Do I have to pay taxes on savings bonds?
Savings bond interest is exempt from state and local income tax. Savings bond interest is subject to federal income tax; however, taxation can be deferred until redemption, final maturity, or other taxable disposition, whichever occurs first.
If you hold savings bonds and redeem them with interest earned, that interest is subject to federal income tax and possibly federal gift taxes (highly unlikely as the per-person cap is $10,000 and the gift tax exemption is $17,000).
If your total interest isn't more than $1500 for the year, and you're not otherwise required to report interest income on Schedule B, report the savings bond interest with your other interest on the "Interest" line of your tax return. For more information, see the Instructions for Schedule B (Form 1040).
The Education Tax Exclusion
The IRS lets you avoid paying taxes on interest earned by Series EE and Series I savings bonds when you redeem them if you use the money toward qualified higher education costs for yourself, your spouse, or any of your dependents.
Key Takeaways. Interest from EE U.S. savings bonds is taxed at the federal level but not at the state or local levels for income. The interest that savings bonds earn is the amount that a bond can be redeemed for above its face value or original purchase price.
| 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 |
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.
If a financial institution pays the bond, you get a 1099-INT from that financial institution either soon after you cash your bond or by January 31 of the following year. If your bonds are in your TreasuryDirect account, your 1099-INT is available in your account by January 31 of the following year.
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). Also, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.
After the one-year mark, you can go ahead and cash in your bond, but you will get hit with a penalty of three months' interest earned on the bond. There is no penalty if you simply hold onto the bond after five years. There is value in holding onto most bonds.
Which bonds are tax exempt?
Municipal Bonds
Most bonds issued by government agencies are tax-exempt. This means interest on these bonds are excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes.
Normally, the interest you earn on your savings bonds becomes part of your gross income for tax purposes. Under certain conditions, though, you can avoid taxes on the interest by using it to pay for higher education.
TO CASH BONDS FOR A DECEDENT'S ESTATE:
Series EE, Series E, and Series I bonds can be cashed at a local financial institution. Some of these transactions may have to be forwarded for further processing. Series HH and Series H bonds must be sent to one of the addresses shown at the bottom of the following page.
The interest income of the savings bond will be taxed to the bond's owner—i.e., the recipient of the gift—when the bond matures and is redeemed for cash (or the owner will be taxed each year if they elect to report the interest income annually).
The bond continues to accrue interest even after reaching its face value, but at “final maturity” (after 30 years) interest stops accruing and must be reported. Note: Interest on EE bonds isn't subject to state income tax.
If the executor doesn't include predeath interest on the decedent's final return, then the beneficiary owes federal income tax on all pre- and post-death interest on the earlier of the bond's maturity or redemption.
Series EE savings bonds are a low-risk way to save money. They earn interest regularly for 30 years (or until you cash them if you do that before 30 years). For EE bonds you buy now, we guarantee that the bond will double in value in 20 years, even if we have to add money at 20 years to make that happen.
Every Patriot Bond earns interest, which accrues in six-month periods. After 20 years, the Patriot Bond is guaranteed to be worth at least face value. So a $50 Patriot Bond, which was bought for $25, will be worth at least $50 after 20 years. It can continue to accrue interest for as many as 10 more years after that.
CDs are usually best for investors looking for a safe, shorter-term investment. Bonds are typically longer, higher-risk investments that deliver greater returns and a predictable income.
You may be able to cash in paper EE bonds at a bank where you have an account or through TreasuryDirect. Ask your bank about its process for cashing savings bonds. Ask your bank how much it will cash at one time. Determine the identification or other documents you will need.
Do all EE bonds double in 20 years?
EE bonds you buy now have a fixed interest rate that you know when you buy the bond. That rate remains the same for at least the first 20 years. It may change after that for the last 10 of its 30 years. We guarantee that the value of your new EE bond at 20 years will be double what you paid for it.
If you moved your EE bond into a TreasuryDirect account, we pay you for the bond as soon as it reaches 30 years and stops earning interest. If you still have a paper EE bond, check the issue date. If that date is more than 30 years ago, it is no longer increasing in value and you may want to cash it.
You can redeem a savings bond online at the Treasury Department's TreasuryDirect website, by mail or at your local bank or credit union, if they offer the service. Your savings bond must be at least a year old, and you'll need government-issued identification to prove that the bond is yours.
The individual owns the U.S. Savings Bond if only his or her name appears on it. The Social Security Number shown on a bond is not proof of ownership. EXAMPLE: A U.S. Savings Bond title reads, “John Smith.” Only John Smith can cash that bond.
In addition to the bonds, you'll need to provide proof of identity, like a United States driver's license, and partner with a notary to notarize and certify your signature on an unsigned FS Form 1522 to your local bank or credit union.
