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US Treasury Series I Savings Bonds Inflation Rate Earnings (May - October '22) Expired

9.62% Interest (Annualized for 6 Months)
(Limit $10K/Year Per Person)
+636 Deal Score
797,269 Views
U.S. Government Treasury is currently offering 9.62% Interest Rate (Annualized for 6 Months) in combined Fixed + Inflation Rate Earnings valid on newly issued Series I Savings Bonds purchased from May through October 2022. Limit of $10,000/year per person.

Thanks to Community Member Libertarian for posting this offer.

About this offer:
  • How do I buy a Series I bond?
  • What is a Series I bond? (source)
    • "A savings bond that earns interest based on combining a fixed rate and an inflation rate."
    • You may use Series I bonds to:
      • Save in a low-risk product that helps protect your savings from inflation
      • Supplement your retirement income
      • Give as a gift
      • Pay for education
      • Click here for more information about Series I Bonds
  • What interest does a Series I bond earn? (source)
    • A combination of a fixed rate that stays the same for the life of the bond and an inflation rate that is set twice a year.
    • An I bond earns interest monthly from the first day of the month in the issue date. The interest accrues (is added to the bond) until the bond reaches 30 years or you cash the bond, whichever comes first.
    • The interest is compounded semiannually. Every six months from the bond's issue date, interest the bond earned in the six previous months is added to the bond's principal value, creating a new principal value. Interest is then earned on the new principal.
    • The composite rate for I bonds issued from May 2022 through October 2022 is 9.62 percent. This rate applies for the first six months you own the bond.
  • When can I cash my I bonds?
    • After they are 12 months old.
    • If you cash an I bond before it is five years old, you will lose the last three months of interest.
    • I bonds earn interest for 30 years if you don't cash the bonds before they mature.
    • If you've been affected by a disaster, special provisions may apply.

Editor's Notes & Price Research

Written by
Please refer to the forum thread for additional details & discussion.
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Original Post

Written by
Edited April 28, 2022 at 09:20 PM by
US government [treasurydirect.gov] is expected to pay 9.62% on its I-bonds in combined Fixed + Inflation Rate Earnings valid on newly issued Series I Savings Bonds purchased 05/01/22-10/30/22.

In laymen's terms: These are safe U.S. treasury securities which adjust their interest rate every 6 months based on the current inflation rate.

For further details on how I-bonds work, see the previous Front Page deal when the 7.12% rate was announced. There is plenty of discussion and information there on how I-bonds work.

https://www.treasurydirect.gov/in...s_ibuy.htm
in Finance
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9.62% Interest (Annualized for 6 Months)

Community Wiki

Last Edited by robstrash October 14, 2022 at 11:37 AM
From the wiki in the previous post:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/us...e-i-bonds/
Code:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/us-treasury-bonds-rate-set-to-increase-to-7-12-rate-i-bonds/
How to buy: After registering and logging in, click on "BuyDirect" on the top menu bar. Check the "Series I" radio button.

Comparing Series EE and Series I Savings Bonds
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/in...arison.htm
Code:
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ebonds/res_e_bonds_eecomparison.htm
Please note:
1. This 7.12% rate on I bond is for next six months only (April 2022).
2. If, in April inflation is higher than today, they will earn higher, if inflation is less they will earn less for next six months, so basically rate changes every six months based on inflation.
3. You can keep these for 30 years or withdraw earlier (see #4 below)
4. You need to wait for 1 year before you can withdraw
5. If you withdraw between 1 yr and 5 yr, you lose last 3 months of interest (see #2 above, so if based on inflation if interest it was paying was reduced, you lose reduced interest)
6. After 5 year, no penalty so you don't lose last 3 months of interest
7. No state taxes on distribution (as per my understanding)
8. If you used for certain causes (like education) and your AGI is below certain value, you don't pay Federal tax as well (as per my understanding)
9. Buy at the end of month (on the 30th of a 31-day month, or 29th of a 30-day month), interest starts accruing from the 1st of the same month.
10. Interest rate can go down to 0% but not lower. This happened in 2009 during deflation.

