Investors can purchase I bonds online directly from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service (URL below). $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).
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. Step 2: You could buy $10,000 or more in gift I Bonds in May that you could deliver to your spouse in future years.
Because the limit is per person, each spouse is allowed to purchase $10,000 in electronic I bonds per year, or $20,000 per married couple. The total amount of paper I bonds that can be purchased jointly with a federal tax return is $10,000, or $5,000 per spouse.
Good news if you're married and interested in I Bonds! I Bond limits are set per person, so that means a married couple can double up on I Bonds. With a $10,000 limit on I Bonds each, you've now got the opportunity to purchase up to $20,000 in I Bonds each year if you're married.
You can request up to three different savings bond registrations – for yourself and spouse, if married and filing a joint return, or someone other than yourself. If you order bonds for yourself and spouse, the bonds will be issued in the names shown on the return.
Two owners co-own the bond. If one owner dies, the other becomes the single or sole owner. Neither owner can be an entity. The first-named owner is the primary owner.
Separate Account for Spouse
The individual account you're opening now is only for yourself. If your spouse also wants to buy I Bonds, he or she must open a separate account. However, you can specify a second owner or beneficiary on the bonds you buy in your personal account.
$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).
We currently sell 2 types of savings bond: Series EE and Series I. You can buy them for yourself, your child, or as a gift for someone else. This page focuses on buying for yourself or a child whose account is linked to yours.
A married couple must open two separate TreasuryDirect accounts if both spouses wish to purchase I Bonds. Each account is limited to purchasing $10,000 per person per calendar year, so if you want to purchase $20,000 in a year, you need two accounts.
Key Points. Pros: I bonds come with a high interest rate during inflationary periods, they're low-risk, and they help protect against inflation. Cons: Rates are variable, there's a lockup period and early withdrawal penalty, and there's a limit to how much you can invest.
The May 2023 I Bond inflation rate is announced at 3.38%* based on the March 2023 CPI-U data.
You also can buy an I bond in paper form, through the Tax Time Purchase Program. Use IRS Form 8888, “Allocation of Refund (Including Savings Bonds Purchases).” Purchase prices start at $50 and you can buy in $50 multiples up to $5,000 per person, per calendar year.
How much can one person or entity own in savings bonds? There is no limit on the total amount that any person or entity can own in savings bonds.
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.
Note: Do not buy savings bonds from someone else or in an online auction site. You cannot cash them. You can only cash bonds that you own or co-own unless you have legal evidence or other documentation that we accept to show you are entitled to cash the bond.
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.
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).
Interest on I bonds is exempt from state and local income taxes and, if you qualify, from federal income tax when used to pay for higher education. You can buy up to $10,000 in electronic I bonds per person in a calendar year, with an online account at TreasuryDirect.gov.
What are the maximum premium bonds you can hold? The maximum premium bonds are currently £50,000 per person. So you and your partner can hold £50,000 each. Then any children can hold the same in premium bonds too.
I bonds can be a safe immediate-term savings vehicle, especially in inflationary times. I bonds offer benefits such as the security of being backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, state and local tax-exemptions and federal tax exemptions when used to fund educational expenses.
EE Bond and I Bond Differences
The interest rate on EE bonds is fixed for at least the first 20 years, while I bonds offer rates that are adjusted twice a year to protect from inflation. EE bonds offer a guaranteed return that doubles your investment if held for 20 years. There is no guaranteed return with I bonds.
Under Manage My Account, click Update my Registration List. Click Add Registration. Select the Beneficiary check box at the top. Under First-Named Registrant, fill in the Account Owner's information (Your information).
It does not become part of the estate of the person who died. If you are the named co-owner or beneficiary who inherits the bond, you have different options for paper EE or I bonds and paper HH bonds. If only one person is named on the bond and that person has died, the bond belongs to that person's estate.
Can you buy I Bonds in an IRA? Unfortunately, you can't purchase I Bonds in your individual retirement account (IRA) or in any other tax-advantaged account. You'll need to use any available cash or your tax refund to purchase I Bonds.