The first thing to know is that there are currently seven denominations of US currency banknotes: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 actively in circulation and being printed. There are other denominations that were used before and that are still legal tender, but they are fairly uncommon, and most are now in collections and far more valuable than their printed value.
What makes the bills that are currently in print different from other legal tender notes that are no longer active is that the ones that are in print are periodically destroyed when they become too damaged to remain in circulation and they are redesigned periodically, with changes being made to improve their security and not their look.
The redesigns meant to improve security are not a simple and easy process; they are a series of processes that take place over time (the last redesign took more than ten years of research and development according to the BEP) and are implemented slowly to ensure that all measures are accounted for and can be detected by the retailers and financial institutions that have the burden of accepting the majority of cash transactions.
The most recent denomination to get a makeover was the $100 note that was first issued on October 8, 2013, and the rest of the active currency denominations will follow suit in a staggered pattern, with their new releases taking place as follows: $10 (2026), $50 (2028), $20 (2030), $5 (2032) and $100 (2034)
As the BEP explains, “This sequence addresses risk mitigation and counterfeiting concerns.” But no bill is actually completely counterfeit-proof. The Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence (ACD) Steering Committee, comprised of stakeholders from the BEP, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Reserve System, the Treasury and the US Secret Service, tries its best to ensure that the new designs will be hard to replicate and that any counterfeit bill is tracked down and destroyed, but it is hard to control with the number of bills that change hands every day.
This is why education is so important and why the redesign process is followed up by years of optimization and integration testing before they can be successfully deployed into banknotes that will then be available to the public.
It takes time to ensure that the government has enough new equipment or raw materials for full production, as well as ensuring that these substances are controlled in a way that will make it hard for criminals to procure them in enough quantity that counterfeiting is an option.
After that is accomplished, the BEP reminds Americans that there needs to be “extensive acceptance testing to ensure they meet rigorous manufacturing and quality standards at production volumes.”
This is key, as according to the United States Department of Treasury, an estimated $70 million in counterfeit bills are currently in circulation. This may be an optimistic take, as some experts put the amount closer to $200 million, given its global use as a reserve currency.
And last, but by no means least, how to detect a counterfeit US dollar bill
- Check for color-shifting ink
- Check for raised printing
- Look closely for blurry borders, printing, or text
- Look for red and blue threads in the bill
- Check the watermark
- Check for the security thread
- Check new $100’s for security ribbon
Timeline For New Bill Releases
The rollout of new dollar bills will occur over several years, with specific denominations scheduled for release:
- 2026: The redesigned $10 bill will be the first to enter circulation.
- 2028: The $50 bill will follow.
- 2030: The much-anticipated $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman will be introduced.
- 2032-2035: The redesigned $5 bill will be released.
- 2034-2038: The final bill in this redesign cycle, the $100 note, will be issued.
These new bills are collectively referred to as the “Catalyst” series, reflecting a significant leap forward in U.S. currency design and security.
