# BIL ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What BIL holds, its 0.1353% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). This fund lends money to the US government for one to three months at a time by owning Treasury bills. It charges 0.1353% a year. From May 2007 to October 2026 it returned about 1.4% a year, and its worst drop was −0.8%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.1353% a year (about $13.53 on $10,000).
- Started trading on May 25, 2007.
- Worst drop since 2007: −0.8%.
- 39 Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does BIL hold?

This fund lends money to the US government for one to three months at a time by owning Treasury bills. Its price usually stays steady and it pays interest. When short term interest rates fall, its income falls too.

It tracks the Bloomberg 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. It had 34 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to SPDR (State Street).

| Fact | BIL |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF |
| Issuer | SPDR (State Street) |
| Expense ratio | 0.1353% a year |
| Started trading | May 25, 2007 |
| Tracks | Bloomberg 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index |
| Type | Cash and T-bills, ETF |
| Holdings | 34 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the [SPDR (State Street) fund page](https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/state-street-spdr-bloomberg-1-3-month-t-bill-etf-bil) |

## What is the BIL expense ratio?

BIL charges 0.1353% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.1353% fee comes to about $13.53 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has BIL done since 2007?

From May 2007 to October 2026, BIL returned about 1.4% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $13,089 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | BIL |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 30.9% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 1.4% |
| Worst drop from a high | −0.8% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 0.5% |
| Last 12 months | 3.7% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 4.5% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 3.7% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 2.3% |

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## BIL returns by year

| Year | BIL return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 2.9% |
| 2025 | 4.2% |
| 2024 | 5.2% |
| 2023 | 4.9% |
| 2022 | 1.4% |
| 2021 | −0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.7% |
| 2017 | 0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.1% |
| 2015 | −0.1% |
| 2014 | −0.1% |
| 2013 | −0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.3% |
| 2008 | 1.6% |
| 2007 (part of the year) | 2.5% |

## What was BIL's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. BIL's worst fall was −0.8%, from September 29, 2008 to December 9, 2015. It got back to that high on December 8, 2017.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold BIL?

39 classic strategies hold BIL at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

