Best High-Yield Savings Rates — Ranked by After-Tax Value

Why after-tax value, not headline APY

Most best-savings-rate lists rank accounts by headline APY alone — the number before tax, which is not the number that lands in your account. Ordinary savings and cash interest is taxed at your combined federal and state rate, while interest on US Treasury bills is exempt from state and local income tax. In a high-tax state, a Treasury bill with a lower headline yield can leave you with more after tax than a savings account quoting a higher number. This page sorts the cash, savings, and Treasury venues in the library by their after-tax value in the state and bracket you set.

Run the full comparison

Set your state and federal bracket on the page and the table reorders by what you keep. To run the same math across all 23 venues, use the free After-Tax Yield Calculator. For the full breakdown of where to keep cash, read Where to Park Cash in 2026, and see the redundancy-first money framework for how the cash layer fits alongside the other functions.

Frequently asked

What is the best high-yield savings account rate right now?

There is no single best rate — the headline APY on high-yield savings accounts moves weekly with Fed policy, and the account that leads one week may not the next. This page lists the publicly-quoted rates on the cash, savings, and Treasury venues in the library and sorts them by their after-tax value in your state, so you can see how they compare. It is educational only and not financial advice. Verify the current rate on the bank official site before depositing.

Why does the after-tax rate matter more than the headline APY?

Two accounts with the same headline APY can leave you with different amounts after tax. Ordinary savings interest is taxed at your federal and state income-tax rate, while interest on US Treasury bills is exempt from state and local tax. In a high-tax state, a slightly lower headline Treasury rate can beat a higher headline savings rate once tax is applied.

Are these savings rates live?

The table pulls the most recent rate on record for each venue and shows the date it was captured. When a fresher figure is not on record, it falls back to the publicly-quoted APY documented for that platform. Rates change weekly, so treat every number as a snapshot and confirm on the official site before acting.

Is a high-yield savings account safe?

Bank high-yield savings accounts are typically FDIC-insured up to 250,000 dollars per depositor, per bank. Cash accounts at brokerages and robo-advisors are usually held through partner-bank sweep programs with their own coverage terms, and Treasury bills are backed by the US government. Coverage type and limits differ by venue — confirm the specific structure on the official site.

Does Obsidian Metrics recommend one of these accounts?

No. This is a free educational comparison. It displays publicly-quoted rates and lets you compare their after-tax value on amounts you choose. It does not rank accounts for suitability or recommend any of them. We are not financial advisors.