$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.
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.
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.
You may purchase up to $10,000 of each savings bond type - EE or I bonds - per person each calendar year. The minimum purchase amount for a Treasury Marketable Security is $100 with multiples sold in the same increment.
$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.
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.
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).
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.
The May 2023 I Bond inflation rate is announced at 3.38%* based on the March 2023 CPI-U data.
In any one calendar year, you may buy up to $10,000 in Series EE electronic savings bonds AND up to $10,000 in Series I electronic savings bonds for yourself as owner of the bonds. That is in addition to the amount you can spend on buying savings bonds for a child or as gifts.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you choose to reinvest in a new bond, that bond will be set up in the same joint names with only one signature needed to operate it.
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.
Dealing with Premium Bonds after someone's death
Assets are generally sold or encashed during the administration period, although some can be transferred to beneficiaries who wish to keep the holding. With Premium Bonds however, there is no option to transfer them.
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.
Get a certified copy of the death certificate for everyone who has died who is named on any of the bonds. Have each person who is entitled to a distributed bond also fill out and sign the appropriate forms: If they want cash for their bond: FS Form 1522.
Individuals, organizations, fiduciaries, and corporate investors may buy Treasury securities through a bank, broker, or dealer.
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.