reasonably be estimated. When we accrue for loss contingencies and the reasonable estimate of the loss is within a range, we record its best estimate within the range. We disclose an estimated possible loss or a range of loss when it is at least reasonably possible that a loss may have been incurred.
Recent Accounting Standards	'
	Recent Accounting Standards
	In July of 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. This new accounting guidance requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits ("UTBs") against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. Under the new standard, UTBs will be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carryforwards that would be utilized, rather than only against carryforwards that are created by the UTBs. The new standard requires prospective adoption but allows retrospective adoption for all periods presented. We will adopt the FASB’s amended guidance for our annual reporting period beginning January 1, 2014. We do not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In March of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment upon derecognition of certain subsidiaries or groups of assets within a foreign entity. The amended guidance requires that when a parent entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity, the parent is required to release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income in instances when a sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. Additionally, the amended guidance clarifies that the sale of an investment in a foreign entity includes both (1) events that result in the loss of a controlling financial interest in a foreign entity and (2) events that result in an acquirer obtaining control of an acquiree in which it held an equity interest immediately before the acquisition date. In these instances, an entity is required to release the cumulative translation adjustment into net income. We will adopt the FASB's amended guidance during the three months ended March 31, 2014. We do not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
	In February of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance expanding the disclosure requirements for amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendments require an entity to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes to its financial statements, details of significant items reclassified in their entirety out of accumulated other comprehensive income and identification of the respective line items effecting net income for instances when reclassification is required under U.S. GAAP. For other amounts that are not required under U.S. GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income in the same reporting period, an entity will be required to cross-reference to other disclosures required under U.S. GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. The amendments do not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements. However, the amendments require an entity to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by type. The amendments were effective on January 1, 2013 and have been incorporated into this Form 10-K. Adoption of this guidance did not have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Reclassification	'
	Reclassification
	Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for comparability purposes.

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures_

Acquisitions and Divestitures (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Business Combinations [Abstract]	'
Schedule of considerations transferred for the S&P/DJ Indices acquisition	'
	Consideration Transferred
	(in millions)
	Fair value of 27% of S&P Index	$	571
	Fair value of redeemable noncontrolling interest associated with net assets acquired	221
	Total	$	792
Schedule of purchase price allocation for the S&P/DJ Indices acquisition	'
	Purchase Price Allocation
	(in millions)
	Current assets	$	79
	Intangible assets:
	Indefinite-lived intangibles	470
	Customer relationships	110
	Other intangibles	33
	Goodwill	111
	Current liabilities	(11		)
	Total net assets	$	792
Schedule of liabilities assumed by acquisition	'
	Liabilities assumed in conjunction with the acquisition of businesses are as follows:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Fair value of assets acquired	$	—		$	1,071		$	214
	Fair value of consideration transferred for DJI business	—			792			—
	Cash paid (net of cash acquired)	—			177			194
	Liabilities assumed 1	$	—		$	102		$	20
	1	2013 acquisitions did not result in any liabilities assumed.
Schedule of components of income and assets and liabilities from discontinued operations	'
	The key components of income from discontinued operations consist of the following:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Revenue	$	268		$	2,062		$	2,382
	Expenses	310			2,287			2,035
	Operating (loss) income	(42		)	(225		)	347
	Interest expense (income), net	2			(2		)	(3		)
	(Loss) income before taxes on (loss) income	(44		)	(223		)	350
	(Benefit) provision for taxes on (loss) income	(18		)	11			116
	(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax	(26		)	(234		)	234
	Pre-tax gain on sale from discontinued operations	888			—			122
	Provision for taxes on gain on sale	299			—			48
	Gain on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	589			—			74
	Discontinued operations, net	563			(234		)	308
	Less: net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1		)	5			4
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders	$	564		$	(239	)	$	304
	The components of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale in the consolidated balance sheet consist of the following:
	(in millions)	31-Dec-12
	Accounts receivable, net	$	333
	Property and equipment, net	122
	Goodwill	469
	Other intangible assets, net	156
	Inventories, net	235
	Prepublication costs	304
	Other assets	321
	Assets held for sale	$	1,940
	Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	123
	Unearned revenue	192
	Other liabilities	349
	Liabilities held for sale	$	664

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_1

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Goodwill	'
	The change in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment is shown below:
	(in millions)	S&P Ratings			S&P Capital IQ			S&P DJ Indices			C&C			Total
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	197		$	238		$	223		$	446		$	1,104
	Acquisitions	29			164			111			21			325
	Transfers/reorganizations	(95		)	53			45			—			3
	Other (primarily Fx)	(1		)	2			1			4			6
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	130			457			380			471			1,438
	Dispositions	—			(3		)	(4		)	(29		)	(36		)
	Other (primarily Fx)	(5		)	15			—			—			10
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	125		$	469		$	376		$	442		$	1,412
Other Intangible Assets	'
	The following table summarizes our definite-lived intangible assets:
	(in millions)
	Cost	Databases and software			Content			Customer relationships			Tradenames			Other intangibles			Total
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	109		$	139		$	115		$	45		$	62		$	470
	Acquisitions	17			—			110			1			108			236
	Other (primarily Fx)	—			—			—			(1		)	1			—
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	126			139			225			45			171			706
	Acquisitions	—			—			—			—			44			44
	Dispositions	(9		)	—			—			—			(13		)	(22		)
	Impairment 1	—			—			—			—			(26		)	(26		)
	Other (primarily Fx)	(2		)	—			—			—			(6		)	(8		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	115		$	139		$	225		$	45		$	170		$	694
	Accumulated amortization
	Balance as of December 31, 2011	$	70		$	17		$	43		$	27		$	50		$	207
	Current year amortization	10			14			11			3			10			48
	Other (primarily Fx)	—			—			1			—			3			4
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	80			31			55			30			63			259
	Current year amortization	9			14			11			2			15			51
	Dispositions	(6		)	—			—			—			(9		)	(15		)
	Other (Primarily Fx)	—			—			1			—			(1		)	—
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	83		$	45		$	67		$	32		$	68		$	295
	Net definite-lived intangibles:
	31-Dec-12	$	46		$	108		$	170		$	15		$	108		$	447
	31-Dec-13	$	32		$	94		$	158		$	13		$	102		$	399
	1	We incurred a $26 million non-cash impairment charge associated with an intangible asset acquired through the formation of our S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture.
Amortization expense and projected amortization expense for intangible assets	'
	Amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, and the projected amortization expense for intangible assets over the next 5 years for the years ended December 31, assuming no further acquisitions or dispositions, is as follows:
	(in millions)	Amortization			Expected
		expense			amortization
					expense
	2011	$	33
	2012	48
	2013	51
	2014				$	47
	2015				45
	2016				45
	2017				42
	2018				36

Taxes_on_Income_Tables

Taxes on Income (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income before taxes domestic and foreign operations	'
	Income before taxes on income resulted from domestic and foreign operations as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
	Domestic operations	$	868			$	841			$	700
	Foreign operations	478				289				300
	Total continuing income before taxes	$	1,346			$	1,130			$	1,000
Provision/(benefit) for taxes on income	'
	The provision/(benefit) for taxes on income consists of the following:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
	Federal:
	Current	$	209			$	194			$	238
	Deferred	51				74				(6		)
	Total federal	260				268				232
	Foreign:
	Current	152				91				93
	Deferred	(19		)		(9		)		13
	Total foreign	133				82				106
	State and local:
	Current	40				40				36
	Deferred	10				14				—
	Total state and local	50				54				36
	Total provision for taxes for continuing operations	443				404				374
	Provision for discontinued operations	281				11				164
	Total provision for taxes	$	724			$	415			$	538
Reconciliation of federal statutory income tax rate	'
	A reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate to our effective income tax rate for financial reporting purposes is as follows:
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	U.S. federal statutory income tax rate	35	%		35	%		35	%
	State and local income taxes	2.8			3.6			2.4
	Foreign operations	(3.7	)		(2.6	)		(3.0	)
	S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture	(1.9	)		(1.1	)		—
	Other, net	0.7			0.9			3
	Effective income tax rate for continuing operations	32.9	%		35.8	%		37.4	%
Differences between the accounting for income and expenses for financial reporting and income tax	'
	The principal temporary differences between the accounting for income and expenses for financial reporting and income tax purposes are as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013				2012
	Deferred tax assets:
	Postretirement benefits	$	32			$	201
	Employee compensation	72				123
	Accrued expenses	142				105
	Unearned revenue	55				60
	Allowance for doubtful accounts	15				17
	Loss carryforwards	28				25
	Other	10				—
	Total deferred tax assets	354				531
	Deferred tax liabilities:
	Goodwill and intangible assets 1	(379		)		(379		)
	Fixed assets	(55		)		(54		)
	Other	—				(1		)
	Total deferred tax liabilities	(434		)		(434		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset before valuation allowance	(80		)		97
	Valuation allowance	(5		)		(7		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	$	(85	)		$	90
	Reported as:
	Current deferred tax assets	$	108			$	117
	Current deferred tax liabilities	(10		)		(7		)
	Non-current deferred tax assets	22				36
	Non-current deferred tax liabilities	(205		)		(56		)
	Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	$	(85	)		$	90
	1	See Note 2 – Acquisitions and Divestitures for further discussion regarding the impact related to the S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC.
Reconciliation of beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits	'
	A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013				2012				2011
	Balance at beginning of year	$	74			$	58			$	53
	Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	27				14				12
	Additions for tax positions of prior years	10				3				3
	Reduction for tax positions of prior years	(9		)		(1		)		(10		)
	Reduction for settlements	(20		)		—				—
	Balance at end of year	$	82			$	74			$	58

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Short-term and long-term debt outstanding	'
	A summary of short-term and long-term debt outstanding is as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013		2012
	5.9% Senior Notes, due 2017 1	$	400	$	400
	6.55% Senior Notes, due 2037 2	399		399
	Commercial paper	—		457
	Total debt	799		1,256
	Less: short-term debt including current maturities	—		457
	Long-term debt	$	799	$	799
	1	Interest payments are due semiannually on April 15 and October 15, and as of December 31, 2013, the unamortized debt discount is less than $1 million.
	2	Interest payments are due semiannually on May 15 and November 15, and as of December 31, 2013, the unamortized debt discount is approximately $1 million.

