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BIL vs VGUS: Differences, Returns & Fees

On Jun 30, 2026 BIL's duration was 0.2 years and VGUS's 0.3; VGUS charges 0.07% to BIL's 0.14%. Net assets: $51.1bn on Oct 20, 2026 for SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF, and $1.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

VGUS costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points; BIL is far larger, $49.8bn against $1.2bn.

BIL vs VGUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
BILVGUS
Expense ratio0.14%0.07%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$49.8bn$1.2bn
Total return, 1 year+3.7%+3.6%
What it tracks1-3 month T-billsBloomberg Short Treasury Index
Holdings in common26%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

+3.7%
BIL total return, 1 year
+3.6%
VGUS total return, 1 year
0.14%
BIL expense ratio
0.07%
VGUS expense ratio

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Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-5477F86F8F

BIL and VGUS are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. BIL follows 1-3 month T-bills and VGUS follows Bloomberg Short Treasury Index.
  2. Holdings in common. 26% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jun 30, 2026).
  3. Number of holdings. BIL holds 18 positions and VGUS holds 90.

Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.

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What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, BIL and VGUS hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.

half

26% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding BIL VGUS
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 6, 2026 12.04% 2.88%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 27, 2026 7.22% 2.29%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 13, 2026 6.85% 2.27%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 20, 2026 6.49% 2.20%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 3, 2026 9.04% 1.98%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 17, 2026 7.03% 1.19%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 24, 2026 6.97% 1.18%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 10, 2026 6.98% 1.16%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 11, 2026 5.82% 1.07%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Aug 25, 2026 6.00% 1.06%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 15, 2026 2.22% 1.04%
U.S. Treasury Bills, due Sep 22, 2026 2.69% 1.04%
Only in BIL
Only in VGUS
TREASURY BILL, due Jul 16, 2026 2.47%
TREASURY BILL, due Jul 14, 2026 2.38%
TREASURY BILL, due Jul 7, 2026 2.26%
TREASURY BILL, due Jul 21, 2026 2.02%
TREASURY BILL, due Oct 1, 2026 1.94%
TREASURY BILL, due Oct 29, 2026 1.89%
TREASURY BILL, due Nov 27, 2026 1.77%
TREASURY BILL, due Oct 8, 2026 1.24%

Check overlap with more funds →

On the same fields

BIL
SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF
VGUS
Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer State Street Vanguard
What it is Tracks an index of 1-3 month T-bills Tracks an index
Total return, 1 year +3.7% +3.6%
Expense ratio 0.14% 0.07%
Holdings 18 90
Net assets, BIL as of Oct 20, 2026 and VGUS as of Sep 30, 2026 $51.1bn $1.2bn

BIL and VGUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About BIL

BIL tracks an index of 1-3 month T-bills. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year.

About VGUS

VGUS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +3.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, BIL or VGUS?
In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BIL returned +3.7% and VGUS +3.6%.
Which is cheaper, BIL or VGUS?
VGUS is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
BIL vs BILZBIL vs RAVIBIL vs YEARBIL vs TBUXJPST vs VGUSSHV vs VGUSSGOV vs VGUSPULS vs VGUS
BIL on its own →VGUS on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →BIL dividend history →BIL holdings →VGUS dividend history →VGUS holdings →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
BIL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗BIL prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗State Street website ↗VGUS filings on SEC EDGAR ↗VGUS prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Vanguard page for VGUS ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BIL against VGUS, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-vgus

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.