Purchasing for others - https://slickdeals.net/f/15497017-us-treasury-series-i-savings-bonds-inflation-rate-earnings-nov-21-april-22-7-12-interest-limit-10k-year-per-person?p=152307841#post152307841

FAQs Concerning the Change in the Annual Purchase Limit for Savings Bonds [treasurydirect.gov]

Buy I Bonds as a Gift: What Works and What Doesn't [thefinancebuff.com]

Historical bond rate chart:
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/in...eChart.pdf
Code:
https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ibonds/IBondRateChart.pdf
Nov 2021 7.12%
May 2021 3.54%
Nov 2020 1.68%
May 2020 1.06%
Nov 2019 2.22%
May 2019 1.9%
Nov 2018 2.83%


One trick to max out these I bonds: Overpay your estimated taxes now, by at least $5000, and then you can apply your refund of up to $5000 to buy $5000 more of I bonds, so it brings your total per year up to $15,000. The $5000 will come as paper I bonds, but you can mail them to the Treasury and convert them into electronic bonds.

Track inflation and iBond here
Update Apr 2022 [wordpress.com]
About this offer:
How do I buy a Series I bond?
Must register or sign-in to your free TreasuryDirect.gov account and link a bank account.
Electronically: Online via TreasuryDirect (including through payroll direct deposit)
Paper: By mail when you file your federal tax return
Click here to view a Guided Tour
What is a Series I bond? (source)
"A savings bond that earns interest based on combining a fixed rate and an inflation rate."
You may use Series I bonds to:
Save in a low-risk product that helps protect your savings from inflation
Supplement your retirement income
Give as a gift
Pay for education
Click here for more information about Series I Bonds
What interest does a Series I bond earn? (source)
A combination of a fixed rate that stays the same for the life of the bond and an inflation rate that is set twice a year.
For bonds issued from November 2021 through April 2022, the combined rate is 7.12%
On May 1, 2022, the rate is scheduled to update, and is expected to be over 9%. Source 1 [cnbc.com] Source 2 [tipswatch.com]
How to buy: After registering and logging in, click on "BuyDirect" on the top menu bar. Check the "Series I" radio button.

This post can be edited by most users to provide up-to-date information about developments of this thread based on user responses, and user findings. Feel free to add, change or remove information shown here as it becomes available. This includes new coupons, rebates, ideas, thread summary, and similar items.


----------

You can copy/paste password at treasurydirect.gov

Auto method:
1. setup a bookmarklet in Firefox or Chrome by creating a new bookmark and putting the following in the URL section and save:
Code:
javascript:Array.from(document.getElementsByTagName("input")).forEach((el)=>el.removeAttribute("readonly"))
2. When you reach the TD.gov password page click on this bookmark. Now you can enter the password without using virtual keyboard.

Manual method:
1. Press F12 to show the raw HTML code
2. Click the Picker and click on the read-only password editbox
3. Delete the readonly stuff in code
4. The password box is no longer readonly to you. Now you can enter the password without using virtual keyboard or press the Auto fill button on your password manager and log in


Per @cinderblockfist -- Form 5444 on the Treasury site has been updated (Aug 2022) to allow notary signatures.

This is a good article that provides step-by-step instructions on how to buy Series I bonds from Treasury Direct. "Bonds' Record-High Rates Are Worth the Hassle: How to Purchase Savings Bonds Online":
https://www.cnet.com/personal-fin...ds-online/

Your comment cannot be blank.

Featured Comments

If you buy by the end of April, you will get 7.12% for the first 6 months, and 9.62% for the 6 months after that (you are locked in at 9.62% for the second 6 months even if the rate for the period starting Nov 2022 is lower). Even if you could, why would you want to take your money out while you are earning 9.62%? You can take your money out after 12 months and before 5 years with a penalty equal to the last three months of interest.

