Pull out your wallet. Seriously, do it. If you’ve got a crisp or crumpled twenty-dollar bill tucked in there, you’re looking at Andrew Jackson. Most people know the name. He was the seventh president, a war hero, and a guy who famously loved a good duel. But honestly? The story of who is on the $20 bill is way weirder than just a portrait of a dead president. It’s a mix of political irony, shifting social values, and a literal decade-long delay that has turned a simple piece of paper into a cultural lightning rod.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about Harriet Tubman. Since 2016, the Treasury Department has been talking about swapping Jackson for the legendary Underground Railroad conductor. It hasn't happened yet. Not physically, anyway. So today, we still have "Old Hickory" staring back at us with that wild hair and intense gaze.
The man currently on the $20 bill: Andrew Jackson
It’s kind of a joke among historians that Jackson is on the money at all. Why? Because the man absolutely hated paper currency. He was a "hard money" guy through and through. He thought gold and silver were the only legitimate forms of wealth and spent a good chunk of his presidency trying to kill off the Second Bank of the United States. He succeeded, too. He tore down the central banking system of his era, which makes his permanent residency on a Federal Reserve Note a bit of a cosmic prank.
Jackson wasn't always the face of the twenty. Before 1928, you would have seen Grover Cleveland's face on that bill. The Treasury made the switch to Jackson during the 150th anniversary of American independence. There’s no official record explaining exactly why they chose him over someone else. It just sort of... happened.
Jackson’s legacy is, well, complicated. To his fans in the 1830s, he was the champion of the common man. He broke the "Virginia Dynasty" of elite presidents. But to modern eyes, his record is heavy. He was a slaveholder. He signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the Trail of Tears. Because of this, the question of who is on the $20 bill shifted from a trivia fact to a massive debate about who we choose to honor in our pockets every single day.
The Harriet Tubman factor and the 2016 announcement
Back in April 2016, Jack Lew—the Treasury Secretary under President Obama—dropped a bombshell. He announced that Harriet Tubman would replace Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. This was a huge deal. It would make her the first woman in over a century to appear on U.S. paper currency. (Martha Washington was on the $1 Silver Certificate back in the late 1800s, but that’s ancient history now).
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The plan was beautiful. Jackson wouldn’t disappear entirely; he’d move to the back of the bill, appearing in a smaller image alongside the White House. Tubman, the woman who risked her life repeatedly to lead enslaved people to freedom, would take the primary spot.
Then things got slow. Really slow.
Bureaucracy is a beast. Then the 2016 election happened. The Trump administration, specifically Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, pushed the timeline back. Mnuchin argued that the primary focus needed to be on anti-counterfeiting security features rather than changing the "imagery." He stated the new design wouldn't be ready until 2028. This sparked an outcry from people who felt the delay was purely political.
Why does it take so long to change a bill?
You might think you just swap one portrait for another in Photoshop and hit print. Nope. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) treats currency design like high-stakes engineering. A bill isn't just art; it's a security device.
- The Plate Making Process: Master engravers still hand-cut many elements of the design into steel plates. It's an incredibly precise, old-school craft.
- Security Features: The $20 bill is the most frequently counterfeited note in the U.S. Any new design has to include updated 3D security ribbons, color-shifting ink, and watermarks that are harder for criminals to replicate.
- Testing: Vending machines, ATMs, and self-checkout kiosks all over the world have to be able to recognize the new bill. If the Treasury rushes it, the global economy gets a headache.
Currently, the Biden administration has resumed the Tubman project. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has made it a priority again. The current target for the public reveal of the Tubman $20 design is set around 2024, with the actual bills hitting your hands closer to 2030.
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Other faces that almost made the cut
When the "Women on 20s" campaign started gaining steam years ago, Tubman wasn't the only name in the hat. People were voting for Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Wilma Mankiller (the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation).
It’s interesting to think about how currency reflects the era it was printed in. In the mid-19th century, we had "Lady Liberty" on almost everything. Then we moved to "Great Men" of history. Now, we’re moving toward a more inclusive representation of American grit.
Did you know the $20 bill used to look totally different? In the 1860s, it featured a "Demand Note" design with a personification of Liberty. In the 1880s, you could find Alexander Hamilton on the twenty—he’s since migrated to the $10 bill, thanks to his own set of historical re-evaluations (and a hit Broadway musical).
The $20 bill by the numbers
It’s the workhorse of the American economy. While the $1 bill is common, the $20 is what the ATMs spit out. According to Federal Reserve data, there are over 11 billion $20 bills currently in circulation.
The average lifespan of a $20 bill is about 7.8 years. Because they get passed around so much—at grocery stores, bars, and birthday cards—they wear out faster than $100 bills, which people tend to hoard under their mattresses.
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What you can do right now
If you’re interested in the evolution of who is on the $20 bill, you don't have to just wait for the news. You can actually track the progress through the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s official "U.S. Currency Education Program." They provide updates on when new "denominational sequences" are scheduled for release.
For those who want the Tubman $20 sooner, there’s actually a thriving market for "Tubman Stamps." Artists have created rubber stamps that fit perfectly over Jackson’s face. While technically "decapitating" a bill is a legal gray area, the "Stamp Stampede" movement has used this as a form of protest for years.
How to verify your $20 bill is real
Regardless of who is on the portrait, you should know how to spot a fake.
- Feel the paper: Authentic U.S. currency has a raised texture thanks to the intaglio printing process. Run your fingernail along Jackson’s shoulder; it should feel rough.
- The Security Ribbon: There is a blue 3D ribbon woven into the paper (not printed on it). If you tilt the bill, you’ll see bells change to 20s.
- The Watermark: Hold the bill to the light. You should see a faint image of Jackson in the empty space to the right of the portrait. This should be visible from both sides.
- Color-Shifting Ink: Look at the number "20" in the lower right corner on the front. It shifts from copper to green when you tilt it.
The face of American money is changing, even if it feels like it’s moving at the speed of a glacier. We are living in the middle of a transition period where the answer to who is on the $20 bill depends on whether you're talking about the paper in your hand or the design on the government's drawing board.
Check your local bank or the Federal Reserve's website periodically for the "New Money" announcements. They usually release high-resolution images of new designs months or years before the bills are actually printed, so you can see exactly how Harriet Tubman will be depicted once she finally takes her seat in the center of the frame.