Employee_Benefits_Tables

Employee Benefits (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Summary of the benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets, as well as the funded status for the retirement and post-retirement plans	'
	A summary of the benefit obligation and the fair value of plan assets, as well as the funded status for the retirement and postretirement plans as of December 31, is as follows (benefits paid in the table below include only those amounts contributed directly to or paid directly from plan assets):
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans								Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2013			2012
	Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	$	2,171			$	1,834			$	129		$	129
	Service cost	10				24				2			3
	Interest cost	91				93				5			5
	Plan participants’ contributions	—				1				4			5
	Actuarial (gain) loss	(178		)		287				(13		)	3
	Gross benefits paid	(77		)		(71		)		(13		)	(17		)
	Foreign currency effect	8				11				—			—
	Curtailment 1	(26		)		—				(11		)	—
	Other adjustments	5				(8		)		—			1
	Net benefit obligation at end of year	2,004				2,171				103			129
	Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year	1,851				1,505				—			—
	Actual return on plan assets	281				212				—			—
	Employer contributions	27				193				9			12
	Plan participants’ contributions	—				1				4			5
	Gross benefits paid	(77		)		(71		)		(13		)	(17		)
	Foreign currency effect	6				11				—			—
	Fair value of plan assets at end of year	2,088				1,851				—			—
	Funded status	$	84			$	(320	)		$	(103	)	$	(129	)
	Amounts recognized in consolidated balance sheets:
	Non-current assets	$	261			$	98			$	—		$	—
	Current liabilities	(7		)		(7		)		(9		)	(11		)
	Non-current liabilities	(170		)		(411		)		(94		)	(118		)
		$	84			$	(320	)		$	(103	)	$	(129	)
	Accumulated benefit obligation	$	2,004			$	2,093
	Plans with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of the fair value of plan assets:
	Projected benefit obligation	$	176			$	1,773
	Accumulated benefit obligation	$	158			$	1,756
	Fair value of plan assets	$	—			$	1,356
	Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax:
	Net actuarial loss (gain)	$	227			$	455			$	(11	)	$	(3	)
	Prior service credit	1				(4		)		(1		)	(1		)
	Total recognized	$	228			$	451			$	(12	)	$	(4	)
	1	The curtailment gain for our retirement plans relates to a freeze of pension accruals for MHE employees as well as all remaining active employees in the United Kingdom ("U.K."). The curtailment gain for our postretirement plans relates to the sale of MHE on March 22, 2013.
Components of net periodic cost for defined benefit plans and post-retirement healthcare and other benefits plan	'
	A summary of net periodic benefit cost for our retirement and postretirement plans for the years ended December 31, is as follows:
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans											Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2011			2013				2012			2011
	Service cost	$	10			$	24			$	67		$	2			$	3		$	3
	Interest cost	91				93				99			5				5			6
	Expected return on assets	(129		)		(124		)		(127		)	—				—			—
	Amortization of:
	Actuarial loss	26				32				31			—				—			—
	Prior service credit	5				(1		)		—			(1		)		(1		)	(1		)
	Curtailment 1	(8		)		—				—			(12		)		—			—
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	(5	)		$	24			$	70		$	(6	)		$	7		$	8
	1	The curtailment gain for our retirement plans relates to a freeze of pension accruals for MHE employees as well as all remaining active employees in the United Kingdom ("U.K."). The curtailment gain for our postretirement plans relates to the sale of MHE on March 22, 2013.
Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax	'
	Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax for the years ended December 31, are as follows:
	(in millions)	Retirement Plans											Postretirement Plans
		2013				2012				2011			2013				2012			2011
	Net actuarial (gain) loss	$	(213	)		$	116			$	65		$	(8	)		$	2		$	(12	)
	Recognized actuarial gain	(15		)		(20		)		(18		)	—				—			—
	Prior service credit	5				2				—			—				1			1
	Total recognized	$	(223	)		$	98			$	47		$	(8	)		$	3		$	(11	)
Assumptions	'
	Assumptions
		Retirement Plans									Postretirement Plans
		2013			2012			2011			2013		2012			2011
	Benefit obligation: 1
	Discount rate	5	%		4.1	%		5.1	%		4.2	%	3.45	%		4.45	%
	Compensation increase factor	N/A			N/A			4.5	%
	Net periodic cost:
	Weighted-average healthcare cost rate 2										7	%	7.5	%		8	%
	Discount rate - U.S. plan 3	4.1	%		5.1	%		5.4	%		3.45	%	4.45	%		4.65	%
	Discount rate - U.K. plan 3	4.8	%		5.1	%		5.5	%
	Compensation increase factor - U.S. plan	N/A			4.5	%		4.5	%
	Compensation increase factor - U.K. plan	5.75	%		5.85	%		6.25	%
	Return on assets 4	7.25	%		7.75	%		8	%
	1	These assumptions for the retirement plans relate to our U.S. ERP and a compensation increase factor is no longer applicable because there are no further salary increases as the U.S. ERP was frozen in April 2012.
	2	The assumed weighted-average healthcare cost trend rate will decrease ratably from 7% in 2013 to 5% in 2020 and remain at that level thereafter. Assumed healthcare cost trends have an effect on the amounts reported for the healthcare plans. A one percentage point change in assumed healthcare cost trend creates the following effects:
	(in millions)	1% point				1% point
		increase				decrease
	Effect on postretirement obligation	$	4			$	(4	)
	3	Effective January 1, 2014, we changed our discount rate assumption on our U.S. retirement plans to 5.0% from 4.1% in 2013 and changed our discount rate assumption on our U.K. plan to 4.5% from 4.8% in 2013.
	4	The expected return on assets assumption is calculated based on the plan’s asset allocation strategy and projected market returns over the long-term. Effective January 1, 2014, we changed our return on assets assumption to 7.125% from 7.25% for the U.S. plan in 2013 and to 6.75% from 7.25% for the U.K. plan in 2013.
Effects created by one percentage point change in assumed healthcare cost trend	'
	A one percentage point change in assumed healthcare cost trend creates the following effects:
	(in millions)	1% point				1% point
		increase				decrease
	Effect on postretirement obligation	$	4			$	(4	)
Information about the expected cash flows for retirement and post-retirement plans and impact of the Medicare subsidy	'
	Information about the expected cash flows for our retirement and postretirement plans and the impact of the Medicare subsidy is as follows:
	(in millions)					Postretirement Plans 2
		Retirement 1				Gross				Retiree			Medicare				Net
		Plans				payments				contributions			subsidy				payments
	2014	$	76			$	14			$	(5	)	$	(1	)		$	8
	2015	79				14				(5		)	(1		)		8
	2016	84				15				(6		)	(1		)		8
	2017	88				15				(6		)	(1		)		8
	2018	92				15				(7		)	(1		)		7
	2019-2023	512				79				(44		)	(3		)		32
	1	Reflects the total benefits expected to be paid from the plans or from our assets including both our share of the benefit cost and the participants’ share of the cost.
	2	Reflects the total benefits expected to be paid from our assets.
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'
	The fair value of our defined benefit plans assets as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, by asset class is as follows:
	(in millions)	31-Dec-13
		Total				Level 1				Level 2			Level 3
	Cash and short-term investments, and other	$	68			$	20			$	48		$	—
	Equity securities:
	U.S. indexes 1	514				145				369			—
	U.S. growth and value	373				325				48			—
	U.K.	183				101				82			—
	International, excluding U.K.	227				131				96			—
	Fixed income securities:
	Long duration strategy 2	517				—				517			—
	Intermediate duration securities	11				—				11			—
	Agency mortgage backed securities	7				—				7			—
	Asset backed securities	16				—				16			—
	Non-agency mortgage backed securities 3	45				—				45			—
	U.K. 4	66				—				66			—
	International, excluding U.K.	61				—				61			—
	Total	$	2,088			$	722			$	1,366		$	—
	(in millions)	31-Dec-12
		Total				Level 1				Level 2			Level 3
	Cash and short-term investments, and other	$	180			$	2			$	178		$	—
	Equity securities:
	U.S. indexes 1	399				119				280			—
	U.S. growth and value	344				307				37			—
	U.K.	154				85				69			—
	International, excluding U.K.	225				137				87			1
	Fixed income securities:
	Long duration strategy 2	370				—				370			—
	Intermediate duration securities	3				—				3			—
	Agency mortgage backed securities	13				—				13			—
	Asset backed securities	10				—				10			—
	Non-agency mortgage backed securities 3	52				—				52			—
	U.K. 4	41				—				41			—
	International, excluding U.K.	43				—				43			—
	Real estate:
	U.K. 5	17				—				—			17
	Total	$	1,851			$	650			$	1,183		$	18
	1	Includes securities that are tracked in the following indexes: S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, S&P MidCap 400 Growth and S&P Smallcap 600.
	2	Includes securities that are investment grade obligations of issuers in the U.S.
	3	Includes U.S. mortgage-backed securities that are not backed by the U.S. government.
	4	Includes securities originated by the government of and other issuers from the U.K.
	5	Includes a fund which holds real estate properties in the U.K.
Information of plan assets using significant unobservable inputs	'
	The following tables details further information our plan assets where we have used significant unobservable inputs (Level 3):
	(in millions)
	Beginning balance as of December 31, 2012	$	18
	Capital distributions	(18		)
	Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	$	—

