Navy Federal CD Rates: Terms, Payouts, and Penalties

Navy Federal Credit Union’s share certificates, the credit union equivalent of bank CDs, currently pay between 1.35% and 4.00% APY. The top Navy Federal CD rate belongs to the 13-Month Special Certificate at 4.00% APY, while Standard Certificates range from 1.35% on a three-month term to 3.75% on a 12-month term, with slight bumps for deposits of $100,000 or more. All rates below are as of March 2026 and can change.1Navy Federal Credit Union. Certificate Rates

Current Rates by Term and Deposit Size

Standard Certificates use three deposit tiers: $1,000 minimum, $20,000 minimum, and $100,000 minimum. The first two tiers pay the same APY; the $100,000 tier earns a modest bump, usually five basis points.

Standard Certificates

  • 3 months: 1.35% APY ($1K and $20K) or 1.40% APY ($100K+)
  • 12 months: 3.75% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.80% APY ($100K+)
  • 18 months: 3.66% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.70% APY ($100K+)
  • 24 months: 3.50% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.55% APY ($100K+)
  • 3 years: 3.60% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.66% APY ($100K+)
  • 5 years: 3.50% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.55% APY ($100K+)
  • 7 years: 3.50% APY ($1K and $20K) or 3.55% APY ($100K+)

Note that the yield curve isn’t strictly rising. The 12-month rate currently beats every longer Standard term, and the three-year rate beats the five- and seven-year terms. Locking money up longer doesn’t automatically buy you a better rate here.

EasyStart Certificates

  • 12 months: 3.70% APY
  • 18 months: 3.60% APY
  • 24 months: 3.45% APY

13-Month Special Certificate

The promotional 13-Month Special Certificate pays 4.00% APY on deposits from $50 up to a $250,000 maximum balance.1Navy Federal Credit Union. Certificate Rates Additional deposits are accepted anytime up to that cap, and the promotional rate locks in for the full 13 months once the certificate is funded.2Navy Federal Credit Union. Certificates

Rates and promotional offers change periodically, so verify the current numbers on Navy Federal’s certificate rates page before opening an account.

Which Certificate Fits Your Deposit

Three main products sit behind those rate tables, and they suit different situations.

The Standard Certificate is the core product. It takes a single deposit of at least $1,000, gives you access to every term from three months to seven years, and rewards larger deposits with the top rate tier.3Navy Federal Credit Union. Standard Certificates You cannot add money after funding.

The EasyStart Certificate drops the minimum to $50 and lets you add money at any time with no balance cap, but limits you to 12-, 18-, or 24-month terms.4Navy Federal Credit Union. EasyStart Certificate Its APYs run slightly below Standard Certificate rates for the same term. A related product, the Special EasyStart Certificate, also starts at $50 but caps total contributions at $3,000 and requires anyone 18 or older on the account to have a Navy Federal checking account with direct deposit set up within 90 days of opening.1Navy Federal Credit Union. Certificate Rates

The 13-Month Special Certificate is the current promotional offer, pairing the highest published APY with a $50 minimum. Because it allows ongoing deposits up to $250,000 during the term, it’s the most flexible way to lock in the top rate while still adding funds later.

If you want the same fixed-rate structure inside a retirement or education wrapper, Navy Federal also offers IRA Certificates (Traditional, Roth, and SEP) and Coverdell Education Savings Certificates. The terms, minimums, and APYs mirror the non-IRA versions, so the rate math above applies.5Navy Federal Credit Union. IRA Certificates

How the Rate Actually Pays Out

Navy Federal calculates dividends using the daily balance method and credits them to your account on the last calendar day of each month.6Navy Federal Credit Union. Combined Certificate Disclosures Once credited, those dividends earn dividends themselves, which is why the APY sits slightly above the stated dividend rate. The 13-Month Special, for example, carries a 3.92% dividend rate that compounds to a 4.00% APY.

Your rate locks in when the certificate is funded and holds for the full term. If market rates fall the next week, you keep your original rate. If they rise, you’re still locked in until maturity unless you’re willing to pay an early withdrawal penalty.

Early Withdrawal Penalties

Cashing out before maturity forfeits some of the dividends you would have earned. The penalty scales with the original term, and in every case Navy Federal takes the lesser of the scheduled penalty or the dividends actually accrued, which caps your loss if the certificate is new.6Navy Federal Credit Union. Combined Certificate Disclosures

  • Terms of one year or less: up to 90 days of dividends on the amount withdrawn.
  • Terms greater than one year but less than five years: up to 180 days of dividends on the amount withdrawn.
  • Terms of five years or more: up to 365 days of dividends on the amount withdrawn.

If you opened a 12-month certificate two weeks ago and cashed it out, you’d lose only those 14 days of dividends, not a full 90. The penalty is waived only in two situations: the death of any owner on the certificate, and a voluntary or involuntary liquidation of the credit union itself.6Navy Federal Credit Union. Combined Certificate Disclosures

One tax note if you do withdraw early: the penalty amount reported on your Form 1099-INT or 1099-OID is deductible as an adjustment to gross income on your federal return, meaning you can claim it whether you itemize or take the standard deduction.7Internal Revenue Service. Publication 550 Investment Income and Expenses

What Happens When the Certificate Matures

Navy Federal mails a renewal notice at least 20 days before the maturity date describing the terms it plans to offer.6Navy Federal Credit Union. Combined Certificate Disclosures Once the certificate matures, you get a 21-day grace period to withdraw the money, change the term, or let it renew. During that grace period, the balance earns dividends at the prevailing offering rate, not your original locked-in rate.8Navy Federal Credit Union. Certificate Maturing Know Your Options

Do nothing and the certificate automatically renews for the same term length at whatever rate Navy Federal is offering that day. That rate may be well below what you originally earned, particularly if you’re rolling out of an old promotional certificate. Set a calendar reminder a week before maturity and read the renewal notice.

Who Can Open One

Every Navy Federal certificate requires credit union membership. Eligibility covers active duty members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and National Guard, along with veterans, retirees, reservists, and military annuitants.9Navy Federal Credit Union. Membership Eligibility Department of Defense civilian employees, DoD contractors assigned to government installations, and U.S. government employees at DoD facilities qualify as well.

Immediate family members of anyone already eligible can also join, including spouses, parents, grandparents, children, siblings, grandchildren, and household members.9Navy Federal Credit Union. Membership Eligibility That family path is how most civilian members qualify, so a parent or sibling who served is usually enough.

With a membership savings account in place, you can open a certificate online, in the mobile app, by phone, or at a branch, funding it through an internal transfer, ACH, or wire. The rate locks the day the deposit clears.