Best certificates of deposit (CDs) for October 2025

Complete guide to CDs

There are several terms and strategies to familiarize yourself with as you develop a CD strategy that works well for you. Here are some of the basics.

What is a certificate of deposit?

With CDs, or certificates of deposit, customers receive a fixed interest rate in exchange for tying up their money for a fixed period. Interest is typically paid on a regular basis, either daily, monthly, or quarterly.

After a CD reaches maturity—or the end of its term—you can withdraw the money you deposited initially, plus any earned interest. If you tap your money before the CD’s term is up, most CDs charge an early withdrawal penalty, which is usually worth a few days or months of interest.

Typically, upon maturity, your CD is renewed automatically. If you don’t want to roll over your money into a new CD, you’ll usually be given a grace period during which you can choose to withdraw your funds.

What is considered a good CD rate?

A “good” CD rate can be somewhat subjective. That’s because you need to strike a balance between the best rate available and the longest amount of time you can afford to keep your money tied up. For example, if you find a CD offering 5% APY, but it requires you to keep your money on deposit for five years, the interest rate may not be worth it. You might need your money sooner or rates could go higher while you’re stuck earning a lower return.

Generally, a CD rate that’s above the national average is a solid choice. Before deciding if a CD is worth it, compare accounts from multiple banks and see which one offers the highest rate for the term length you want.

The FDIC publishes national averages for a variety of deposit account types here. As of this writing, the national average on CDs ranged from 0.25% (on 1-month CDs) to 1.68% (on 12-month CDs).

How are CD rates determined?

CD rates are set by your individual bank or financial institution. Although, there are several factors that can influence these rates. This includes the length of your CD term (longer-term CDs usually offer higher rates than shorter-term ones) and type of CD, the amount of your initial deposit (some CDs offer tiered interest rates), benchmark interest rates set by the Federal Reserve, and temporary promotional offers offered by your financial institution. 

What is the APY on a CD?

APY stands for “annual percentage yield.” It’s a way to calculate the total amount of interest that you can earn on an investment such as a CD in one year, taking into account the effect of compounding interest.

The APY of a CD will depend on the interest rate offered by the bank or financial institution, the frequency of compounding (daily, monthly, annually, and so on), and the length of the term of the CD.

What are CD ladders and how do they work?

For savers who are on the fence about locking away their funds in a CD for an extended amount of time, you’re not alone. While some CDs offer terms that are just a few months long, other CDs take years to mature—usually, you earn a higher rate with these CDs, but you’ll have to part with your money for longer. 

One way to score the benefits of both short and long-term CDs is to set up a CD ladder. This is a savings strategy where you split your savings between several CDs of varying maturities. 

Here’s how a CD ladder works: If you want to invest $3,000, you would invest $1,000 each in three CDs of staggering maturities—let’s say one-year, two-year, and three-year. When each CD matures, you reinvest that money in a three-year CD. That way you have access to cash every year.    

Do I have to pay taxes on CD interest?

If you opt for a CD as your primary savings vehicle, you should be aware that interest earned on the funds you deposit is considered taxable interest by the IRS. The interest you earn is subject to federal and state income tax. 

Your financial institution will typically send you a 1099-INT statement for any interest earned over $10, and the amount you owe will depend on how much interest you’ve earned and your tax bracket.

If you withdraw funds from your CD early, you can also expect to see those penalties on your 1099-INT form. 

Is a certificate of deposit considered a safe investment?

Certificates of deposit are considered safe investments so long as they are helped by FDIC- or NCUA-insured financial institutions which insure your deposits up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, for each account ownership category or up to $250,000 per share owner, per insured credit union, for each account ownership category. 

Types of CDs

There are various types of CDs you can choose from depending on how much money you’d like to deposit into your CD, whether you’d prefer to have access to your money before maturity, and more. A few of the most common types of CDs include: 

Brokered CDs

Brokered CDs are purchased and sold through a brokerage account rather than through a bank or credit union. 

These CDs are usually issued by banks and then sold to brokerages, which then offer them to customers at higher APYs than traditional CDs. 

You’ll also get greater flexibility with a brokered CD: Rather than pay an early withdrawal penalty, you can access your cash early by selling your brokered CD on a secondary market. 

However, in doing so you open yourself to interest rate risk. 

If you sell your brokered CD after interest rates have risen, your CD, with a lower rate, will be less valuable to investors, and you may lose money when you sell it. 

Some brokered CDs may have a call feature too.

Callable CDs

Callable CDs have a call feature that allows the financial institution that issued them to terminate the CD before it reaches maturity. When this happens, the investor keeps the principal and any interest they accrued up to that point. 

Typically, a financial institution calls a CD when interest rates drop because it can offer lower interest rates on newly issued CDs. After your CD is called, you’ll have to reinvest your funds at a lower rate—this is known as reinvestment risk. Due to this risk, callable CDs usually offer higher APYs than CDs without a call feature.

Bump-up CDs

With a bump-up CD, you can request an APY on your CD if interest rates rise after you’ve opened your account. Typically, you’ll be eligible to increase the rate on your CD once or twice during the term. 

