The official current G Fund rate is published and updated monthly on tsp.gov. We don't republish a live figure here, because a stale number on a financial site helps no one.
View the current rate on tsp.gov →The G Fund rate is not set by the TSP's discretion; it's fixed by law. Under the statute governing the Thrift Savings Plan, the G Fund earns interest at a rate equal to the average market yield on outstanding U.S. Treasury marketable securities with four or more years to maturity. The Treasury calculates this average at the end of each month, and the resulting rate applies for the following month.
In practice, this means the G Fund rate tracks medium- and long-term Treasury yields, but with a smoothing effect: it reflects an average across many maturities rather than any single day's market move. When longer-term interest rates rise, the G Fund rate tends to follow over the subsequent months; when they fall, it drifts down.
The G Fund earns a longer-term interest rate while carrying no interest-rate risk and no risk of loss of principal. A normal bond fund like the F Fund can fall in price when rates rise. The G Fund cannot; its share price only ever goes up. This combination of a medium-term yield with money-market-like safety does not exist anywhere in the private market; it's available only to TSP participants.
No. The G Fund is invested in special non-marketable U.S. Treasury securities issued only to the TSP and backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Both principal and interest are guaranteed. The G Fund has never posted a negative annual return and, by design, never will. That guarantee is exactly why the TSP uses the G Fund as the default investment for new participants and as the mandatory destination for interfund transfers beyond the monthly limit.
Because the rate resets monthly, the clearest way to see where it has been is the fund's full-year return for each calendar year. The table below shows the G Fund's annual return since 2005. Note the pattern: the rate fell to historic lows around 2020–2021 as Treasury yields collapsed, then climbed back above 4% as rates rose in 2023–2025.
| Year | G Fund Return | Year | G Fund Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4.40% | 2016 | 1.82% |
| 2006 | 4.93% | 2017 | 2.33% |
| 2007 | 4.87% | 2018 | 2.91% |
| 2008 | 3.75% | 2019 | 2.24% |
| 2009 | 2.97% | 2020 | 0.97% |
| 2010 | 2.81% | 2021 | 1.38% |
| 2011 | 2.45% | 2022 | 2.98% |
| 2012 | 1.47% | 2023 | 4.22% |
| 2013 | 1.89% | 2024 | 4.40% |
| 2014 | 2.31% | 2025 | 4.44% |
| 2015 | 2.04% | 2026* | 2.30% |
Source: ThriftTrading fund history, compiled from TSP published returns; data as of July 10, 2026. *2026 figure is year-to-date, not a full-year return, so it is not comparable to the complete calendar years above.
The G Fund rate matters most as a benchmark: it's the risk-free return you give up whenever you hold C, S, or I. When the G Fund yields over 4%, sitting in it during uncertain markets costs you far less than it did when the rate was under 1%. That changes the calculus of when moving to safety is worthwhile: a higher G Fund rate means the "cost of caution" is low, so stepping aside from stocks during a downturn is less of a drag on long-term growth.
This is precisely the trade-off our allocation service is built around: knowing when the potential downside in the stock funds outweighs the return you're forgoing in the safety of the G Fund.
Is the G Fund rate annual or monthly? The published rate is an annualized figure that resets each month. Your account earns a daily pro-rated share of it.
Where do I find today's rate? On tsp.gov under Share Prices and Rates of Return. It updates at the start of each month.
Does the G Fund rate change during the month? No. It's fixed for the full month, then reset for the next.
Rate mechanics summarized from tsp.gov and TSP participant materials. The TSP can change its rules; confirm the current rate and terms against tsp.gov before acting. This page is education, not advice.