How do I avoid paying taxes on inherited savings bonds?
The Education Tax Exclusion
To redeem your inherited savings bonds, you will need to contact the financial institution that holds the bonds. You will need to provide proof of identity and the bondholder's death certificate. Once the bonds have been redeemed, you will receive payment for the bond value and interest earned.
Stocks and bonds that are in an estate have a step up basis. This means that that the original value of the investment is changed to the value at the date of death, and there can be large tax savings. Savings bonds, however, do not get a step up in basis.
- How can I avoid paying taxes on my inheritance?
- Consider the alternate valuation date.
- Put everything into a trust.
- Minimize retirement account distributions.
- Give away some of the money.
The interest on EE bonds isn't taxed as it accrues unless the owner elects to have it taxed annually. If an election is made, all previously accrued but untaxed interest is also reported in the election year. In most cases, this election isn't made so bond holders receive the benefits of tax deferral.
Both gifting and receiving savings bonds have tax implications. Know that taxes must be paid on the interest earned by savings bonds when they're cashed in. This interest is subject to federal income tax but not state or local income tax.
In most cases, an inheritance isn't subject to income taxes. The assets a loved one passes on in an investment or bank account aren't considered taxable income, nor is life insurance. However, you could pay income taxes on the assets in pre-tax accounts.
Get a certified copy of the death certificate for everyone who has died who is named on any of the bonds. Have each person who is entitled to a distributed bond also fill out and sign the appropriate forms: If they want cash for their bond: FS Form 1522. If it is an EE or I bond and they want to keep it: FS Form 4000.
While the principal amount of the CD transfers without income tax issues, any interest earned after death and before transfer will be treated as ordinary income on the tax return of the person who inherits it.
A stepped-up basis is a tax provision that allows heirs to reduce their capital gains taxes. When someone inherits property and investments, the IRS resets the market value of these assets to their value on the date of the original owner's death.
How do you avoid tax on treasury bonds?
- Report interest each year and pay taxes on it annually.
- Defer reporting interest until you redeem the bonds or give up ownership of the bond and it's reissued or the bond is no longer earning interest because it's matured.
Just as with a single or sole owner, only the owner — in this case, the person named first — gets the interest, may cash in the bond, may make other changes. However, if the owner dies, instead of the bond going into the person's estate, the beneficiary automatically becomes the single or sole owner.
Another commonly used inheritance tax loophole is placing your assets within a trust. Your estate will not include these assets and therefore they avoid inheritance tax. Trusts are a great way to leave behind part of your estate to somebody who is too young to handle their affairs.
Inheritance checks are generally not reported to the IRS unless they involve cash or cash equivalents exceeding $10,000. Banks and financial institutions are required to report such transactions using Form 8300.
There is no federal inheritance tax. In fact, only six states tax inheritances. There is a federal estate tax, however, which is paid by the estate of the deceased. In 2024, the first $13,610,000 of an estate is exempt from the estate tax.
If the executor doesn't include predeath interest on the decedent's final return, then the beneficiary owes federal income tax on all pre- and post-death interest on the earlier of the bond's maturity or redemption.
Owners can wait to pay the taxes when they cash in the bond, when the bond matures, or when they relinquish the bond to another owner. Alternatively, they may pay the taxes yearly as interest accrues. 1 Most owners choose to defer the taxes until they redeem the bond.
In general, you must report the interest in income in the taxable year in which you redeemed the bonds to the extent you did not include the interest in income in a prior taxable year.
You are the original owner.
You no longer own it. If you have not been paying tax on the bond's interest every year, you now owe tax on all the interest the bond earned while you owned it. You will not owe tax on interest the bond earns for the new owner.
If you cash a paper savings bond by mailing it to Treasury Retail Securities Services, we mail you a 1099 by January 31 of the following year.
How are EE bonds taxed when redeemed?
The interest on EE bonds isn't taxed as it accrues unless the owner elects to have it taxed annually. If an election is made, all previously accrued but untaxed interest is also reported in the election year. In most cases, this election isn't made, so bond holders receive the benefits of tax deferral.
The U.S. does not have a federal inheritance tax, but some states impose one. An inheritance tax is not the same as an estate tax. Beneficiaries are responsible for paying inheritance taxes, whereas estate taxes are taken out of the estate itself.
If you received a gift or inheritance, do not include it in your income. However, if the gift or inheritance later produces income, you will need to pay tax on that income. Example: You inherit and deposit cash that earns interest income. Include only the interest earned in your gross income, not the inherited cash.
- Sell the inherited property quickly. ...
- Make the inherited property your primary residence. ...
- Rent the inherited property. ...
- Disclaim the inherited property. ...
- Deduct selling expenses from capital gains.
You can get your cash for an EE or I savings bond any time after you have owned it for 1 year. However, the longer you hold the bond, the more it earns for you (for up to 30 years for an EE or I bond). Also, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.
