Savings Bond Redemptions Frequently Asked Questions (2024)

FAQs

How long does bond redemption take? ›

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

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.

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.

Generally, if you're listed as the registered owner of the savings bond, you should need to bring just the paper bond and one or two current forms of identification to a bank or credit union. While a paper savings bond looks like a check, do not sign it until you are told to do so during the redemption process.

For redemption or other information about U.S. savings bonds, visit the U.S. Treasury Department's web page, www.treasurydirect.gov, or contact their office directly by calling (844) 284-2676 (toll-free).

If the bond is redeemed by the Treasury Retail Securities Site, they are responsible for issuing the 1099-INT. The 1099s are issued in the year following the redemption, please allow time for the 1099-INT to be mailed to you. If the 1099-INT was not received your, please call 1-844-284-2676 to request a duplicate.

However, if a bond is cashed within the first five years after its issue date, interest earned during the three months prior to cashing will be forfeited. Once a Series I bond is five years old, there is no interest penalty for redemption.

The interest earned by purchasing and holding savings bonds is subject to federal tax at the time the bonds are redeemed. However, interest earned on savings bonds is not taxable at the state or local level.

You'll likely want to time your cash-out for three months after your I-Bond's reset date so that the three months' interest you lose are of the new lower rate, not the higher rate you were happier with. To accomplish that, you should hold your I-Bond for at least 15 months.

If you cash a paper savings bond at a local bank, that bank is responsible for giving you a 1099. If you cash a paper savings bond by mailing it to Treasury Retail Securities Services, we mail you a 1099 by January 31 of the following year. (You can call us for a duplicate statement, if needed, beginning February 15.)

Is there a fee for cashing in savings bonds? ›

Bonds vs. savings accounts

Money can generally be withdrawn up to six times a month without penalty. A bond can't be cashed in for at least a year, with a penalty for redeeming one before five years have passed.

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.

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.

The table on the right shows that bond prices often recover within 8 to 12 months. Unnerved investors that are selling their bond funds risk missing out when bond returns recover. It is important to acknowledge that some of those strong recoveries were helped by bond yields that were higher than they are today.

U.S. Savings Bonds mature after 20 or 30 years, depending on the type of bond: Series EE bonds mature after 20 years. They are sold at half their face value and are worth their full value at maturity. Series I bonds are sold at face value and mature after 30 years.

In general, you must report the interest in income in the taxable year in which you redeemed the bonds to the extent you did not include the interest in income in a prior taxable year.