StockBased_Compensation_Tables

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Number of common shares reserved for issuance	'
	The number of common shares reserved for issuance are as follows:
	(in millions)	December 31,
		2013		2012
	Shares available for granting under the 2002 Plan	30.3		26.8
	Options outstanding	12.2		18.6
	Total shares reserved for issuance 1	42.5		45.4
	1	Shares reserved for issuance under the Director Deferred Stock Ownership Plan are not included in the total, but are less than 0.2 million.
Stock-based compensation expense	'
	Stock-based compensation expense and the corresponding tax benefit are as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012				2011
	Stock option expense	$	13		$	10			$	19
	Restricted stock and unit awards expense	86			83				58
	Total stock-based compensation expense	$	99		$	93			$	77
	Tax benefit	$	38		$	36			$	29
Assumptions used in valuing the options granted	'
	The following assumptions were used in valuing the options granted (in 2012, stock options were not granted as part of employees' total stock-based incentive awards):
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Risk-free average interest rate	0.1 - 2.9%			N/A		0.2 - 3.5%
	Dividend yield	2.09 - 2.07%			N/A		2.5 - 3.0%
	Volatility	29 - 45%			N/A		21 - 51%
	Expected life (years)	6.1 - 6.2			N/A		6.1 - 6.2
	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per option	$	14.46		N/A		$	10.61
Stock option activity	'
	Stock option activity is as follows:
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted average exercise price				Weighted-average remaining years of contractual term		Aggregate intrinsic value
	Options outstanding as of December 31, 2012	18.6			$	39.58
	Granted	1.4		1	$	51.69
	Exercised	(7.4	)		$	37.78
	Canceled, forfeited and expired	(0.4	)		$	50.33
	Options outstanding as of December 31, 2013	12.2			$	41.78			4.3		$	445
	Options exercisable as of December 31, 2013	10.9			$	40.55			3.7		$	409
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted-average grant-date fair value
	Nonvested options outstanding as of December 31, 2012	1.1			$	10.61
	Granted	1.4			$	14.46
	Vested	(1.2		)	$	10.61
	Nonvested options outstanding as of December 31, 2013	1.3			$	14.46
	Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested options	$	9
	Weighted-average years to be recognized over	2.3
Stock option exercised	'
	Information regarding our stock option exercises is as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012				2011
	Net cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options	$	258		$	299			$	139
	Total intrinsic value of stock option exercises	$	158		$	120			$	41
	Income tax benefit realized from stock option exercises	$	61		$	47			$	16
Restricted stock and unit activity	'
	Restricted stock and unit activity for performance and non-performance awards is as follows:
	(in millions, except per award amounts)	Shares			Weighted-average grant-date fair value
	Nonvested shares as of December 31, 2012	3.4			$	40.49
	Granted	3			$	44.22
	Vested	(3.1		)	$	38.93
	Forfeited	(0.2		)	$	46.28
	Nonvested shares as of December 31, 2013	3.1			$	47.89
	Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested awards	$	84
	Weighted-average years to be recognized over	1.6
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012				2011
	Weighted-average grant-date fair value per award	$	44.22		$	44.38			$	37.8
	Total fair value of restricted stock and unit awards vested	$	119		$	90			$	1
	Tax benefit relating to restricted stock activity	$	33		$	32			$	22

Equity_Tables

Equity (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Equity [Abstract]	'
Dividend history	'
	On January 29, 2014, the Board of Directors approved an increase in the dividends for 2014 to a quarterly rate of $0.30 per common share.
		Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Quarterly dividend rate	$	0.28		$	0.255	$	0.25
	Annualized dividend rate	$	1.12		$	1.02	$	1
	Special dividend	$	—		$	2.5	$	—
	Dividends paid (in millions)	$	308		$	984	$	296
Share repurchases	'
	Share repurchases were as follows:
	(in millions, except average price)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012		2011
	Total number of shares purchased - 2011 Repurchase Program 1, 2	16.9			6.8		26.3
	Total number of shares purchased - 2007 Repurchase Program	—			—		8.4
	Average price paid per share 2, 3	$	58.52		$	50.35	$	40.48
	Total cash utilized	$	989		$	295	$	1,500
	1	2013 and 2012 includes shares received as part of our accelerated share repurchase agreements as described in more detail below.
	2	In any period, cash used in financing activities related to common stock repurchased may differ from the comparable change in equity, reflecting timing differences between the recognition of share repurchase transactions and their settlement for cash. As such, in fourth quarter of 2013, 0.1 million shares were repurchased for approximately $10 million, which settled in January 2014. Excluding these 0.1 million shares, the average price paid per share was $58.36.
	3	Average price paid per share information for 2013 includes the accelerated share repurchase transaction, while 2012 and 2011 does not include the accelerated share repurchase transactions entered in December 2011 as discussed in more detail below.
Redeemable noncontrolling interest rollforward	'
	Changes to redeemable noncontrolling interest during the year ended December 31, 2013 were as follows:
	(in millions)
	Balance as of December 31, 2012	$	810
	Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest	73
	Distributions to noncontrolling interest	(62		)
	Redemption value adjustment	(11		)
	Balance as of December 31, 2013	$	810

Earnings_per_Share_Tables

Earnings per Share (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Reconciliation of the number of shares used for calculating basic and diluted earnings per common share	'
	The calculation for basic and diluted EPS is as follows:
	(in millions, except per share data)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Amount attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	812		$	676		$	607
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	564			(239		)	304
	Net income attributable to the Company	$	1,376		$	437		$	911
	Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	274.5			278.6			298.1
	Effect of stock options and other dilutive securities	5.3			6			5.5
	Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding	279.8			284.6			303.6
	Basic EPS:
	Income from continuing operations	$	2.96		$	2.43		$	2.03
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	2.05			(0.86		)	1.02
	Net income	$	5.01		$	1.57		$	3.05
	Diluted EPS:
	Income from continuing operations	$	2.9		$	2.37		$	2
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	2.01			(0.84		)	1
	Net income	$	4.91		$	1.53		$	3
Number of stock options excluded from the computation of EPS	'
	For the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, the number of stock options excluded from the computation are as follows:
	(in millions)	Year Ended December 31,
		2013		2012			2011
	Stock options excluded from diluted EPS computation	1.2		3.4			10.1

Restructuring_Tables

Restructuring (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]	'
Schedule of initial restructuring charge recorded and the ending reserve balance	'
	The initial restructuring charge recorded and the ending reserve balance as of December 31, 2013 by segment is as follows:
		2013 Restructuring Plan				2012 Restructuring Plan
	(in millions)	Initial Charge Recorded		Ending Reserve Balance		Initial Charge Recorded		Ending Reserve Balance
	S&P Ratings	$	13	$	13	$	15	3
	S&P Capital IQ	10		9		19		1
	S&P DJ Indices	—		—		1		—
	C&C	10		7		12		2
	Corporate	16		10		21		—
	Total continuing operations	49		39		68		6
	MHE	—		—		39		8
	Total	$	49	$	39	$	107	$	14

Segment_and_Geographic_Informa1

Segment and Geographic Information (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment information	'
	Segment information for the years ended December 31 is as follows:
	(in millions)	Revenue											Operating Profit
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012			2011
	S&P Ratings	$	2,274			$	2,034			$	1,767		$	1,000		$	849		$	720
	S&P Capital IQ	1,170				1,124				1,031			211			208			214
	S&P DJ Indices	493				388				323			278			212			189
	C&C	1,014				973				896			311			248			180
	Intersegment elimination	(76		)		(69		)		(63		)	—			—			—
	Total operating segments	4,875				4,450				3,954			1,800			1,517			1,303
	Unallocated expense	—				—				—			(395		)	(306		)	(226		)
	Total	$	4,875			$	4,450			$	3,954		$	1,405		$	1,211		$	1,077
	(in millions)	Depreciation & Amortization											Capital Expenditures
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012			2011
	S&P Ratings	$	45			$	43			$	40		$	40		$	43		$	40
	S&P Capital IQ	49				50				43			39			22			21
	S&P DJ Indices	10				8				3			4			2			2
	C&C	22				23				23			17			17			14
	Total operating segments	126				124				109			100			84			77
	Corporate	11				17				17			17			13			15
	Total	$	137			$	141			$	126		$	117		$	97		$	92
	Segment information as of December 31 is as follows:
	(in millions)	Total Assets
		2013				2012
	S&P Ratings	$	630			$	726
	S&P Capital IQ	1,054				1,123
	S&P DJ Indices	1,160				1,133
	C&C	943				1,000
	Total operating segments	3,787				3,982
	Corporate 1	2,213				1,130
	Assets held for sale	61				1,940
	Total	$	6,061			$	7,052
	1	Corporate assets consist principally of cash and equivalents, assets for pension benefits, deferred income taxes and leasehold improvements related to subleased areas.
Schedule of revenue and long-lived assets by geographic region	'
	The following provides revenue and long-lived assets by geographic region:
	(in millions)	Revenue											Long-lived Assets
		Years ended December 31,											December 31,
		2013				2012				2011			2013			2012
	United States	$	2,892			$	2,684			$	2,373		$	2,209		$	2,376
	European region	1,227				1,067				951			432			441
	Asia	483				454				423			59			70
	Rest of the world	273				245				207			54			57
	Total	$	4,875			$	4,450			$	3,954		$	2,754		$	2,944
		Revenue									Long-lived Assets
		Years ended December 31,									December 31,
		2013			2012			2011			2013		2012
	United States	59	%		60	%		60	%		80	%	81	%
	European region	25			24			24			16		15
	Asia	10			10			11			2		2
	Rest of the world	6			6			5			2		2
	Total	100	%		100	%		100	%		100	%	100	%

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Rental expense for property and equipment under operating lease agreements	'
	Rental expense for property and equipment under all operating lease agreements is as follows:
	(in millions)	Years ended December 31,
		2013			2012			2011
	Gross rental expense	$	207		$	164		$	158
	Less: sublease revenue	(29		)	(4		)	(2		)
	Less: Rock-McGraw rent credit	(20		)	(19		)	(18		)
	Net rental expense	$	158		$	141		$	138
Future minimum rental commitments	'
	Cash amounts for future minimum rental commitments, including rent payments on the sale-leaseback, under existing non-cancelable leases with a remaining term of more than one year, along with minimum sublease rental income to be received under non-cancelable subleases are shown in the following table.
	(in millions)	Rent			Sublease			Net rent
		commitment			income
	2014	$	161		$	(14	)	$	147
	2015	155			(14		)	141
	2016	123			(13		)	110
	2017	99			(13		)	86
	2018	90			(13		)	77
	2019 and beyond	238			(16		)	222
	Total	$	866		$	(83	)	$	783

