v3.22.2.2
Label Element Value
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading The Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The fund’s investment objective is to provide you with a high level of current income exempt from federal income tax, consistent with the preservation of capital.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses of the fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. For example, in addition to the fees and expenses described below, you may also be required to pay brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of Class F-2 or F-3 shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in American Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the “Sales charge reductions and waivers” sections on page 46 of the prospectus and on page 91 of the fund’s statement of additional information, and in the sales charge waiver appendix to the prospectus.

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 percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s investment results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 29% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 29.00%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in American Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 100,000
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund 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 periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. You may be required to pay brokerage commissions on your purchases and sales of Class F-2 or F-3 shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.

Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption For the share class listed to the right, you would pay the following if you did not redeem your shares:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in, or derive at least 80% of its income from, securities that are exempt from regular federal income tax. The fund will not invest in securities that subject you to federal alternative minimum tax. The fund invests at least 65% in debt securities rated A- or better or A3 or better by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser, or unrated but determined by the fund’s investment adviser to be of equivalent quality. The fund may also invest in debt securities rated BBB+ or below and Baa1 or below (including those rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below) by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser, or unrated but determined by the fund’s investment adviser to be of equivalent quality. Securities rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”

The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio managers in managing the fund’s assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is divided into segments managed by individual managers.

The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make decisions about the fund’s portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively priced securities that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. Securities may be sold when the investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

This section describes the principal risks associated with investing in the fund. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time.

Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the securities held by the fund may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries or companies; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental, governmental agency or central bank responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.

Economies and financial markets throughout the world are highly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, wars, terrorism, cybersecurity events, natural disasters, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious disease) and other circumstances in one country or region, including actions taken by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities in response to any of the foregoing, could have impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries affected, the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions.

Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the fund may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance, major litigation, investigations or other controversies related to the issuer, changes in financial condition or credit rating, changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or its competitive environment and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.

Investing in municipal securities — Municipal securities are debt obligations that are exempt from federal, state and/or local income taxes. The yield and/or value of the fund’s investments in municipal securities may be adversely affected by events tied to the municipal securities markets, which can be very volatile and significantly impacted by unfavorable legislative or political developments and negative changes in the financial conditions of municipal securities issuers and the economy. To the extent the fund invests in obligations of a municipal issuer, the volatility, credit quality and performance of the fund may be adversely impacted by local political and economic conditions of the issuer. For example, a credit rating downgrade, bond default or bankruptcy involving an issuer within a particular state or territory could affect the market values and marketability of many or all municipal obligations of that state or territory. Income from municipal securities held by the fund could also be declared taxable because of changes in tax laws or interpretations by taxing authorities or as a result of noncompliant conduct of a municipal issuer. Additionally, the relative amount of publicly available information about municipal securities is generally less than that for corporate securities.

Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by the fund may be affected by factors such as the interest rates, maturities and credit quality of these securities.

Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. Also, when interest rates rise, issuers are less likely to refinance existing debt securities in order to enjoy lower interest rates in a higher interest rate environment, causing the market prices of such securities to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to sell debt securities on a large scale, which could also adversely affect the price and liquidity of debt securities and could also result in increased redemptions from the fund. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund failing to recoup the full amount of its initial investment and having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.

Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer or guarantor will weaken or be perceived to be weaker, and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. Changes in actual or perceived creditworthiness may occur quickly. A downgrade or default affecting any of the fund’s securities could cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease. Lower quality debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality debt securities. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The fund’s investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in assessing credit and default risks.

Liquidity risk — Certain fund holdings may be or may become difficult or impossible to sell, particularly during times of market turmoil. Liquidity may be impacted by the lack of an active market for a holding, legal or contractual restrictions on resale, or the reduced number and capacity of market participants to make a market in such holding. Market prices for less liquid or illiquid holdings may be volatile or difficult to determine, and reduced liquidity may have an adverse impact on the market price of such holdings. During times of market turmoil, there have been, and may be, no buyers or sellers for securities in entire asset classes. Additionally, the sale of less liquid or illiquid holdings may involve substantial delays (including delays in settlement) and additional costs and the fund may be unable to sell such holdings when necessary to meet its liquidity needs, or to try to limit losses, or may be forced to sell at a loss.

Credit and liquidity support — Changes in the credit quality of banks and financial institutions providing credit and liquidity support features with respect to securities held by the fund could cause the values of these securities to decline.

Investing in lower rated debt instruments — Lower rated bonds and other lower rated debt securities generally have higher rates of interest and involve greater risk of default or price declines due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness than those of higher quality debt securities. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than the prices of higher quality debt securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. These risks may be increased with respect to investments in junk bonds.

