Gifting electronic EE or I savings bonds
For electronic savings bonds as gifts, both you and the recipient must have a TreasuryDirect account. TreasuryDirect is the official United States government application in which you can buy and keep savings bonds.
You can gift a savings bond to adults or children. A child under 18 can have a TreasuryDirect account if the child's parent or other adult custodian has a TreasuryDirect account and sets up a linked account for the child.
About linked accounts
In TreasuryDirect, you can give anyone either EE or I savings bonds.
What you need to know about the recipient
To give an electronic savings bond to someone else, you must know that person's
- Full name
- Social Security Number (or Taxpayer Identification Number)
- TreasuryDirect account number
You can also save that information in your account so it will be there for you to give the person other gift savings bonds in the future.
How far in advance to buy the savings bond
You must hold the savings bonds in your account for at least 5 business days before you deliver them to the gift recipient.
That 5-day hold lets us be sure that the money for the gift has successfully gone through the banking system.
How to buy and deliver a gift bond in TreasuryDirect
Use either these videos or the PDF step-by-step instructions sheet:
How the person knows there's now a gift bond in their account
When you deliver the savings bond to the recipient's TreasuryDirect account, we send them an email announcing the gift.
You can also let them know yourself with one of our gift announcements.
Gifting paper I savings bonds
Only Series I savings bonds are available in paper.
Paper Series I savings bonds come in 5 denominations: $50, $100, $200, $500, and $1,000.
The only way to get a paper savings bond is to use your IRS tax refund. With your tax refund, you can buy savings bonds for anyone (yourself, your child, or as a gift to anyone).
If you buy paper savings bonds, we mail the savings bonds to you. You can then give the gift bonds yourself to the gift recipient.
You can also send or include one of our pretty gift announcements.
For more about buying paper savings bonds, see Using your income tax refund to buy paper savings bonds
Sending an announcement to tell about your gift
We have more than 25 announcements in 9 different categories for you to choose from.
Choose the design you want. Personalize it online. Print it at home. Give or send it to let someone know they are getting a savings bond from you.
FAQs
On Form 8888, you also specify who will own the bonds. That means, you can give paper savings bonds to yourself or to anyone else (as a gift). If you have enough money in your refund, you can buy multiple bonds and, if you wish, you can give them multiple registrations.
How do I gift a bond in TreasuryDirect? ›
Go to your “Gift Box.” On the “Gift Box” page, select the button next to the confirmation number of the bond you wish to deliver and click Select . The “Detail” page will appear. Click Deliver .
Can I give my savings bonds to someone else? ›
You can gift a savings bond to adults or children.
Can I buy more than 10,000 in I bonds as gifts? ›
But this cap is per recipient. That means you can buy $10,000 worth of electronic I bonds for yourself and an additional $10,000 for another person. The only way to gift paper I bonds is to purchase them with your tax refund. You can buy up to $5,000 in I bonds per recipient this way.
Do I pay taxes on gifted savings bonds? ›
You also have the option of claiming interest annually for federal income tax purposes. Savings bonds are not exempt from any applicable estate, inheritance, gift or other excise taxes, whether federal or state. Tax benefits also may be available when redemption amounts are used to pay education expenses.
How much is a $100 EE savings bond worth after 30 years? ›
How to get the most value from your savings bonds
| Face Value | Purchase Amount | 30-Year Value (Purchased May 1990) |
|---|
| $50 Bond | $100 | $207.36 |
| $100 Bond | $200 | $414.72 |
| $500 Bond | $400 | $1,036.80 |
| $1,000 Bond | $800 | $2,073.60 |
May 7, 2024
Transferring the Savings Bond to the Inheritors
- For electronic bonds: Use Form 5511 to transfer the bond to themselves, or use Form 5512 to redeem (cash in) the bonds.
- For paper bonds: Use Form 4000 to reissue (re-register) the bond in their own names (in new electronic form), or Form 1522 to redeem the bonds.
Once in your TreasuryDirect account, the bond will be registered in your name alone. You can then add either a secondary owner or beneficiary.
How to avoid paying taxes on savings bonds? ›
You can skip paying taxes on interest earned with Series EE and Series I savings bonds if you're using the money to pay for qualified higher education costs. That includes expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse or a qualified dependent. Only certain qualified higher education costs are covered, including: Tuition.
What is the gifting strategy for I bonds? ›
The iBonds remain in your “Gift Box” inside your account indefinitely until you choose to “deliver” them to your spouse. The only requirement is that your spouse has unused limit in the current year to deliver them. Assuming your spouse already maxed out for 2022, you will need to wait till 2023 to deliver the bonds.
Normally, you're limited to purchasing $10,000 per person on electronic Series I bonds per year. However, the government allows those with a federal tax refund to invest up to $5,000 of that refund into paper I bonds. So most investors think their annual investment tops out at $15,000 – one of the key I bond myths.
Are savings bonds a good gift for grandchildren? ›
But many investors will tell you that they aren't just another investment, they're a gift that keeps on giving. These bonds adjust for inflation every six months, making them an ideal investment that grows over time to provide a stable financial backing for a child or grandchild.
How long does it take for a $100 savings bond to mature? ›
They're available to be cashed in after a single year, though there's a penalty for cashing them in within the first five years. Otherwise, you can keep savings bonds until they fully mature, which is generally 30 years.
Are savings bonds still a good gift for children? ›
They grow for decades and can provide kids with a source of cash as they transition to adulthood. Today's savings bonds are more likely to be electronic than paper. But they still make great gifts. Here's what you need to know if you'd like to buy I bonds for kids.
How much is a mature $50 savings bond worth? ›
| Total Price | Total Value | Total Interest |
|---|
| $50.00 | $69.94 | $19.94 |
If the bonds cannot be cashed at a local bank, the legal representative of the estate must complete a Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Where Use of a Detached Request Is Authorized (FS Form 1522).
