0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017922Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017923Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017924Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017925Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017926Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:C000017927Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member rr:AfterTaxesOnDistributionsMember pusgit:C000017922Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member rr:AfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesMember pusgit:C000017922Member 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 0000732337 pusgit:S000006570Member pusgit:BarclaysGnmaIndexMember 2012-01-31 2013-01-30 pure iso4217:USD <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposedPUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUST column period compact * ~</div> 2013-01-30 485BPOS PUTNAM U S GOVERNMENT INCOME TRUST 0000732337 2013-01-25 2013-01-30 2012-09-30 false <b>Fund summary</b> <b>Goal</b> Putnam U.S. Government Income Trust seeks as high a level of current income as Putnam Investment Management, LLC believes is consistent with preservation of capital. <b>Fees and expenses</b> The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold 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 class A shares or $50,000 in class M shares of Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 12 of the fund&#8217;s prospectus and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund&#8217;s statement of additional information (SAI). <b>Example</b> 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&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower. <b> Portfolio turnover</b> The fund pays transaction-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund&#8217;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&#8217;s turnover rate in the most recent fiscal year was 512%. We invest mainly in bonds and securitized debt instruments (such as mortgage-backed investments) that are obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities and accordingly are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., U.S. Treasury bonds and Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed bonds) or by only the credit of a federal agency or government-sponsored entity (e.g., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed bonds), and that have short- to long-term maturities. We may consider, among other factors, credit, interest rate and prepayment risks, as well as general market conditions, when deciding whether to buy or sell investments. We typically use to a significant extent derivatives, such as futures, options, and swap contracts, for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. <a name="page_4"></a> <b>Performance</b> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleShareholderFeesPUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUST column period compact * ~</div> 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.<br/><br/>Class B share performance does not reflect conversion to class A shares. <b>Shareholder fees </b>(fees paid directly from your investment) <b>Annual fund operating expenses</b><br/>(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) <b>Investments</b> <b>Risks</b> <b>Average annual total returns after sales charges</b><br/>(for periods ending 12/31/12) <b>Annual total returns for class A shares before sales charges</b> <div style="sans-serif"><table style="font-size:10pt" cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr><td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 0px solid" width="20%">Best calendar<br/>quarter<br/><b>Q1 2009</b></td> <td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 0px solid" width="5%">8.00%</td><td width="40%"></td><td width="35%"></td> </tr> <tr><td width="20%">Worst calendar<br/>quarter<br/><b>Q3 2008</b></td> <td width="8%">-3.50%</td><td width="40%"></td><td width="35%"></td> </tr></table></div> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesPUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUST column period compact * ~</div> Best calendar quarter 2009-03-31 0.08 Worst calendar quarter 2008-09-30 -0.035 <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExamplePUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUST column period compact * ~</div> 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 class A shares or $50,000 in class M shares of Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 12 of the fund's prospectus and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund's statement of additional information (SAI). 50000 5.12 <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleNoRedemptionPUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUST column period compact * ~</div> It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. 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. putnam.com 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. 0.04 0 0 0.0325 0 0 0.05 0.01 0.01 0.004 0 0 <div style="display:none">~ http://www.putnam.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsPUTNAMUSGOVERNMENTINCOMETRUSTBarChart column period compact * ~</div> 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.0041 0.0098 0.0025 0.01 0.0049 0.005 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.002 0.0159 0.0086 0.0161 0.0111 0.0061 0.011 484 662 264 434 113 62 663 802 508 663 353 195 876 1066 858 911 612 340 762 1352 1622 1911 1693 1418 162 164 508 502 866 876 1911 1693 0.0331 0.0473 0.0536 0.286 -0.0492 0.07 0.0407 0.0221 0.0325 0.0186 -0.0081 -0.0243 -0.0054 0.0159 -0.0235 -0.0031 0.0307 0.0361 0.0242 0.038 0.0599 0.039 0.058 0.0596 0.0595 0.0645 0.0706 0.0603 0.0315 0.0482 0.0313 0.0449 0.0442 0.0468 0.0492 0.0548 0.0521 It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.<br/><br/>The prices of bonds in the fund&#8217;s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including both general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific issuer or industry. The risks associated with bond investments include interest rate risk, which means the prices of the fund&#8217;s investments are likely to fall if interest rates rise. Bond investments also are subject to credit risk, which is the risk that the issuers of the fund&#8217;s investments may default on payment of interest or principal. Credit risk is generally greater for debt not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and interest rate risk is generally greater for longer-term bonds. Mortgage-backed investments carry the risk that they may increase in value less when interest rates decline and decline in value more when interest rates rise. We may have to invest the proceeds from prepaid investments, including mortgage- and asset-backed investments, in other investments with less attractive terms and yields. Our use of derivatives may increase these risks 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.<br/><br/>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. The performance information below gives some indication of the risks associated with an investment in the fund by showing the fund&#8217;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 putnam.com. Represents a blended rate. This charge is eliminated after one year. This charge is phased out over six years. Applies only to certain redemptions of shares bought with no initial sales charge.