United States savings bonds mature 30 years after their issue date. That applies to both Series EE and Series I bonds, the two types the Treasury sells today. Once a bond reaches that 30-year mark, it stops earning interest, and holding it any longer does nothing but expose the value to inflation. Older Series E and Series HH bonds have shorter timelines, and every one of them has already reached final maturity.
Series EE Bonds: 30 Years, With a Guarantee at Year 20
Series EE bonds issued since May 2005 earn a fixed interest rate set at the time of purchase and locked in for the life of the bond. For bonds issued between November 2025 and April 2026, that fixed rate is 2.50% per year. The Treasury announces new rates every May 1 and November 1.1TreasuryDirect. Fiscal Service Announces New Savings Bonds Rates
An EE bond hits original maturity at 20 years. At that point the Treasury guarantees the bond is worth at least twice what you paid for it. If accumulated interest hasn’t gotten there on its own, the Treasury makes a one-time adjustment to close the gap.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 Subpart B – Series EE Savings Bonds With Issue Dates of May 1, 2005, or Thereafter Because a fixed rate of 2.50% wouldn’t quite double a bond over 20 years on its own, that guarantee meaningfully boosts the return for anyone who holds to the 20-year mark.
After the doubling adjustment, the bond keeps earning interest at its original fixed rate for another 10 years. At year 30 it reaches final maturity and stops paying anything further.3eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
Series I Bonds: 30 Years With Rates That Reset
Series I bonds also earn interest for 30 years, but their rate is not fixed. The composite rate combines a fixed rate that stays with the bond for life and a variable inflation rate that resets every May and November based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.4TreasuryDirect. I Bonds Interest Rates For bonds issued between November 2025 and April 2026, the composite rate is 4.03%.1TreasuryDirect. Fiscal Service Announces New Savings Bonds Rates
I bonds carry no doubling guarantee. What you end up with depends entirely on how inflation moves over the bond’s life. Interest is added monthly and compounded semiannually until year 30, when the bond stops earning.5TreasuryDirect. I Bonds
The One-Year Lockup and Five-Year Penalty
The 30-year maturity date is the outer limit, not the earliest date you can redeem. You cannot cash an EE or I bond during the first 12 months after purchase. After that, you can redeem at any time, but cashing before five years costs you the last three months of interest.6TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds Redeem after 18 months and you get 15 months of interest. After five years, there is no penalty for early redemption.
Older Bonds That Have Already Matured
If you found a savings bond in a drawer or safe deposit box, there is a strong chance it stopped earning interest years ago.
Series E
Series E bonds were sold from May 1941 through June 1980. Bonds issued between May 1941 and November 1965 had a 40-year maturity; the last of those stopped earning in November 2005. Bonds issued between December 1965 and June 1980 had a 30-year maturity, and the last of those stopped earning in June 2010.7eCFR. 31 CFR 316.8 – Extended Terms and Yields for Outstanding Bonds Every Series E bond ever issued has already reached final maturity.8TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart
Series HH
Series HH bonds worked differently: instead of accumulating interest inside the bond, they paid interest directly to the owner every six months. They were mostly obtained by exchanging matured Series E or EE bonds, and the Treasury stopped offering them on August 31, 2004. HH bonds have a 20-year maturity, so the final ones reached maturity in 2024. All HH bonds have stopped paying interest, and owners should redeem them for their remaining principal value.9eCFR. 31 CFR Part 352 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series HH
How to Check a Specific Bond
The Treasury runs a free Savings Bond Calculator at treasurydirect.gov/BC/SBCPrice that returns a paper bond’s current value, interest earned, and maturity date. You need three pieces of information from the certificate:10TreasuryDirect. Savings Bond Calculator
- Series type, printed near the top (“Series EE,” “Series I,” or “Series E”)
- Issue date, in the upper right corner, showing the month and year the bond was issued
- Denomination, the face value printed on the bond
For electronic bonds, log in to your TreasuryDirect account. The holdings page shows purchase date, current value, rate, and maturity date for each bond.
Cashing a Matured Bond
Once a bond has reached final maturity, redeem it. It is no longer growing, and interest lost to inflation cannot be recovered.
For paper bonds, the simplest route is a bank or credit union. Bring the bond and government-issued photo identification. Banks differ in how much they will cash at one time, and some do not cash savings bonds at all, so call the branch first.6TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds
If a bank cannot help, mail the bonds directly to the Treasury. Complete FS Form 1522, the official request for payment of savings securities. If the total value exceeds $1,000, your signature on the form must be certified by a notary or authorized certifying officer. Mail the completed form and unsigned bonds to the address on the form.6TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds
For electronic bonds, log in to TreasuryDirect, go to ManageDirect, and select “Redeem securities.” Proceeds arrive in your linked bank account within a few business days.6TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds
The Tax Bill Comes Due at Maturity
Interest on EE and I bonds is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local income taxes.11TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds
Most owners defer the tax and pay it in the year they cash the bond or the year the bond reaches final maturity, whichever comes first. In that year the Treasury issues a Form 1099-INT for the total interest earned.11TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds The alternative is to report interest each year as it accrues, which some families use for bonds held in a child’s name.
Here is the trap. If you sit on a fully matured bond without cashing it, you still owe federal income tax on the accumulated interest for the year the bond stopped earning, even though no cash has come in. That is one of the strongest reasons to redeem promptly once a bond hits year 30.