v3.26.1
Shareholder Report
6 Months Ended
Jan. 31, 2026
USD ($)
Holding
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Document Type N-CSRS
Amendment Flag false
Registrant Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund
Entity Central Index Key 0000845376
Entity Investment Company Type N-1A
Document Period End Date Jan. 31, 2026
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® - Class A  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class A
Trading Symbol ASTEX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund
 
(the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-A
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-A
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class A
$
22
0.43
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 22
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.43% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(
percent
of n
e
t
assets
)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® - Class T  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class T
Trading Symbol TAFSX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund (the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-
4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class T
$
14
0.28
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 14
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.28% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(
percent
of net
assets
)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® Class F-1  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class F-1
Trading Symbol FSTTX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund (the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F1
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F1
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class F-1
$
31
0.61
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 31
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.61% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(
percent
of net
assets
)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® Class F-2  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class F-2
Trading Symbol ASTFX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund
 
(the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F2
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F2
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $
10,000
investment
)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class F-2
$
16
0.31
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 16
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.31% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(percent of net assets)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® Class F-3  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class F-3
Trading Symbol SFTEX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund (the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F3
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-F3
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000
investment
)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class F-3
$
13
0.25
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 13
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.25% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(percent of net
assets
)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund® Class R-6  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Class Name Class R-6
No Trading Symbol Flag true
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond
Fund
(the "fund") for the period from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual semi-annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the fund at
capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-R6
. You can also request this information by contacting us at
(800) 421-4225
.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 421-4225
Additional Information Website capitalgroup.com/mutual-fund-literature-R6
Expenses [Text Block]
What were the fund costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Share classCosts of a $10,000 investmentCosts paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class R-6
$
12
0.23
%
*
*Annualized.
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 12
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.23% [1]
Net Assets $ 2,293,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding 1,233
Investment Company, Portfolio Turnover 27.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
Key fund statistics
Fund net assets (in millions)
$
2,293
Total number of portfolio holdings1,233
Portfolio turnover rate27
%
Holdings [Text Block]
Portfolio quality summary
*
(percent of net
assets
)
Graphical Representation - Allocation 1 Chart
*
Bond ratings, which typically range from AAA/Aaa (highest) to D (lowest), are assigned by credit rating agencies such as Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch as an indication of an issuer’s creditworthiness. In assigning a credit rating to a security, the fund looks specifically to the ratings assigned to the issuer of the security by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and/or Fitch. If agency ratings differ, the security will be considered to have received the highest of those ratings, consistent with the fund’s investment policies. Securities in the “unrated“ category (above) have not been rated by a rating agency; however, the investment adviser performs its own credit analysis and assigns comparable ratings that are used for compliance with the fund’s investment policies.
Includes derivatives.
[1] Annualized.