ETF Versus

BIL vs SHY

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF vs iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

BIL SPDR

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.14%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.95%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $51.5B ER: 0.14% Yield: 3.95% Since: May 25, 2007
SHY iShares

iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.72%. Launched in 2002, the fund has a 24-year track record.

AUM: $25.3B ER: 0.15% Yield: 3.72% Since: Jul 22, 2002

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.14% vs 0.15%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (-0.0% vs -0.2%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric BIL SHY
Expense Ratio 0.14% 0.15%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 3.7%
Fund Family SPDR iShares
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Short-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

90 93 96 99 102 105 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
BIL +0.0%
SHY -4.4%

Performance Comparison

Period BIL SHY Difference
1 Month +0.03% -0.26% +0.29%
3 Months +0.01% -0.49% +0.50%
6 Months -0.10% -0.80% +0.70%
YTD +0.08% -0.52% +0.60%
1 Year -0.03% -0.19% +0.16%
3 Years -0.08% +0.46% -0.54%
5 Years +0.00% -4.40% +4.40%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BIL Fees SHY Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $278 $298 $20
$10,000 20 years $1,194 $1,278 $84
$10,000 30 years $3,841 $4,109 $269
$50,000 10 years $1,391 $1,490 $99
$50,000 30 years $19,203 $20,547 $1,344
$100,000 30 years $38,406 $41,094 $2,688

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BIL SHY
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 2.1%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -6.7%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 -2.53

Dividend Comparison

Metric BIL SHY
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.62 $3.07
Dividend Yield 3.95% 3.72%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Either works if...

you just need broad us short-term treasury exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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