Also, it is highly unlikely that inflation is going to go down to 0% anytime soon, so most of us will just leave the money in there for at least 5 years if not longer. Sure beats the 0.5% - 1% savings interest I was getting.
Assuming you want to hold for 18 months:

Buy today: 7.12% for next 6 mo + 9.6% for 6 mo after + (unknown)% for next 6 mon

Buy in May: 9.6% for 6 mo after + (unknown)% for next 6 mon + (unknown)% for next 6 mon
Certainly emergencies can happen, and you should never invest money that is set aside for an emergency fund in things like this for that reason. But the majority of people buying these bonds realize that and are investing money they will not need to access in that time frame. If you only have 10k savings total, you should probably not invest it in these bonds.

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Joined Jul 2006
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coolcoder
04-28-2022 at 07:34 PM.

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank coolcoder

04-28-2022 at 07:34 PM.
Quote from tennis8363 :
Yawn, just prepping my popcorn for about 8 months from now when people want their money out... and can't Smilie
If you buy by the end of April, you will get 7.12% for the first 6 months, and 9.62% for the 6 months after that (you are locked in at 9.62% for the second 6 months even if the rate for the period starting Nov 2022 is lower). Even if you could, why would you want to take your money out while you are earning 9.62%? You can take your money out after 12 months and before 5 years with a penalty equal to the last three months of interest.

Also, it is highly unlikely that inflation is going to go down to 0% anytime soon, so most of us will just leave the money in there for at least 5 years if not longer. Sure beats the 0.5% - 1% savings interest I was getting.
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siddartha084
04-28-2022 at 07:36 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:36 PM.
Can we buy these while on h1b?
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Joined Jul 2006
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coolcoder
04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.
Quote from ValueRanger :
I was told by an financial advisor that the rate can go down ... every 3 months? Not so sure if it's guaranteed rate for 12 months.
If you buy today, the 7.12% is guaranteed for the first 6 months. The rate for the second 6 month period is then set to whatever the current rate is on the day the second 6 month period starts, which is 9.62%, so that rate is then locked in for the second 6 month period. So yes, the rate is guaranteed for 12 months. This is an incredible deal for a guaranteed return investment, and you don't have to pay state income taxes on the interest.
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shj
04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.
Quote from siddartha084 :
Can we buy these while on h1b?
Yes. Even F1 students can. Just need SSN

Buy today if you want to lock in a good rate though. It's the last day for 7.12% lock
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Joined Nov 2010
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shj
04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank shj

04-28-2022 at 07:40 PM.
Quote from ValueRanger :
I was told by an financial advisor that the rate can go down ... every 3 months? Not so sure if it's guaranteed rate for 12 months.
Lol…. Get rid of that financial advisor
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skywalker24
04-28-2022 at 07:49 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:49 PM.
Ok, I'm a dumb-dumb. Can someone please explain why I'd want to lock in this combined rate of 8.5% rather than wait til May when it supposedly will go even higher to 9.62%?
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ValueRanger
04-28-2022 at 07:51 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:51 PM.
Quote from coolcoder :
If you buy today, the 7.12% is guaranteed for the first 6 months. The rate for the second 6 month period is then set to whatever the current rate is on the day the second 6 month period starts, which is 9.62%, so that rate is then locked in for the second 6 month period. So yes, the rate is guaranteed for 12 months. This is an incredible deal for a guaranteed return investment, and you don't have to pay state income taxes on the interest.
How does that work if the rate is supposed to go up next month?
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hdlk
04-28-2022 at 07:52 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:52 PM.
Do I just need to click purchase on the day of to lock in the rate? I'm assuming it takes a few days before the funds leave my bank account to treasury direct

And what happens if I buy in early May instead of tomorrow?
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Original Poster
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Libertarian
04-28-2022 at 07:53 PM.
04-28-2022 at 07:53 PM.
Quote from skywalker24 :
Ok, I'm a dumb-dumb. Can someone please explain why I'd want to lock in this combined rate of 8.5% rather than wait til May when it supposedly will go even higher to 9.62%?

Because the 9.62% is only guaranteed for 6 months.
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Last edited by Libertarian April 28, 2022 at 09:10 PM.
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