Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) are bonds that offset the effects of inflation by adjusting the value of the principal.
TIPS pay a fixed rate of interest every six months until they mature. Because we pay interest on the adjusted principal, the amount of interest payment also varies. You can hold a TIPS until it matures or sell it before it matures. The rate is fixed at auction and is never less than 0.125%.
“Qualified tips” are voluntary cash or charged tips received from customers including shared tips. Maximum annual deduction is $25,000. If you’re self-employed, the deduction can’t exceed your net income, before this deduction, from the trade or business where tips were earned.
Definition: The “real yield to maturity” of a TIPS is its yield above future U.S. inflation, over the term of the TIPS. So a real yield of 1.90% means an investment in this TIPS would provide a return that exceeds official U.S. inflation by 1.90% for 9 years, 10 months.
See the chart and table below for the latest TIPS yields based on current market data, along with charts showing historical yields for different TIPS maturities. TIPS market prices and yields are impacted by seasonality.
10-Year TIPS Yield: 2.60% as of . Units: Percent Frequency: Daily Release: H.15 Selected Interest Rates Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (US)
Despite the “No Tax on Tips” label, the tip deduction does not completely eliminate taxes on tips. Some people may still owe federal income tax on their tips, payroll taxes still apply to tips, and your state might also tax tips. The tip deduction is temporary – it only applies for the 2025 to 2028 tax years.
No Tax on Tips: How It Works in the One Big Beautiful Bill
Investing in Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS, can help combat inflationary pressures on your investment portfolio. TIPS are U.S. Treasury bonds that protect against inflation.
Today, as I update this Q&A in June 2025, TIPS are a popular hedge against future inflation, paying a real yield to maturity that’s close to record highs for longer-term issues. This follows more than a decade (2011 to 2022) of very low real yields, and often negative real yields.
The One, Big, Beautiful Bill final regulations provide the list of occupations that receive tips and define “qualified tips” that eligible taxpayers may claim as a deduction.