Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BIL vs VCSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
BIL's duration was 0.2 years on Jun 30, 2026 and VCSH's 2.7 on May 31, 2026; VCSH charges 0.03% to BIL's 0.14%.
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Net assets: $48.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF, and $43.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCSH costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; BIL is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | BIL | VCSH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +3.7% | +1.3% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $49.8bn | $43.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsVCSH returned more: +59.9% to +25.4%. BIL swung less: 0.3% to 3.5%. BIL fell less at its worst: −0.4% to −11.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BIL | VCSH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +25.4% | +59.9% | VCSH | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.3% | +2.8% | VCSH | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.1% | +2.8% | VCSH | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 0.3% | 3.5% | BIL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 0.2% | 2.5% | BIL | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −0.4% | −11.3% | BIL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.66 | 0.37 | VCSH | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.97 | 0.52 | VCSH | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 3.12 | 0.25 | BIL | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BIL and VCSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
BIL and VCSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BIL and VCSH do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. BIL follows Bloomberg 1-3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index and VCSH follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BIL returned +3.7% and VCSH +1.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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BIL
BIL tracks an index of 1-3 month T-bills. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year.
VCSH
VCSH tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against +1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BIL or VCSH?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BIL returned +3.7% and VCSH +1.3%.
- Which is cheaper, BIL or VCSH?
- VCSH is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, BIL against VCSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-vcsh
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BIL against VCSH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-vcsh
[BIL against VCSH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-vcsh)
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