Net Capital and Net Capital Requirements for Schwab and optionsXpress, Inc (Detail) (USD $)	Jun. 30, 2012
Schwab
Compliance with Regulatory Capital Requirements for Broker Dealers [Line Items]
Net Capital	$ 1,440,000,000
% of Aggregate Debit Balances	11.00%
Minimum Net Capital Required	250,000
2% of Aggregate Debit Balances	263,000,000
Net Capital in Excess of Required Net Capital	1,177,000,000
Net Capital in Excess of 5% of Aggregate Debit Balances	781,000,000
OptionsXpress, Inc.
Compliance with Regulatory Capital Requirements for Broker Dealers [Line Items]
Net Capital	71,000,000
% of Aggregate Debit Balances	30.00%
Minimum Net Capital Required	1,000,000
2% of Aggregate Debit Balances	5,000,000
Net Capital in Excess of Required Net Capital	66,000,000
Net Capital in Excess of 5% of Aggregate Debit Balances	$ 59,000,000