Series EE savings bonds stop earning interest 30 years after their issue date. Treasury calls this “final maturity,” and it applies to every EE bond ever issued, no matter the interest rate, purchase price, or how the bond is held.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 Subpart B – Series EE Savings Bonds With Issue Dates of May 1, 2005, or Thereafter Once that date hits, growth is zero, and any interest you’ve been deferring becomes taxable that year whether or not you cash the bond.
The 30-Year Rule
The clock runs from the bond’s issue date, not the purchase date and not the date a gift bond was delivered. A bond issued in June 1996 stopped earning in June 2026. One issued in December 2005 will stop in December 2035.
The rule doesn’t bend for the rate the bond carries. A bond from the 1990s earning a guaranteed minimum in the 4% range hits final maturity on the same 30-year schedule as a bond issued last month at 2.50%.2TreasuryDirect. Fiscal Service Announces New Savings Bonds Rates After 30 years, both sit idle.
Electronic Bonds Cash Out Automatically. Paper Bonds Don’t.
If your EE bond is held electronically in a TreasuryDirect account, you don’t have to do anything at maturity. Treasury pays out the full redemption value, principal plus all accumulated interest, directly into your linked bank account on the day the bond’s 30-year life ends.3TreasuryDirect. Converting EE or I Paper Bonds to Electronic Bonds
Paper bonds are the trap. Treasury doesn’t send a check, a letter, or any other notice when a paper bond matures. The bond simply stops earning, and it stays in whatever drawer or safe deposit box you left it in, losing value to inflation every month.4TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds Tracking the timeline and submitting the bond for payment is entirely on you.
Twenty Years Is Not the Finish Line
A lot of holders confuse two different dates. For EE bonds issued since May 2005, Treasury guarantees the bond will double in value by its 20th anniversary. If the fixed rate alone doesn’t get it there, Treasury adds a one-time adjustment at year 20 to make up the difference.4TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds
That doubling point is “original maturity.” It isn’t when the bond stops earning. The bond continues accruing interest for another full decade, potentially growing well beyond its face value, and only stops at year 30.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 Subpart B – Series EE Savings Bonds With Issue Dates of May 1, 2005, or Thereafter Cashing at the 20-year mark forfeits up to 10 more years of compounding. Unless you need the money, holding through year 30 is almost always the better call.
The Tax Bill Arrives at Maturity Whether You Cash or Not
This is what catches people off guard. Interest on EE bonds is subject to federal income tax, though exempt from state and local income tax.5TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds Most bondholders defer reporting the interest until they cash the bond, which is allowed: the IRS lets you postpone reporting until the earlier of the year you cash the bond or the year it matures.6Internal Revenue Service. Publication 550 (2025), Investment Income and Expenses
The trigger word is “matures.” When your bond hits its 30-year final maturity, all the deferred interest becomes taxable that year, whether or not you actually redeem the bond. For a bond that doubled and then kept growing, thousands of dollars of interest can land on a single year’s return. A matured paper bond sitting in a drawer still owes the tax.
When you do redeem, you’ll receive a 1099-INT reporting the interest.7Internal Revenue Service. Savings Bonds 1 If you reported interest annually in prior years instead of deferring, you won’t be taxed twice, but you need records of what you already reported.
How to Check When Your Bond Stops Earning
On a paper bond, the issue date is printed on the right side of the certificate, below the series designation. The series appears in the upper right corner and the denomination in the upper left.8TreasuryDirect. Savings Bond Calculator – Detailed Instructions Add 30 years and you have the final maturity date.
To see what a paper bond is currently worth and when it will next accrue, enter its details into the TreasuryDirect Savings Bond Calculator. The calculator covers paper EE, E, and I bonds only, not electronic ones. For electronic bonds, log into TreasuryDirect and the current value and maturity date appear in your holdings.
Cashing a Matured Paper Bond
The simplest route is to bring the paper bond and a valid photo ID to a bank where you have an account. Some banks will cash savings bonds for their own customers on the spot, though a growing number have stopped offering the service. If your bank won’t process it, redemption goes through Treasury by mail.9TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds
The mail-in process uses FS Form 1522. You fill in your Social Security number, banking details for direct deposit, and the bond’s serial number and denomination, then mail the completed form with the physical bond to the address printed on it.10TreasuryDirect. How to Redeem Paper Savings Bonds (FS Form 1522) A signature certification from a bank officer or notary may be required. Processing takes several weeks after Treasury receives the package.
If the Owner Has Died
What happens depends on how the bond is registered. If a surviving co-owner or named beneficiary is listed on the bond, that person can redeem it by presenting the bond, proof of identity, and a death certificate.
If no co-owner or beneficiary is named, the bonds become part of the deceased owner’s estate. When the total redemption value of the decedent’s Treasury securities is $100,000 or less, a voluntary representative can claim them without formal probate. Above that threshold, the estate must go through formal administration before the bonds can be redeemed.11eCFR. 31 CFR Part 315 Subpart L – Deceased Owner, Coowner or Beneficiary Leaving a matured bond in a deceased relative’s name doesn’t make the tax on the accumulated interest go away.
Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed Bonds
A missing paper bond isn’t lost money. Treasury keeps records of every savings bond ever issued and can reissue or pay a replacement. File FS Form 1048 with whatever you know: serial number, approximate issue date, Social Security number, and the names on the bond.12TreasuryDirect. Get Help for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed EE or I Savings Bond Separate versions of the form handle bonds issued before and after 1974 when the serial number is unknown.
If you suspect a relative bought bonds long ago but you have no certificates, the search now runs through state unclaimed property offices. Treasury’s Treasury Hunt search tool was retired in September 2025.13TreasuryDirect. Treasury Hunt – Searching for Treasury Securities Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, Treasury shares information about matured, unredeemed bonds with the states, and claims are processed by each state’s unclaimed property office.14U.S. Department of the Treasury. 2024 Report to Congress Under the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 A search can be started at unclaimed.org, run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.