- [Hybrid Asset Allocation (HAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/hybrid-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2023
- [HAA Simple: Hybrid Asset Allocation with one asset](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/hybrid-asset-allocation-simple.md), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2023
- [Bold Asset Allocation (BAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/bold-asset-allocation.md), by Wouter Keller, 2022
- [Faber’s 10-month moving average timing model](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-10-month-moving-average.md), by Mebane Faber, 2007
- [Dual Momentum: Antonacci’s Global Equities Momentum (GEM)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/dual-momentum.md), by Gary Antonacci, 2014
- [Composite Dual Momentum](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/composite-dual-momentum.md), by Gary Antonacci, 2012
- [Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA 5)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/global-tactical-asset-allocation.md), by Mebane Faber, 2007
- [Bold Asset Allocation G4 (BAA aggressive)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/bold-asset-allocation-g4.md), by Wouter Keller, 2022
- [GTAA 13: Faber’s 13-asset tactical allocation](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/gtaa-13.md), by Mebane Faber, 2013
- [GTAA Aggressive 3 (Faber GTAA AGG3)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/gtaa-aggressive-3.md), by Mebane Faber, 2013
- [GTAA Aggressive 6 (Faber GTAA AGG6)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/gtaa-aggressive-6.md), by Mebane Faber, 2013
- [Ivy Portfolio rotation (Faber’s relative strength model)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/ivy-portfolio-rotation.md), by Mebane Faber and Eric Richardson, 2009
- [Faber sector rotation (the three strongest US sectors)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-sector-rotation.md), by Mebane Faber, 2010
- [Trinity Portfolio (Meb Faber)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/trinity-portfolio.md), by Mebane Faber, 2016
- [Gold Cross-Asset Momentum (gold and Treasury rule)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/gold-cross-asset-momentum.md), by Cyril Dujava (Quantpedia), 2026
- [US Cross-Asset Momentum (stock and Treasury timing)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/cross-asset-momentum.md), by Aleksi Pitkäjärvi, Matti Suominen, and Lauri Vaittinen, 2016
- [US Risk Parity Trend-Following (The Trend is Our Friend)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/us-risk-parity-trend-following.md), by Andrew Clare, James Seaton, Peter N. Smith, and Stephen Thomas, 2016
- [Global Risk Parity Trend-Following (Clare et al.)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/global-risk-parity-trend-following.md), by Andrew Clare, James Seaton, Peter N. Smith, and Stephen Thomas, 2016
- [Defense First (Carlson’s defensive tactical model)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/defense-first.md), by Thomas D. Carlson, 2025
- [HAA 60/40 (NLX Finance’s Hybrid Asset Allocation variant)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/haa-60-40.md), by Nicolas Lequeux (NLX Finance), 2024
- [Trending Fast and Slow (volatility-switched momentum)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/trending-fast-and-slow.md), by Eddie Cheng, Nazar Kostyuchyk, Wai Lee, Pai Liu, and Chenfei Ma, 2022
- [Robust Asset Allocation Balanced (Alpha Architect RAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/robust-asset-allocation-balanced.md), by Wesley Gray (Alpha Architect), 2014
- [Robust Asset Allocation Aggressive (Alpha Architect RAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/robust-asset-allocation-aggressive.md), by Wesley Gray (Alpha Architect), 2014
- [Tactical Permanent Portfolio (GestaltU / ReSolve)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/tactical-permanent-portfolio.md), by Adam Butler, Michael Philbrick, and Rodrigo Gordillo, 2012
- [Diversified Dual Momentum (Newfound Research)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/diversified-dual-momentum.md), by Corey Hoffstein (Newfound Research), 2019
- [Paul Novell's Tactical Bond Strategy](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/novell-tactical-bond-strategy.md), by Paul Novell, 2014
- [Three-Way Model (Ned Davis Research)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/three-way-model.md), by Ned Davis Research, 2015
- [Kipnis Defensive Adaptive Asset Allocation (KDA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/kipnis-defensive-asset-allocation.md), by Ilya Kipnis, 2019
- [Leverage Rotation Strategy (UPRO above the 200-day average)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/leverage-rotation-strategy.md), by Michael Gayed and Charles Bilello, 2016
- [Leverage Rotation Strategy 2x (LRS with SSO)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/leverage-rotation-strategy-2x.md), by Michael Gayed and Charles Bilello, 2016
- [200-Day Moving Average Strategy (S&P 500)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/200-day-moving-average.md), by Jeremy Siegel, 1994, Michael Gayed and Charles Bilello, 2016
- [Golden Cross Strategy (50-day and 200-day moving averages)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/golden-cross.md), by Technical analysis tradition
- [Volatility-Managed Portfolio (Moreira and Muir)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/volatility-managed-portfolio.md), by Alan Moreira and Tyler Muir, 2017
- [Growth-Trend Timing (Philosophical Economics’ GTT)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/growth-trend-timing.md), by Jesse Livermore (Philosophical Economics), 2016
- [Growth-Trend Timing with unemployment (GTT-UE)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/growth-trend-timing-unemployment.md), by Jesse Livermore (Philosophical Economics), 2016
- [Growth-Trend Timing with job growth](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/growth-trend-timing-jobs.md), by Jesse Livermore (Philosophical Economics), 2016
- [Growth-Trend Timing with housing starts and income](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/growth-trend-timing-housing.md), by Jesse Livermore (Philosophical Economics), 2016
- [TrendYCMacro (Quantpedia’s market timing strategy)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/trend-yc-macro.md), by Ladislav Ďurian and Radovan Vojtko (Quantpedia), 2023
- [Pragmatic Asset Allocation (Quantpedia’s PAA)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/pragmatic-asset-allocation.md), by Radovan Vojtko and Juliána Javorská (Quantpedia), 2024

## How does BIL compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for BIL:

- [SGOV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/sgov.md): iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF, 0.09% a year
- [SHV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/shv.md): iShares 0-1 Year Treasury Bond ETF, 0.15% a year
- [TFLO](https://tactfolio.com/etf/tflo.md): iShares Treasury Floating Rate Bond ETF, 0.15% a year
- [USFR](https://tactfolio.com/etf/usfr.md): WisdomTree Floating Rate Treasury Fund, 0.15% a year

See [all 6 BIL alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/bil.md), compared on the same dates as BIL.

## Test BIL in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add BIL, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for BIL. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from SPDR (State Street). We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [Tactical asset allocation](https://tactfolio.com/learn/tactical-asset-allocation): What tactical asset allocation is, how it differs from strategic allocation, and what Faber's model did in 2008 and after, with dated backtest figures.
- [Trend following](https://tactfolio.com/learn/trend-following): What trend following is, the research back to 1880, five classic ETF trend rules with dated backtests, and the whipsaws and flat years that come with it.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of BIL?

BIL charges 0.1353% a year, according to SPDR (State Street) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $13.53 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did BIL start trading?

BIL started trading on May 25, 2007. It is run by SPDR (State Street).

### What does BIL track?

BIL tracks the Bloomberg 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. This fund lends money to the US government for one to three months at a time by owning Treasury bills.

### How much has BIL returned per year?

From May 2007 to October 2026, BIL returned about 1.4% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −0.8%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use BIL?

39 of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold BIL, including Hybrid Asset Allocation (HAA), HAA Simple: Hybrid Asset Allocation with one asset, Bold Asset Allocation (BAA).

## Sources

- [SPDR (State Street): State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF fund page](https://www.ssga.com/us/en/intermediary/etfs/state-street-spdr-bloomberg-1-3-month-t-bill-etf-bil)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.