Series EE and Series I savings bonds reach final maturity 30 years after their issue date, and at that moment they stop earning interest for good. Every Series E bond ever issued has already passed this point, and every Series EE bond bought in 1996 will hit its 30-year mark sometime during 2026. Once a bond stops earning, the value is frozen; leaving it in a drawer costs you whatever that money could have earned elsewhere.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
Final Maturity Dates by Series
The lifespan depends on the series and the issue date. Every bond earns through its original maturity period and then rolls automatically into an extension until it hits the 30-year (or in some cases 40-year or 20-year) endpoint. No paperwork triggers the extension, and no paperwork stops the clock at the end.
- Series EE: 30 years from the issue date, regardless of when purchased.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
- Series I: 30 years from the issue date. The first I bonds were issued in September 1998, so none will reach final maturity until 2028.2eCFR. 31 CFR 359.5 – What Is the Maturity Period of a Series I Savings Bond
- Series E issued May 1941 through November 1965: 40 years total. All stopped earning no later than November 2005.3TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart
- Series E issued December 1965 through June 1980: 30 years total. The last stopped earning by June 2010.3TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart
- Series HH: 20 years from the issue date. HH bonds paid interest by direct deposit rather than accumulating value. The last HH bonds were issued in August 2004, and every HH bond reached final maturity by August 2024.4eCFR. 31 CFR Part 352 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series HH
The 1996 EE Cohort Reaching Maturity in 2026
Every Series EE bond issued in 1996 reaches its 30-year endpoint during 2026. A bond dated January 1996 stopped earning in January 2026; one dated December 1996 stops in December 2026. If you bought EE bonds that year or received them as gifts, each one freezes in value in the month matching its issue date. No other outstanding series has a group reaching final maturity this year.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
How To Check Your Own Bond
On a paper bond, the issue date is printed in the upper right corner as a month and year. Add 30 years for EE and I bonds, and that’s the month interest stops. Every old Series E bond has already matured, so no math is needed there. For electronic bonds, log into your TreasuryDirect account and open the holding details; both the issue date and final maturity date are listed.
The Treasury’s Savings Bond Calculator handles paper bonds. Enter the series, denomination, and issue date, and it returns the current value, interest earned so far, and the final maturity date.5TreasuryDirect. Savings Bond Calculator Useful if you’ve inherited a pile of bonds and need to separate the ones still earning from the ones that quit years ago.
Taxes When a Bond Reaches Final Maturity
Most bondholders defer reporting interest year to year, letting it accumulate untaxed. That deferral ends at final maturity or at redemption, whichever comes first.6Internal Revenue Service. Publication 550, Investment Income and Expenses For electronic bonds in TreasuryDirect, the interest counts as received in the year the bond matures, whether you cash it or not. For paper bonds, the interest counts as received when you actually cash them.7TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Savings Bonds
Thirty years of interest hitting a single return can push you into a higher bracket. A $10,000 EE bond bought in 1996 that doubled to $20,000 produces $10,000 of interest income in one year. Multiply across several bonds and the tax bill grows quickly. The interest is subject to federal income tax and exempt from state and local income taxes.7TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Savings Bonds You’ll receive a 1099-INT from the bank that cashes the bond or, for electronic holdings, in your TreasuryDirect account by January 31 of the following year.
Rolling matured EE or E bonds into Series HH bonds was once a way to keep deferring. That option ended when the Treasury stopped issuing HH bonds in 2004. There is no rollover available now.
Education Exclusion
If bond proceeds pay qualified higher education expenses, some or all of the interest can be excluded from federal tax. The bonds must be Series EE or I issued after 1989, and you must have been at least 24 when they were issued. The tuition or fees must be for you, your spouse, or a dependent at an eligible institution.8Internal Revenue Service. Form 8815 – Exclusion of Interest From Series EE and I U.S. Savings Bonds The exclusion phases out at higher incomes. For 2026, single filers begin losing it around a modified adjusted gross income of $101,800 and lose it entirely above roughly $116,800. For joint filers the range runs from about $152,650 to $182,650. Married filing separately cannot claim it. Report the exclusion on IRS Form 8815.
Cashing a Matured Bond
There is no deadline. The government remains obligated to pay you whenever you show up.9Fiscal Data. Fiscal Data Explains U.S. Treasury Savings Bonds But a matured bond earns nothing, so each month of delay is a month your money sits idle.
Paper Bonds
Most banks and credit unions cash paper bonds, but policies vary. Some cap the amount they’ll redeem in one visit and some won’t cash them at all, so call before you go.10TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds Bring a valid government-issued photo ID and sign the bond in front of the bank officer who verifies you.11Federal Reserve Financial Services. Savings Bond Redemptions Frequently Asked Questions
If a bank can’t help, mail the bonds with a completed FS Form 1522 to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150.12TreasuryDirect. FS Form 1522 – Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities The Treasury reports mailed requests currently take three months or longer.13TreasuryDirect. TreasuryDirect Home
Electronic Bonds
Bonds in a TreasuryDirect account cash out through the site. Select the bond, choose to redeem, and the funds move to your linked bank account. Keep your banking information current in TreasuryDirect so the deposit doesn’t stall.
Bonds Owned by Someone Who Has Died
Matured bonds cannot be reissued into a new owner’s name. The only path is to cash them.14TreasuryDirect. Savings Bonds – Redemption and Reissue Instructions for Administered Estates (FS Publication 0064) The estate’s legal representative needs:
- A certified copy of letters of appointment from the court, with a legible seal, dated within one year or stamped as still in effect.
- Certified death certificates for anyone deceased who is named on the bonds. The Treasury does not return these.
- FS Form 1522, if the bonds can’t be cashed at a local bank. The representative signs with their official title and includes the estate identification number.
Series EE, E, and I bonds can often be cashed at a local bank. Series HH and H bonds must be mailed to Treasury Retail Securities Services.14TreasuryDirect. Savings Bonds – Redemption and Reissue Instructions for Administered Estates (FS Publication 0064) All bonds must be signed before an authorized certifying officer at a financial institution, who signs, gives their title, and applies the institution’s official stamp.
Lost, Destroyed, or Forgotten Bonds
Paper bonds get lost in moves, damaged by water, or destroyed by fire. File FS Form 1048 to claim them. Describe the missing bonds, including serial numbers if you have them, explain the circumstances, and have your signature notarized or certified. Send in any remaining fragments if the bonds were physically destroyed. For claims over $5,000 where police or an insurer investigated, include a copy of that report. In a federally declared disaster area, complete only the portions the form requires and write “DISASTER” on the first page and the envelope.15TreasuryDirect. Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds (FS Form 1048)
If you suspect a deceased relative, or a younger version of yourself, bought bonds that never got cashed, the search route changed recently. Under the SECURE Act 2.0, the Treasury’s “Treasury Hunt” lookup tool shut down in September 2025. Inquiries about unredeemed or matured savings bonds now go through individual states’ unclaimed property programs, which can access the Treasury’s database and help you file a claim.16TreasuryDirect. Treasury Hunt Contact your state’s unclaimed property office first. Many offer free online searches. If bonds have already been turned over to the state, the claim runs through the state rather than the Treasury.