Savings Bonds As Gifts
You can give savings bonds for any occasion–birthdays, weddings, graduations–or for no occasion at all.
You have three options: electronic Series EE bonds, electronic Series I bonds, and paper Series I bonds.
Electronic Gift Bonds
(Available in Series EE and Series I)
Electronic savings bonds are available in our online program TreasuryDirect.
To buy an electronic savings bond as a gift:
- You must have a TreasuryDirect account
- The recipient must have a TreasuryDirect account
- You must know the recipient’s:
- Full name
- Social Security Number or Taxpayer Identification Number
- TreasuryDirect account number
You can give gift bonds to adults or children. A child under 18 can have an account only if a parent or other adult custodian creates a minor linked account
For instructions on how to buy a gift bond in TreasuryDirect:
Two points:
- Keep the bonds in your account until you’re ready to deliver them.
- You must hold the bonds in your TreasuryDirect account for at least five business days before you deliver them to the gift recipient. The five-day hold protects Treasury against loss by ensuring the ACH debit has been successfully completed before the funds are moved.
When the bond is delivered to the recipient’s TreasuryDirect account, he or she will get an e-mail announcing your gift.
Tokenization Gift Bonds
(Available in Series I only)
When you file your IRS tax return, you can buy paper Series I savings bonds for yourself or others if you are owed a refund. To buy for someone else, ask for the bond to be issued in the name of the other person.
See Using Your Income Tax Refund to Buy Series I U.S.Savings Bonds.
(We no longer sell savings bonds at banks.)
Gift Certificates
We can’t print gift information on savings bonds, but you can announce your gift with a gift certificate.
