- postpone (defer) reporting the interest until the year in which the first of these events occurs:
- You can either cash the bond and receive the full amount of the bond, including interest, or you can keep it and invest it.
Reporting the interest all at once at the end
The majority of people delay reporting interest until they file a federal income tax return for the year in which they receive the bond’s total value, including interest.
When electronic EE Bonds in a TreasuryDirect account stop generating interest, they are immediately paid, and the interest earned is reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
- If the bond is paid by a financial institution, you will receive a paper 1099-INT from that financial institution either immediately after you cash your bonds or within the first two months after the year in which you cash your bonds.
- If you cash electronic bonds in your TreasuryDirect account, your 1099-INT will appear in your account early the following year. (Video)
Reporting the interest every year
For example, you could find it beneficial to declare interest on savings bonds in a child’s name once a year. When the bond matures, the child may be paying taxes at a lower rate than when the bond expires years later.
Even if you record the interest, you (or the child if the bond is in the child’s name) do not receive it every year.
After the bond is cashed or reissued to reflect a taxable change in ownership, the interest earned is reported on a 1099-INT. The 1099-INT will detail all of the bond’s interest earnings over the years. For information on how to advise the IRS that you had reported part or all of your interest in previous years, see IRS Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses.
You must continue to record the interest every year after you start (for example, for a child in the child’s Social Security Number). for all of your savings bonds (or, for example, all of the child’s savings bonds) and any future bonds you purchase (or the child gets).
Our free Savings BondCalculator can help you figure out how much money you’ve made so far this year.
I’m not sure how to report savings bonds on my taxes.
In box 3 of IRS Form 1099-INT, enter the amount of interest you earned on your US savings bond. The seller must send you the form if you earn at least $10 in interest. On line 8a of IRS Form 1040 or 1040A, whichever you use to file your tax return, enter the amount you found in Step 1.
Will my savings bonds generate a 1099?
On January of the following year, 1099-INTs are posted in TreasuryDirect. Use the ManageDirect page’s URL.
If you cash at a bank, the paperwork is provided. The bank may give you the form right away or mail it to you later, maybe after the year in which you cash the bond has ended.
If you cash with Treasury Retail Securities Services, the form will be mailed to you in January of the following year.
When you cash in your savings bonds, do you have to pay taxes?
Taxes can be paid when the bond is cashed in, when the bond matures, or when the bond is relinquished to another owner. They could also pay the taxes annually as interest accumulates. 1 The majority of bond owners choose to postpone paying taxes until the bond is redeemed.
How do I use Turbotax to claim my savings bonds?
To input interest earned on US Savings Bonds, follow these steps:
- In the search bar at the top right of your screen, type 1099-int, then click the magnifying glass.
How can I save money on EE savings bonds without paying taxes?
Cashing your EE or I bonds before maturity and using the money to pay for education is one strategy to avoid paying taxes on the bond interest. The interest will not be taxable if you follow these guidelines:
- The bonds must be redeemed to pay for tuition and fees for you, your spouse, or a dependent, such as a kid listed on your tax return, at an undergraduate, graduate, or vocational school. The bonds can also be used to purchase a computer for yourself, a spouse, or a dependent. Room and board costs aren’t eligible, and grandparents can’t use this tax advantage to aid someone who isn’t classified as a dependent, such as a granddaughter.
- The bond profits must be used to pay for educational expenses in the year when the bonds are redeemed.
- High-earners are not eligible. For joint filers with modified adjusted gross incomes of more than $124,800 (more than $83,200 for other taxpayers), the interest exclusion begins to phase out and ceases when modified AGI reaches $154,800 ($98,200 for other filers).
The amount of interest you can omit is lowered proportionally if the profits from all EE and I bonds cashed in during the year exceed the qualified education expenditures paid that year.
What is the federal savings bond tax rate?
Divide the bond’s interest earned by your federal tax rate. If you earn $1,200 in interest on a Series E bond and your tax rate is 28%, your tax on the bond will be $336, or $1,200 twice.
How do I file a 1099-INT with the IRS?
Go to IRS.gov/Form1099INT for the most recent version. Fill out Form 1099-INT, Interest Income, for each individual to whom you paid at least $10 (or at least $600 in interest paid in the course of your trade or business as specified in the instructions for Box 1) in amounts reportable in boxes 1, 3, or 8.
To cash a savings bond, what documentation do I need?
If you want to redeem a paper E/EE or I bond, you’ll need a few items. You’ll also need confirmation of identity, such as a driver’s license from the United States. You’ll also need an FS Form 1522 that hasn’t been signed. They’ll see you sign the document and then certify your signature if you go to your local bank or credit union.
The unsigned bonds, along with the signed FS Form 1522 and, if you’re the bond’s beneficiary, accompanying legal evidence or other papers to indicate you’re entitled to cash the bond, should be sent to the US Department of Treasury at:
The same steps apply for series H or HH paper bonds, only you’ll ship the unsigned bonds to the US Treasury at:
Bonds are they taxable?
The majority of bonds are taxed. Only municipal bonds (bonds issued by local and state governments) are generally tax-exempt, and even then, specific regulations may apply. If you redeem a bond before its maturity date, you must pay tax on both interest and capital gains.
