You’ve probably heard the rumors for years now. Harriet Tubman is supposed to be on the $20 bill. The $10 and $5 are getting a facelift too. But if you look in your wallet right now, it’s still the same old greenbacks staring back at you. Honestly, the new US currency design timeline is a bit of a mess, and it’s not just because of politics. It’s about the fact that printing money is basically a high-stakes arms race against counterfeiters who are getting way too good at their jobs.
Money isn't just paper. It’s a complex sandwich of cotton, linen, and some of the most advanced technology on the planet.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) and the Treasury Department are currently working on the "Catalyst" series. This isn't just about changing a portrait. It’s a total overhaul. We are talking about tactile features for the blind, color-shifting inks that are harder to replicate, and security threads that do things you wouldn't believe.
The $20 Bill and the Harriet Tubman Factor
Everyone wants to know about the twenty. It’s the most used bill in circulation, which also makes it the most targeted by counterfeiters. Back in 2016, the Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson. Then things got quiet. Then they got loud again.
The delay isn't just about who is on the front. It’s technical.
The $20 bill is scheduled to be the first of the new US currency design rollout, but we likely won't see it until 2030. Why so late? Because the "security feature validation" process is a nightmare. The government has to make sure that every vending machine, ATM, and self-checkout kiosk in the world can read the new bill without spitting it back out. If you change the red-to-green shift or the thickness of the 3D security ribbon, you might accidentally break the global economy's physical infrastructure.
Jackson isn't leaving entirely, by the way. The current plan—as far as the BEP has let slip—is to move him to the back of the bill or incorporate him into the scene of the White House. It’s a compromise that satisfies almost no one, but that’s government for you.
💡 You might also like: The Press of Atlantic City Obituaries Today: Finding Local Notices and Archives
Why We Need a New US Currency Design Anyway
Counterfeiting is the real driver here. You might think nobody uses cash anymore, but there is still over $2 trillion in Federal Reserve notes circulating globally. A huge chunk of that is held overseas as a "store of value." If people stop trusting that a $100 bill is real, the dollar loses its status as the world's reserve currency.
The North Koreans are famous for their "Supernotes." These are fake $100 bills that are so perfect even some bank scanners can't catch them. To fight this, the next generation of money is going to look... different.
Expect more color.
We already saw the "Big Blue" $100 bill back in 2013. The new US currency design for the $5, $10, and $50 will likely push those hues even further. We're moving away from "green" and moving toward a palette that makes it impossible to just bleach a $5 bill and print a $100 on top of it. This is a common tactic called "washing." If the base paper of a $50 is a distinct purple-pink and the $5 is a bright yellow, you can't fake the high-value notes as easily.
The Blind and Visually Impaired Community
For decades, the US has been one of the few countries that doesn't have different sized bills for different denominations. If you’re blind in America, you have to rely on apps or folding your money in specific ways to know if you’re handing over a $1 or a $100.
That is finally changing.
🔗 Read more: Understanding the 39th police district in philadelphia: What residents and visitors actually need to know
The new designs will include "tactile features." This isn't just Braille. It’s raised textures that won't wear down after six months in a sweaty pocket. Developing a raised feature that survives the "laundry test" (getting left in your jeans through a hot wash cycle) is surprisingly difficult. The BEP has been testing polymers and high-durability inks to ensure these bumps stay bumpy.
The Secretive Timeline
The Treasury doesn't like to give exact dates. They give windows. If they tell you the $10 is coming out on October 12th, they give counterfeiters a deadline to perfect their fakes.
- The $20 Bill: Expected around 2030. This is the big one.
- The $10 Bill: Expected 2026. This one will feature leaders of the women’s suffrage movement—Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul.
- The $5 Bill: Expected 2032-2035. This will likely honor Marian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt.
- The $50 Bill: Expected 2028.
The $100 is the most complex, so it’s usually last in the cycle. It was updated last in 2013, so it probably won't see a major "Catalyst" version until the late 2030s.
High-Tech Security You Can See (And Some You Can't)
When you get one of these new bills, don't just look at the face. Look at the "OVI" or Optically Variable Ink. In the current bills, this is the bell in the inkwell on the $100. In the new US currency design, we might see "motion" technology where images appear to move in the opposite direction of how you tilt the bill.
There are also "micro-printing" zones. We're talking text so small it looks like a solid line to the naked eye. You need a microscope to see it. Digital printers and even high-end scanners just turn that into a blurry mess.
Then there’s the "Secret Stuff."
The US government uses a specific blend of linen and cotton from a company called Crane Currency. They’ve been the sole provider since 1879. The paper itself has "security fibers" (those tiny red and blue hairs) scattered throughout. In the new series, expect these fibers to have ultraviolet properties. Under a blacklight at a bar, your money is going to glow in very specific patterns.
What Happens to Your Old Cash?
Don't worry. The US has never "demonetized" its currency. Even if you found a $20 bill from 1920 in your attic, it’s still worth $20 at any bank.
When the new US currency design hits the streets, the Federal Reserve will naturally phase out the old bills. When a bank sends "soiled" or "fit" currency back to the Fed, the old designs will be shredded and turned into compost or packing material. The new ones will take their place. It’s a slow transition. Usually, it takes about 2 to 3 years for a new design to become the "normal" bill you see at the grocery store.
Is Cash Dying?
People keep saying we’re going cashless. Maybe. But the demand for physical $100 bills has actually spiked in the last five years. People like having "hard" assets they can hold. Whether it’s for privacy or for emergencies when the power goes out, cash isn't going anywhere.
🔗 Read more: US Afghanistan War Footage: Why We Can’t Stop Watching 20 Years of Combat Video
That’s why this redesign is so expensive and so slow. It has to be perfect.
Actionable Steps for the Transition
While we wait for 2026 and 2030, there are things you should actually do to stay ahead of the curve.
- Learn the "Tilt, Look, Feel" method. Don't wait for the new bills to learn how to spot a fake. Check the watermark (the ghost image of the portrait) and the security thread on your current bills. If you don't know what the real ones feel like now, you'll be an easy target for scammers when the "new" ones come out and you aren't sure what's legit.
- Update your hardware if you're a business owner. If you run a business with bill validators, start talking to your vendors now. Ask about firmware update paths for the "Catalyst" series. You don't want to be the shop that can't accept the new $10 bills because your machine thinks they are play money.
- Watch the BEP website. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (moneyfactory.gov) is where the final designs will be unveiled first. Avoid "leaked" images on social media; most of them are fan-made or AI-generated fakes designed for clicks.
- Keep an eye on the "Redesign" schedule. The $10 is the one to watch. It’s coming up fast in 2026 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States. That will be our first real look at the future of American money.