How are discount Treasury bonds taxed at maturity?
For bonds with very small discounts: If the discount is less than 0.25% of the bond's face value times the number of years to maturity, the discount is taxed as a capital gain in the year the bond matures.
Key Takeaways
Interest from Treasury bills (T-bills) is subject to federal income taxes but not state or local taxes. The interest income received in a year is recorded on Form 1099-INT. Investors can opt to have up to 50% of their Treasury bills' interest earnings automatically withheld.
Tax on capital gains
A capital gain is tax terminology for a profit. If you bought the bond when it was issued at its original issue price and hold it until maturity, you generally will not recognize a capital gain (or loss). As a result, you likely won't incur any capital gains tax.
- 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.
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.
When the bill matures, you are paid its face value. You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures.
When a Treasury bond matures – meaning it has reached its maturity date and expires – the investor is paid out the full face value of the bond. So if the bondholder holds a Treasury bond worth $10,000, he or she will receive the $10,000 principal back, as well as earning interest on the investment.
Holding a bond until maturity, instead of selling it early on the secondary market can help you avoid paying taxes on capital gains. However, you still owe tax on any taxable interest generated by the bond while you owned it.
When those bonds mature and stop earning interest, it is time to redeem them. Redeeming bonds is easy - just take them to a local bank or send them to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
T-Bill Tax Considerations
The interest income that you may receive from investing in a treasury bill is exempt from any state or local income taxes, regardless of the state where you file your taxes. However, you will need to report interest income from these investments on your federal tax return.
Do you have to pay taxes on cashed Treasury bonds?
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.
Key Takeaways
The interest you receive from muni bonds is free from federal taxes but there may be state or local taxes or both. Beware: If you receive Social Security, your bond interest will be counted as income in calculating the taxable amount of your Social Security income. That could increase the amount you owe.
Interest from Treasuries is generally taxable at the federal level, but not at the state level. Interest from munis is generally exempt from federal taxes, and if you live in the state where the bond was issued, the interest may also be exempt from state taxes.
As with other government securities, investment income on Treasury bills is taxed federally by the Internal Revenue Service. Income earned from Treasury bills is not subject to state tax, and is not subject to local income taxes. Treasury bill income is, in other words, partially but not entirely tax-exempt.
Each month, the T-bill ETF distributes taxable income to its shareholders, reflecting interest harvested from the short-term Treasuries it owns. Those earnings are taxable at the ordinary income tax rate that applies to salary, as much as 37%.
Key takeaways. Treasury bills have short-term maturities and pay interest at maturity. Treasury notes have mid-range maturities and pay interest every 6 months. Treasury bonds have long maturities and pay interest every 6 months.
Treasury bonds are considered risk-free assets, meaning there is no risk that the investor will lose their principal. In other words, investors that hold the bond until maturity are guaranteed their principal or initial investment.
To sell a bill you hold in TreasuryDirect or Legacy TreasuryDirect, first transfer the bill to a bank, broker, or dealer, then ask the bank, broker, or dealer to sell the bill for you.
While interest rates and inflation can affect Treasury bill rates, they're generally considered a lower-risk (but lower-reward) investment than other debt securities. Treasury bills are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. If held to maturity, T-bills are considered virtually risk-free.
A Treasury bond pays a "coupon rate." This is the percentage return paid to the investor periodically until its maturity date. Treasury bonds also are traded in the market. As fewer payments remain to be made, its yield falls, as does its value in the market.
What are the 3 types of Treasury bonds?
The types of Treasury bonds include Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), and Floating-rate notes (FRNs). The different types of Treasury bonds differ in maturity dates, interest payments, and where they are sold.
When buying munis on the secondary market, investors must be aware that bonds purchased at a discount (less than par value) will be taxed upon redemption at the capital gains rate. Note that this tax does not apply to coupon payments, only the principal of the bond.
One of the primary benefits of discount bonds is the higher yield for investors. The investors purchase bonds at a lower price than the face value of the bond, yet repaid with the par value at the maturity. Some of such bonds are even sold at a 20% or more discount.
You can report the interest each year you earn it or when you cash the bond. You will report it on Schedule B of your 1040. You can avoid these taxes by using the money for qualified higher education expenses.
While the Treasury will not penalize you for holding a U.S. Savings Bond past its date of maturity, the Internal Revenue Service will. Interest accumulated over the life of a U.S. Savings Bond must be reported on your 1040 form for the tax year in which you redeem the bond or it reaches final maturity.