Quarterly_Financial_Informatio1

Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited) (Tables)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)	'
	Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)
	(in millions, except per share data)	First			Second		Third			Fourth			Total
		quarter			quarter		quarter			quarter			year
	2013
	Revenue	$	1,181		$	1,250	$	1,194		$	1,250		$	4,875
	Operating profit	$	278		$	436	$	407		$	284		$	1,405
	Income from continuing operations	$	174		$	273	$	265		$	190		$	903
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	$	581		$	4	$	(20	)	$	(2	)	$	563
	Net income	$	755		$	277	$	245		$	188		$	1,466
	Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	153		$	250	$	235		$	173		$	812
	Income (loss) from discontinued operations	582			4		(20		)	(2		)	564
	Net income	$	735		$	254	$	215		$	171		$	1,376
	Basic earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.55		$	0.91	$	0.86		$	0.64		$	2.96
	Discontinued operations	2.07			0.01		(0.07		)	(0.01		)	2.05
	Net income	$	2.62		$	0.93	$	0.79		$	0.63		$	5.01
	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.54		$	0.9	$	0.84		$	0.62		$	2.9
	Discontinued operations	2.05			0.01		(0.07		)	(0.01		)	2.01
	Net income	$	2.59		$	0.91	$	0.77		$	0.62		$	4.91
	2012
	Revenue	$	1,035		$	1,072	$	1,116		$	1,226		$	4,450
	Operating profit	$	282		$	308	$	275		$	347		$	1,211
	Income from continuing operations	$	163		$	180	$	172		$	211		$	726
	(Loss) income from discontinued operations	$	(36	)	$	40	$	165		$	(404	)	$	(234	)
	Net income (loss)	$	127		$	220	$	337		$	(193	)	$	492
	Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial common shareholders:
	Income from continuing operations	$	158		$	176	$	151		$	190		$	676
	(Loss) income from discontinued operations	(35		)	39		162			(406		)	(239		)
	Net income (loss)	$	123		$	216	$	314		$	(216	)	$	437
	Basic earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.57		$	0.63	$	0.54		$	0.68		$	2.43
	Discontinued operations	(0.13		)	0.14		0.58			(1.46		)	(0.86		)
	Net income (loss)	$	0.44		$	0.77	$	1.13		$	(0.78	)	$	1.57
	Diluted earnings (loss) per share:
	Continuing operations	$	0.56		$	0.62	$	0.53		$	0.67		$	2.37
	Discontinued operations	(0.13		)	0.14		0.57			(1.43		)	(0.84		)
	Net income (loss)	$	0.43		$	0.76	$	1.1		$	(0.76	)	$	1.53
	Note - Totals presented may not sum due to rounding.

Accounting_Policies_Details

Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
		units
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Fair value of our long-term debt borrowings	$916	$801	$916	'	'
Market value of investments	760	1,542	760	835	1,416
Deferred technology costs, gross	115	131	115	'	'
Accumulated amortization of deferred technology costs	58	71	58	'	'
Non-cash impairment charge	'	36	'	'	'
Non-cash impairment charge associated with the an intangible asset acquired	-26	26	26	'	'
Number of operating segments	'	4	'	'	'
Cost of advertisement	'	$43	$34	$32	'
Minimum [Member] | Software and Software Development Costs [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'3 years	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Building Improvements [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'15 years	'	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Equipment [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'2 years	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Software and Software Development Costs [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'7 years	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Building Improvements [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'40 years	'	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Equipment [Member]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'
Property, plant and equipment useful life	'	'10 years	'	'	'

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures_1

Acquisitions and Divestitures (Acquisitions) (Details Textual) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

9 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Jun. 29, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2003

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Jun. 29, 2012

Jun. 29, 2011

Jun. 29, 2012

Jun. 29, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

Aug. 31, 2013

Jun. 30, 2013

Sep. 30, 2013

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

DJI [Member]

DJI [Member]

DJI [Member]

DJI [Member]

S&P Dow Jones LLC [Member]

CME Group and CGIS [Member]

S&P/DJ Indices [Member]

CRISIL Limited [Member]

CRISIL Limited [Member]

CRISIL Limited [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Maximum [Member]

S&P Dow Jones LLC [Member]

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Acquisitions, including contingent payments, net of cash acquired

'

$273

$177

$194

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Offer to purchase additional equity percent

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

22.23%

'

Shares acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

11

'

'

Percent of total shares acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

15.07%

'

'

Consideration for shares

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

214

'

'

Ownership percentage

'

'

'

'

45.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

52.77%

67.84%

Contingent purchase price payment

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

12

Percentage of interest in joint venture

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

73.00%

27.00%

'

'

'

'

Acquisition-related costs

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

15

'

'

'

Fair value of business acquired

792

0

792

0

'

'

'

'

792

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair value estimates of proportionate shares of contributed businesses, assumptions, discount rates

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

10.00%

11.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair value estimates of proportionate shares of contributed businesses, assumptions, long term growth rates

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2.50%

3.50%

'

'

'

'

'

'

Amortization period of intangible assets (in years)

'

'12 years

'

'

'

'5 years

'20 years

'20 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred tax liabilities, noncurrent

'

$205

$56

'

'

'

'

'

'

$216

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures_2

Acquisitions and Divestitures (Acquisitions) (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 29, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Consideration Transferred:	'	'	'	'
Total consideration transferred	$792	$0	$792	$0
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation:	'	'	'	'
Goodwill	'	1,412	1,438	1,104
Liabilities assumed in conjunction with the acquisition of businesses	'	'	'	'
Fair value of assets acquired	'	0	1,071	214
Fair value of consideration transferred for DJI business	792	0	792	0
Cash paid (net of cash acquired)	'	0	177	194
Liabilities assumed	'	0	102	20
Fair Value of S&P Index [Member]	'	'	'	'
Consideration Transferred:	'	'	'	'
Fair value of contribution	571	'	'	'
DJI [Member]	'	'	'	'
Consideration Transferred:	'	'	'	'
Total consideration transferred	792	'	'	'
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation:	'	'	'	'
Current assets	79	'	'	'
Indefinite-lived intangibles	470	'	'	'
Goodwill	111	'	'	'
Current liabilities	-11	'	'	'
Total net assets	792	'	'	'
Liabilities assumed in conjunction with the acquisition of businesses	'	'	'	'
Fair value of consideration transferred for DJI business	792	'	'	'
DJI [Member] | Customer relationships	'	'	'	'
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation:	'	'	'	'
Finite lived intangible assets	110	'	'	'
DJI [Member] | Other Intangible Assets [Member]	'	'	'	'
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation:	'	'	'	'
Finite lived intangible assets	33	'	'	'
DJI [Member] | Fair Value of Noncontrolling interest of DJI [Member]	'	'	'	'
Consideration Transferred:	'	'	'	'
Fair value of contribution	$221	'	'	'

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures_3

Acquisitions and Divestitures (Divestitures) (Details Textual) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			0 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 22, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011	Aug. 27, 2013
						McGraw Hill Education [Member]	McGraw Hill Education [Member]	McGraw Hill Education [Member]	Broadcasting Group [Member]	C&C [Member]	India Index Services & Products Ltd [Member]
								Positions		LinkedIn Corporation [Member]	CRISIL Limited [Member]
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Pre-tax gain on dispositions	'	$24	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$13	'
Percent of equity interest sold	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	49.00%
Cash proceeds from sale of business	'	'	'	'	'	2,400	'	'	216	'	'
Pre-tax gain on sale from discontinued operations	'	'	888	0	122	'	'	'	123	'	'
After-tax gain on sale of business	'	'	589	0	74	'	589	'	'	'	'
Impairment charges, goodwill and intangible assets	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	497	'	'	'
Restructuring costs	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	39	'	'	'
Workforce reduction, positions	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	530	'	'	'
Direct transaction costs for legal and professional fees	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	17	'	'	'
Lease commitment charges	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	3	'	'	'
Vacation accrual reversal	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	17	'	'	'
Impairment charges, goodwill	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	478	'	'	'
Impairment charges, excluding goodwill	($26)	'	$26	$26	'	'	'	$19	'	'	'

Acquisitions_and_Divestitures_4

Acquisitions and Divestitures (Divestitures) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Components of income from discontinued operations	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	$268	$2,062	$2,382
Expenses	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	310	2,287	2,035
Operating (loss) income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-42	-225	347
Interest expense (income), net	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2	-2	-3
(Loss) income before taxes on (loss) income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-44	-223	350
(Benefit) provision for taxes on (loss) income	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-18	11	116
(Loss) income from discontinued operations, net of tax	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-26	-234	234
Pre-tax gain on sale from discontinued operations	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	888	0	122
Provision for taxes on gain on sale	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	299	0	48
Gain on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	589	0	74
Discontinued operations, net	-2	-20	4	581	-404	165	40	-36	563	-234	308
Less: net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-1	5	4
Income (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders	-2	-20	4	582	-406	162	39	-35	564	-239	304
Components of assets and liabilities classified as held for sale	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Accounts receivable, net	'	'	'	'	333	'	'	'	'	333	'
Property and equipment, net	'	'	'	'	122	'	'	'	'	122	'
Goodwill	'	'	'	'	469	'	'	'	'	469	'
Other intangible assets, net	'	'	'	'	156	'	'	'	'	156	'
Inventories, net	'	'	'	'	235	'	'	'	'	235	'
Prepublication costs	'	'	'	'	304	'	'	'	'	304	'
Other assets	'	'	'	'	321	'	'	'	'	321	'
Assets held for sale	'	'	'	'	1,940	'	'	'	'	1,940	'
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	'	'	'	'	123	'	'	'	'	123	'
Unearned revenue	'	'	'	'	192	'	'	'	'	192	'
Other liabilities	'	'	'	'	349	'	'	'	'	349	'
Liabilities held for sale	'	'	'	'	$664	'	'	'	'	$664	'

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'	'
Goodwill, Beginning balance	$1,438	$1,104
Acquisitions	'	325
Transfers/reorganizations	'	3
Dispositions	-36	'
Other ( primarily Fx )	10	6
Goodwill, Ending balance	1,412	1,438
S&P Ratings	'	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'	'
Goodwill, Beginning balance	130	197
Acquisitions	'	29
Transfers/reorganizations	'	-95
Dispositions	0	'
Other ( primarily Fx )	-5	-1
Goodwill, Ending balance	125	130
S&P Capital IQ	'	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'	'
Goodwill, Beginning balance	457	238
Acquisitions	'	164
Transfers/reorganizations	'	53
Dispositions	-3	'
Other ( primarily Fx )	15	2
Goodwill, Ending balance	469	457
S&P DJ Indices	'	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'	'
Goodwill, Beginning balance	380	223
Acquisitions	'	111
Transfers/reorganizations	'	45
Dispositions	-4	'
Other ( primarily Fx )	0	1
Goodwill, Ending balance	376	380
C&C	'	'
Goodwill [Roll Forward]	'	'
Goodwill, Beginning balance	471	446
Acquisitions	'	21
Transfers/reorganizations	'	0
Dispositions	-29	'
Other ( primarily Fx )	0	4
Goodwill, Ending balance	$442	$471

