Reconciliation of federal statutory income tax rate to effective income tax rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010		Dec. 31, 2009
Reconciliation of Statutory Federal Tax Rate [Line Items]
Federal statutory income tax rate	35.00%	35.00%		35.00%
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit	2.50%	3.30%		3.70%
Non-deductible penalties		2.70%	[1]
Other	0.40%	0.70%		(0.40%)
Effective income tax rate	37.90%	41.70%		38.30%

[1] Amount reflects the impact of regulatory settlements relating to the Schwab YieldPlus Fund in 2010.