Variable Interest Entities (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013		Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets	$ 529,518	[1]		$ 539,339	[1]
Liabilities	445,049	[1]		456,742	[1]
Total revenues of consolidated VIEs	11,535		11,340
Provision for Loan and Lease Losses	1,488		863
Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	40,745			40,916
Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	4,494			4,486
Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	2,618			2,479
Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	47,857			47,881
Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	733			707
Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	29,187			29,123
Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	3,265			3,136
Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	33,185			32,966
Consolidated Variable Interest Entities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Total revenues of consolidated VIEs			1,580
Provision for Loan and Lease Losses	414		200
Interest And Other Financial Charges	89		133
Power Generating Activities Entity [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	874
Industrial Equipment Joint Venture [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	1,525
Liabilities VIE	865
Insurance Entities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	1,198
Liabilities VIE	556
Trinity [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Intercompany Advances Eliminated In Consolidation			2,366	2,441
Trinity [Member] | Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	0			0
Trinity [Member] | Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	3,450			3,435
Trinity [Member] | Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	133			217
Trinity [Member] | Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	3,583			3,652
Trinity [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			0
Trinity [Member] | Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			0
Trinity [Member] | Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	1,593			1,656
Trinity [Member] | Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	1,593			1,656
Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Total revenues of consolidated VIEs	1,703
Commingled cash amounts owed to CSEs	6,018			6,225
Commingled cash receivable from CSEs	5,546			6,143
Other 1 [Member] | Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	1,973			1,952
Other 1 [Member] | Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	1,044			1,051
Other 1 [Member] | Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	2,058			1,873
Other 1 [Member] | Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	5,075			4,876
Other 1 [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	733			707
Other 1 [Member] | Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	53			54
Other 1 [Member] | Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	1,430			1,315
Other 1 [Member] | Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	2,216			2,076
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	23,076			24,169
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	0			0
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	28			29
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	23,104			24,198
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			0
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	16,723			17,208
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	191			146
Credit Card Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	16,914			17,354
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	13,440			12,456
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	0			0
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	375			360
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	13,815			12,816
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			0
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	10,495			9,811
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	51			11
Equipment [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	10,546			9,822
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Loans and Finance Receivables [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	2,256			2,339
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Investment Securities [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	0			0
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	24			0
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Assets, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Assets VIE	2,280			2,339
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			0
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Nonrecourse Borrowings [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	1,916			2,050
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities Other [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	0			8
Trade Accounts Receivable [Member] | Consolidated Securitization Entities [Member] | Liabilities, Total [Member]
Assets And Liabilities Of Consolidated VIEs [Line Items]
Liabilities VIE	$ 1,916			$ 2,058

[1] (a) Our consolidated assets at March 31, 2013 include total assets of $47,033 million of certain variable interest entities (VIEs) that can only be used to settle the liabilities of those VIEs. These assets include net financing receivables of $40,079 million and investment securities of $4,494 million. Our consolidated liabilities at March 31, 2013 include liabilities of certain VIEs for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to GECC. These liabilities include non-recourse borrowings of consolidated securitization entities (CSEs) of $29,187 million. See Note 13.