Around the World: No New $2 Notes in 2026
The $2 bill will sit out America’s 250th anniversary as the BEP focuses its 2026 production on other denominations and the next generation of U.S. currency.
Unlike other denominations, there are no new 250th Semiquincentennial $2 bills to collect. That’s official from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), which is looking to issue denominations featuring a facsimile signature of President Donald J. Trump, with the $100 printed first. That signature will be accompanied by a facsimile of the Treasury Secretary’s signature.
According to the BEP, there are about 1.8 billion $2 notes in circulation, that being a record-high volume. The $2 denomination has not been printed several times in the past; this being in 2013, 2017, 2018, and 2020.
The number of $2 notes theoretically in circulation is not explained in any detail in the BEP reports. The 1.8 billion notes in circulation represent a minuscule 0.001% of the total value of U.S. bank notes currently in use. It is also the largest number of $2 notes in circulation in the past 20 years.
The $2 denomination continues to be unpopular with the public. For that reason, even when consumers have $2 notes, they use them less frequently than other notes. In turn, the notes don’t wear as quickly and need replacement in much lower numbers than some of their counterparts.
According to a Federal Reserve statement, “The United States government redesigns Federal Reserve notes primarily for security reasons: to stay ahead of counterfeiting threats and keep counterfeiting levels low. Because the $2 note is infrequently counterfeited, the government has no plans to redesign this note.”
The BEP plans to print about 4.4 billion notes in 2026, the emphasis being on the newly designed $10 denomination. The new $10 notes will introduce tactile features for the visually impaired. The notes are estimated to cost $101.64 per 1,000 notes, or about 10 cents apiece, to produce.
According to 18-BEP-FY-2026-BIB, “In Fiscal Year 2025 and FY 2026, the BEP will continue to work with the Federal government’s Advanced Counterfeit Deterrent Steering Committee to develop the next family of bank notes. This advancement will include new and effective security features to deter counterfeiting and a raised tactile feature to provide meaningful access to blind and visually impaired individuals.”
The report addresses retooling, saying, “This initiative accelerates a multi-year effort to retool manufacturing processes with state-of-the-art intaglio printing presses, electronic inspection systems, and finishing equipment. The FY 2025 increase in capability will support the BEP’s continued modernization of the currency production equipment. The Federal Reserve Board and the BEP have jointly developed short-, medium-, and long-term strategic equipment replacement plans for the U.S. Currency Program. Successful implementation of advanced technology improves productivity, reduces environmental impact, and enhances counterfeit deterrence of U.S. currency notes. To date the BEP has obligated funding for 43 new machines to accomplish this initiative.”
A separate BEP report for calendar year 2026 states the print order for the calendar year will range between 3.8 billion and 5.1 billion notes. The lower range of the order is a decrease of about 0.3 billion notes, or 8.2%, from the lower range of the 2025 print order. The upper range estimate is a decrease of about 0.8 billion notes, or 13.3%, from the upper range one year earlier.
The same report states the currency in circulation is a direct measure of demand for Federal Reserve notes. That demand has increased by 0.8 billion notes, or $43.1 billion, between June 2024 and June 2025. “In contrast, over the same period the previous year, currency in circulation increased by 0.2 billion notes, or $7.1 billion dollars. Year over year, currency in circulation continues to increase, though the rate at which it is increasing has fallen below pre-pandemic levels.”
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