No-penalty CDs

This type of CD does not charge a penalty for withdrawing funds before your CD reaches maturity. This type of CD is less common than other CD types and may also offer lower APYs than traditional CDs.

Jumbo CDs

Jumbo CDs typically require a minimum opening deposit of at least $100,000 but usually offer higher APYs than traditional CDs. 

Variable-rate CDs

With a variable-rate CD, the APY fluctuates based on the interest rate. These CDs are riskier than traditional CDs because if interest rates drop before the CD reaches maturity, you can receive a lower interest rate.

CD calculator: how to determine CD earnings potential

To calculate your earnings from a CD, you’ll need to use the following formula: P(1+R/N)(NT) = A. Where “A” represents the value of your CD, including interest. “P” is equal to your principal balance or initial deposit. “R” represents your yearly interest rate―in this case, it would be your APY. “N” represents the compound frequency of your CD in a given year, and “T” represents the number of years until your CD’s maturity date. Let’s illustrate this with an example:

• Initial deposit “P” = $500
• APY “R” = 5.15%
• Monthly compound frequency “N” = 12
• Number of years until maturity “T” = 1

Our equation would turn out like this:

500 x ((1+(5.15/12)) x (12 x 1)) = $526.37

So, if you deposit $500 into a 12-month CD with an interest rate of 5.15% that compounds monthly, you could expect to withdraw about $526 at the end of the term.

To calculate rates accurately, you may need to do a bit of extra math to determine your variables. For example, if the term length is under a year, you’ll need to determine what percentage of “1” to use for the variable “T.” A three-month term would be 0.25, a six-month term would be 0.5, and so forth. Here are more examples that calculate the end value of a CD with a $500 opening deposit and 5% APY:

See CD rates from top national banks

Household names such as Chase, PNC and U.S. Bank may attract customers through other products than CDs—for example, loans and credit cards—and thus their CD rates might not be as high as some of the perhaps lesser-known institutions we rounded up earlier. But, if you’re interested in comparing rates from these banks, see the table below. 

Can you get a CD rate over 5%?

As of September 2025, the Fortune team is not seeing CD rates over 5%. 

Interest rates generally fluctuate depending on changes in the federal funds rate. Banks are willing to offer higher CD rates when the federal rate is high because CDs are an ideal deposit product that are not liquidated easily the way that checking and savings accounts are.

Given that the Federal Reserve made a series of cuts to its benchmark rate in late 2024—and announced the first cut of 2025 at its September meeting—it’s not surprising that CD rates right now are under 5%.

However, it is still possible to find CD rates nearing 4.50%, so now could be an excellent time to pull the trigger if you’re looking ahead at the chance of future Fed rate cuts again later this year. 

It’s important to note that higher earning rates may be tied to longer CD terms. And, if you withdraw your funds before the term is up, you may incur early withdrawal penalties that forfeit a large portion of the accrued interest. Before you commit to a CD, make sure you can live without access to those funds for the designated time period.

Pros and cons of CDs

While CDs can be attractive for their high interest rates, they aren’t a perfect fit for everyone. Let’s review some of the pros and cons.

Advantages of certificates of deposit

CDs offer many advantages for savers, including higher APYs and fixed rates, which may offer greater returns over time. Additionally, CDs are offered in a variety of terms, making it a viable option for savers with short- and long-term goals.

Disadvantages of certificates of deposit

CDs don’t offer the same liquidity as other savings accounts. Should you need to access your funds, you’ll likely be charged a penalty for doing so. Additionally, your overall returns upon your CD’s maturity date could be impacted if the inflation rate increases at a faster pace than your interest earnings.

Alternatives to CDs

CDs differ from other savings accounts in a few key ways. This type of account not only functions differently, but it may be better suited for a certain type of consumer who is saving for a goal with a specific timeline: 

• Access to your savings: CDs don’t offer the same level of access to your savings that a traditional savings account or MMA would. Once you agree to your CD term, your money will sit, untouched, and accrue interest for the duration of your term until your CD hits maturity. Making a withdrawal early would result in an early withdrawal penalty. 
• CDs usually offer higher APYs at a fixed rate: One of the major selling points for a CD account is that, typically, CDs offer a fixed APY at a higher rate than other types of savings vehicles. That means that you’ll be able to take advantage of a higher rate for an extended period of time, and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that once you’ve locked in your rate, your APY won’t fluctuate during your term in response to external factors, such as federal funds rate increases.

CDs vs. high-yield savings accounts

High-yield savings accounts work in the same way as traditional savings accounts. It’s a deposit account at a credit union or bank that you can use for saving and earning interest on your money—usually at a higher rate. This type of savings account differs from CDs in that they offer greater access to your funds, rather than requiring you to lock away your funds for a set amount of time. As such, there’s no penalty for making withdrawals.

CDs vs. money market accounts

Money market accounts function as a hybrid between savings accounts and checking accounts. Similar to CDs, these accounts typically offer much higher APYs than checking accounts, but may still offer some of the same features including check writing, debit card access, and the ability to make withdrawals and deposits via ATM. Like a CD, this type of account may also be of interest to savers who have the ability to make a larger opening deposit.