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details 1) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	$706	$470	'
Additions, net	'	44	236	'
Dispositions	'	-22	'	'
Impairment	26	-26	-26	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	-8	0	'
Cost, Ending balance	706	694	706	470
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	259	207	'
Current year amortization	'	51	48	33
Dispositions	'	-15	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	4	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	259	295	259	207
Net amount	447	399	447	'
Databases and software	'	'	'	'
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	126	109	'
Additions, net	'	0	17	'
Dispositions	'	-9	'	'
Impairment	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	-2	0	'
Cost, Ending balance	126	115	126	'
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	80	70	'
Current year amortization	'	9	10	'
Dispositions	'	-6	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	0	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	80	83	80	'
Net amount	46	32	46	'
Content	'	'	'	'
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	139	139	'
Additions, net	'	0	0	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Impairment	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	0	'
Cost, Ending balance	139	139	139	'
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	31	17	'
Current year amortization	'	14	14	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	0	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	31	45	31	'
Net amount	108	94	108	'
Customer relationships	'	'	'	'
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	225	115	'
Additions, net	'	0	110	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Impairment	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	0	'
Cost, Ending balance	225	225	225	'
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	55	43	'
Current year amortization	'	11	11	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	1	1	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	55	67	55	'
Net amount	170	158	170	'
Tradenames	'	'	'	'
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	45	45	'
Additions, net	'	0	1	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Impairment	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	-1	'
Cost, Ending balance	45	45	45	'
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	30	27	'
Current year amortization	'	2	3	'
Dispositions	'	0	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	0	0	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	30	32	30	'
Net amount	15	13	15	'
Other intangibles	'	'	'	'
Finite-lived Intangible Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'	'
Cost, Beginning balance	'	171	62	'
Additions, net	'	44	108	'
Dispositions	'	-13	'	'
Impairment	'	-26	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	-6	1	'
Cost, Ending balance	171	170	171	'
Accumulated amortization, Beginning balance	'	63	50	'
Current year amortization	'	15	10	'
Dispositions	'	-9	'	'
Other (primarily Fx)	'	-1	3	'
Accumulated amortization, Ending balance	63	68	63	'
Net amount	$108	$102	$108	'

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_4

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Amortization expense and projected amortization expense for intangible assets	'	'	'
Amortization of intangibles	$51	$48	$33
Expected amortization expense, 2014	47	'	'
Expected amortization expense, 2015	45	'	'
Expected amortization expense, 2016	45	'	'
Expected amortization expense, 2017	42	'	'
Expected amortization expense, 2018	$36	'	'

Goodwill_and_Other_Intangible_5

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Details Textual) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of trade name and licenses	$634	$634
Weighted-average life of the intangible assets	'9 years	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Weighted-average life of the intangible assets	'40 years	'
Dow Jones Index [Member] | Intellectual Property [Member]	'	'
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of trade name and licenses	380	'
Dow Jones Index [Member] | Trade Names [Member]	'	'
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of trade name and licenses	90	'
C&C [Member] | Trade Names [Member]	'	'
Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Line Items]	'	'
Carrying value of trade name and licenses	$164	'

Taxes_on_Income_Details_Textua

Taxes on Income (Details Textual) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Taxes on income (Textual) [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries for income tax purposes	$930	'	'	'
Net income tax payments	787	243	452	'
Increase in amount of unrecognized tax benefits that unfavorably impact tax expense	28	'	'	'
Total amount of federal, state and local, and foreign unrecognized tax benefits excluding interest and penalties	82	74	58	53
Accrued interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions	19	14	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards	$165	'	'	'

Taxes_on_Income_Details

Taxes on Income (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Income before taxes domestic and foreign operations	'	'	'
Domestic operations	$868	$841	$700
Foreign operations	478	289	300
Total continuing income before taxes	1,346	1,130	1,000
Federal:	'	'	'
Current	209	194	238
Deferred	51	74	-6
Total federal	260	268	232
Foreign:	'	'	'
Current	152	91	93
Deferred	-19	-9	13
Total foreign	133	82	106
State and local:	'	'	'
Current	40	40	36
Deferred	10	14	0
Total state and local	50	54	36
Total provision for taxes for continuing operations	443	404	374
Provision for discontinued operations	281	11	164
Total provision for taxes	$724	$415	$538
Reconciliation of federal statutory income tax rate	'	'	'
U.S. federal statutory income tax rate	35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
State and local income taxes	2.80%	3.60%	2.40%
Foreign operations	-3.70%	-2.60%	-3.00%
S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC joint venture	-1.90%	-1.10%	0.00%
Other, net	0.70%	0.90%	3.00%
Effective income tax rate for continuing operations	32.90%	35.80%	37.40%

Taxes_on_Income_Details_1

Taxes on Income (Details 1) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Deferred tax assets:	'	'
Postretirement benefits	$32	$201
Employee compensation	72	123
Accrued expenses	142	105
Unearned revenue	55	60
Allowance for doubtful accounts	15	17
Loss carryforwards	28	25
Other	10	0
Total deferred tax assets	354	531
Deferred tax liabilities:	'	'
Goodwill and intangible assets	-379	-379
Fixed assets	-55	-54
Other	0	-1
Total deferred tax liabilities	-434	-434
Net deferred income tax (liability) asset before valuation allowance	-80	97
Valuation allowance	-5	-7
Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	-85	90
Reported as:	'	'
Current deferred tax assets	108	117
Current deferred tax liabilities	-10	-7
Non-current deferred tax assets	22	36
Non-current deferred tax liabilities	-205	-56
Net deferred income tax (liability) asset	($85)	$90

Taxes_on_Income_Details_2

Taxes on Income (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Reconciliation of beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of year	$74	$58	$53
Additions based on tax positions related to the current year	27	14	12
Additions for tax positions of prior years	10	3	3
Reduction for tax positions of prior years	-9	-1	-10
Reduction for settlements	-20	0	0
Balance at end of year	$82	$74	$58

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Total debt	$799	$1,256
Less: short-term debt including current maturities	0	457
Long-term debt	799	799
Annual long term debt maturity year one	0	'
Annual long term debt maturity year two	0	'
Annual long term debt maturity year three	0	'
Annual long term debt maturity year four	400	'
Annual long term debt maturity after year five	399	'
Commitment fee minimum percentage	0.20%	'
Commitment fee maximum percentage	0.45%	'
5.9% Senior Notes, due 2017 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	400	400
Interest rate	5.90%	5.90%
Unamortized debt discount on senior notes	1	'
6.55% Senior Notes, due 2037 [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Senior Notes	399	399
Interest rate	6.55%	6.55%
Unamortized debt discount on senior notes	1	'
Three Years Facility [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Current commitment fee	0.25%	'
Commercial Paper [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short-term debt	$0	$457

Commercial_Paper_Program_Detai

Commercial Paper Program (Details) (USD $)	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 18, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Jun. 19, 2013
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Size of total commercial paper program	'	'	'	'	'	$1,000,000,000
Commitment fee minimum percentage	'	'	0.20%	'	'	'
Commitment fee maximum percentage	'	'	0.45%	'	'	'
Special dividend (in dollars per share)	'	$2.50	$1.12	$1.02	$1	'
Commercial Paper	'	457,000,000	0	457,000,000	'	'
Facility expiration period	'4 years	'	'	'	'	'
Indebtedness to cash flow	'	'	3.25	'	'	'
Previous Credit Facility [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Size of total commercial paper program	1,200,000,000	'	'	'	'	'
Facility expiration period	'3 years	'	'	'	'	'
Commercial Paper [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Commercial paper interest rate	'	0.48%	'	0.48%	'	'
Commercial paper, average term	'	'	'	'28 days	'	'

Employee_Benefits_Details

Employee Benefits (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	$2,088	$1,851	'
Amounts recognized in consolidated balance sheets:	'	'	'
Non-current liabilities	-264	-529	'
Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Benefit Obligation [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	2,171	1,834	'
Service cost	10	24	67
Interest cost	91	93	99
Plan participant's contributions	0	1	'
Actuarial loss (gain)	-178	287	'
Gross benefits paid	-77	-71	'
Foreign currency effect	8	11	'
Curtailment	-26	0	'
Other adjustments	5	-8	'
Net benefit obligation at end of year	2,004	2,171	1,834
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2012	1,851	1,505	'
Actual return on plan assets	281	212	'
Employer contributions	27	193	'
Plan participant's contributions	0	1	'
Gross benefits paid	-77	-71	'
Foreign currency effect	6	11	'
Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	2,088	1,851	1,505
Funded status	84	-320	'
Amounts recognized in consolidated balance sheets:	'	'	'
Non-current assets	261	98	'
Current liabilities	-7	-7	'
Non-current liabilities	-170	-411	'
Amounts Recognized in Consolidated Balance Sheet, Total	84	-320	'
Accumulated benefit obligation	2,004	2,093	'
Plans with accumulated benefit obligation in excess of the fair value of plan assets:	'	'	'
Projected benefit obligation	176	1,773	'
Accumulated benefit obligation	158	1,756	'
Fair value of plan assets	0	1,356	'
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax:	'	'	'
Net actuarial loss	227	455	'
Prior service credit	1	-4	'
Total recognized	228	451	'
Postretirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Benefit Obligation [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Net benefit obligation at beginning of year	129	129	'
Service cost	2	3	3
Interest cost	5	5	6
Plan participant's contributions	4	5	'
Actuarial loss (gain)	-13	3	'
Gross benefits paid	-13	-17	'
Foreign currency effect	0	0	'
Curtailment	-11	0	'
Other adjustments	0	1	'
Net benefit obligation at end of year	103	129	129
Defined Benefit Plan, Change in Fair Value of Plan Assets [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2012	0	0	'
Actual return on plan assets	0	0	'
Employer contributions	9	12	'
Plan participant's contributions	4	5	'
Gross benefits paid	-13	-17	'
Foreign currency effect	0	0	'
Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	0	0	0
Funded status	-103	-129	'
Amounts recognized in consolidated balance sheets:	'	'	'
Non-current assets	0	0	'
Current liabilities	-9	-11	'
Non-current liabilities	-94	-118	'
Amounts Recognized in Consolidated Balance Sheet, Total	-103	-129	'
Amounts recognized in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax:	'	'	'
Net actuarial loss	-11	-3	'
Prior service credit	-1	-1	'
Total recognized	($12)	($4)	'

