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Buying savings bonds

We currently sell 2 types of savings bond: Series EE and Series I. You can buy them for yourself, your child, or as a gift for someone else.

This page focuses on buying for yourself or a child whose account is linked to yours. If you are planning to give a savings bond as a gift, also see our page on Giving savings bonds as gifts. You can print a certificate announcing your gift. See our selection of announcement cards.

Current Rates

Series EE Savings Bonds
2.70%

For EE bonds issued May 1, 2025 to October 31, 2025.

Series I Savings Bonds
3.98%

This includes a fixed rate of 1.10%

For I bonds issued May 1, 2025 to October 31, 2025.

Buying electronic EE or I savings bonds

TreasuryDirect is the official United States government application in which you can buy and keep savings bonds.

Learn about TreasuryDirect Open a TreasuryDirect account

To buy a savings bond in TreasuryDirect:

  1. Go to your TreasuryDirect account.
  2. Choose BuyDirect.
  3. Choose whether you want EE bonds or I bonds, and then click Submit.
  4. Fill out the rest of the information.

You can buy an electronic savings bond for any amount from $25 to $10,000 to the penny. For example, you could buy an electronic savings bond for $75.38.

In any one calendar year, you may buy up to $10,000 in Series EE electronic savings bonds AND up to $10,000 in Series I electronic savings bonds for yourself as owner of the bonds. That is in addition to the amount you can spend on buying savings bonds for a child or as gifts.

See more about how much can I spend and how much can I own.

Buying through our Payroll Savings Plan

This option will be discontinued on January 31, 2025. See our FAQ for more detail.

Registering savings bonds (Who owns them?)

Whether you buy an electronic bond or a paper bond, you must specify who owns the bond.

You may name yourself, a child, yourself and someone else (either as another owner or as the beneficiary), or indeed anyone you want to give the savings bond to as a gift.

But the person (or people) you name must meet these conditions:

  • The person must have a Social Security Number.
  • The person must also meet any one of these three conditions:
    • United States citizen, whether the person lives in the U.S. or abroad, or
    • United States resident, or
    • Civilian employee of the United States, no matter where that person lives

You may also register the bond in the name of a trust or estate. An electronic bond in TreasuryDirect also can be in the name of a corporation, partnership, or other entity.

Note: If you are thinking of using the money from savings bonds to pay for your child's college education, do NOT put the bond in the child's name. Keep the bond in your name. See
Using savings bonds for higher education

For more about who owes taxes on savings bond interest, see
Tax information for EE and I bonds

For details on what registrations are allowed and how to register your bonds, see
Registering your savings bonds (Who owns them)

Managing savings bonds for a child under 18

See the note above about using savings bonds for higher education. Whether the bonds are paper or electronic, to use them for college expenses, the bonds must be in an adult's name, not the child's!

But with that exception, you can name the child as the owner of either paper or electronic savings bonds.

If you buy savings bonds for a child, here's how that works:

The child needs a TreasuryDirect account that is linked to the account of a parent or other adult custodian. You (the parent or other adult custodian) may open a TreasuryDirect account for the child. You can then buy savings bonds or other securities, as well as conduct other transactions, for the child. Other people can buy savings bonds for the child as gifts to go into the child's linked account.