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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Document Type dei_DocumentType Other
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate May 31, 2013
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName JOHN HANCOCK SOVEREIGN BOND FUND
Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0000045288
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
Document Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate Jan. 31, 2014
Document Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate Feb. 01, 2014
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Oct. 01, 2013
Supplement [Text Block] jhsbbondfd_SupplementTextBlock

 

John Hancock Sovereign Bond Fund

Supplement dated February 1, 2014, to the current Class R6 prospectus

 

John Hancock Bond Fund

As of February 1, 2014, John Hancock Advisers, LLC, the fund's advisor, has implemented a new contractual expense limitation arrangement for Class R6 shares of the fund described below in order to reduce the expenses of Class R6 shares of the fund.

The following amends and restates the information regarding Class R6 shares presented under the heading "Fees and expenses—Annual fund operating expenses" in the "Fund summary" section:

Annual fund operating expenses (%)
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)		 Class R6
Management fee   0.47
Other expenses   0.10
Total annual fund operating expenses   0.57
Contractual expense reimbursement1,2 –0.08
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements   0.49

1 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R6 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2014, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

2 The advisor has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse all class-specific expenses for Class R6 shares of the fund, including transfer agency fees and service fees, as applicable, to the extent they exceed 0.00% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares (the Class Expense Waiver). The Class Expense Waiver expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. If following the Class Expense Waiver to the extent that Expenses of Class R6 shares exceed 0.57% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares, (the Class Expense Limitation), the advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the class in an amount equal to the amount by which Expenses of the share class exceed the Class Expense Limitation. Expenses means all fund level and class-specific operating expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) acquired fund fees, (e) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business and (f) short dividend expense. The Class Expense Limitation expires on September 30, 2014, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.

In addition, the following amends and restates the information presented under the heading "Expense example" in the "Fund summary" section:

Expenses ($) Class R6
1 year   50
3 years   175
5 years   310
10 years   706
­ | (Bond Fund)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual fund operating expenses (%) (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination 2015-09-30
­ | (Bond Fund) | Class R6
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fee rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.47%
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.10%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.57%
Contractual expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.08%) [1],[2]
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursements rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.49%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 50
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 175
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 310
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 706
[1] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse or pay operating expenses of the fund in order to reduce the total annual fund operating expenses for Class R6 shares by 0.05% of the fund's average daily net assets. These fee waivers and/or reimbursements expire on September 30, 2014, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[2] The advisor has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse all class-specific expenses for Class R6 shares of the fund, including transfer agency fees and service fees, as applicable, to the extent they exceed 0.00% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares (the Class Expense Waiver). The Class Expense Waiver expires on September 30, 2015, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. If following the Class Expense Waiver to the extent that Expenses of Class R6 shares exceed 0.57% of average annual net assets (on an annualized basis) attributable to Class R6 shares, (the Class Expense Limitation), the advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the class in an amount equal to the amount by which Expenses of the share class exceed the Class Expense Limitation. Expenses means all fund level and class-specific operating expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) acquired fund fees, (e) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund's business and (f) short dividend expense. The Class Expense Limitation expires on September 30, 2014, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.