Sometimes. Normally, taxable ownership changes are not authorized for paper I bonds. Write to Treasury Retail Securities Services, PO Box 214, Minneapolis, MN 55480-0214, or call 844-284-2676 if you want to modify who owns an I bond and find out what changes are allowed (toll free).
If an ownership change is permitted, such as as a result of a divorce, and the change is taxable, we issue an IRS Form 1099-INT.
What is the procedure for changing the beneficiary on my I Savings Bonds?
In the “Reason for Reissue” box, type “Change the Name of a Living Beneficiary.” To get your signature notarized, take your driver’s license or state identification card to a bank and fill out Form PD F 4000. Sign Form PD F 4000 in front of the certifying officer, who will sign and stamp it.
On I bonds, how do you name beneficiaries?
You must register ownership of the securities in “beneficiary” form in order to do so. Simply put, you register ownership in your name, followed by the phrases “payable on death to” and the beneficiary’s name. A person, not an entity, must be the recipient. Parts 315.6 and 353.6 of the 31 C.F.R.) You must state if the beneficiary is a minor, for example, “payable on death to Jasmine Martin, a juvenile.” Ownership will be transferred to the person you named after your death.
You’ll have complete control over these assets, just as you do with corporate securities. To sell or give away the securities, you don’t need the beneficiary’s permission, and you can name a new beneficiary at any moment by filling out new ownership documentation.
There can only be one principal owner and one payable-on-death beneficiary, which is a significant limitation when adding a payable-on-death beneficiary. If the securities are co-owned by two or more peoplefor example, you and your spouseyou can’t specify a payable-on-death beneficiary. In that case, the best you can do is create a right of survivorship, so that when the first co-owner dies, the remaining co-owner receives the securities. The survivor could then designate a beneficiary.
Is it possible to add a beneficiary to I bonds?
On a bond, you can have a second owner or a beneficiary, but not both at the same time. A person, not a trust, must be the bond’s second owner or beneficiary. You have complete control over the arrangement as the primary owner of the I Bonds. At any moment, you can add or remove a beneficiary or a second owner.
What is the procedure for changing the name on a savings bond?
How to Change the Names on US Savings Bonds
- For instructions on how to modify the registered name on your securities, go to “Manage Account.”
- Take any signature-verification forms to your bank for a Treasury-approved verification.
What is the procedure for transferring US savings bonds after death?
A certified copy of the death certificate, the bond, and Form 4000, Request to Reissue United States Savings Bonds, must be sent to a Treasury Department retail securities site; they are listed on the website.
Do inherited savings bonds have to be taxed?
Owners of savings bonds can postpone paying taxes on accumulated interest until the bond is cashed in. If the decedent already paid taxes on the accumulated interest, the earnings on inherited savings bonds are not taxable to the heirs, but the heirs are accountable for any unpaid taxes.
Is an EE bond or an I bond better?
If an I bond is used to pay for eligible higher educational expenses in the same way that EE bonds are, the accompanying interest can be deducted from income, according to the Treasury Department. Interest rates and inflation rates have favored series I bonds over EE bonds since their introduction.
I Bonds can be owned through a revocable trust.
On I Bonds, a trust cannot be the beneficiary or the second owner. A person must be the beneficiary or second owner (see the previous post I Bonds Beneficiary vs Second Owner in TreasuryDirect).
What is the procedure for converting paper bonds to electronic bonds?
When you do a SmartExchange, you exchange your paper savings bonds for electronic savings bonds kept in TreasuryDirect, an online system that allows you to access your Treasury assets at any time.
- If you don’t already have one, sign up for a TreasuryDirect account. To get started, simply fill out our simple online application.
- To create your Conversion Linked Account, click the icon. The Account Info page for that account will appear after you do so.
- Select the ManageDirect tab from the drop-down menu. A menu titled “Manage my Conversions” can be found on the ManageDirect page.
- Click the “How to Convert My Paper Bonds” link from the “Manage My Conversions” menu. This page includes step-by-step directions to help you complete the task. We recommend printing this page so you can refer to it when you’re getting started.
Gather your Series E, EE, and I savings bonds and sort them according to their titles and connectors (“OR,” “POD,” or “beneficiary”). Grouping your bonds by registration will make the process of entering the bonds you want to convert much easier.
If you need to access your Conversion Linked Account at a later time, go to your principal Account Summary page and look for “My Converted Bonds” in the account listing under “Linked Accounts Information.”
You will no longer need to keep track of paper securities once you have completed the SmartExchange.
See “Convert Your Paper Savings Bonds Using SmartExchange” for additional information and other benefits.
Is it possible to transfer Series I bonds?
Yes. The owner of EE and I Bonds can transfer them to another person with a TreasuryDirect account; however, you must wait five business days from the purchase date to do so.
A savings bond can be transferred to another TreasuryDirect account in whole or in part. See What is the procedure for transferring savings bonds from one TreasuryDirect account to another?
What happens if I transfer savings bonds to another TreasuryDirect customer? Will the recipient’s purchasing limit be affected?
When you transfer savings bonds to another customer, the value of the transfer is deducted from the yearly purchase limit for each savings bond type for the year in which the transfer happens.
Is it possible to move marketable securities from one TreasuryDirect account to another or to a broker/dealer account?
Yes. Marketable Securities can be transferred in $100 increments. You can send a portion or the entire value of a single investment or a group of securities to a single recipient or financial institution. See What is the procedure for transferring marketable securities from my TreasuryDirect account?
No, you must transfer marketable securities from your TreasuryDirect account to a broker/dealer account in order to sell them.
The securities can be sold by the broker/dealer on your behalf.
Is it possible to transfer marketable securities from a non-TreasuryDirect account to my TreasuryDirect account?
Yes. You can contact your broker to have marketable securities from another account transferred as an Incoming External Transfer to your TreasuryDirect account. Customer Service will handle your request and add issued securities to your Current Holdings. For maturity and interest payments, incoming transfers are issued with your primary bank information as the payment destination (if applicable). For specific instructions, see Learn More About Transfers.
Is it possible to transfer marketable securities from my old TreasuryDirect account to my new TreasuryDirect account?
Yes. Complete a Security Move Request, FS Form 5179, to transfer assets from Legacy Treasury Direct to your TreasuryDirect account. Incoming transfers are deposited into your TreasuryDirect account’s Current Holdings.
What happens if I transfer a marketable security that was initially slated for deposit in my C of I before it matures?
Any purchases you have scheduled utilizing Zero-Percent C of I as the source of funds may be impacted if you elect to transfer a marketable security prior to maturity. If funds are inadequate to cover the purchase request, the purchases may be canceled.
What if the form of registration for transferring marketable securities from an outside broker to my TreasuryDirect account is invalid?
We shall refuse any inbound security transfer request that has an invalid form of registration.
What if the marketable security I want to move in from another outside account is registered with the words “OR,” “AND,” or “With Right of Survivorship”?
Regardless of the method of registration prior to the transfer, a security transferred from an outside account into a TreasuryDirect account will be transferred in the name of the individual account owner in single owner form. The registration can be changed to any allowable registration after the transfer is accomplished.