A person who holds a U.S. savings bond does not sell it. Savings bonds are redeemed. If the savings bond you received as a young child has finally reached maturity and you are ready to redeem it, before spending the money you receive for it, keep in mind that you must pay tax on the interest earned. Report the interest income to the IRS on your federal income tax return for the year in which the bond is redeemed.
Step 1
Look at Form 1099-INT. The financial institution at which you redeem the bond must issue the form to you for the appropriate tax year. You should receive the form at the start of the next year. If you redeem the bond through the Treasury Direct website, you will be able to access the form online. The amount of interest you earned on the bond will be in Box 3 of the form. This amount is the final value of the bond minus the amount it originally cost.
Step 2
Record the interest amount on the appropriate line on Form 1040, 1040-A or Form 1040-EZ. On 1040 and 1040-A, report the amount on line 8a. On 1040-EZ, report it on line 2. You must use either 1040 or 1040-A if the amount is above $1,500.
Step 3
Complete Schedule B if you earned more than $1,500 in interest from all sources or if you already have paid tax on some of the interest.
References
Tips
- The interest on savings bonds is subject to federal income tax only.
Warnings
- If there are two living owners on a savings bond and you have it re-issued with only one person's name on it, the person who gives up ownership will receive a Form 1099-INT and will need to report the interest on his tax return, even though the have not redeemed the bond.
Writer Bio
Based in Pennsylvania, Emily Weller has been writing professionally since 2007, when she began writing theater reviews Off-Off Broadway productions. Since then, she has written for TheNest, ModernMom and Rhode Island Home and Design magazine, among others. Weller attended CUNY/Brooklyn college and Temple University.