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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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GOVT vs VCSH: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GOVT's duration was 5.5 years on Jul 31, 2026 and VCSH's 2.7 on May 31, 2026; VCSH charges 0.03% to GOVT's 0.05%.

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Net assets: $42.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF, and $43.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF.

GOVT on its own →VCSH on its own →
At a glance
−1.5%
GOVT total return, 1 year
+1.3%
VCSH total return, 1 year
0.05%
GOVT expense ratio
0.03%
VCSH expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VCSH costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; VCSH is 1.1 times larger.

GOVT vs VCSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureGOVTVCSH
Return
Total return, 1 year−1.5%+1.3%
Drawdown
Below its high8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
What it tracksICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond IndexBloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.05%0.03%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$41.4bn$43.9bn
Holdings
Holdings in common1%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

What they share

1%

By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and VCSH hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

1% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first GOVT VCSH
U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 31, 2028 1.20% 0.83%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Apr 30, 2028 0.72% 0.02%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in GOVT
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2031 5.28%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2029 2.95%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2028 2.63%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2028 2.08%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2028 1.62%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2046 1.48%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Nov 15, 2042 1.46%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Feb 15, 2051 1.46%
Only in VCSH
BANK OF AMER CRP, due Dec 20, 2028 0.23%
ABBVIE INC, due Nov 21, 2029 0.21%
CVS HEALTH CORP, due Mar 25, 2028 0.20%
T-MOBILE USA INC, due Apr 15, 2030 0.19%
BOEING CO, due May 1, 2030 0.19%
WELLS FARGO CO, due Jul 25, 2029 0.18%
JPMORGAN CHASE, due Apr 23, 2032 0.18%
PFIZER INVSTMNT, due May 19, 2028 0.17%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF VCSH Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer iShares Vanguard
What it is Tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond Tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond
Total return, 1 year −1.5% +1.3%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +1.3% (SCHJ)
Gap to its benchmark not measured 0.0 pts vs SCHJ
Expense ratio 0.05% 0.03%
Holdings 229 3064
Net assets, GOVT as of Oct 27, 2026 and VCSH as of Sep 30, 2026 $42.8bn $43.9bn

GOVT and VCSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
GOVT

GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

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, GOVT or VCSH?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and VCSH +1.3%.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or VCSH?
VCSH is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
GOVT vs IGSBGOVT vs SPSBBSV vs GOVTGOVT vs TLTIEF vs VCSHVCSH vs VGITMBB vs VCSHVCSH vs VGSH
Where to next
GOVT on its own →VCSH on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →GOVT dividend history →GOVT holdings →VCSH dividend history →VCSH holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
GOVT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
GOVT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
iShares page for GOVT ↗
VCSH filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VCSH prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VCSH ↗

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, GOVT against VCSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-vcsh

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