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Shareholder Report
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
USD ($)
$ / shares
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Document Type N-CSR
Amendment Flag false
Registrant Name PUTNAM VARIABLE TRUST
Entity Central Index Key 0000822671
Entity Investment Company Type N-1A
Document Period End Date Dec. 31, 2024
Class IA  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name Putnam VT High Yield Fund
Class Name Class IA
No Trading Symbol true
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This annual shareholder report contains important information about Putnam VT High Yield Fund for the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the Fund at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents. You can also request this information by contacting us at (800) 225-1581.
Material Fund Change Notice [Text Block]
This report describes changes to the Fund that occurred during the reporting period.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 225-1581
Additional Information Website https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents
Expenses [Text Block]
WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST YEAR? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name
Costs of a $10,000 investment
Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class IA1
$76
0.73%
[1]
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 76 [1]
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.73% [1]
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM LAST YEAR AND WHAT AFFECTED ITS PERFORMANCE?
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Class IA shares of Putnam VT High Yield Fund returned 8.19%. The Fund compares its performance to the JPMorgan Developed High Yield Index, which returned 8.68% for the same period.  
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Top contributors to performance:
↑
Security selection within financials, gaming, lodging & leisure, and industrials.  
↑
Security selection within non-rated credits (i.e. convertibles), plus underweight positioning to BB-rated securities.
↑
Overweight exposure to Viking Cruises.
Top detractors from performance:
↓
Security selection within cable & satellite, along with underweight positioning and security selection within health care and telecommunications.
↓
Security selection within B and CCC-rated securities.
↓
Overweight exposure to Embarq Corp. (not held at period-end).
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]
image
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (%) Period Ended December 31, 2024
 
1 Year
5 Year
10 Year
Class IA
8.19
3.63
4.50
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index
1.25
-0.33
1.35
JPMorgan Developed High Yield Index
8.68
4.32
5.33
No Deduction of Taxes [Text Block] The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.
Material Change Date Jan. 01, 2024
Updated Performance Information Location [Text Block]
Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com.
Net Assets $ 146,077,322
Holdings Count | $ / shares 445 [2]
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount $ 800,111
Investment Company Portfolio Turnover 50.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
KEY FUND STATISTICS (as of December 31, 2024)
Total Net Assets
$146,077,322
Total Number of Portfolio Holdings*
445
Total Management Fee Paid
$800,111
Portfolio Turnover Rate
50%
[2]
Holdings [Text Block]
image
 [3]
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
HOW HAS THE FUND CHANGED?
On May 31, 2023, Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”) and Great-West Lifeco Inc., the parent company of Putnam U.S. Holdings I, LLC (“Putnam Holdings”), announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement for a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton to acquire Putnam Holdings in a stock and cash transaction (the “Transaction”). The Transaction was completed on January 1, 2024. As part of the Transaction, your Fund’s then-current investment advisor, Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, and your Fund’s then-current sub-advisor, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, became indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton. In connection with the Transaction, shareholders of your Fund approved a new management contract with Putnam Management and a new sub-advisory contract with PIL. The new contracts were identical to the previous contracts, except for the effective dates, initial terms, updates to fund names as necessary to reflect previous name changes, and certain non-substantive changes.
Effective July 15, 2024, Putnam Management transferred its management contract for your Fund to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin Advisers”), and Franklin Advisers replaced Putnam Management as the investment advisor to your Fund. In connection with the transfer, your Fund’s portfolio managers, along with supporting research analysts and certain other investment staff of Putnam Management, also became employees of Franklin Advisers. Putnam Management also transferred to Franklin Advisers its sub-management agreement with PIL in respect of your Fund. Franklin Advisers is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton. In addition, effective July 15, 2024, Franklin Advisers retained Putnam Management as a sub-advisor to your Fund pursuant to a new sub-advisory agreement.
Effective November 1, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), PIL, a sub-advisor of the Fund prior to the Effective Date, merged with and into Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton (the “Merger”). As of the Effective Date, PIL investment professionals became employees of FTIML, and the sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and PIL with respect to the Fund was terminated. In connection with the Merger, the Fund’s Trustees approved a new sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and FTIML, pursuant to which FTIML became a sub-advisor of the Fund on the Effective Date.
Effective September 30, 2024, the portfolio managers for the Fund are Robert Salvin, Norman Boucher, Bryant Dieffenbacher and Glenn Voyles.
This is a summary of certain changes to the Fund since January 1, 2024. For more complete information, you may review the Fund’s current prospectus and any applicable supplements and the Fund’s next prospectus, which we expect to be available by May 1, 2025, at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents or upon request at (800) 225-1581 or       
funddocuments@putnam.com.
Updated Prospectus Phone Number (800) 225-1581
Updated Prospectus Email Address funddocuments@putnam.com
Updated Prospectus Web Address https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents
Class IB  
Shareholder Report [Line Items]  
Fund Name Putnam VT High Yield Fund
Class Name Class IB
No Trading Symbol true
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block] This annual shareholder report contains important information about Putnam VT High Yield Fund for the period January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual annual shareholder report
Additional Information [Text Block] You can find additional information about the Fund at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents. You can also request this information by contacting us at (800) 225-1581.
Material Fund Change Notice [Text Block]
This report describes changes to the Fund that occurred during the reporting period.
