How long do U.S. bills remain in circulation? What about U.S. coins?

The Federal Reserve destroys and replaces U.S. bills according to frequency of use. Smaller denominations are often destroyed sooner. Here is a list of the U.S. bills and the common time frames for circulation before destruction.

• $1.00 bill – 22 months
• $5.00 bill – 2 years
• $10.00 bill – 3 years
• $20.00 bill – 4 years
• $50.00 bill – 9 years
• $100.00 bill – 9 years

U.S. coins typically last much longer than bills. They have a normal life cycle of about 30 years before needing to be replaced.