Estate Planning Information

Savings Bonds in Trust Form

At this time, the following information on trust registration applies only to paper bonds.

Bonds can be registered to trusts in the name of the trustee of a personal trust estate. Personal trust estates are defined in the governing regulations as trust estates established by natural persons in their own right for the benefit of themselves or other natural persons in whole or in part, and common trust funds comprised in whole or in part of such trust estates.

Bonds registered to individuals may be reissued to a personal trust estate as follows:

• Single ownership form may be reissued to a new sole owner including a trustee of a personal trust estate created by the owner or which designates as beneficiary either the owner or a person related to him/her by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage.
• Co-ownership form may be reissued to a trustee of a personal trust estate created by either co-owner or by someone else if either co-owner is a beneficiary of the trust or a beneficiary of the trust is related by blood or marriage to either co-owner.
• Beneficiary form may be reissued to eliminate the names of the owner and the beneficiary and to name as new owner the trustee of a personal trust estate, which was created by the owner or which designates as beneficiary either the owner or a person related to him/her by blood (including legal adoption) or marriage.

For information about reissuing bonds in a trust, see How to Reissue Bonds to a Trust.

Proper Registration

Registration of a bond issued to a trust must include:

• The full given name(s) of the trustee(s) and the full given name(s) of the grantor(s) of the trust.
• The surname must be shown for each trustee and grantor even if they both have the same surname.
• An adequate identifying reference, such as the date the trust was created, to the authority governing the trust.
• The SSN or employer identification number that the grantor uses to identify the trust.
• When more than one trustee is to be named in the registration, and all are required to execute any subsequent transaction request, "or" should not appear in the registration between their names.
• When the trustee and the grantor are the same person, bonds are registered "Trustee's name," trustee under declaration of trust dated "date of trust instrument."
• When the trustee and the grantor are not the same person, bonds are registered "Trustee's name," under agreement with "Grantor's name," dated "date of trust instrument."

Irrevocable and Revocable Trusts

An irrevocable trust is one that the grantor may not rescind or cancel. The governing regulations do not require that either term be included in the registration of bonds.

A revocable trust is one which the grantor has the option of rescinding or canceling.

More information on personal trusts is available in our Q&A.

Get information on reissuing bonds to a trust, submitting requests for reissue, and redeeming bonds belonging to a trust.