ETF Versus

BIL vs SHV

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF vs iShares 0–1 Year Treasury Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

BIL

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund 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 a high dividend yield of 4.02%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $49.6B ER: 0.14% Yield: 4.02% Since: May 25, 2007
SHV

iShares 0–1 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHV) is an exchange-traded fund 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 3.99%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $20.9B ER: 0.15% Yield: 3.99% Since: Jan 5, 2007

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 -0.0%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric BIL SHV
Expense Ratio 0.14% 0.15%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 4.0%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Short-Term Treasury

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

95 97 99 101 103 105 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
BIL -0.1%
SHV -0.4%

Performance Comparison

Period BIL SHV Difference
1 Month +0.01% -0.02% +0.03%
3 Months -0.02% -0.08% +0.06%
6 Months -0.10% -0.11% +0.01%
YTD -0.02% -0.08% +0.06%
1 Year -0.03% -0.02% -0.01%
3 Years -0.08% -0.02% -0.06%
5 Years -0.11% -0.39% +0.28%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BIL Fees SHV 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 SHV
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 1.1%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -0.7%
Sharpe Ratio -4.15 -4.26

Dividend Comparison

Metric BIL SHV
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.67 $4.39
Dividend Yield 4.02% 3.99%
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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