Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	CHARLES SCHWAB FAMILY OF FUNDS
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Apr. 27, 2018
Schwab Variable Share Price Money Fund - Ultra Shares | Schwab Variable Share Price Money Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Schwab Variable Share Price Money FundTM – Ultra Shares
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The fund’s goal is to seek current income consistent with stability of capital and liquidity. The fund’s investment objective is not fundamental and therefore may be changed by the fund’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fund Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold Ultra Shares of the fund.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]	rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent	The information in the table has been restated to reflect current fees and expenses.
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example by Year [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleByYearHeading	Expenses on a $10,000 Investment
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund’s Ultra Shares with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those time periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s Ultra Shares’ operating expenses remain the same. The figures are based on total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction. The expenses would be the same whether you stayed in the fund or sold your shares at the end of each period. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	The fund is a money market fund that is designed to serve as a complementary product to traditional stable share price money market funds. Unlike a traditional stable share price money market fund, the fund will not use the amortized cost method of valuation or round the per share net asset value (NAV) to the nearest whole cent and does not seek to maintain a stable share price. As a result, the fund’s share price, which is its NAV, will vary and reflect the effects of unrealized appreciation and depreciation and realized losses and gains. To pursue its goal, the fund invests in high-quality short-term money market investments issued by U.S. and foreign issuers, such as: commercial paper, including asset-backed commercial paper promissory notes certificates of deposit and time deposits variable- and floating-rate debt securities bank notes and bankers’ acceptances repurchase agreements obligations that are issued by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, including obligations that are not guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury, such as those issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (U.S. government securities) All of these investments will be denominated in U.S. dollars, including those that are issued by foreign issuers. Obligations that are issued by private issuers that are guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities are considered U.S. government securities under the rules that govern money market funds. Certain of the fund’s securities are subject to credit or liquidity enhancements, which are designed to provide incremental levels of creditworthiness or liquidity. The fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions that are collateralized by cash or U.S. government securities. In addition, the fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions that are collateralized by money market instruments, debt securities, loan participations or other securities, including equity securities and securities that are rated below investment grade or their unrated equivalents as determined by the investment adviser. In choosing securities, the fund’s manager seeks to maximize current income within the limits of the fund’s investment objective and credit, maturity and diversification policies. Some of these policies may be stricter than the federal regulations that apply to all money market funds. The investment adviser’s credit research department analyzes and monitors the securities that the fund owns or is considering buying. The manager may adjust the fund’s holdings or its average maturity based on actual or anticipated changes in credit quality or market dynamics, such as interest rates.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The fund is subject to risks, any of which could cause an investor to lose money. The fund’s principal risks include: Investment Risk. You could lose money by investing in the fund. Because the share price of the fund will fluctuate, when you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you originally paid for them. The fund may impose a fee upon the sale of your shares or may temporarily suspend your ability to sell shares if the fund’s liquidity falls below required minimums because of market conditions or other factors. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The fund’s sponsor has no legal obligation to provide financial support to the fund, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the fund at any time. Interest Rate Risk. Interest rates rise and fall over time. As with any investment whose yield reflects current interest rates, the fund’s yield will change over time. During periods when interest rates are low, the fund’s yield (and total return) also will be low. A change in a central bank’s monetary policy or improving economic conditions may result in an increase in interest rates. The fund is currently subject to heightened levels of interest rate risk because of the continued economic recovery, along with the fact that the Federal Reserve Board ended its quantitative easing program in 2014, and has begun, and may continue, to raise interest rates. A sudden or unpredictable rise in interest rates may cause volatility in the market and may decrease liquidity in the money market securities markets, making it more difficult for the fund to sell its money market investments at a time when the investment adviser might wish to sell such investments. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the fund’s money market securities holdings. Repurchase Agreements Risk. When the fund enters into a repurchase agreement, the fund is exposed to the risk that the other party (i.e., the counterparty) will not fulfill its contractual obligation. In a repurchase agreement, there exists the risk that, when the fund buys a security from a counterparty that agrees to repurchase the security at an agreed upon price (usually higher) and time, the counterparty will not repurchase the security. These risks are magnified to the extent that a repurchase agreement is secured by collateral other than cash and government securities, such as debt securities, equity securities and high-yield securities that are rated below investment grade (Alternative Collateral). High-yield securities that are used as Alternative Collateral are subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risk, and are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Alternative Collateral may be subject to greater price volatility and may be more volatile or less liquid than other types of collateral, increasing the risk that the fund will be unable to recover fully in the event of a counterparty’s default. Credit Risk. The fund is subject to the risk that a decline in the credit quality of a portfolio investment could cause the fund to lose money or underperform. The fund could lose money if the issuer of a portfolio investment fails to make timely principal or interest payments or if a guarantor, liquidity provider or counterparty of a portfolio investment fails to honor its obligations. Even though the fund’s investments in repurchase agreements are collateralized at all times, there is some risk to the fund if the other party should default on its obligations and the fund is delayed or prevented from recovering or disposing of the collateral. Negative perceptions of the ability of an issuer, guarantor, liquidity provider or counterparty to make payments or otherwise honor its obligations, as applicable, could also cause the price of that investment to decline. The credit quality of the fund’s portfolio holdings can change rapidly in certain market environments and any downgrade or default on the part of a single portfolio investment could cause the fund’s share price or yield to fall. Many of the U.S. government securities that the fund invests in are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, which means they are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury. Although maintained in conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency since September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac maintain only lines of credit with the U.S. Treasury. The Federal Home Loan Banks maintain limited access to credit lines from the U.S. Treasury. Other securities, such as obligations issued by the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, are supported solely by the credit of the issuer. