Which bonds are tax free?
Income from bonds issued by state, city, and local governments (municipal bonds, or munis) is generally free from federal taxes.
Most bonds issued by government agencies are tax-exempt. This means interest on these bonds are excluded from gross income for federal tax purposes.
Use the Education Exclusion. With that in mind, you have one option for avoiding taxes on savings bonds: the education exclusion. You can skip paying taxes on interest earned with Series EE and Series I savings bonds if you're using the money to pay for qualified higher education costs.
Municipal bonds generally carry less risk than stocks and are tax-exempt, which for higher tax-bracket investors effectively increases the return rate. It's crucial to highlight though, that they may not be the best choice for everyone and should be considered in light of personal financial circ*mstances.
How to Invest in Tax-Free Municipal Bond Funds. An investor can buy and sell bonds directly through an online brokerage account. They also can be purchased through a full-service brokerage or a bank. Another option is to invest in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or mutual fund that invests in muncipal bonds.
Tax-exempt bonds are the primary mechanism through which state and local governments raise capital to finance a wide range of essential public projects.
The interest earned by purchasing and holding savings bonds is subject to federal tax at the time the bonds are redeemed. However, interest earned on savings bonds is not taxable at the state or local level.
| Face Value | Purchase Amount | 30-Year Value (Purchased May 1990) |
|---|---|---|
| $50 Bond | $100 | $207.36 |
| $100 Bond | $200 | $414.72 |
| $500 Bond | $400 | $1,036.80 |
| $1,000 Bond | $800 | $2,073.60 |
Key Takeaways
Interest from corporate bonds and U.S. Treasury bonds interest is typically taxable at the federal level. U.S. Treasuries are exempt from state and local income taxes. Most interest income earned on municipal bonds is exempt from federal income taxes.
Municipal bonds are very tax-efficient because the interest income isn't taxable at the federal level and it's often tax-exempt at the state and local level, too. 7 Munis are sometimes called triple-free because of this.
What is the downside of owning I bonds?
The initial yield is only good for the first six months you own the bond. After that, the investment acts like any other variable vehicle, meaning rates could go down and you have no control over it. And if you wait until, say, 2025 to buy an I bond, the initial rate could be well below current levels.
Treasuries are generally considered"risk-free" since the federal government guarantees them and has never (yet) defaulted. These government bonds are often best for investors seeking a safe haven for their money, particularly during volatile market periods. They offer high liquidity due to an active secondary market.
The principal difference between municipal bonds and Treasury bonds, aside from the credit considerations, is that municipal bonds are tax-exempt, that is interest is exempt from federal income taxation.
If you sit in the 35% income tax bracket and live in a state with relatively high income tax rates, then investing in municipal bonds (munis, for short) will likely be a better option than taxable bonds. Alternatively, if your income is in the 12% tax bracket, then you may want to steer clear of municipal bonds.
To buy, you must have a TreasuryDirect account. In TreasuryDirect, you may open an account and buy Treasury marketable securities for yourself (an individual registration). With an individual registration, you may also link your account to an account for a child under the age of 18.
Since January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds are no longer available at banks or other financial institutions. Paper Series I bonds can still be bought with IRS tax refunds, but Series EE bonds are available only in electronic form.
This tax-exempt status makes municipal bond funds an attractive and sought-after option for high-income investors seeking to optimize their after-tax returns while also providing safety of principal.
Triple-tax-free, or "triple tax-exempt", is a way of describing an investment, usually a municipal bond, where the interest payments are exempt from taxes at the municipal, state and federal levels.
Key Takeaways. Interest from EE U.S. savings bonds is taxed at the federal level but not at the state or local levels for income. The interest that savings bonds earn is the amount that a bond can be redeemed for above its face value or original purchase price.
Then, in November 2021 I bond rates doubled to 7.12% and then 9.62% in May 2022! The last super-high inflation rate was 6.48% in November 2022, which also came with a 0.4% fixed rate. Now, for purchases in March 2024 the rate is 5.27%. More importantly, the fixed rate is 1.30%.
Are I bonds a good investment right now?
I bonds issued from Nov. 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, have a composite rate of 5.27%. That includes a 1.30% fixed rate and a 1.97% inflation rate. Because I bonds are fully backed by the U.S. government, they are considered a relatively safe investment.
“The $10,000 limit is per entity, not per person,” says Parker. “You can have as many entities as you want.” That is, if you have a business, that business can also purchase Series I bonds up to the $10,000 annual limit. That works if you're running a sole proprietorship or even a side hustle.
Every Patriot Bond earns interest, which accrues in six-month periods. After 20 years, the Patriot Bond is guaranteed to be worth at least face value. So a $50 Patriot Bond, which was bought for $25, will be worth at least $50 after 20 years. It can continue to accrue interest for as many as 10 more years after that.
However, CDs may ultimately be better for those who prefer the comfort of an insured investment. Bonds could be a better choice for those needing the tax advantages that municipal bonds offer.
Series EE savings bonds are a low-risk way to save money. They earn interest regularly for 30 years (or until you cash them if you do that before 30 years). For EE bonds you buy now, we guarantee that the bond will double in value in 20 years, even if we have to add money at 20 years to make that happen.
