Cash EE or I savings bonds — TreasuryDirect (2024)

FAQs

Can I redeem EE bonds on TreasuryDirect? ›

You can get your cash for an EE or I savings bond any time after you have owned it for 1 year. However, the longer you hold the bond, the more it earns for you (for up to 30 years for an EE or I bond).

EE Bond and I Bond Differences

EE bonds offer a guaranteed return that doubles your investment if held for 20 years. There is no guaranteed return with I bonds. The annual maximum purchase amount for EE bonds is $10,000 per individual; you can purchase up to $15,000 in I bonds per year.

Paper Series EE savings bonds: You may be able to cash these bonds in at your bank if it provides that service. You can also cash them in by mail through TreasuryDirect.gov. Complete FS Form 1522 and mail your bonds with the form to the address provided.

The upshot: Although EE Bonds were a sound investment, paying 90% of the prevailing yield on five-year Treasuries, while providing their owners the additional benefits of a put option and a tax shelter, I Bonds were far superior. At the time, though, investors preferred EE Bonds.

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". On the Redemption page, choose the button beside the security type you want to redeem and click "Submit".

You may convert Series EE and I Savings Bonds registered in your name alone, and in your name with a co-owner or beneficiary (POD). With a few exceptions, you'll have the same flexibility with converted bonds as you have with securities bought in TreasuryDirect.

That said, I bonds do have some disadvantages, such as the fact that the bonds cannot be redeemed for one year after purchase and their early redemption penalties. If you redeem your I bond within five years of purchasing it, you'll lose the last three months of interest the bond earns.

You may purchase up to $10,000 each of electronic EE and I Savings Bonds, per person (individual or entity), each calendar year. Purchases of any other Treasury securities do not alter the purchase limits for electronic EE and I Savings Bonds.

Cons of Buying I Bonds

You must create an account at TreasuryDirect to buy I bonds; they cannot be purchased through your custodian, online investment account, or local bank. Potential disadvantages include: Maximum investment each year is $10,000. Yield is taxed as ordinary income.

If you want full value, you should hold the Series EE bonds at least until maturity, and if you want extra, you can hold them until 30 years. But once 30 years have passed, it's a good idea to cash them in because you won't get any extra benefit.

Do you pay taxes when you cash in EE bonds? ›

You owe tax on the interest the bond earned until it was reissued. You are the new owner of a reissued bond. You owe tax on the interest the bond earns after it was reissued.

You can cash in (redeem) your EE bond after 12 months. However, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest. For example, if you cash in the bond after 18 months, you get the first 15 months of interest.

Key Differences. The biggest difference between bonds and cash are that bonds are investments while cash is simply money itself. Cash, therefore is prone to lose its buying power due to inflation but is also at zero risk of losing its nominal value, and is the most liquid asset there is.

For retirees, I bonds represent a robust portfolio option in 2023 – and savvy investors know it. Take the March 2023 I bond composite rate, which stands at 6.89%. That's a good and safe return for retirement investors, who know only too well that capital preservation is the name of the game in retirement.

Are I bonds a good investment for you? I bonds can make good short-term investments, but you should feel comfortable holding them for at least one year and ideally, five years before cashing them in. They can be a good fit for seniors who want to earn interest on their savings while also keeping their nest egg safe.

While the Treasury will not penalize you for holding a U.S. Savings Bond past its date of maturity, the Internal Revenue Service will. Interest accumulated over the life of a U.S. Savings Bond must be reported on your 1040 form for the tax year in which you redeem the bond or it reaches final maturity.

Savings Bond purchases are generally issued to your TreasuryDirect account within one business day of the purchase date. If you select a non-business day as your purchase date, we will change it to the next available business day.

Use the Education Exclusion

With that in mind, you have one option for avoiding taxes on savings bonds: the education exclusion. 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.

At 20 years

If you buy an EE bond now, we guarantee that in 20 years it will be worth at least twice what you paid for it. (This is true for any EE bond bought as far back as June 2003.)

Series EE and I

Once in your TreasuryDirect account, the bond will be registered in your name alone. You can then add either a secondary owner or beneficiary. Once you have a TreasuryDirect account, you can convert other paper bonds you own to electronic bonds.

