Yes. Savings bonds do stop earning interest after 30 years. Series EE and Series I bonds each reach final maturity exactly 30 years from their issue date, and once that date passes the Treasury adds no more value to them. Every older series — E, HH, A, B, C, D, F, G, J, K, and Savings Notes — has already reached final maturity and stopped growing.1TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart A matured bond sitting in a drawer or a TreasuryDirect account is an interest-free loan to the government.
The 30-Year Rule by Series
The final maturity date turns on which series you hold and, for older bonds, the exact month of issue.
- Series EE bonds earn interest for 30 years from the issue date. The 30 years are made up of an original maturity period plus one or two extensions, with the breakdown varying by issue date. No EE bond earns anything past the 30-year mark.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
- Series I bonds also earn for 30 years: a 20-year original maturity followed by a 10-year extension.3eCFR. 31 CFR Part 359 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series I
- Series E bonds earned interest for either 30 or 40 years, depending on the issue date. Bonds issued between May 1941 and November 1965 earned for 40 years; those issued from December 1965 through June 1980 earned for 30 years. Every Series E bond has now reached final maturity.1TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart
- Series HH bonds earned for 20 years total (10 years original plus a 10-year extension). Sales ended in August 2004, and the last HH bonds reached final maturity in August 2024.4eCFR. 31 CFR Part 352 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series HH
- Series A, B, C, D, F, G, J, K, and Savings Notes have all reached final maturity.1TreasuryDirect. Savings Securities Maturity Chart
The maturity date is a hard legal cutoff. No retroactive interest is added for bonds held past it, regardless of how long you wait to cash them.
How to Check Your Bond’s Maturity Date
You need three details: the series, the denomination (face value), and the issue date. On a paper bond, the series is printed in the upper left corner and the issue date appears on the face of the certificate.
Paper Bonds
The Treasury’s Savings Bond Calculator takes the series, denomination, and issue date of a paper bond and returns both the current value and the final maturity date. It works for Series EE, Series E, Series I, and Savings Notes.5TreasuryDirect. Paper Savings Bond Calculator Enter the information exactly as it appears on the bond. The specific month of issue can matter — EE bonds issued in early 1995, for example, have different original maturity terms than EE bonds issued a few months later.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE
Electronic Bonds
A TreasuryDirect account shows the current value, interest rate, and maturity date of each bond you hold. When an electronic bond reaches final maturity, the Treasury automatically transfers the proceeds into a Certificate of Indebtedness inside your account — a zero-interest holding account — where the funds stay until you move them to your bank.6TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds
Lost Bonds
The Treasury Hunt tool that once let you search by Social Security number was shut down on September 30, 2025 under the SECURE Act 2.0. Inquiries about unclaimed Treasury securities now go through your state’s unclaimed property program.7TreasuryDirect. Treasury Hunt Contact your state’s unclaimed property office or search its online database.
The EE Doubling Guarantee at 20 Years
If you own an EE bond that hasn’t yet reached 30 years, one milestone before final maturity is worth knowing about. For EE bonds bought since May 2005, the Treasury guarantees the bond will be worth at least double its purchase price at the 20-year mark. If the stated interest rate would not get it there on its own, the Treasury makes a one-time adjustment to close the gap.8TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds After that, the bond keeps earning at its fixed rate for the remaining 10 years until it hits 30 and stops. A $50 EE bond is guaranteed to be worth at least $100 at year 20, which works out to roughly a 3.5% effective annual return over those first two decades regardless of the bond’s face rate.
The Tax Bill at Final Maturity
Savings bond interest is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local income tax. It is also exempt from federal estate, gift, and excise taxes, along with state estate and inheritance taxes.6TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds
Most owners defer reporting interest until the money is actually received, either by cashing the bond or by the bond hitting final maturity. If you have been deferring, every dollar of accumulated interest becomes taxable in the year the bond matures, whether or not you cash it. For an electronic bond, the Treasury’s automatic transfer into a Certificate of Indebtedness at maturity counts as receiving the interest, and you’ll get a Form 1099-INT for that year.6TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds On a bond held for the full 30 years, that accumulated interest can be large enough to push you into a higher bracket in a single year. It’s worth building the tax hit into your planning rather than being surprised by it.
Some owners choose the alternative and report interest annually as it accrues. If you do, you have to apply that method to all of your savings bonds and keep using it going forward.
Education Exclusion
You may be able to exclude savings bond interest from federal income tax if you use the proceeds for qualified higher education expenses for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents. The bond has to be a Series EE or Series I issued after 1989, you must have been at least 24 years old when it was issued, and you cannot file as married filing separately. For 2025, the exclusion phases out between $99,500 and $114,500 of modified adjusted gross income for single filers, and between $149,250 and $179,250 for joint filers. Those thresholds are adjusted annually for inflation.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 970 – Tax Benefits for Education
Cashing a Matured Bond
There is no deadline to cash a matured savings bond. The government will honor it whenever you present it. But the longer you wait, the longer the money sits earning nothing.
Electronic Bonds
Log into TreasuryDirect and go to the ManageDirect section to request a redemption. You can direct the proceeds to a linked bank account. Electronic bonds allow partial redemptions of any amount of $25 or more, as long as at least $25 stays in the bond, but for a fully matured bond there is no reason to leave any portion behind.10TreasuryDirect. Cash EE or I Savings Bonds
Paper Bonds at a Bank
Many banks and credit unions will cash paper savings bonds, though each institution sets its own limits and some don’t offer the service at all.10TreasuryDirect. Cash EE or I Savings Bonds Call ahead. Bring valid identification such as a driver’s license or state ID, and sign the back of the bond in the presence of a bank officer.11Federal Reserve Financial Services. Savings Bond Redemptions Frequently Asked Questions Paper bonds have to be cashed for their full value; no partial redemption.
Paper Bonds by Mail
If no local bank can help, mail the bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services with a completed FS Form 1522. If the total value being redeemed is more than $1,000, your signature has to be certified by a notary public or an authorized certifying officer, usually a bank officer, before mailing. If the total is $1,000 or less, skip the certification and include a copy of your driver’s license, passport, state ID, or military ID instead.12TreasuryDirect. FS Form 1522 – Special Form of Request for Payment of United States Savings and Retirement Securities Send the form, the unsigned original certificates, and any required ID to:
Treasury Retail Securities Services
P.O. Box 9150
Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150
Once the Treasury verifies ownership, the proceeds are deposited into the bank account listed on the form.