v3.24.3
Label Element Value
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Document Type dei_DocumentType 485BPOS
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate Dec. 31, 2023
Entity Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName George Putnam Balanced Fund
Entity Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0000081259
Entity Inv Company Type dei_EntityInvCompanyType N-1A
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
George Putnam Balanced Fund  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund summary
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Goal
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

George Putnam Balanced Fund seeks to provide a balanced investment composed of a well-diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds which produce both capital growth and current income.

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

The following tables describe the fees and expenses 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. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 19 of the fund’s prospectus, in the Appendix to the fund’s prospectus, and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund’s statement of additional information (“SAI”).

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 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-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or the above example, affect fund performance. The fund’s turnover rate in the most recent fiscal year was 80%.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 80.00%
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 $50,000 in Putnam funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Investments, risks, and performance
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Investments

We invest mainly in a combination of bonds and common stocks (growth or value stocks or both) of large U.S. companies, with a greater focus on common stocks. For example, we may purchase stocks of companies with stock prices that reflect a value lower than that which we place on the company. We may also consider other factors that we believe will cause the stock price to rise. We buy bonds of governments and private companies that are mostly investment-grade in quality with intermediate- to long-term maturities (three years or longer). We may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, financial strength, growth potential, competitive position in its industry, projected future earnings, cash flows and dividends when deciding whether to buy or sell equity investments, and, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell fixed-income investments. We may also use derivatives, such as futures, options, warrants and swap contracts, for both hedging and non-hedging purposes.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Risks
Risk [Text Block] rr_RiskTextBlock

It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.



 



The value of investments in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including general economic, political or financial market conditions, investor sentiment and market perceptions, government actions, geopolitical events or changes, outbreaks of infectious illnesses or other widespread public health issues, and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector. These and other factors may lead to increased volatility and reduced liquidity in the fund’s portfolio holdings, may negatively impact the fund’s performance, and may exacerbate other risks to which the fund is subject. Growth stocks may be more susceptible to earnings disappointments, and value stocks may fail to rebound.

Bond investments are subject to interest rate risk, which is the risk that the value of the fund’s bond investments is likely to fall if interest rates rise. Bond investments also are subject to credit risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the bond may default on payment of interest or principal. Bond investments may be more susceptible to downgrades or defaults during economic downturns or other periods of economic stress. Interest rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds, and credit risk is generally greater for below-investment-grade bonds (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”), which can be more sensitive to changes in markets, credit conditions, and interest rates and which may be considered speculative.

Our use of derivatives may increase the risks of investing in the fund by increasing investment exposure (which may be considered leverage) or, in the case of many over-the-counter instruments, because of the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations. The risk of a party failing to meet its obligations may increase if the fund has significant investment exposure to that counterparty. The value of derivatives may move in unexpected ways due to unanticipated market movements, the use of leverage, imperfect correlation between the derivative instrument and the reference asset, or other factors, especially in unusual market conditions, and volatility in the value of derivatives could adversely impact the fund’s returns, obligations and exposures. Derivatives are also subject to other risks, including liquidity risk (e.g., liquidity demands arising from the requirement to make payments to a derivative counterparty), operational risk (e.g., settlement issues or system failures), and legal risk (e.g., insufficient legal documentation or contract enforceability issues).

The fund may be an investment option for mutual funds that are managed by Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”) and its affiliates as “funds of funds.” Additionally, other investors from time to time may make substantial investments in the fund. Such shareholders may at times be considered to control the fund. Dispositions of a large number of shares by these shareholders may adversely affect the fund’s liquidity and net assets. These redemptions may also force the fund to sell securities, which may increase the fund’s brokerage costs.

There is no guarantee that the investment techniques, analyses, or judgments that we apply in making investment decisions for the fund will produce the intended outcome or that the investments we select for the fund will perform as well as other securities



 



that were not selected for the fund. We, or the fund’s other service providers, may experience disruptions or operating errors that could negatively impact the fund.

The fund may not achieve its goal, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. 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 performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges. If it did, performance would be lower. Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results. Monthly performance figures for the fund are available at www.franklintempleton.com.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund’s performance year to year and over time.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.franklintempleton.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Please remember that past performance is not necessarily an indication of future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Annual total returns for class A shares before sales charges
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges.
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Year-to-date performance through
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Sep. 30, 2024
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn 16.59%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best calendar quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 14.59%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst calendar quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (11.79%)
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average annual total returns after sales charges (for periods ended 12/31/23)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns reflect the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns are shown for class A shares only and will vary for other classes.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The table above compares the fund’s returns to the performance of three indexes: (i) the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, a broad measure of market performance, (ii) the Russell 3000 Index, a broad measure of market performance, and (iii) the George Putnam Blended Index, and additional, custom index that Putnam Management (defined below) believes more closely reflects the fund’s principal objectives and strategies.
The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an unmanaged index of U.S. investment-grade fixed income securities, the Russell 3000 Index is an unmanaged index of large U.S. company stocks, and the George Putnam Blended Index is an unmanaged index administered by Putnam Management (defined below), 60% of which is the S&P 500 Index and 40% of which is the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
After-tax returns reflect the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are shown for class A shares only and will vary for other classes. These after-tax returns do not apply if you hold your fund shares through a 401(k) plan, an IRA, or another tax-advantaged arrangement.
Class C share performance reflects conversion to class A shares after eight years.
BLOOMBERG® is a trademark and service mark of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates (collectively “Bloomberg”). Bloomberg or Bloomberg’s licensors, own all proprietary rights in the Bloomberg Indices. Neither Bloomberg nor Bloomberg’s licensors approve or endorse this material, or guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information herein, or make any warranty, express or implied, as to the results to be obtained therefrom, and to the maximum extent allowed by law, neither shall have any liability or responsibility for injury or damages arising in connection therewith.
George Putnam Balanced Fund | George Putnam Blended Index (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 17.82%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.25%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.27%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Russell 3000 Index (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 25.96%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.16%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 11.48%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.53% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.10% [1]
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 1.81% [1]
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class A  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [2]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.93%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 664
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 854
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,060
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,652
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 10.48%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (1.11%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 7.93%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 15.02%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (3.14%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 24.11%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 15.41%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 13.91%
Annual Return 2022 rr_AnnualReturn2022 (15.92%)
Annual Return 2023 rr_AnnualReturn2023 19.92%
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.03%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.17%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.37%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class A | After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.63%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.67%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.26%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class A | After Taxes on Distributions and Sales  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.83%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.86%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.63%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class C  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [3]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.68%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 271
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 530
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 913
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,788
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 171
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 530
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 913
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,788
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.00%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.64%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.37%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class M  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 3.50%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.43%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 490
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 787
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,104
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 2,003
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.11%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.14%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.09%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class R  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.50%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.18%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 120
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 375
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 649
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,432
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 19.62%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.18%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.73%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class R5  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.20%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.71%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 73
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 227
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 395
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 883
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.22%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.76%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.30%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class R6  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.10%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.61%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 62
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 195
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 340
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 762
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.32%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.84%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.39%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Class Y  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Expenses (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.68%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 69
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 218
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 379
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 847
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 20.17%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.75%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.28%
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Risk Lose Money [Member]  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Risk [Text Block] rr_RiskTextBlock It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.
George Putnam Balanced Fund | Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Member]  
Prospectus [Line Items] rr_ProspectusLineItems  
Risk [Text Block] rr_RiskTextBlock An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
[1] All Bloomberg indices are provided by Bloomberg Index Services Limited.
[2] Applies only to certain redemptions of shares bought with no initial sales charge.
[3] This charge is eliminated after one year.