Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
BIL vs QUAL: how they differ
BIL is a short-term Treasury fund and QUAL an equity index fund, and over the year QUAL returned more, +16.0% against +3.7%.
SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
| BIL SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | iShares |
| What it is | 1-3 month T-bills | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +3.7% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −13.8 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.15% |
| Holdings | not filed | 121 |
BIL in plain words
BIL is a cash and treasury bills tracking the 1-3 month T-bills. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BIL or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BIL returned +3.7% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, BIL or QUAL?
- BIL charges 0.14% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so BIL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, BIL against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/BIL-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources