Nelnet Bank savings and CD rates
Nelnet Bank advertises up to 4.07% APY on its K-12 High-Yield Savings account. The 4.07% needs a balance of at least $2,500,000. Below that, the account advertises 2.78%.
On a $10,000 balance the account earns 2.78% overall, about $278 in a year, which is 2.41 percentage points above the national savings average of 0.37% (FDIC, Sep 2026).
Ranked #42 of 2767 tracked savings rates by advertised APY. For a $10,000 balance it would rank #200.
Nelnet Bank at a glance
| Savings | |
|---|---|
| Top savings APY | Up to 4.07% · K-12 High-Yield Savings · needs at least $2,500,000 |
| Minimum to open | not stated · K-12 High-Yield Savings |
| Against the national average | 3.70 percentage points above the 0.37% FDIC savings average (Sep 2026) |
| CDs | |
| Top CD APY | 4.00% · 12 months · 12 Month CD |
| Minimum to open | $1,000 · 12 months CD |
| Against the national average | 2.27 percentage points above the 1.73% FDIC 12-month CD average (Sep 2026) |
| FDIC certificate | 59205 · Draper, UT |
|---|---|
| Website | www.nelnetbank.com |
| Branches | 1 branch in UT |
| Availability | Available in UT |
Nelnet Bank savings and CD rates
Personal
Business
How the rate applies
Rates are APY. The national savings average is 0.37% (FDIC, Sep 2026). The top tracked savings rate on Banksparency is 5.50%. Across 60 savings accounts from 59 banks in the Banksparency core savings index, the median advertised rate is 3.66%, and one account in ten advertises 4.16% or more. See the highest savings rates.
Nelnet Bank CD rates
| Term | APY | Minimum | Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal CDs | |||
| 12 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | 12 Month CD |
| 24 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | 2 Year CD |
| 36 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | 3 Year CD |
| Business CDs | |||
| 12 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | Business 12 Month CD |
| 18 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | Business 18 Month CD |
| 24 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | Business 24 Month CD |
| 36 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | Business 36 Month CD |
Interactive Tool
Calculate Savings for Nelnet Bank
All calculations are based on APY.
Tiered rates: 2.78% to 4.07% APY across 4 balance tiers.
Savings Breakdown
- Interest Earned+$1,072.90(7.1%)
- Total Contributions$13,000
- Initial Deposit$1,000
Projected Balance
$15,072.90
The Banksparency Savings Calculator provides estimated savings growth based on user input and our latest data.
What Nelnet Bank pays on deposits
FDIC call report data
An advertised rate tells you what a new savings account earns today. It cannot tell you how the bank has priced the savings and money market deposits it already holds, over time. This section shows that. The figure is computed from the interest expense and deposit balances that every bank files with the FDIC in the same form. That is what makes it comparable across banks and across quarters.
The two figures answer different questions, so they sit side by side and are not combined. The 4.07% needs a balance of at least $2,500,000. Below that, the account advertises 2.78%.
In Q2 2026, Nelnet Bank paid a higher average rate on savings and money market deposits than 99% of banks that reported a figure (FDIC call report). The all-bank median was 1.45%.
- Nelnet Bank, savings and money market
- All-bank median
How to read these figures
What the average covers. It is an average across the whole bank, taken from its own quarterly FDIC call report. It covers savings accounts and money market deposit accounts, personal and business, at every balance tier. It also covers accounts that were opened years ago and keep the rate of those years. The FDIC line does not separate consumer accounts.
The second figure. The scale row also shows the average across all interest-bearing deposits: savings, interest checking, money market accounts, CDs, personal and business. That figure covers the whole deposit book. The two are shown separately and are not combined.
What the advertised rate covers. It is the rate that this bank advertises now for a new savings account. Banksparency records it from the bank's website on the date shown beside it.
Why the two differ. They measure different things, so this page shows them side by side and keeps them apart. An advertised rate applies to one account, opened now, at today's price. The average also includes older savings balances at the rates of earlier years, money market balances that were priced in a different rate environment, and business accounts. An average below an advertised rate is the usual result of that arithmetic. On its own it is not evidence about the account that you would open.
What the average is useful for. The bank files the data itself, under reporting instructions that are the same for every filer, and the same computation runs for every bank on this site. That makes it comparable in a way that an advertisement is not. Two things on this page read it: the percentile, which shows where the quarter sits among all filers, and the chart, which shows the direction the figure has moved across quarters.
What the average cannot tell you. It cannot tell you the rate that you would earn. No single customer earns the average. For your rate, read the advertised rate above and the rate tables on this page, each with the date it was observed.