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government will provide financial support to securities of its agencies and instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so under law. Also, any government guarantees on securities the fund owns do not extend to the shares of the fund itself. Credit and Liquidity Enhancements Risk. The fund may invest in securities with credit or liquidity enhancements provided by a bank or other financial institution, and the existence and nature of such enhancements may be a significant factor in the investment adviser’s decision-making process. Generally, these enhancements are employed by the issuers of the securities to reduce credit risk and provide enhanced or back-up liquidity for a purchaser, such as the fund. Adverse developments affecting these banks and financial institutions could therefore have a negative effect on the value of the fund’s holdings. For example, a rating agency downgrade of a credit or liquidity enhancement provider may adversely affect the value of securities held by the fund. Any decline in the value of the securities held by the fund could cause the fund’s share price or yield to fall. To the extent that a portion of the fund’s underlying investments are enhanced by the same bank or financial institution, these risks may be increased. Foreign Investment Risk. Although the fund may invest only in U.S. dollar-denominated securities, the fund’s investments in securities of foreign issuers or securities with credit or liquidity enhancements provided by foreign entities may involve certain risks that are greater than those associated with investments in securities of U.S. issuers or securities with credit or liquidity enhancements provided by U.S. entities. These include risks of adverse changes in foreign economic, political, regulatory and other conditions; the imposition of economic sanctions or other government restrictions; differing accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards and practices; differing securities market structures; and higher transaction costs. These risks may negatively impact the value or liquidity of the fund’s investments, and could impair the fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategy. In addition, sovereign risk, or the risk that a government may become unwilling or unable to meet its loan obligations or guarantees, could increase the credit risk of financial institutions connected to that particular country. Management Risk. Any actively managed mutual fund is subject to the risk that its investment adviser will select investments or allocate assets in a manner that could cause the fund to underperform or otherwise not meet its investment objective. The fund’s investment adviser applies its own investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the fund, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results. The investment adviser’s maturity decisions will also affect the fund’s yield, and could affect its share price. To the extent that the investment adviser anticipates interest rate trends imprecisely, the fund’s yield at times could lag the yields of other money market funds. Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase, sell or value, especially during stressed market conditions. The market for certain investments may become illiquid due to specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer or under adverse market or economic conditions independent of the issuer. In addition, dealer inventories of certain securities – an indication of the ability of dealers to engage in “market making” – are at, or near, historic lows in relation to market size, which could potentially lead to decreased liquidity. In such cases, the fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in readily purchasing and selling such securities at favorable times or prices, may decline in value, experience lower returns and/or be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain issuer or sector. Further, transactions in illiquid securities may entail transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. Redemption Risk. The fund may experience periods of heavy redemptions that could cause the fund to liquidate its assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value, particularly during periods of declining or illiquid markets. This could cause the fund to be unable to pay redemption proceeds within a short period of time. Variable NAV Risk. The fund does not maintain a stable NAV per share. The value of the fund’s shares will be calculated to four decimal places and will fluctuate with changes in the values of the fund’s portfolio securities. You could lose money by investing in the fund. Money Market Fund Risk. The fund is not designed to offer capital appreciation. In exchange for their emphasis on stability and liquidity, money market investments may offer lower long-term performance than stock or bond investments.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The fund is subject to risks, any of which could cause an investor to lose money.
Risk Money Market Fund [Text]	rr_RiskMoneyMarketFund	Because the share price of the fund will fluctuate, when you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you originally paid for them.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart below shows the fund’s Ultra Shares’ investment results for the prior calendar year, and the following table shows the fund’s Ultra Shares’ average annual total returns for various periods. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. All figures assume distributions were reinvested. Keep in mind that future performance may differ from past performance. For current performance information, please see www.schwabfunds.com/schwabfunds_prospectus or call toll-free 1-877-824-5615 for the fund’s current seven-day yield.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart below shows the fund’s Ultra Shares’ investment results for the prior calendar year, and the following table shows the fund’s Ultra Shares’ average annual total returns for various periods.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.schwabfunds.com/schwabfunds_prospectus
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	Keep in mind that future performance may differ from past performance.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Annual Total Returns (%) as of 12/31
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	Best Quarter: 0.28% Q3 2017 Worst Quarter: 0.19% Q1 2017
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/17
Money Market Seven Day Yield Phone	rr_MoneyMarketSevenDayYieldPhone	1-877-824-5615
Schwab Variable Share Price Money Fund - Ultra Shares | Schwab Variable Share Price Money Fund | Ultra Shares
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)	rr_ShareholderFeeOther	none
Management fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.35%
Distribution (12b-1) fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.04%
Total annual fund operating expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.39%
Less expense reduction	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.20%)
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reduction	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.19%	[1],[2]
Expense Example, By Year, Column [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleByYearColumnName	Ultra Shares
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 19
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	61
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	107
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	$ 243
2017	rr_AnnualReturn2017	0.97%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2017
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	0.28%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Mar. 31, 2017
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	0.19%
Label	rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel	Ultra Shares
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.97%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.73%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Feb. 25, 2016

[1] The information in the table has been restated to reflect current fees and expenses.

[2] The investment adviser and its affiliates have agreed to limit the total annual fund operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes and certain non-routine expenses) of the Ultra Shares to 0.19% for so long as the investment adviser serves as the adviser to the fund (contractual expense limitation agreement). This contractual expense limitation agreement may only be amended or terminated with the approval of the fund's Board of Trustees.