Selling Treasury Bills — TreasuryDirect (2024)

FAQs

Selling Treasury Bills — TreasuryDirect? ›

You can hold Treasury bills until they mature or sell them before they mature. 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.

You can sell a T-Bill before its maturity date without penalty, although you will be charged a commission. (With CDs, you pay a sizeable penalty for early withdrawals.)

Investors can choose to hold Treasury notes until maturity or sell them early in the secondary market. There's no minimum holding term.

Treasury Bills, or T-bills, are short-term debt obligations issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. They are considered safe investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. T-bills are sold at a discount from their face value and mature at face value.

Electronic I bonds can be cashed online through TreasuryDirect.gov. Paper I bonds can be cashed online, or they may be accepted by some banks. If you hold an I bond for less than five years, you'll lose three months' interest.

You can hold Treasury bills until they mature or sell them before they mature. 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.

Bills are sold at a discount. The discount rate is determined at auction. Bills pay interest only at maturity. The interest is equal to the face value minus the purchase price.

However, income earned from Treasury bills is not subject to state tax or local income taxes. Are Treasury bills taxed as capital gains? Normally no. However, if you buy a T-bill in the secondary market and then achieve a profit, you may be liable for capital gains depending on your exact purchase price.

The only interest payment to you occurs when your bill matures. At that time, you are paid the par amount (also called face value) of the bill.

However if the Fed is selling T-Bills from its portfolio, and holding on to the money, it is pulling cash out of the economy which reduces the money in the banking system reducing the money being created and lowering the money supply as more money is destroyed by payments made on current loans than is being created ...

What happens when you sell a Treasury bond? ›

Investors who hold a bond to maturity (when it becomes due) get back the face value or "par value" of the bond. But investors who sell a bond before it matures may get a far different amount. For example, if interest rates have risen since the bond was purchased, the bondholder may have to sell at a discount—below par.

Redemption of T-bills

Can I redeem T-bills before maturity? No, you are not able to redeem your T-bills prior to maturity. However, you can sell your T-bills in the secondary market through DBS, OCBC or UOB by visiting their branches. You should indicate whether you are using cash, SRS or CPFIS funds.

You just bought a security from the U.S. Treasury. Securities are generally issued to your account within two business days of the purchase date for savings bonds or within one week of the auction date for Bills, Notes, Bonds, FRNs, and TIPS.

Investors who hold a bond to maturity (when it becomes due) get back the face value or "par value" of the bond. But investors who sell a bond before it matures may get a far different amount. For example, if interest rates have risen since the bond was purchased, the bondholder may have to sell at a discount—below par.

Selling prior to maturity – Treasuries and CDs sold prior to maturity (as opposed to allowing the positions to mature according to the schedule) are subject to a trading mark-down, and may result in a substantial gain or loss due to interest rate changes and other factors.