Employee_Benefits_Details_1

Employee Benefits (Details 1) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax	'	'	'
Total recognized	($231)	$101	$36
Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'
Components of net periodic cost for retirement plans and post-retirement plans	'	'	'
Service cost	10	24	67
Interest cost	91	93	99
Expected return on assets	-129	-124	-127
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	26	32	31
Prior service credit	5	-1	0
Curtailment	-8	0	0
Net periodic benefit cost	-5	24	70
Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax	'	'	'
Net actuarial loss (gain)	-213	116	65
Recognized actuarial gain	-15	-20	-18
Amortization of prior service credit	5	2	0
Total recognized	-223	98	47
Postretirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'
Components of net periodic cost for retirement plans and post-retirement plans	'	'	'
Service cost	2	3	3
Interest cost	5	5	6
Expected return on assets	0	0	0
Amortization of actuarial (gain) loss	0	0	0
Prior service credit	-1	-1	-1
Curtailment	-12	0	0
Net periodic benefit cost	-6	7	8
Other changes in plan assets and benefit obligations recognized in other comprehensive income, net of tax	'	'	'
Net actuarial loss (gain)	-8	2	-12
Recognized actuarial gain	0	0	0
Amortization of prior service credit	0	1	1
Total recognized	($8)	$3	($11)

Employee_Benefits_Details_2

Employee Benefits (Details 2)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Feb. 07, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Net periodic cost	'	'	'	'
Weighted-average healthcare cost rate	'	5.00%	'	'
Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Benefit obligation	'	'	'	'
Discount rate	'	5.00%	4.10%	5.10%
Compensation increase factor	'	'	'	4.50%
Net periodic cost	'	'	'	'
Discount rate	'	4.10%	5.10%	5.40%
Compensation increase factor	'	'	4.50%	4.50%
Return on assets	7.13%	7.25%	7.75%	8.00%
Postretirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Benefit obligation	'	'	'	'
Discount rate	'	4.20%	3.45%	4.45%
Net periodic cost	'	'	'	'
Weighted-average healthcare cost rate	'	7.00%	7.50%	8.00%
Discount rate	'	3.45%	4.45%	4.65%
United Kingdom Retirement Plan [Member]	'	'	'	'
Net periodic cost	'	'	'	'
Discount rate	'	4.80%	5.10%	5.50%
Compensation increase factor	'	5.75%	5.85%	6.25%
Return on assets	6.75%	'	'	'

Employee_Benefits_Details_3

Employee Benefits (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Effects created by one percentage point change in assumed healthcare cost trend	'
Effect of 1% point increase on postretirement obligation	$4
Effect of 1% point decrease on postretirement obligation	($4)

Employee_Benefits_Details_4

Employee Benefits (Details 4) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Retirement Plans [Member]	'
Information about the expected cash flows for retirement and post-retirement plans and impact of the Medicare subsidy	'
2014, Net payments	$76
2015, Net payments	79
2016, Net payments	84
2017, Net payments	88
2018, Net payments	92
2019-2023, Net payments	512
Postretirement Plans [Member]	'
Information about the expected cash flows for retirement and post-retirement plans and impact of the Medicare subsidy	'
2014, Gross payments	14
2015, Gross payments	14
2016, Gross payments	15
2017, Gross payments	15
2018, Gross payments	15
2019-2023, Gross payments	79
2014, Retiree Contributions	-5
2015, Retiree Contributions	-5
2016, Retiree Contributions	-6
2017, Retiree Contributions	-6
2018, Retiree Contributions	-7
2019-2023, Retiree Contributions	-44
2014, Medicare subsidy	-1
2015, Medicare subsidy	-1
2016, Medicare subsidy	-1
2017, Medicare subsidy	-1
2018, Medicare subsidy	-1
2019-2023, Medicare subsidy	-3
2014, Net payments	8
2015, Net payments	8
2016, Net payments	8
2017, Net payments	8
2018, Net payments	7
2019-2023, Net payments	$32

Employee_Benefits_Details_5

Employee Benefits (Details 5) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	$2,088	$1,851
Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	722	650
Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	1,366	1,183
Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	18
Cash and short-term investments, and other [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	68	180
Cash and short-term investments, and other [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	20	2
Cash and short-term investments, and other [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	48	178
Cash and short-term investments, and other [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
US indexed equity securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	514	399
US indexed equity securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	145	119
US indexed equity securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	369	280
US indexed equity securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
US growth and value securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	373	344
US growth and value securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	325	307
US growth and value securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	48	37
US growth and value securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
UK equity securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	183	154
UK equity securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	101	85
UK equity securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	82	69
UK equity securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
International equity securities excluding UK [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	227	225
International equity securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	131	137
International equity securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	96	87
International equity securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	1
Long duration bonds [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	517	370
Long duration bonds [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Long duration bonds [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	517	370
Long duration bonds [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Intermediate Duration Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	11	3
Intermediate Duration Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Intermediate Duration Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	11	3
Intermediate Duration Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Agency mortgage backed securities	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	7	13
Agency mortgage backed securities | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Agency mortgage backed securities | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	7	13
Agency mortgage backed securities | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Asset-backed Securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	16	10
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	16	10
Asset-backed Securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Non-agency mortgage backed securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	45	52
Non-agency mortgage backed securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Non-agency mortgage backed securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	45	52
Non-agency mortgage backed securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
UK fixed income securities [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	66	41
UK fixed income securities [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
UK fixed income securities [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	66	41
UK fixed income securities [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
International fixed income securities excluding UK [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	61	43
International fixed income securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
International fixed income securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	61	43
International fixed income securities excluding UK [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	0	0
Real estate UK [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	'	17
Real estate UK [Member] | Level 1 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	'	0
Real estate UK [Member] | Level 2 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	'	0
Real estate UK [Member] | Level 3 [Member]	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class	'	'
Fair value of defined benefit plans assets by asset class, Total	'	$17

Employee_Benefits_Details_6

Employee Benefits (Details 6) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified			Level 3 [Member]
Information of plan assets using significant unobservable inputs	'	'	'
Beginning balance as of December 31, 2012	$2,088	$1,851	$18
Capital distributions	'	'	-18
Ending balance as of December 31, 2013	$2,088	$1,851	$0

Employee_Benefits_Details_Text

Employee Benefits (Details Textual) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Feb. 07, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Total cost for retirement plans	'	$96	$129	$175
Defined contribution plan cost	'	75	86	88
Assumed weighted-average healthcare cost trend rate	'	7.00%	'	'
Ultimate healthcare cost trend rate	'	5.00%	'	'
Shares purchased by US plan under defined contribution plan	'	261,672	620,455	'
Shares sold by US plan under defined contribution plan	'	1,182,318	869,199	'
Shares held by the US plan under defined contribution plan	'	2,200,000	3,700,000	'
Shares held by the US plan under defined contribution plan, market value	'	172	200	'
Dividend received by the plan	'	3	13	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Number of pension trust accounts	'	2	'	'
Plan assets by asset category, Total	'	2,088	1,851	'
Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Actuarial loss that will be amortized in next year from accumulated Other comprehensive Income	'	7	'	'
Net periodic benefit cost	'	-5	24	70
Curtailment	'	8	0	0
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	'	4.10%	5.10%	5.40%
Return on assets	7.13%	7.25%	7.75%	8.00%
Expected required employer contribution	'	23	'	'
Plan assets by asset category, Total	'	2,088	1,851	1,505
United States Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	'	4.10%	'	'
United Kingdom Retirement Plan [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Net periodic benefit cost	'	-10	3	3
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	'	4.80%	'	'
Postretirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Ultimate healthcare cost trend rate	'	7.00%	7.50%	8.00%
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Net periodic benefit cost	'	-6	7	8
Curtailment	'	12	0	0
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	'	3.45%	4.45%	4.65%
Expected required employer contribution	'	10	'	'
Plan assets by asset category, Total	'	0	0	0
U.S. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Plan assets by asset category, Total	'	1,700	1,500	'
U.K. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Plan assets by asset category, Total	'	$399	$318	'
Subsequent Event [Member] | United States Retirement Plans [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	5.00%	'	'	'
Subsequent Event [Member] | United Kingdom Retirement Plan [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Change in discount rate on retirement plans	4.50%	'	'	'
Equity Securities, Domestic [Member] | U.S. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	48.00%	'	'
Equity Securities, International [Member] | U.S. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	12.00%	'	'
Debt Securities and Short-Term Investments [Member] | U.S. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	40.00%	'	'
Equity Securities [Member] | U.K. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	30.00%	'	'
Diversified Growth Funds [Member] | U.K. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	40.00%	'	'
Fixed Income Funds [Member] | U.K. Pension Trust [Member]	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Target plan asset allocations	'	30.00%	'	'
UNITED STATES	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Number of pension trust accounts	'	1	'	'
UNITED KINGDOM	'	'	'	'
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Number of pension trust accounts	'	1	'	'

StockBased_Compensation_Detail

Stock-Based Compensation (Details)	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Number of common shares reserved for issuance	'	'
Shares available for granting under the 2002 plan (in shares)	30.3	26.8
Options outstanding (in shares)	12.2	18.6
Total shares reserved for issuance (in shares)	42.5	45.4
Director Deferred Stock Ownership Plan [Member]	'	'
Number of common shares reserved for issuance	'	'
Total shares reserved for issuance (in shares)	0.2	'

