Best 5-Year CD Rates for December 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

• How Does a 5-Year CD Work?

  Opening a certificate of deposit involves making an agreement with a financial institution that you will deposit a certain amount of money in an account that you won't touch, in exchange for earning a premium on the rate of return. You'll also be guaranteed that interest rate for the life of the certificate.
  

  Five-year certificates are useful savings vehicles in a number of situations. For instance, if national interest rates are expected to fall over the coming few years (i.e., you're in a declining rate environment), it would be beneficial to lock in one of today's more favorable rates for the coming five years.

  Socking money away in a 5-year CD can also be a helpful strategy if you're saving up for a large financial goal. Perhaps it's money for a down payment on a house. Or maybe you have money saved for your child's college education and you'll need it for tuition in five to six years. By putting it in a CD, you can ensure it earns interest and doesn't lose principal, while also putting a mechanism in place to discourage you from dipping into the funds for other purposes.

• How Do CDs From Traditional Banks, Online Banks, and Credit Unions Differ?

  Certificates of deposit are available from brick-and-mortar banks, online-only banks, internet banking divisions of traditional banks, and credit unions. For the most part, there is little difference between CDs from these different types of institutions.
  

  The biggest difference is that opening a CD with a credit union requires you to be a member of that credit union. The credit union certificates we include in our rankings all allow a method for anyone nationwide to join. However, doing so sometimes requires a small donation or fee (though not always).

  As for CDs from different bank types, there is little difference. You may be able to make an in-branch visit to physical banks that operate in your area, while you can only open an account at an internet banks online. But aside from the physical presence of a bank (or lack thereof), CDs from different banks will function generally the same way.

  These different institution types can pay very different rates. Credit unions are not-for-profit institutions and sometimes offer their members better rates than banks do. As a result, you'll see credit unions ranking prominently for longer terms like 5-year certificates.

  Online banks also tend to pay higher APYs than traditional banks, as their no-presence business model costs less to maintain than brick-and-mortar institutions. These overhead cost savings are often then passed to consumers via better interest rates.

• Which CD Term Pays the Highest Rate?

  In theory, the longer you're willing to deposit your funds, the higher the interest rate the bank or credit union will offer you. Unfortunately, this does not always hold true, as the rate institutions are willing to pay depends largely on the market's prediction about where future rates will go.
  

  For instance, when rates have been rising for a while and are expected to soon reach a peak, shorter and mid-term CDs often pay the best rates because banks don't want to get stuck paying the current elevated rate for years after rates begin to subside.

  In contrast, if rates have been low for a while and begin to rise, with expectations they will climb for a bit, banks are more interested in enticing customers with a high long-term rate because they expect rates will be much higher in the future.

  The good news is that it's easy to see which CD term is paying the best rate at any given time by visiting our daily ranking of the best CD rates. Here you can always see which terms are currently paying the highest yields.

• What If I Need to Withdraw My Money Early?

  Keeping your certificate funds on deposit until maturity is the best way to maximize your earnings. But sometimes life gets in the way, with unexpected financial needs arising. For this reason, every bank or credit union offering CDs has a written policy on the penalty it will apply should you cash the CD out early.
  

  Most typically, the penalty involves you forfeiting some number of months of interest. For example, the early withdrawal penalty on a 5-year CD might be 12 months of interest. That means an amount equal to what the CD would have earned in a year would be deducted from your balance before liquidating the proceeds.

  Early withdrawal penalties are set individually by each bank or credit union, and they run a wide gamut from mild to exceptionally onerous. But even if you don't expect to need an early cash-out, it's smart to determine the early withdrawal penalty in advance of committing to any CD you're considering.

• How Do You Build a CD Ladder?

