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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName HOMESTEAD FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Jan. 01, 2020
Short-Term Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Short-Term Bond Fund Fund Summaries   |  Inception: November 5, 1991
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Short-Term Bond Fund seeks a high level of income consistent with maintaining minimum fluctuation of principal by investing in high-quality, short-term debt securities.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
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 that 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 costs when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 39% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 39.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Expense Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund to the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowing for investment purposes) in fixed-income securities that are in the three highest credit categories as ranked by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization ("NRSRO") (for example, securities rated AAA, AA or A by Standard & Poor's Corporation). These investments may include:

  • commercial paper
  • corporate bonds
  • U.S. Treasury securities
  • securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government entities, agencies or instrumentalities
  • municipal bonds
  • U.S. dollar-denominated debt securities of foreign issuers (Yankee Bonds)
  • asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities

The dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Fund, under normal circumstances, is expected to be three years or less.

In selecting the portfolio holdings for the Fund, RE Advisers considers, among other factors, its outlook for the economy, monetary policy, interest rates and credit spreads, as well as company-specific factors such as improving credit quality, and relative value.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. Other principal risks of investing in the Fund include:

Market Risk  The risk that markets will perform poorly or that the returns from the securities in which the Fund invests will underperform returns from the general securities markets or other types of investments. Markets may, in response to governmental actions or intervention, political, economic or market developments, or other external factors, experience periods of high volatility and reduced liquidity. During those periods, the Fund may experience high levels of shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when the Fund would otherwise not do so, and potentially at unfavorable prices. Certain securities may be difficult to value during such periods. These risks may be heightened for fixed income securities in low interest rate environments.

Issuer Risk  The risk that the value of a security may decline because of adverse events or circumstances that directly relate to the issuer.

Debt Securities Risks

Credit risk: The risk that an issuer or counterparty will fail to pay its obligations to the Fund when they are due. As a result, the Fund's income might be reduced, the value of the Fund's investment might fall, and/or the Fund could lose the entire amount of its investment. Changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic, social or political conditions that affect a particular type of security or other instrument or an issuer, and changes in economic, social or political conditions generally can increase the risk of default by an issuer or counterparty, which can affect a security's or other instrument's credit quality or value and an issuer's or counterparty's ability to pay interest and principal when due. The values of lower-quality debt securities (commonly known as "junk bonds") tend to be particularly sensitive to these changes. The values of securities also may decline for a number of other reasons that relate directly to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services, as well as the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of its assets.

Extension risk: The risk that if interest rates rise, repayments of principal on certain debt securities, including, but not limited to, mortgage-related securities, may occur at a slower rate than expected and the expected maturity of those securities could lengthen as a result. Securities that are subject to extension risk generally have a greater potential for loss when prevailing interest rates rise, which could cause their values to fall sharply.

Interest rate risk: The risk that debt instruments will change in value because of changes in interest rates. The value of an instrument with a longer duration (whether positive or negative) will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a similar instrument with a shorter duration. Bonds and other debt instruments typically have a positive duration. The value of a debt instrument with positive duration will generally decline if interest rates increase.

Income Risk  The Fund's income may decline due to falling interest rates or other factors. Issuers of securities held by the Fund may call or redeem the securities during periods of falling interest rates, and the Fund would likely be required to reinvest in securities paying lower interest rates. If an obligation held by the Fund is prepaid, the Fund may have to reinvest the prepayment in other obligations paying income at lower rates.

U.S. Government Securities Risk  The risk that the value of U.S. Government securities can decrease due to changes in interest rates or changes to the financial condition or credit rating of the U.S. Government.

Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk  The risk that defaults, or perceived increases in the risk of defaults, on the obligations underlying asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, including mortgage pass-through securities and CMOs, significant credit downgrades and illiquidity may impair the value of the securities. These securities also present a higher degree of prepayment risk (when repayment of principal occurs before scheduled maturity resulting in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds at a lower interest rate) and extension risk (when rates of repayment of principal are slower than expected, which may lock in a below-market interest rate, increase the security's duration, and reduce the value of the security) than do other types of fixed income securities. Enforcing rights against the underlying assets or collateral may be difficult, and the underlying assets or collateral may be insufficient if the issuer defaults.

Corporate Bond Risk  Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer's inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to factors such as interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity.

Commercial Paper Risk Investments in commercial paper are subject to the risk that the issuer cannot issue enough new commercial paper to satisfy its obligations with respect to its outstanding commercial paper, also known as rollover risk. Commercial paper is generally unsecured, which increases the credit risk associated with this type of investment. The value of commercial paper may be affected by changes in the credit rating or financial condition of the issuing entities. The value of commercial paper will tend to fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall.

Municipal Bond Risk   Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of the Fund's investment in municipal bonds. The Fund may invest in a group of municipal obligations that are related in such a way that an economic, business, or political development affecting one would also affect the others. In addition, the municipal bond market, or portions thereof, may experience substantial volatility or become distressed, and individual bonds may go into default, which would lead to heightened risks of investing in municipal bonds generally. The ability of municipalities to meet their obligations will depend on the availability of tax and other revenues, economic, political and other conditions within the state and municipality, and the underlying fiscal condition of the state and municipality.

Foreign Risk  Foreign securities are subject to political, regulatory, and economic risks not present in domestic investments and may exhibit more extreme changes in value than securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. In addition, foreign companies often are not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. companies. Reporting, legal, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund's investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment. Investments in emerging market countries are likely to involve significant risks. These countries are generally more likely to experience political and economic instability.

Manager Risk  The risk that the manager's decisions, including security selection, will cause the Fund to underperform relative to the Fund's peers. There can be no assurance that the manager's investment techniques and decisions will produce the desired results. The Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective is dependent upon the manager's ability to identify profitable investment opportunities for the Fund. The past experience of the portfolio manager, including with other strategies and funds, does not guarantee future results for the Fund.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the changes in the Fund's performance from year to year. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1, 5 and 10 years compared with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting homesteadfunds.com or by calling 800.258.3030.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the changes in the Fund's performance from year to year. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1, 5 and 10 years compared with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 800.258.3030
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress homesteadfunds.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar Year Total Returns  Total Returns (%)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

During the periods shown in the chart, the Fund's best and worst quarters were as follows:

Best Quarter:
Q2 2009 6.53%
Worst Quarter:
Q4 2016 -0.35%

Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns periods ended 12/31/18
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock

For the Fund's current yield, call 800.258.3030.
Thirty Day Yield Phone rr_ThirtyDayYieldPhone 800.258.3030
Short-Term Bond Fund | Short-Term Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Sales Charge on Purchases rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Deferred Sales Charge on Redemptions rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Sales Charge on Reinvested Dividends rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Exchange Fee rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.60%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.77%
1 YR rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 79
3 YR rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 246
5 YR rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 428
10 YR rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 954
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 16.38%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 5.73%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 1.90%
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 4.58%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 1.64%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 1.56%
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 0.43%
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 1.75%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 1.65%
2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 1.69%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 6.53%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2016
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (0.35%)
Short-Term Bond Fund | Returns before taxes | Short-Term Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.69%
5 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.41%
10 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.64%
Short-Term Bond Fund | Returns after taxes on distributions | Short-Term Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.84%
5 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.73%
10 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.60%
Short-Term Bond Fund | Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares | Short-Term Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.00%
5 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.77%
10 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.42%
Short-Term Bond Fund | ICE BofA Merrill Lynch 1-5 Year Corp./Gov. Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.40%
5 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.37%
10 YR rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.17%