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
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.
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.
How do I transfer savings bonds to TreasuryDirect? ›
Identify the security or securities you want to transfer. Choose External Transfer. Open the link for FS Form 5511, "TreasuryDirect Transfer Request." Fill out the required information and follow the instructions on the form.
Do you have to pay taxes on gifted I bonds? ›
Gifting I Bonds you own
If the bonds are reissued in the gift recipient's name, you're still taxed on all that interest in the year of the gift.
Is a bond considered a gift? ›
Owners can assign a bond to an adult child without capital gains tax liability. Many other gifted investments would trigger a capital gains tax obligation in the same way as investment disposal would.
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.
Is there a limit on TreasuryDirect gift boxes? ›
There is no limit on how many iBonds you can buy as a gift even for the same person. However, if you buy too much, you won't be able to deliver them for many years as you can only deliver $10K per year (the annual limit). Let's look at different purchase amounts.
What happens if you gift more than 10000? ›
If you give more than the annual gift tax limit, you may have to file a gift tax return, but this does not necessarily mean that you'll owe taxes on the gift. The 2024 annual gift tax exclusion is $18,000.
Are savings bonds a good gift for a child? ›
Savings Bonds
Bonds can be a great gift for a baby or a young child because they are structured to reward long-term borrowers. Savings bonds can earn interest for up to 30 years.
Does TreasuryDirect charge fees? ›
TreasuryDirect is free. There are no fees, no matter how much or how little you invest. You may hold both savings bonds and Treasury marketable securities in TreasuryDirect. Your securities in TreasuryDirect are electronic, so you don't have to worry about them getting lost, stolen, or damaged.
Note: United States Savings Bonds must be held for a minimum of one year from their issue date before they are eligible to be redeemed.
- Log into your primary TreasuryDirect® account.
- Click the ManageDirect® tab at the top of the page.
- Under the heading Manage My Securities, click "Redeem securities".
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 |
We put a 1099 into your TreasuryDirect account if: You cash a savings bond in TreasuryDirect. (We don't provide a 1099 if you only buy or hold a savings bond.) You hold a marketable security in TreasuryDirect and the security earns interest.
How much can be gifted without being taxed? ›
The IRS allows every taxpayer is gift up to $18,000 to an individual recipient in one year. There is no limit to the number of recipients you can give a gift to.
Do you get a 1099 when you cash in savings bonds? ›
At a bank: If a bank cashes your savings bond, they are responsible for getting you a 1099-INT. They may give or mail you the 1099-INT as soon as you cash the bond or they may wait until the following January.
What is a $50 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 |
Are EE and I Bonds transferable? Yes. The owner can transfer EE and I Bonds to another person with a TreasuryDirect account; however, you must wait five business days after the purchase date to transfer the bonds.
How do I get a savings bond for someone else? ›
The easiest way to buy savings bonds as a gift is to order them at TreasuryDirect.gov, the official source of savings bonds from the U.S. Treasury. Both you and the recipient must set up a TreasuryDirect account online.