StockBased_Compensation_Detail1

Stock-Based Compensation (Details 1) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Assumptions used in valuing the options granted	'	'	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value per option (in usd per share)	$14.46	'	$10.61
Stock-Based Compensation	'	'	'
Stock option expense	$13	$10	$19
Restricted stock and unit awards expense	86	83	58
Total stock-based compensation expense	99	93	77
Tax benefit	38	36	29
Minimum Range [Member]	'	'	'
Assumptions used in valuing the options granted	'	'	'
Risk-free average interest rate	0.10%	'	0.20%
Dividend yield	2.09%	'	2.50%
Volatility	29.00%	'	21.00%
Expected life	'6 years 1 month 6 days	'	'6 years 1 month 6 days
Maximum Range [Member]	'	'	'
Assumptions used in valuing the options granted	'	'	'
Risk-free average interest rate	2.90%	'	3.50%
Dividend yield	2.07%	'	3.00%
Volatility	45.00%	'	51.00%
Expected life	'6 years 2 months 12 days	'	'6 years 2 months 12 days
Group of Individuals Transferred to MHE [Member]	'	'	'
Stock-Based Compensation	'	'	'
Total stock-based compensation expense	'	$5	$4

StockBased_Compensation_Detail2

Stock-Based Compensation (Details 2) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'
Options, Beginning balance (in shares)	18.6
Shares, granted (in shares)	1.4
Shares, exercised (in shares)	-7.4
Shares, cancelled, forfeited and expired (in shares)	-0.4
Options, Ending balance (in shares)	12.2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]	'
Weighted-average exercise price, Beginning balance	$39.58
Weighted-average exercise price, granted	$0
Weighted-average exercise price, exercised	$37.78
Weighted-average exercise price, cancelled, forfeited and expired	$50.33
Weighted-average exercise price, Ending balance	$41.78
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Shares, options exercisable (in shares)	10.9
Weighted-average exercise price, options exercisable	$40.55
Weighted-average remaining years of contractual term, Options outstanding at December 31, 2011	'4 years 3 months 18 days
Weighted-average remaining years of contractual term, Options exercisable at December 31, 2011	'3 years 8 months 12 days
Aggregate intrinsic value, options outstanding at December 31, 2011	$445
Aggregate intrinsic value, options exercisable at December 31, 2011	409
Non Vested Options [Member]	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]	'
Options, Beginning balance (in shares)	1.1
Shares, granted (in shares)	1.4
Shares, vested (in shares)	-1.2
Options, Ending balance (in shares)	1.3
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Beginning balance	$10.61
Weighted-average exercise price, granted	$14.46
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, vested	$10.61
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Ending balance	$14.46
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested options	$9
Weighted-average years to be recognized over	'2 years 3 months 18 days

StockBased_Compensation_Detail3

Stock-Based Compensation (Details 3) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'	'	'
Net cash proceeds from the exercise of stock options	$258	$299	$139
Total intrinsic value of option exercises	158	120	41
Income tax benefit realized from stock option exercises	$61	$47	$16

Stock_Based_Compensation_Detai

Stock Based Compensation (Details 4) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]	'	'	'
Tax benefit relating to restricted stock activity	$38	$36	$29
Restricted Stock Activity [Member]	'	'	'
Restricted stock and unit activity	'	'	'
Nonvested shares, Beginning Balance	3.4	'	'
Shares, Granted	3	'	'
Shares, Vested	-3.1	'	'
Shares, Forfeited	-0.2	'	'
Nonvested shares, Ending Balance	3.1	3.4	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]	'	'	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Beginning balance	$40.49	'	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Granted	$44.22	$44.38	$37.80
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Vested	$38.93	'	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Forfeited	$46.28	'	'
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, Ending balance	$47.89	$40.49	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Additional Disclosures [Abstract]	'	'	'
Total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested options	84	'	'
Weighted-average years to be recognized over	'1 year 7 months 6 days	'	'
Total fair value of restricted stock and unit awards vested	119	90	1
Tax benefit relating to restricted stock activity	$33	$32	$22

StockBased_Compensation_Detail4

Stock-Based Compensation (Details Textual) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Director deferred stock ownership plan amount to be credited to deferred stock accounts	50.00%	'	'
Share delivery term if elected	'5 years	'	'
Total stock-based compensation expense	$99	$93	$77
Award vesting period	'3 years	'	'
Percentage of compensation costs recognized	'	'	50.00%
Total fair value of stock options, vested	12	21	18
Excess tax benefits from stock options exercised reported in cash flows	43	42	20
Employee Stock Option [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Award vesting period	'3 years	'	'2 years
Award expiration period	'10 years	'	'10 years
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Graded Vesting Method [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Award vesting period	'3 years	'	'2 years
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Ratable Vest One [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Percentage of compensation costs recognized	33.33%	'	'
Award cost recognition period	'12 months	'	'12 months
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Ratable Vest Two [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Percentage of compensation costs recognized	33.33%	'	'
Award cost recognition period	'24 months	'	'24 months
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Ratable Vest Three [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Award cost recognition period	'36 months	'	'
McGraw Hill Education [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Stock based compensation from discontinued operations	7	16	19
Group of Individuals Transferred to MHE [Member]	'	'	'
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]	'	'	'
Total stock-based compensation expense	'	$5	$4

Equity_Details

Equity (Details) (USD $)

0 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

6 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

Jul. 25, 2013

Apr. 02, 2013

Mar. 25, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Jun. 30, 2012

Jan. 29, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 04, 2013

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2007

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Feb. 28, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Apr. 30, 2012

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2013

Subsequent Event [Member]

2013 Repurchase Program [Member]

2013 Repurchase Program [Member]

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

2007 Repurchase Program [Member]

2007 Repurchase Program [Member]

2007 Repurchase Program [Member]

2007 Repurchase Program [Member]

Stock Repurchases [Member]

Stock Repurchases [Member]

Stock Repurchases [Member]

Uncollared ASR Agreement [Member]

Uncollared ASR Agreement [Member]

Capped ASR Agreement [Member]

Capped ASR Agreement [Member]

Pro Forma [Member]

agreements

agreements

2011 Repurchase Program [Member]

Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Treasury Stock, Value, Acquired, Cost Method

'

'

'

'

'

$989,000,000

$298,000,000

$1,500,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$989,000,000

$295,000,000

$1,500,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

Dividend history

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Quarterly dividend rate (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$0.28

$0.26

$0.25

'

$0.30

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Annualized dividend rate (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$1.12

$1.02

$1

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Special dividend (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$0

$2.50

$0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Dividends paid

'

'

'

'

'

308,000,000

984,000,000

296,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Share repurchases

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Total number of shares purchased (shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

16,900,000

6,800,000

26,300,000

0

0

8,400,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Average price paid per share (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$58.52

$50.35

$40.48

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$58.36

Total cash utilized

'

'

'

'

6,145,000,000

6,746,000,000

6,145,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stockholders' Equity Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Roll Forward]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance as of December 31, 2012

'

'

'

'

810,000,000

810,000,000

810,000,000

'

810,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest

'

'

'

'

73,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Distributions to noncontrolling interest

'

'

'

'

-62,000,000

-22,000,000

-223,000,000

-7,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Redemption value adjustment

'

'

'

'

-11,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Balance as of December 31, 2013

'

'

'

'

810,000,000

810,000,000

810,000,000

'

810,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Equity (Textual) [Abstract]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Preferred stock authorized (shares)

'

'

'

'

'

2,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Par value of Preferred stock (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$1

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Quarterly dividend rate (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$0.28

$0.26

$0.25

'

$0.30

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Stock repurchase program number of shares authorized to be repurchased (shares)

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50,000,000

50,000,000

'

'

'

50,000,000

'

'

'

45,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Maximum number of shares authorized for repurchase under stock repurchase plan as percentage of outstanding common stock

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

18.00%

17.00%

'

'

'

17.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Remaining shares available under repurchase program

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50,000,000

'

'

0

0

'

'

0

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Number of agreements entered

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2

'

'

'

2

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Authorized amount

'

'

500,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

500,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

250,000,000

'

250,000,000

'

Shares repurchased (in shares)

700,000

1,400,000

'

7,200,000

'

9,300,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

100,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

800,000

5,000,000

100,000

5,000,000

'

Volume weighted-average share price (in dollars per share)

$53.80

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Shares repurchased value

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$10,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Average price paid per share (in usd per share)

'

'

'

'

'

$58.52

$50.35

$40.48

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$58.36

Interest in joint venture minimum percentage

'

'

'

'

'

20.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Change in control period

'

'

'

'

'

'15 days

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Earnings_per_Share_Details

Earnings per Share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Amount attributable to McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. common shareholders:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations	$173	$235	$250	$153	$190	$151	$176	$158	$812	$676	$607
Income (loss) from discontinued operations	-2	-20	4	582	-406	162	39	-35	564	-239	304
Net income attributable to the Company	$171	$215	$254	$735	($216)	$314	$216	$123	$1,376	$437	$911
Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	274.5	278.6	298.1
Effect of stock options and other dilutive securities (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	5.3	6	5.5
Diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	279.8	284.6	303.6
Basic EPS:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$0.64	$0.86	$0.91	$0.55	$0.68	$0.54	$0.63	$0.57	$2.96	$2.43	$2.03
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($0.01)	($0.07)	$0.01	$2.07	($1.46)	$0.58	$0.14	($0.13)	$2.05	($0.86)	$1.02
Net income (in dollars per share)	$0.63	$0.79	$0.93	$2.62	($0.78)	$1.13	$0.77	$0.44	$5.01	$1.57	$3.05
Diluted EPS:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$0.62	$0.84	$0.90	$0.54	$0.67	$0.53	$0.62	$0.56	$2.90	$2.37	$2
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($0.01)	($0.07)	$0.01	$2.05	($1.43)	$0.57	$0.14	($0.13)	$2.01	($0.84)	$1
Net income (in dollars per share)	$0.62	$0.77	$0.91	$2.59	($0.76)	$1.10	$0.76	$0.43	$4.91	$1.53	$3
Restricted Stock [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding shares not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for both restricted stock and stock options (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	0.9	1.4	1.6
Stock Options [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Outstanding shares not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for both restricted stock and stock options (in shares)	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1.2	3.4	10.1

Restructuring_Narrative_Detail

Restructuring (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
	Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]	Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]	Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]	Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]	Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]	Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]
			Positions	Positions
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Workforce reduction, positions	'	'	520	670	'	'
Restructuring charges paid	$10	'	'	'	$78	$15
Reserve accrual adjustment	'	'	'	'	7	'
Restructuring costs	'	$49	'	'	'	$68

Restructuring_Details

Restructuring (Details) (USD $)