Investing in similar municipal bonds — Investing significantly in municipal obligations of multiple issuers in the same state or backed by revenues of similar types of projects or industries may make the fund more susceptible to certain economic, political or regulatory occurrences. As a result, the fund has greater risk of volatility, and greater risk of loss, from these investments.

Management — The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund’s investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and analyses, including models, tools and data, employed by the investment adviser in this process may be flawed or incorrect and may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall investment program.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney You may lose money by investing in the fund.
RIsk Not Insured [Text] rr_RiskNotInsured Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Investment results
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart shows how the fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with a broad measure of securities market results and other applicable measures of market results. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Average includes the fund and other funds that disclose investment objectives and/or strategies reasonably comparable to those of the fund. Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results. Updated information on the fund’s investment results can be obtained by visiting capitalgroup.com.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart shows how the fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with a broad measure of securities market results and other applicable measures of market results.
Performance Additional Market Index [Text] rr_PerformanceAdditionalMarketIndex The Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Average includes the fund and other funds that disclose investment objectives and/or strategies reasonably comparable to those of the fund.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress capitalgroup.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past investment results (before and after taxes) are not predictive of future investment results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar year total returns for Class F-2 shares (Class F-2 shares are not subject to sales charges.)
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block] rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart shows how the fund’s investment results have varied from year to year, and the following table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compare with a broad measure of securities market results and other applicable measures of market results.

Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads (Class F-2 shares are not subject to sales charges.)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Highest/Lowest quarterly results during this period were:

 

Highest 3.63% (quarter ended March 31, 2014)

 

Lowest -3.43% (quarter ended December 31, 2016)

 

The fund's total return for the six months ended June 30, 2022, was -9.23%.

Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel The fund's total return for the six months ended
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Jun. 30, 2022
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (9.23%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Highest
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2014
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 3.63%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Lowest
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2016
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (3.43%)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the highest individual federal income tax rates in effect during each year of the periods shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns are shown only for Class F-2 shares; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock

After-tax returns are shown only for Class F-2 shares; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the highest individual federal income tax rates in effect during each year of the periods shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation and likely will differ from the results shown above.

Average Annual Return, Caption rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption Average annual total returns For the periods ended December 31, 2021:
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.52%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.17%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.72%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.44%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Aug. 01, 2008
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Lipper General & Insured Municipal Debt Funds Average (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees or U.S. federal income taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.28%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.14%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.81%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.21%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Aug. 01, 2008
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class A  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 3.75%
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 0.75% [1]
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.07%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.50%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock A contingent deferred sales charge of 0.75% applies on certain redemptions made within 18 months following purchases of $500,000 or more made without an initial sales charge. Contingent deferred sales charge is calculated based on the lesser of the offering price and market value of shares being sold.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 424
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 529
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 644
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 980
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.80%)
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.23%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.49%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.10%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Oct. 03, 1979
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class C  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 1.00%
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.07%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.25%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 227
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 397
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 686
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,303
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 127
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 397
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 686
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,303
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.27%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.23%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.24%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.95%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 15, 2001
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class T  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 2.50%
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.07%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.50%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 300
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 406
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 523
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 863
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class F-1  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.15%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.58%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 59
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 186
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 324
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 726
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.93%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.92%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.77%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.16%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Mar. 15, 2001
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class F-2  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.14%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.32%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 33
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 103
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 180
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 406
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 9.07%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 (2.61%)
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 9.83%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 3.24%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 0.48%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 5.67%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 0.92%
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 7.36%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 4.91%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 2.20%
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.20%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.19%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.04%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.48%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Aug. 01, 2008
Thirty Day Yield Caption rr_ThirtyDayYieldCaption Class F-2 annualized 30-day yield at July 31, 2022:
Thirty Day Yield Phone rr_ThirtyDayYieldPhone (800) 421-4225
Thirty Day Yield rr_ThirtyDayYield 2.69%
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class F-2 | After Taxes on Distributions  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.06%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.15%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.02%
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class F-2 | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.24%
Average Annual Returns, 5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.87%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.86%
TAX EXEMPT BOND FUND OF AMERICA | Class F-3  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption or exchange fees rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.18%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.04%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.22%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 23
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 71
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 124
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 280
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.31%
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.29%
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 27, 2017
[1] A contingent deferred sales charge of 0.75% applies on certain redemptions made within 18 months following purchases of $500,000 or more made without an initial sales charge. Contingent deferred sales charge is calculated based on the lesser of the offering price and market value of shares being sold.