The U.S. government offers two types of savings bonds for purchase: Series EE and Series I Bonds. Series EE bonds, sold at half and full face value, earn a fixed interest rate each month for a period of 30 years. The U.S. Department of the Treasury guarantees that the value of EE bonds will double in value in 20 years. Series I Bonds, sold at face value, earn interest for 30 years and have both a fixed and a fluctuating interest rate connected to inflation. When giving your grandchild a savings bond, not only do you need to know which type you want to purchase, you must possess and submit accurate financial and personal information to ensure that the U.S. Department of the Treasury assigns the bond to the correct recipient.
Electronic Bonds
Open a Treasury Direct account, if you don't already have one. You must provide an employer identification or Social Security number, a current email address, your bank account number and your financial institution's routing number. Wait for TreasuryDirect to send you an email with your account number and your access card by postal mail. You need your account number, access card and password to access your account and purchase electronic savings bonds.
Log-in to your TreasuryDirect account. Click the radio button next to the savings bond you wish to purchase. Click "Submit."
Enter your grandchild's information -- full name, Social Security number or tax identification number and TreasuryDirect account number -- into the designated boxes. Click "Submit." TreasuryDirect will send an email to your grandchild's email account on file informing him of your gift.
Paper Bonds
Visit your bank and ask for a savings bond purchase application. Or, order or download the purchase application for the savings bond from the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.
Fill out the purchase application with the correct information, including the bond owner, intended recipient, mailing address, any co-owner or beneficiary, quantity and denomination of the bond and your personal information.
Review the application for accuracy. Print the application, if applicable. Mail the application, along with the correct amount of payment to the designated Federal Reserve bank listed on the application. Your grandchild will receive the savings bond by mail.
Tips
Only people 18 and over can create a TreasuryDirect account. Guardians can link minor grandchildren to their accounts so that grandparents can give savings bonds electronically.
If you don't know your grandchild's Social Security number, you can use your own for the purchase of a paper savings bond.
If you want to announce your gift of a paper savings bond, print a gift certificate from the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.
References
- Treasury Direct Kids: Savings Bonds
- TreasuryDirect: Savings Bonds as Gifts
- TreasuryDirect.gov. "Series I Savings Bonds." Accessed Feb. 7, 2020.
- TreasuryDirect.gov. "Tax Considerations for I Bonds." Accessed Feb. 7, 2020.
- TreasuryDirect.gov. "Series I Savings Bonds FAQs." Accessed Feb. 7, 2020.
- TreasuryDirect.com. "Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)." Accessed Feb. 7, 2020.
Tips
- Only people 18 and over can create a TreasuryDirect account. Guardians can link minor grandchildren to their accounts so that grandparents can give savings bonds electronically.
- If you don't know your grandchild's Social Security number, you can use your own for the purchase of a paper savings bond.
- If you want to announce your gift of a paper savings bond, print a gift certificate from the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.
Writer Bio
Based in Texas, Cynthia Measom has been writing various parenting, business and finance and education articles since 2011. Her articles have appeared on websites such as The Bump and Motley Fool. Measom received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin.