Document And Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 06, 2017
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	ASTA FUNDING INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001001258
Trading Symbol	asfi
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)		11,876,224
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false