Press Room FAQs
What is TreasuryDirect?
TreasuryDirect allows customers to electronically purchase, manage, hold and redeem Treasury securities online through electronic transfers to and from a designated savings or checking account.
Does TreasuryDirect offer ALL Treasury securities for sale online?
TreasuryDirect offers the full range of Treasury's consumer securities: Bills, Notes, Bonds, Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) and Series EE and I savings bonds. TreasuryDirect account holders can purchase 4-, 13-, 26-, and 52-week Treasury Bills, 2-, 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year Notes, 5-, 10- and 30-year TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities), and 30-year Treasury Bonds.
TreasuryDirect account holders are able to purchase these savings bonds and marketable securities in a single online account, providing 24/7 convenience for tracking and managing all Treasury consumer securities.
What's going to happen with the old paper savings bonds?
As of January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds are no longer available for purchase at financial institutions. You can purchase paper Series I Bonds with your IRS tax refund. Treasury phased out the issuance of paper savings bonds through traditional employer-sponsored payroll savings plans as of January 1, 2011. See our FAQ.
Can I still purchase savings bonds using my credit card?
Savings Bonds Direct was discontinued on Dec. 30, 2003, and customers can no longer purchase bonds using a credit card. Instead, customers can log onto www.treasurydirect.gov and open an account to purchase their bonds by debiting a checking or savings account. No paper bonds are issued through TreasuryDirect.
What about EasySaver; has that program been eliminated, too?
Treasury stopped accepting new EasySaver accounts after Dec. 30, 2003. Sales through accounts established prior to that date continued through March 2005.
I bought an I bond through TreasuryDirect but didn't receive the paper bond. Why not?
When you purchase a savings bond through TreasuryDirect, you won't receive a paper bond. Instead, your purchase is immediately listed in your account which you can view online anytime.
Electronic savings bonds comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, requiring all federal agencies to reduce the amount of federal paperwork imposed on the public.
Is it safe to purchase savings bonds and marketable securities online?
Yes. TreasuryDirect uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, a widely accepted method for sending secure information over the Internet. This software encrypts all personal and payment information so that it cannot be read as the information travels over the Internet. The Treasury does not share your personal information with anyone.
In addition, TreasuryDirect has implemented several security features to protect your account such as the virtual keyboard and access card.
How can I buy a savings bond as a gift?
The "Gift Box" function allows customers to buy savings bonds for someone else and keep the bonds in their own account until they are ready to give them to the recipient.
When you buy savings bonds as gifts, you must hold them in your TreasuryDirect account for at least five business days before you can deliver them to the gift recipient. The five-day hold protects Treasury against loss by ensuring the ACH debit has been successfully completed before the funds can be moved.
Once the purchaser knows the recipient's required information – his or her full name, social security number and/or taxpayer ID number and address – and has confirmed that the recipient has established a TreasuryDirect account, he or she can transfer the gift into the recipient's account. The gift recipient will then receive an e-mail announcing the transaction.
Currently, anyone 18 years of age and older can be a TreasuryDirect account holder. In January 2004, additional account registration options were added to TreasuryDirect that allow account holders to establish accounts for minors and custom accounts within their primary TreasuryDirect account.
Can I transfer my bonds into someone else's TreasuryDirect account?
Absolutely. Customers can buy an I bond or EE bond and place it in the site's "Gift Box" to give at a later date.
When you buy savings bonds as gifts, you must hold them in your TreasuryDirect account for at least five business days before you can deliver them to the gift recipient. The five-day hold protects Treasury against loss by ensuring the ACH debit has been successfully completed before the funds can be moved.
When the purchaser/holder is ready to give the gift, he/she can transfer it into the recipient's account. An email is sent to the gift recipient announcing the transaction.
Note: Deliveries from the Gift Box are ownership transfers that may have tax consequences.
Want e-mail notification of auction results and upcoming auctions? Sign up for our mailing list.