How much can one person or entity own in savings bonds?

There is no limit on the total amount that any person or entity can own in savings bonds.

How much can I spend each year on savings bonds?

We count the limits by the Social Security Number of the first person named on the bond or, in the case of an entity, by the Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number.

A given Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number can buy up to these amounts in savings bonds each calendar year:

• $10,000 in electronic EE bonds
• $10,000 in electronic I bonds
• $5,000 in paper I bonds that you can buy when you file federal tax forms until January 1, 2025 (See our FAQ).

Notes:

• Gift bonds count toward the limit of the recipient, not the giver.
• If you have an individual account and an entity account in TreasuryDirect that use the same Social Security Number, you can purchase up to the limits in each of the 2 accounts.

What about bonds . . .

that I co-own?

If you co-own savings bonds with someone else, only the bonds for which you are the first named owner count toward your limit.

Savings bonds for which you are the second named owner do not count towards your limit. They count towards the limit of the other person – the one who is named first on the bonds.

What about bonds . . .

for my children?

Each child has their own Social Security Number. Therefore, no matter who buys bonds for the child, the amount of those bonds counts for the child's limit – not the limit of the buyer.

When you open a linked account in TreasuryDirect for a child under 18, the bonds in the child's linked account belong to the child. You do not own them. Therefore, they do not count in your limit.

Each child has the same yearly limit: $10,000 for electronic EE bonds; $10,000 for electronic I bonds; $5,000 for paper I bonds.

What about bonds . . .

I give as gifts?

This is just like the situation with your children. The gift belongs to the person to whom you give the bond. Therefore, the amount counts in that person's limit, not in your limit.

The gift counts for that person's limit in the year in which they get the bond.

While the gift is sitting in your TreasuryDirect account waiting to be delivered, it is in a special "gift box." So, even then, it is not yours and does not count in your limit.

How much can I convert from paper bonds to electronic bonds?

There is no limit on the bonds you can convert. It does not impact your yearly spending limits.

You already own the bonds. Converting them only changes where they live.