Additional Information Phone Number (800) 225-1581
Additional Information Website https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents
Expenses [Text Block]
WHAT WERE THE FUND COSTS FOR THE LAST YEAR? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name
Costs of a $10,000 investment
Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment
Class IB1
$102
0.98%
[4]
Expenses Paid, Amount $ 102 [4]
Expense Ratio, Percent 0.98% [4]
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]
HOW DID THE FUND PERFORM LAST YEAR AND WHAT AFFECTED ITS PERFORMANCE?
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, Class IB shares of Putnam VT High Yield Fund returned 7.86%. The Fund compares its performance to the JPMorgan Developed High Yield Index, which returned 8.68% for the same period.  
PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
Top contributors to performance:
↑
Security selection within financials, gaming, lodging & leisure, and industrials.  
↑
Security selection within non-rated credits (i.e. convertibles), plus underweight positioning to BB-rated securities.
↑
Overweight exposure to Viking Cruises.
Top detractors from performance:
↓
Security selection within cable & satellite, along with underweight positioning and security selection within health care and telecommunications.
↓
Security selection within B and CCC-rated securities.
↓
Overweight exposure to Embarq Corp. (not held at period-end).
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] The Fund’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]
image
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (%) Period Ended December 31, 2024
 
1 Year
5 Year
10 Year
Class IB
7.86
3.38
4.25
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index
1.25
-0.33
1.35
JPMorgan Developed High Yield Index
8.68
4.32
5.33
No Deduction of Taxes [Text Block] The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or redemption of Fund shares.
Material Change Date Jan. 01, 2024
Updated Performance Information Location [Text Block]
Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com.
Net Assets $ 146,077,322
Holdings Count | $ / shares 445 [5]
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount $ 800,111
Investment Company Portfolio Turnover 50.00%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]
KEY FUND STATISTICS (as of December 31, 2024)
Total Net Assets
$146,077,322
Total Number of Portfolio Holdings*
445
Total Management Fee Paid
$800,111
Portfolio Turnover Rate
50%
[5]
Holdings [Text Block]
image
 [6]
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
HOW HAS THE FUND CHANGED?
On May 31, 2023, Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Templeton”) and Great-West Lifeco Inc., the parent company of Putnam U.S. Holdings I, LLC (“Putnam Holdings”), announced that they had entered into a definitive agreement for a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton to acquire Putnam Holdings in a stock and cash transaction (the “Transaction”). The Transaction was completed on January 1, 2024. As part of the Transaction, your Fund’s then-current investment advisor, Putnam Investment Management, LLC (“Putnam Management”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, and your Fund’s then-current sub-advisor, Putnam Investments Limited (“PIL”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam Holdings, became indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Templeton. In connection with the Transaction, shareholders of your Fund approved a new management contract with Putnam Management and a new sub-advisory contract with PIL. The new contracts were identical to the previous contracts, except for the effective dates, initial terms, updates to fund names as necessary to reflect previous name changes, and certain non-substantive changes.
Effective July 15, 2024, Putnam Management transferred its management contract for your Fund to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (“Franklin Advisers”), and Franklin Advisers replaced Putnam Management as the investment advisor to your Fund. In connection with the transfer, your Fund’s portfolio managers, along with supporting research analysts and certain other investment staff of Putnam Management, also became employees of Franklin Advisers. Putnam Management also transferred to Franklin Advisers its sub-management agreement with PIL in respect of your Fund. Franklin Advisers is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton. In addition, effective July 15, 2024, Franklin Advisers retained Putnam Management as a sub-advisor to your Fund pursuant to a new sub-advisory agreement.
Effective November 1, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), PIL, a sub-advisor of the Fund prior to the Effective Date, merged with and into Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (“FTIML”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Templeton (the “Merger”). As of the Effective Date, PIL investment professionals became employees of FTIML, and the sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and PIL with respect to the Fund was terminated. In connection with the Merger, the Fund’s Trustees approved a new sub-advisory agreement between Franklin Advisers and FTIML, pursuant to which FTIML became a sub-advisor of the Fund on the Effective Date.
Effective September 30, 2024, the portfolio managers for the Fund are Robert Salvin, Norman Boucher, Bryant Dieffenbacher and Glenn Voyles.
This is a summary of certain changes to the Fund since January 1, 2024. For more complete information, you may review the Fund’s current prospectus and any applicable supplements and the Fund’s next prospectus, which we expect to be available by May 1, 2025, at https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents or upon request at (800) 225-1581 or       
funddocuments@putnam.com.
Updated Prospectus Phone Number (800) 225-1581
Updated Prospectus Email Address funddocuments@putnam.com
Updated Prospectus Web Address https://www.franklintempleton.com/regulatory-fund-documents
[1]
1 Does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products.
[2]
* Includes derivatives, if applicable.
[3]
Cash and Equivalents, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Allocations may not total 100% because the chart includes the notional value of certain derivatives (the economic value for purposes of calculating periodic payment obligations), in addition to the market value of securities. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.
[4]
1 Does not reflect expenses incurred from investing through variable annuity or variable life insurance products.
[5]
* Includes derivatives, if applicable.
[6]
Cash and Equivalents, if any, represent the market value weights of cash, derivatives, short-term securities, and other unclassified assets in the portfolio. Allocations may not total 100% because the chart includes the notional value of certain derivatives (the economic value for purposes of calculating periodic payment obligations), in addition to the market value of securities. Holdings and allocations may vary over time.