  A CD ladder is a strategy that enables you to earn 5-year rates while keeping a portion of your CD funds accessible every year. Here's how it works:
  

  1. Determine how much money you want to invest in CDs.
  2. Divide that amount by five.
  3. Open a top-paying 1-year CD with one-fifth of the funds, a top 2-year CD with one-fifth, and so forth through a 5-year CD. This will result in five CDs with terms ranging from one to five years.
  4. After 12 months, the 1-year CD will mature. Withdraw the funds and invest them in a new top-paying 5-year CD.
  5. Every 12 months, withdraw funds from the maturing CD and reinvest it in a top-paying 5-year CD.
  6. After four years, you'll have a portfolio of five 5-year CDs earning top long-term rates. But one of them will mature every 12 months, giving you periodic access to a portion of your funds.

  
  

• Financial Institutions We Review

  We researched and reviewed more than 250 banks, credit unions, and financial institutions to find the best CD rates you see above on this list. While we write individual reviews for most, we do not always write reviews for those we would not recommend. Below are the banks, credit unions, and financial institutions we researched along with links to individual company reviews to help you learn more before making a decision:
  

  1st Source Bank, 5star Bank, ableBanking, Abound Credit Union, Achieva Credit Union, Affinity Federal Credit Union, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, Air Force Federal Credit Union, Alabama Credit Union, Allegacy Federal Credit Union, Alliant Credit Union, Ally Bank, Amerant Bank, American 1 Credit Union, American Express, American Heritage Credit Union, Andrews Federal Credit Union, Apple Federal Credit Union, Banco do Brasil Americas, Banesco USA, Bank of Baroda, Bank5 Connect, Bank7, Texas Capital Bank, bankESB (Easthampton Savings Bank), BankUnitedDirect, Barclays, BBVA Bank, Bellco Credit Union, Blue Federal Credit Union, BMO, BMO Alto, BrioDirect, Cadets Federal Credit Union, California Coast Credit Union, Capital One, Capitol Federal Savings Bank, CD Bank, CFG Bank, Chase Bank, Chevron Federal Credit Union, CIBC (Agility Banking), CIT Bank, Citibank, Citizens Access, Citizens Trust Bank, Colorado Federal Savings Bank, Bread Savings, Communitywide Federal Credit Union, ConnectOne Bank, Connexus Credit Union, Consumers Credit Union, Corporate America Federal Credit Union (CAFCU), Credit Union of Denver, Credit Union of the Rockies, Digital, Federal Credit Union, Discover Bank, DollarSavingsDirect, Dover Federal Credit Union, Dow Credit Union, Evergreen Bank Group, RocklandTrust Bank, Elements Financial, EmigrantDirect.com, Liberty Federal Credit Union, Fidelity Investments, Financial Partners Credit Union, Financial Resources Federal Credit Union, First Financial Credit Union, First Financial Northwest Bank, First Internet Bank, First National Bank of America, First Technology Federal Credit Union, Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union, Garden Savings Federal Credit Union, Georgia Banking Company, Georgia's Own Credit Union, GreenState Credit Union, Greenwood Credit Union, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union, GTE Financial, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company, Hanscom Federal Credit Union, Heritage Bank, Hiway Federal Credit Union, Home Loan Investment Bank, Home Savings Bank, Hope Credit Union, HSBC Direct, Hughes Federal Credit Union, Hyperion Bank, Ideal Credit Union, iGObanking, Interior Federal Credit Union, Justice Federal Credit Union, Kinecta Federal Credit Union, KS State Bank, La Capitol Federal Credit Union, Lafayette Federal Credit Union, Lake Michigan Credit Union, Langley Federal Credit Union, Latino Community Credit Union, Limelight Bank, Live Oak Bank, Luther Burbank Savings, MYSB Direct, MAC Federal Credit Union, Main Street Bank, MainStreet Bank, MapleMark Bank, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, Market USA Federal Credit Union, Matadors Community