No, you can’t buy I bonds at a bank. The U.S. Treasury ended over-the-counter sales of savings bonds on January 1, 2012, and electronic Series I savings bonds are now sold only through a TreasuryDirect account at TreasuryDirect.gov.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 359 Subpart B – Definitive Series I Savings Bonds No teller, broker, or financial advisor can sell them to you or buy them on your behalf.
Why Banks No Longer Sell I Bonds
Before 2012, you could walk up to a teller window at a bank or credit union and buy paper savings bonds. That option ended effective January 1, 2012, when the Treasury moved savings bonds to a digital-only system.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 359 Subpart B – Definitive Series I Savings Bonds – Section 359.34 Payroll savings plans were phased out even earlier: 2010 for federal employees and 2011 for everyone else.
The regulations governing electronic savings bonds (31 CFR Part 363) now require that every purchase happen online through TreasuryDirect.3eCFR. 31 CFR Part 363 – Regulations Governing Securities Held in TreasuryDirect – Section 363.37 There is no bank channel, no brokerage channel, and no in-person channel.
The Paper I Bond Workaround Is Also Gone
For years, one small exception let you get paper I bonds without a TreasuryDirect account: you could direct part of your federal tax refund to buy them by filing IRS Form 8888. That program ended on January 1, 2025.4TreasuryDirect. Using Your Income Tax Refund to Buy Paper Savings Bonds The Treasury said it was costly, infrequently used, and that mailed paper bonds were exposed to fraud, theft, and loss.
Form 8888 still exists, but it now only splits a direct-deposit refund among multiple bank accounts. It can no longer be used to buy bonds.5Internal Revenue Service. Form 8888 (Rev. December 2025) – Allocation of Refund So TreasuryDirect is the sole purchase channel for new I bonds, in any form.
How to Buy I Bonds Now
Open a TreasuryDirect Account
To open an individual TreasuryDirect account, you need to be at least 18, legally competent, and have a valid Social Security number, a U.S. address, and a bank account at a U.S. financial institution that accepts ACH transfers.6GovInfo. 31 CFR 363.11 – TreasuryDirect Account Eligibility
Go to TreasuryDirect.gov, choose “Open an Account,” and select “Individual.” Enter your Social Security number, physical address, and the routing and account numbers for the bank account you want linked. The Treasury will debit purchase funds from that account and deposit redemption proceeds back into it. Wrong routing or account numbers will cause your purchase to fail, so check them carefully.
Place the Purchase
Once your account is active, log in, click “BuyDirect,” and pick Series I Savings Bonds. Enter any dollar amount from $25 to $10,000, to the penny; $37.52 works just as well as a round number.7TreasuryDirect. Buying Savings Bonds The Treasury debits your linked bank account, and your holdings appear under “Current Holdings” on your dashboard.
Annual Purchase Limit
You can buy up to $10,000 in electronic Series I bonds per Social Security number per calendar year.7TreasuryDirect. Buying Savings Bonds This is separate from the $10,000 limit on Series EE bonds, so you can buy up to $10,000 of each in the same year. Bonds you give as gifts count toward the recipient’s limit when delivered to their account, not toward yours.
Buying for a Child
A parent or guardian can open a minor linked account inside their own TreasuryDirect account for a child under 18. The child is the legal owner of the bonds, but the adult custodian controls the account.8eCFR. 31 CFR 363.10 – What Is a TreasuryDirect Account Only individuals can open minor accounts, not businesses or trusts, and the child gets their own $10,000 annual limit.
Buying as a Gift
To purchase an I bond as a gift, you’ll need the recipient’s full name and Social Security number at the time of purchase, since the bond is registered to them and that registration can’t be changed.9eCFR. 31 CFR 363.96 – What Do I Need to Know if I Initially Purchase a Bond as a Gift You can deliver it immediately or hold it in your account’s gift box. If you die before delivering it, the bond still belongs to the named recipient regardless of your will.
When a Bank Visit Still Comes Up
A bank can play a small supporting role in two situations, even though you aren’t buying anything there.
First, if TreasuryDirect can’t verify your identity online during account setup, you’ll need to complete FS Form 5444 and sign it in ink in front of a notary public or certifying officer. Banks and credit unions commonly provide that service.10Department of the Treasury. FS Form 5444 – TreasuryDirect Account Authorization Mail the completed form to Treasury Retail Securities Services, PO Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150.
Second, if you already hold paper I bonds from before the paper program ended, most banks and credit unions will cash them for you. You can also convert them to electronic form through TreasuryDirect’s SmartExchange feature. Existing paper I bonds continue earning interest normally; only new purchases are blocked.
The Bottom Line
Buying I bonds today means going to TreasuryDirect.gov and opening an account online. Banks and credit unions are out of the sale side of the business, and the paper-bond tax-refund option ended in 2025. The one thread still connecting I bonds to your bank is the ACH link between your checking account and your TreasuryDirect account, which is how money moves in when you buy and back out when you cash.