Interest earned on all U.S. Treasury securities, including Treasury bills (T-Bills), is exempt from taxation at the state and local level but is fully taxable at the federal level. At the end of each tax year or early in the next (by Jan. 31), owners of Treasury bills should receive a Form 1099-INT from the Dept. of the Treasury. This form details how much interest was earned on government securities for the year—information that is also filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
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.
- If you live in a state with high local taxes, T-bills might be more advantageous than other short-term fixed instruments, like CDs.
Understanding Treasury Bills (T-Bills)
But first, a quick recap of the asset. Treasury bills are short-term debt obligations that are fully backed by the faith and credit of the U.S. government. They are sold in denominations of $100 up to $5 million. T-bill maturity durations are all less than one calendar year. Common maturity durations are one month, three months (13 weeks), or six months (26 weeks).
Like all Treasury securities, T-bills are considered to be risk-free assets. The likelihood of the U.S. government defaulting on debt obligations is incredibly low, given its ability to tax and print money and, of course, the general strength and reputation of the U.S.
It was this reputation for safety that, during the 2007-2008 financial crisis, caused investors to flock to Treasury securities as losses in stocks and other assets in their portfolios mounted. Those who had already invested heavily in Treasury securities prior to the crisis did successfully safeguard their capital.
Tax Rate of Treasury Bills
The interest earned by a T-bill is taxable as investment income in the year the bill matures. It must be reported on your federal tax return, Form 1040, and is taxed at the investor's marginal tax rate.
Even if you don't receive a Form 1099-INT for some reason, you are responsible for reporting the interest income generated by your T-bills and paying taxes on that amount.
If you buy a T-bill at a discounted price and then sell it at a premium price, that profit might also be taxable as a capital gain.
The federal tax burden can be eased through automatic tax withholding. Investors who own Treasury bills can opt to have up to 50% of their interest earnings automatically withheld; the exact percentage can be specified through any retail securities site. The Treasury automatically transfers the withholdings to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and reports the amount that is withheld on the 1099-INT form.
Tax Advantages of T-Bills
Although T-bills don't pay the highest interest rate (the tradeoff for being so low-risk), their exemption from state and local taxes can give them an advantage over other short-term, fixed-income assets, such as certificates of deposit (CDs)—especially for investors living in high-income-tax states, such as California, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon. CDs are fully taxable.
To compare the interest rate from a CD with the rate from a Treasury bill and see which works out better tax-wise, you have to calculate the after-tax yields for both investments.
As an example, say that you are a single taxpayer in New York with an income of $100,000 per year, and the one-year Treasury bill you are looking at yields 0.07% (as it is as of April 21, 2021). The federal tax rate for your income level is 24%, and the state income tax rate is 6.33%.
After federal taxes, your net earnings from the Treasury bill will be only 0.053%, or 0.07% x (100% - 24%). But the tax rate on the CD is higher since it also includes state taxes.
You would only keep 69.67% of the yields after taxes (100% - 24% - 6.33%). Divide 0.00053, the after-tax yield of the Treasury bill, by 0.7003 to get 0.00076, the equivalent yield for a certificate of deposit. A CD must therefore yield more than 0.076% to be a better deal than the Treasury at your income level.
Correction—June 9, 2022: An earlier version of this article incorrectly calculated the equivalent yields between Treasuries and CDs.
FAQs
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.
How are Treasury bills taxed? ›
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.
How much does a $1000 T-bill cost? ›
To calculate the price, take 180 days and multiply by 1.5 to get 270. Then, divide by 360 to get 0.75, and subtract 100 minus 0.75. The answer is 99.25. Because you're buying a $1,000 Treasury bill instead of one for $100, multiply 99.25 by 10 to get the final price of $992.50.
What happens when T-bill matures? ›
When the bill matures, you are paid its face value. You can hold a bill until it matures or sell it before it matures.
How do you avoid tax on Treasury bonds? ›
The Treasury gives you two options:
- 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.
Taxation. Interest income from Treasury securities is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local taxes. Income from Treasury bills is paid at maturity and, thus, tax-reportable in the year in which it is received.
Are Treasury bills taxed as capital gains or ordinary income? ›
When short term T bills mature, the interest income is mistakenly shown as capital gains in tax reports. The interest is taxable on Fed, tax exempt on most states. T bills are short term zero coupon purchased at a discount and paid at face vale at maturity.
How do Treasury bills work for dummies? ›
Treasury bills, or bills, are typically issued at a discount from the par amount (also called face value). For example, if you buy a $1,000 bill at a price per $100 of $99.986111, then you would pay $999.86 ($1,000 x . 99986111 = $999.86111). * When the bill matures, you would be paid its face value, $1,000.
How much can you make on a 3 month treasury bill? ›
3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is at 5.25%, compared to 5.25% the previous market day and 5.01% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 4.19%. The 3 Month Treasury Bill Rate is the yield received for investing in a government issued treasury security that has a maturity of 3 months.
What is the largest T bill you can buy? ›
T-bills sell in increments of $100 up to a maximum of $10 million, and you can buy them directly from the government through its TreasuryDirect website, or through a brokerage, bank or self-directed retirement account, like a Roth IRA.
T-bills pay a fixed rate of interest, which can provide a stable income. However, if interest rates rise, existing T-bills fall out of favor since their return is less than the market. T-bills have interest rate risk, which means there is a risk that existing bondholders might lose out on higher rates in the future.
Can I sell my T-bill early? ›
You can hold Treasury bills until they mature or sell them before they mature.
What happens when a T-bill is reinvested? ›
Bills can be scheduled for reinvestment for up to two years; other eligible Treasury marketable securities can be scheduled to reinvest one time. When your bill matures, the proceeds will be reinvested or used to purchase the next available security of the same type and term as the original purchase.
Will I get a 1099 from TreasuryDirect? ›
If you invest in TreasuryDirect, your 1099 will be available electronically and you can print the form from your account. 1099 forms are available by January 31 of each tax year.
Is interest on T-bills taxable? ›
The interest earned from investments in Treasury bills is taxable at the federal level, but is not subject to state and local income taxes.
Which Treasury bonds are tax free? ›
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.
What happens if you sell a treasury bill before it matures? ›
Treasury bonds, notes, and bills have no default risk since the U.S. government guarantees them. Investors will receive the bond's face value if they hold it to maturity. However, if sold before maturity, your gain or loss depends on the difference between the initial price and what you sold the Treasury for.
Which is better Treasury bills or CDs? ›
If you live in a state with income taxes, and rates are similar for CDs and T-bills, then it makes sense to go with a T-bill. The amount you save on taxes will likely result in a higher payout from a T-bill than a CD. Another benefit of T-bills is their liquidity. You can buy and sell them on a secondary market.
How are zero coupon Treasury bills taxed? ›
How Are Zero-Coupon Treasuries Taxed? Zero-coupon Treasuries are taxed as if you were receiving annual interest income, even though you won't receive any income until the bond matures.
What is the yield on a 52 week treasury bill? ›
| Bonds | Yield | Day |
|---|
| US 52W | 5.17 | -0.014% |
| US 2Y | 5.00 | 0% |
| US 3Y | 4.83 | 0.001% |
| US 5Y | 4.68 | -0.006% |
11 more rows