Credit Union, MECU Credit Union, Merrick Bank, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, Mills42 Federal Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union, MTC Federal Credit Union, MutualOne Bank, My Banking Direct, My eBanc, My Savings Direct, NASA Federal Credit Union, Nationwide by Axos Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, nbkc, NexBank, North Country Savings Bank, Northern Bank Direct, Northfield Bank, Northpointe Bank, Nuvision Federal Credit Union, Oklahoma Central Credit Union, One American Bank, OneUnited Bank, Pacific National Bank, Paramount Bank, PARDA Federal Credit Union, Partner Colorado Credit Union, Patelco Credit Union, Pen Air Federal Credit Union, PenFed Credit Union, People's Credit Union, First Service Credit Union, Pinnacle Federal Credit Union, Popular Direct, Premier America Credit Union, Presidential Bank, FSB, Prime Alliance Bank, PSECU (Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union), Quontic Bank, Quorum Federal Credit Union, Rising Bank, Merrimack Valley Credit Union, Salal Credit Union, Sallie Mae Bank, Santa Clara County Federal Credit Union, Signature Federal Credit Union, Spectrum Credit Union, SRP Federal Credit Union, State Bank of India Chicago, State Bank of India New York, State Bank of Texas, State Department Federal Credit Union, Summit Credit Union, Sun East Federal Credit Union, Superior Choice Credit Union, Synchrony Bank, TAB Bank, Teachers Federal Credit Union, Technology Credit Union, The Federal Savings Bank, Third Federal Savings & Loan, EverBank, TotalBank, Transportation Federal Credit Union, TruStone Financial Credit Union, UNIFY Financial Credit Union, Expedition Credit Union, United States Senate Federal Credit Union, United Texas Bank, University Federal Credit Union, US Bank, USAlliance Financial, USPS Federal Credit Union, Velocity Credit Union, VeraBank, Vio Bank, Virtual Bank, WebBank, Webster Bank, Wells Fargo, Western Vista Credit Union, Wings Financial Credit Union, XCEL Federal Credit Union, BankPurely, Umbrella Bank, giantbank.com, CapEd Credit Union, Zeal Credit Union, Finworth, Coastal1 Credit Union, Service Credit Union, National Cooperative Bank, Premier Members Credit Union, Bank of America, Flagstar Bank, 1st MidAmerica Credit Union, INOVA Federal Credit Union, Genisys Credit Union, Ivy Bank, Heartland Credit Union, Luana Savings Bank, Spectra Credit Union, Workers Credit Union, Credit Human, EFCU Financial, Poppy Bank, Credit One Bank, Vibrant Credit Union, CFBank, Department of Commerce Federal Credit Union, Seattle Bank, Crescent Bank, Pima Federal Credit Union, Cross River Bank, USAA, Great River Federal Credit Union, Brilliant Bank, Merchants Bank of Indiana, LendingClub, Chartway Credit Union, First Central Savings Bank, AgFed Credit Union, North American Savings Bank, Pelican State Credit Union, First Community Credit Union, Bask Bank, Skyla Credit Union, SkyOne Federal Credit Union, 3Rivers Federal Credit Union, Utah First Credit Union, Pasadena Federal Credit Union, Magnifi Financial, AloStar, Primis Bank, Farmers Insurance Federal Credit Union, Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union, Veridian Credit Union, Republic Bank, Salem Five Direct, All In Credit Union, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Forbright Bank, Jovia Financial Credit Union, Sun Canyon Bank, Fortera Credit Union, Partners 1st Federal Credit Union, SouthEast Bank, American Bank, Newtek Bank, CBC Federal Credit Union, Vanguard, All America Bank, Amalgamated Bank, Citizens State Bank, AmBoy Direct, Republic Bank of Chicago, Oklahoma Community Credit Union, BluPeak Credit Union, Valley Direct, Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union, First Harvest Credit Union, Orion Federal Credit Union, Wellby Financial, FedChoice Federal Credit Union, CoVantage Credit Union, Choice First Bank, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union, OMB Bank, Minnequa Works Credit Union, Securityplus Federal Credit Union, Bank of South Texas, T Bank