The limit is per person — so if you're married, each spouse is allowed to purchase $10,000 in I bonds (plus the paper bonds if they have a tax return). You can also purchase up to $10,000 in I Bonds for your children, but they must be used for the child, to save for college, perhaps.
“The $10,000 limit is per entity, not per person,” says Parker. “You can have as many entities as you want.” That is, if you have a business, that business can also purchase Series I bonds up to the $10,000 annual limit.
$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).
Lesson Learned: You need an separate online account for each person/entity purchasing I-Bonds. I.e. a married couple must open two separate Treasury Direct (TD) online accounts if both spouses wish to purchase I Bonds up to the maximum $10,000 limit.
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.
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.
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.
A given Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number can buy up to these amounts in savings bonds each calendar year: $10,000 in electronic EE bonds. $10,000 in electronic I bonds.
You can use your refund to buy savings bonds and designate ownership or co-ownership for someone else, such as a child, grandchild or anyone, or elect a beneficiary using form 8888.
Family – Each person can buy I bonds for up to $10,000 in a calendar year. For 2022, a married couple could each buy $10,000, thus investing $20,000 as a family. Then, in January 2022, they could buy $20,000 more. Also, you can purchase I bonds for each child, and if you have a trust, the trust can buy them.
To buy an I bond, you'll first need to set up an account with TreasuryDirect. [1] The person you're buying one for also needs an account, but they can create that after receiving the I bond. You'll need the recipient's full name and Social Security or tax ID number.
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.
Log into your primary TreasuryDirect® account. Click the ManageDirect tab at the top of the page. Under the heading Manage My Linked Accounts, click "Establish a Minor Linked Account".
As of October 2022, each individual entity can purchase up to $10,000 worth of Series I bonds in a year.
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.
“You and your spouse are each permitted to open a TreasuryDirect account. If you choose to include your wife on bonds you purchase, it is commonly referred to as a “with” registration. You would be the primary owner and your wife would be the secondary owner. For example, “John Doe WITH Jane Doe”.
Primary Owner (with Secondary Owner): Two individuals' names are recorded for the security in TreasuryDirect, separated by the word "WITH." For example, "John Smith SSN 123-45-6789 WITH Mary Smith SSN 987-65-4321."
I Bond Cons
The initial rate is only guaranteed for the first six months of ownership. After that, the rate can fall, even to zero. One-year lockup. You can't get your money back at all the first year, so you shouldn't invest any funds you'll absolutely need anytime soon.
The biggest red flag for short-term investors: You can't redeem these bonds for a year after you purchase them, and you'll owe a penalty equal to three months' interest if you cash out any time over the first five years of owning the bond.
I bonds cannot be cashed for one year after purchase. If a bond is cashed in year 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.
Generally speaking, if you want to earn more interest, you'll need to take on more risk — and for many retirees, that's not a good option, either. You can safely earn far more with I Bonds, a type of savings bond issued by the U.S. Treasury, and protect against future high inflation.
I bond purchase limits per calendar year
For example, let's say there's a married couple who each owns a separate business. They may buy a total of $40,000 in I bonds by Dec. 31, 2021 — $10,000 per individual and business — and they can buy another $40,000 on Jan. 1, 2022, for a total of $80,000.
Each I Bond holding allows only one second owner or beneficiary but not both at the same time. This second owner or beneficiary must be a person, not a trust or a charity. If you'd like to leave your I Bonds to multiple people after you die, you must make separate purchases and name a different person for each I Bond.
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).