---
url: https://thresholds.pages.dev/i-bonds/next-rate-announcement/
title: "The Next I Bond Rate Announcement: November 1, 2026"
updated: 2026-09-07
site: Thresholds
sources:
  - https://www.treasurydirect.gov/savings-bonds/i-bonds/i-bonds-interest-rates/
  - https://www.treasurydirect.gov/news/2026/release-05-01-rates/
  - https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/i-bonds-interest-rates/
---

# The Next I Bond Rate Announcement: November 1, 2026

Treasury sets I bond rates each May 1 and November 1. The next announcement is November 1, 2026, a Sunday. No rate is known before Treasury publishes it.

The next I bond rate announcement is November 1, 2026 (a Sunday; Treasury usually posts on the next business day). It sets the fixed rate for bonds issued from that date and the next inflation rate for every existing bond.

This page publishes no prediction. The [current I bond rate](/i-bonds/) page carries the figures in force until then, and the [I bond calculator](/i-bonds/calculator/) uses the same registry.

## The schedule

| Announcement | What it covers |
|---|---|
| May 1 each year | Bonds issued May through October, and every six-month period beginning in that window |
| November 1 each year | Bonds issued November through April, and every six-month period beginning in that window |

Treasury's own wording is "We announce the fixed rate every May 1 and November 1." The most recent announcement, on May 1, 2026, set a composite rate of 4.26% from a fixed rate of 0.90% and a semiannual inflation rate of 1.67% for bonds issued May 2026 through October 2026.

November 1, 2026 falls on a Sunday. The rates still take effect that day; the posting of the announcement is the part that typically slips to the next business day.

## What changes for whom

Three different groups are affected differently by the same announcement.

- **People buying after the announcement.** They receive the new fixed rate, which is then locked for the life of their bond.
- **People who already own bonds.** Their fixed rate does not move. Their inflation component changes at their own next six-month reset, which is six months from their issue month, not on November 1.
- **People buying before the announcement.** They lock the fixed rate in force in their issue month. The [buying timing rules](/i-bonds/buying-timing/) set out how the issue month is determined.

## What can and cannot be known in advance

The inflation component is mechanical. It is derived from the non-seasonally adjusted CPI-U for all items, including food and energy, and that index is published on a public schedule by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The fixed component is not mechanical. Treasury publishes no formula for the fixed rate; it announces the number. That is why no one outside Treasury can state the November composite rate in advance, and why figures circulating before the announcement are estimates of one part of a two-part rate.

## What the record shows

The composite rate has moved across a wide band since the series began in September 1998. Its highest published value was 9.62%, for six-month periods beginning May 2022, when the fixed rate was 0.00% and the semiannual inflation rate was 4.81%.

It has also been zero. For periods beginning May 2009 and May 2015 the semiannual inflation rate was negative and the composite rate was floored at 0.00%. Neither of those outcomes tells you anything about November 2026; the [I bond rate history](/i-bonds/rate-history/) shows the whole series rather than the memorable ends of it.

## When is the next I bond rate announcement?

November 1, 2026 (a Sunday; Treasury usually posts on the next business day). Treasury announces I bond rates on May 1 and November 1 each year.

## Will the I bond rate go up in November 2026?

Nobody outside Treasury can say, because the fixed rate is announced rather than derived from any published formula. This page will carry the announced figures once Treasury publishes them, and states no estimate before that.

## Does the November announcement change the bond I already own?

It does not change your fixed rate, which was locked in your bond's issue month. It changes your inflation component only at your bond's own next six-month reset, which falls six months from its issue month.

## Is November 1, 2026 a business day?

No. November 1, 2026 is a Sunday. The new rates still take effect on that date, and Treasury's practice has been to post the announcement on the next business day.

## What was the highest I bond rate ever?

The highest published composite rate was 9.62%, for six-month periods beginning in May 2022. It combined a 0.00% fixed rate with a 4.81% semiannual inflation rate, so bonds issued then still carry a 0.00% fixed rate today.

## Where does Treasury publish the new rate?

On the TreasuryDirect I bond rates page and in a savings bond rates news release dated the day of the announcement. The Treasury Fiscal Data API carries the same figures in machine-readable form.

## Figures on this page

- November 1, 2026 — Treasury announces I bond rates each May 1 and November 1. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06; applies 2026-09-06 to 2026-11-01)
- November 1 each year — The second annual I bond rate announcement, setting rates for periods beginning November–April. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06)
- May 1 each year — Treasury announces the I bond fixed and semiannual inflation rates on May 1, setting rates for periods beginning May–October. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06)
- 4.26% — Composite (headline) rate for an I bond bought May–October 2026: 0.90 + 2(1.67) + 0.90×1.67/100 = 4.255 → 4.26. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06; applies 2026-05-01 to 2026-10-31)
- 0.90% — Fixed rate for I bonds issued May–October 2026; fixed for the bond’s 30-year life. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06; applies 2026-05-01 to 2026-10-31)
- 1.67% — Semiannual inflation rate for every six-month earning period beginning May–October 2026, whatever the issue date. (TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates; verified 2026-09-06; applies 2026-05-01 to 2026-10-31)

## Sources

- [TreasuryDirect — I bonds interest rates](https://www.treasurydirect.gov/savings-bonds/i-bonds/i-bonds-interest-rates/)
- [TreasuryDirect — May 2026 savings bond rates](https://www.treasurydirect.gov/news/2026/release-05-01-rates/)
- [Treasury Fiscal Data — I Bonds Interest Rates](https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/i-bonds-interest-rates/)

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Information, not advice. Figures verified 2026-09-07. https://thresholds.pages.dev/i-bonds/next-rate-announcement/