What to do next. Use the advertised rate to work out what a new account earns. Use the chart to see how the quarterly average has moved against the all-bank median. Then compare the advertised rate against the current rates on the savings-rate tables before you open an account.
Definitions: Call Report · Rate Paid on Deposits · Interest-Bearing Deposits · Front Book and Back Book · Deposit Rate Percentile
Average annualized rates paid on savings and money market deposits, and on all interest-bearing deposits, quarterly. The FDIC line for savings includes money market deposit accounts and business savings deposits and does not separate consumer accounts. Source: FDIC call report data, as reported; it may be amended. The percentile compares all FDIC filers, count-weighted. A missing quarter is suppressed, never interpolated. The percentile counts the banks that paid strictly less on savings and money market deposits, one vote per bank, among the banks that reported a figure for the quarter.
So what is the catch?
| Product | APY | Min to open | Min to earn | Balance cap | Monthly fee | Requirements | Rate type | 12-mo trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K-12 High-Yield Savings | 4.07% | not stated | $0 | None | not stated | not stated | Tiered | |
| Fine print: Business savings account for K-12 schools. | ||||||||
Rate type: one rate applies at every balance. A tiered rate changes with your balance. A promotional rate changes after the period shown. A balance cap is the largest balance the highest rate applies to.
The 12-month trend shows the highest advertised rate observed each day and includes promotional tiers where one applied.
CDs
| Product | Term | APY | Min to open | Early withdrawal fee | Compounding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal CDs | |||||
| 12 Month CD | 12 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | not stated | not stated |
| 2 Year CD | 24 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | not stated | not stated |
| 3 Year CD | 36 months | 4.00% | $1,000 | not stated | not stated |
| Business CDs | |||||
| Business 12 Month CD | 12 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | not stated | not stated |
| Business 18 Month CD | 18 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | not stated | not stated |
| Business 24 Month CD | 24 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | not stated | not stated |
| Business 36 Month CD | 36 months | 4.00% | $25,000 | not stated | not stated |
Opening and using the account
| Availability | Available in UT |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 1 branch in UT |
| Eligibility | not stated |
How Nelnet Bank behaves over time
Every observation of the advertised K-12 High-Yield Savings rate in the last 12 months was 4.07% (observed through Sep 30, 2026). The series includes promotional tiers where one applied.
- Rate last changed
- Sep 28, 2026(effective date)
$10,000 at the 4.07% APY Nelnet Bank advertises on K-12 High-Yield Savings grows to $10,407 in a year. Prices rose 3.4% in the year to August 2026 (Consumer Price Index (CPI)). After a year of prices rising at that pace, it buys as much as $10,065 does today. See how the federal funds rate shapes savings rates.
Nelnet Bank CD rates over time
Who is Nelnet Bank?
| Headquarters | Draper, UT |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Scale | $3.0B assets · $2.5B deposits, $2.5B of it interest-bearing (Q2 2026, FDIC) |
| Deposit insurance | FDIC insured · Certificate 59205 |
| Charter state | Utah · one of 44 insured banks chartered there (Q2 2026, FDIC) |
| Size | 417th-largest by deposits of 4,238 insured banks (Q2 2026, FDIC) |
| Deposit growth | Higher than at 99% of 4,226 insured banks over the four quarters to Q2 2026 (FDIC) |
Financial detail is in What Nelnet Bank pays on deposits above.
Common questions about Nelnet Bank
Does the 4.07% apply to my whole balance?
The 4.07% needs a balance of at least $2,500,000. Below that, the account advertises 2.78%. Rates are as observed on Sep 30, 2026.
Is Nelnet Bank FDIC insured?
Yes. Nelnet Bank is FDIC insured under certificate 59205, so deposits are covered up to $250,000 per depositor, per ownership category.
Does Nelnet Bank have branches?
Yes. Nelnet Bank operates 1 branch according to FDIC branch records, in addition to its website and mobile apps.
Nelnet Bank against its closest alternatives
| Bank | Savings APY | Rate paid on savings and money market deposits (Q2 2026) | Min deposit | Branches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelnet Bank | 4.07% | 3.83% | not stated | 1 branch in UT |
| Solera National Bank | 4.07% | 4.55% | not stated | 1 branch in CO |
| The Apple Creek Banking Company | 4.07% | 1.59% | not stated | 6 branches in OH |
| Credit One Bank, National Association | 4.05% | 3.31% | $100,000 | 1 branch in NV |
Each savings APY is the top rate of the account the bank's own page leads with. Alternatives are the three tracked banks whose savings APY is closest to Nelnet Bank's.
Similar banks and related pages
Banks in the same rate band with the same product mix:
Other banks chartered in Utah, nearest to Nelnet Bank in deposits:
Rate hubs: today's highest savings rates, and CD rates by term.