How much tax will I pay on my EE savings bonds? ›

The interest on EE bonds isn't taxed as it accrues unless the owner elects to have it taxed annually. If an election is made, all previously accrued but untaxed interest is also reported in the election year. In most cases, this election isn't made so bond holders receive the benefits of tax deferral.

Variable interest rates are a risk you can't discount when you buy an I bond, and it's not like you can just sell the bond when the rate falls. You're locked in for the first year, unable to sell at all. Even after that, there's a penalty of three months' interest if you sell before five years.

TIPs offer comparable inflation protection relative to I Bonds at higher yields, a significant advantage. TIPs are also somewhat riskier, more volatile securities, with quite a bit of interest rate risk. Both asset classes are good investments, but TIPs are slightly better, due to their higher yields.

The interest rate for Series I Bonds is unimpressive in some economic environments. But during the high inflation period of 2022-2023, however, these bonds are extremely attractive. Bonds issued in the six months leading up to October 2022 paid an impressive 9.62% interest rate.

Your 3-step process to max out May 2023 I Bonds with the Treasury Direct Gift Box. Step 1: Max out your $10,000 per person calendar year limit conventionally. You can buy $10,000 yourself and your spouse can buy $10,000 through their Treasury Direct login.

$10,000 limit: Up to $10,000 of I bonds can be purchased, per person (or entity), per year. A married couple can each purchase $10,000 per year ($20,000 per year total). 7.12% interest: The yield on I bonds has two components—a fixed rate and an inflation rate.

May 1, 2023. Series EE savings bonds issued May 2023 through October 2023 will earn an annual fixed rate of 2.50% and Series I savings bonds will earn a composite rate of 4.30%, a portion of which is indexed to inflation every six months. The EE bond fixed rate applies to a bond's 20-year original maturity.

You can cash in (redeem) your I bond after 12 months. However, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.

One way to avoid paying any federal income tax on accrued I bond interest is to cash in the bonds before the maturity date and use the proceeds to help pay for college or other higher education expenses.

Individuals, organizations, fiduciaries, and corporate investors may buy Treasury securities through a bank, broker, or dealer.

Why should you wait to cash out your savings bond? ›

It's possible to redeem a savings bond as soon as one year after it's purchased, but it's usually wise to wait at least five years so you don't lose the last three months of interest when you cash it in. For example, if you redeem a bond after 24 months, you'll only receive 21 months of interest.

The May 2023 I Bond Rate

The May 2023 I bond composite rate is 4.30% (US Treasury) which is 2.15% earned over 6 months.

If you have cashed paper savings bonds, you will receive a 1099-INT in the mail.

Unfortunately, like most investments, bonds are also subject to capital gains taxes.

If you invest in TreasuryDirect, your 1099 will be available electronically and you can print the form from your account. 1099 forms are available by January 31 of each tax year.

SERIES I BONDS ISSUED SEPTEMBER 1998 AND THEREAFTER All Series I bonds reach final maturity 30 years from issue. Series I savings bonds earn interest through application of a composite rate.

EE and I bonds earn interest until the first of these events: You cash in the bond or the bond matures – reaches the end of its 30-year term. (If you cash in the bond before 5 years, you lose 3 months interest.) If you have an electronic bond, you can see what it is worth in your TreasuryDirect account.

The composite rate for I bonds issued from May 2023 through October 2023 is 4.30%.

I bonds cannot be cashed for one year after purchase. Then, if a bond is cashed during years two through five after purchase, the prior three months of interest are forfeited. There is no interest penalty for cashing in the bonds after five years.

While the rules make I bonds unattractive for the very short term, their return potential means they don't make sense for the very long term, either, says Meade. “Even if it's at 6.89% now, that rate is likely to go down,” she says.

Is it smart to cash in savings bonds? ›

If you need access to cash, even bonds that haven't reached maturity may be worth turning in. If you are struggling with debt, cashing in a bond is a good way to pay it off, even if the bond is cashed in early.

If your savings bond from a Series other than EE, I, or HH has finished its interest-earning life, you could cash it and use the money for something else – a project, a financial need, or a new investment like an interest-earning savings bond or other Treasury security.

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.

When you cash your bonds online, the cash generally transfers to your checking or savings account within two business days of the request.