12 Months Ended

In Millions, unless otherwise specified

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

S&P Ratings [Member]

S&P Ratings [Member]

S&P Capital IQ [Member]

S&P Capital IQ [Member]

S&P DJ Indices

S&P DJ Indices

C&C [Member]

C&C [Member]

Corporate [Member]

Corporate [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2013 [Member]

Restructuring Plan, 2012 [Member]

Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Initial Charge Recorded

$49

$68

$13

$15

$10

$19

$0

$1

$10

$12

$16

$21

Ending Reserve Balance

39

6

13

3

9

1

0

0

7

2

10

0

MHE, Initial Charge Recorded

0

39

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

MHE, Ending Reserve Balance

0

8

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Initial Charge Recorded, Including Discontinued Operations

49

107

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Ending Reserve Balance, Including Discontinued Operations

$39

$14

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Segment_and_Geographic_Informa2

Segment and Geographic Information (Narrative) (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013
	Country
	Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Number of reportable segments	4
Number of countries in which operations is carried on	80
Maximum percentage of consolidated revenue represented by foreign countries	8.00%
Maximum percentage of consolidated revenue represented by single customer	10.00%

Segment_and_Geographic_Informa3

Segment and Geographic Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	$1,250	$1,194	$1,250	$1,181	$1,226	$1,116	$1,072	$1,035	$4,875	$4,450	$3,954
Operating Profit	284	407	436	278	347	275	308	282	1,405	1,211	1,077
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	137	141	126
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	117	97	92
Assets held for sale	61	'	'	'	1,940	'	'	'	61	1,940	'
Total Assets	6,061	'	'	'	7,052	'	'	'	6,061	7,052	'
Intersegment elimination [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-76	-69	-63
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	0	0	0
Total operating segments [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	4,875	4,450	3,954
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,800	1,517	1,303
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	126	124	109
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	100	84	77
Total Assets	3,787	'	'	'	3,982	'	'	'	3,787	3,982	'
Unallocated expense [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	0	0	0
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	-395	-306	-226
Corporate [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	11	17	17
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	17	13	15
Total Assets	2,213	'	'	'	1,130	'	'	'	2,213	1,130	'
S&P Ratings [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2,274	2,034	1,767
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,000	849	720
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	45	43	40
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	40	43	40
Total Assets	630	'	'	'	726	'	'	'	630	726	'
S&P Capital IQ [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,170	1,124	1,031
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	211	208	214
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	49	50	43
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	39	22	21
Total Assets	1,054	'	'	'	1,123	'	'	'	1,054	1,123	'
S&P Indices [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	493	388	323
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	278	212	189
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10	8	3
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	4	2	2
Total Assets	1,160	'	'	'	1,133	'	'	'	1,160	1,133	'
C&C [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Segment information	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,014	973	896
Operating Profit	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	311	248	180
Depreciation & Amortization	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	22	23	23
Capital Expenditures	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	17	17	14
Total Assets	$943	'	'	'	$1,000	'	'	'	$943	$1,000	'

Segment_and_Geographic_Informa4

Segment and Geographic Information (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	$1,250	$1,194	$1,250	$1,181	$1,226	$1,116	$1,072	$1,035	$4,875	$4,450	$3,954
Long-lived Assets	2,754	'	'	'	2,944	'	'	'	2,754	2,944	'
United States [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2,892	2,684	2,373
Long-lived Assets	2,209	'	'	'	2,376	'	'	'	2,209	2,376	'
European region [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,227	1,067	951
Long-lived Assets	432	'	'	'	441	'	'	'	432	441	'
Asia [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	483	454	423
Long-lived Assets	59	'	'	'	70	'	'	'	59	70	'
Rest of the world [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	273	245	207
Long-lived Assets	$54	'	'	'	$57	'	'	'	$54	$57	'
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenue [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenue [Member] | United States [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	59.00%	60.00%	60.00%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenue [Member] | European region [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	25.00%	24.00%	24.00%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenue [Member] | Asia [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	10.00%	10.00%	11.00%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenue [Member] | Rest of the world [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	6.00%	6.00%	5.00%
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Long-lived Assets [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	100.00%	100.00%	'
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Long-lived Assets [Member] | United States [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	80.00%	81.00%	'
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Long-lived Assets [Member] | European region [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	16.00%	15.00%	'
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Long-lived Assets [Member] | Asia [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2.00%	2.00%	'
Geographic Concentration Risk [Member] | Long-lived Assets [Member] | Rest of the world [Member]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenues from External Customers and Long-Lived Assets [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Concentration risk	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	2.00%	2.00%	'

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Gross rental expense	$207	$164	$158
Less: sublease revenue	-29	-4	-2
Less: Rock-McGraw rent credit	-20	-19	-18
Net rental expense	$158	$141	$138

Commitments_and_Contingencies_2

Commitments and Contingencies (Details 1) (USD $)	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Future minimum rental commitments	'
Rent commitment, 2014	$161
Rent commitment, 2015	155
Rent commitment, 2016	123
Rent commitment, 2017	99
Rent commitment, 2018	90
Rent commitment, 2019 and beyond	238
Rent commitment, Total	866
Sublease income, 2014	-14
Sublease income, 2015	-14
Sublease income, 2016	-13
Sublease income, 2017	-13
Sublease income, 2018	-13
Sublease income, 2019 and beyond	-16
Sublease income, Total	-83
Net rent, 2014	147
Net rent, 2015	141
Net rent, 2016	110
Net rent, 2017	86
Net rent, 2018	77
Net rent, 2019 and beyond	222
Net rent, Total	$783

Commitments_and_Contingencies_3

Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual)

12 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

0 Months Ended

1 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2003

Dec. 01, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 03, 2012

Jun. 29, 2012

Jun. 29, 2012

Jun. 30, 2006

Dec. 31, 2003

Sep. 14, 2010

Jan. 22, 2012

Oct. 08, 2009

Feb. 07, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2012

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

S&P/DJ Indices [Member]

S&P/DJ Indices [Member]

Parmalat [Member]

Parmalat [Member]

Parmalat [Member]

Parmalat [Member]

Parmalat [Member]

Reed Construction Data, Inc. v. The McGraw-Hill Companies [Member]

Reed Construction Data, Inc. v. The McGraw-Hill Companies [Member]

Reed Construction Data, Inc. v. The McGraw-Hill Companies [Member]

Subsequent Event [Member]

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member]

S&P Dow Jones LLC [Member]

S&P Dow Jones LLC [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

EUR (€)

analysts

EUR (€)

claims

claims

claims

Italian Administrative Court [Member]

Subprime Litigation Cases [Member]

CME Group and CGIS [Member]

EUR (€)

USD ($)

Loss Contingencies [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Sale of equity investment in Rock-McGraw, Inc., percentage

'

'

45.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of leased building space, company

17.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Proceeds from the disposition of equity investment in Rock-McGraw

'

'

$382,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Pre-tax gain from Sale of equity investment in Rock-McGraw

'

'

131,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

After-tax gain from Sale of equity investment in Rock-McGraw

'

'

58,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Pre-tax gain pursuant to sale-leaseback accounting rules

'

'

212,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

After-tax gain pursuant to sale-leaseback accounting rules

'

'

126,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred gain

45,000,000

'

'

60,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Gain amortized during year

'

15,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Interest expense with operating lease

5,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Revenue from related parties

'

'

'

'

46,000,000

21,000,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage of interest in joint venture

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

73.00%

27.00%

Damages claimed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

4,073,984,120

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Rating fees paid

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,100,000

784,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Reimbursement of trial costs

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

100,000

47,390

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fees paid to court appointed experts to be reimbursed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

100,000

67,797

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Payment of judgment

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,103,793

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

77,000,000

'

'

Number of analysts served notice of completion

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

8

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Damages sought

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

€ 234,000,000,000

'

'

'

Number of claims motioned to be dismissed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5

5

5

'

'

'

'

Number of claims filed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

11

11

'

'

'

'

Number of claims dismissed

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3

'

'

'

'

'

'

Quarterly_Financial_Informatio2

Quarterly Financial Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Quarterly Financial Information Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Revenue	$1,250	$1,194	$1,250	$1,181	$1,226	$1,116	$1,072	$1,035	$4,875	$4,450	$3,954
Operating profit	284	407	436	278	347	275	308	282	1,405	1,211	1,077
Net income from continuing operations	190	265	273	174	211	172	180	163	903	726	626
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	-2	-20	4	581	-404	165	40	-36	563	-234	308
Net income (loss)	188	245	277	755	-193	337	220	127	1,466	492	934
Net income attributable to McGraw Hill Financial common shareholders:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations	173	235	250	153	190	151	176	158	812	676	607
(Loss) income from discontinued operations	-2	-20	4	582	-406	162	39	-35	564	-239	304
Net income (loss)	$171	$215	$254	$735	($216)	$314	$216	$123	$1,376	$437	$911
Basic:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$0.64	$0.86	$0.91	$0.55	$0.68	$0.54	$0.63	$0.57	$2.96	$2.43	$2.03
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($0.01)	($0.07)	$0.01	$2.07	($1.46)	$0.58	$0.14	($0.13)	$2.05	($0.86)	$1.02
Net income (in dollars per share)	$0.63	$0.79	$0.93	$2.62	($0.78)	$1.13	$0.77	$0.44	$5.01	$1.57	$3.05
Diluted:	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Income from continuing operations (in dollars per share)	$0.62	$0.84	$0.90	$0.54	$0.67	$0.53	$0.62	$0.56	$2.90	$2.37	$2
Income (loss) from discontinued operations (in dollars per share)	($0.01)	($0.07)	$0.01	$2.05	($1.43)	$0.57	$0.14	($0.13)	$2.01	($0.84)	$1
Net income (in dollars per share)	$0.62	$0.77	$0.91	$2.59	($0.76)	$1.10	$0.76	$0.43	$4.91	$1.53	$3

Valuation_and_Qualifying_Accou1

Valuation and Qualifying Accounts (Details) (Allowance for doubtful accounts [Member], USD $)	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Allowance for doubtful accounts [Member]	'	'	'
Valuation and Qualifying Accounts	'	'	'
Balance at beginning of year	$54	$29	$38
Net charges to income	20	32	26
Deductions and other	-22	-7	-35
Balance at end of year	$52	$54	$29