Savings bonds take 30 years to fully mature. Both Series EE and Series I bonds stop earning interest exactly 30 years after their issue date, though each hits an earlier milestone at year 20 that matters for different reasons. Whatever the series, once a bond reaches the 30-year mark, it is done growing and should be cashed.
The 20-Year Milestone and Why It Matters
Inside the 30-year lifespan, savings bonds have what the Treasury calls original maturity at year 20, followed by a 10-year extension period. The extension is automatic and requires nothing from you. What happens at year 20 depends on which series you hold.
For Series EE bonds issued in May 2005 or later, year 20 is the point at which the Treasury guarantees the bond is worth at least double its purchase price. If the bond’s interest earnings have not brought it to face value on their own, the Treasury makes a one-time adjustment to close the gap.1eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series EE – Section: 351.34 After that, the bond keeps earning interest at its fixed rate for another 10 years before stopping entirely.
Series I bonds also reach original maturity at 20 years and then continue earning for 10 more. There is no doubling guarantee on I bonds. You buy them at face value, and their growth depends entirely on the fixed rate set at purchase plus the variable inflation rate that adjusts every six months based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 359 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series I – Section: 359.11
Older EE Bonds Have Different Original Maturity Periods
If your Series EE bond was issued before May 2005, its original maturity likely arrived earlier than 20 years. Bonds from the early 1980s reached face value in as little as 8 years. Those issued in the mid-1990s took as long as 18 years. Bonds issued from May 1997 through May 2003 reached original maturity at 17 years, and those from June 2003 through April 2005 at 20 years.3eCFR. 31 CFR Part 351 Subpart B – Maturities, Redemption Values, and Investment Yields of Series EE Savings Bonds – Section: 351.29
The 30-year final maturity is the same across every Series EE bond ever issued, regardless of when the doubling milestone hit.
Series E Bonds Are All Done
Series E bonds, the predecessor to EE, had a 40-year maturity for issues from May 1941 through November 1965 and a 30-year maturity for issues from December 1965 through June 1980.4TreasuryDirect. Historical and Retired Bonds Every Series E bond has now reached final maturity and is earning nothing. If you find one, cash it.
When You Can Cash a Bond Before Maturity
You cannot redeem a savings bond in the first 12 months after purchase.5TreasuryDirect. TreasuryDirect FAQ Between one and five years, cashing costs you the last three months of interest.6eCFR. 31 CFR Part 359 – Offering of United States Savings Bonds, Series I – Section: 359.7 Cash an 18-month-old bond, and you receive 15 months of interest.7TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds After five years, there is no penalty on either series.
So the practical timeline looks like this: locked for a year, penalized for four more, freely redeemable from year five onward, worth at least double face value at year 20 (for post-May-2005 EE bonds), and finished at year 30.
What Happens When a Bond Reaches Final Maturity
At 30 years, the Treasury stops paying interest. Nothing more accumulates.
If the bond is electronic and sitting in a TreasuryDirect account, the proceeds move automatically into a Certificate of Indebtedness inside your account. That holding vehicle earns no interest.8TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds A paper bond simply stops growing and waits.
Either way, holding a matured bond costs you. The money is idle, and inflation is not. Redeem it.
Taxes Come Due at Maturity
Interest on EE and I bonds is subject to federal income tax and exempt from state and local income tax.8TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds Most people defer the tax and pay it all at once, either in the year they cash the bond or in the year of final maturity, whichever comes first.
That means the 30-year mark is a tax event whether you redeem or not. If you leave an electronic bond in TreasuryDirect past final maturity, the proceeds still move to a Certificate of Indebtedness, and you will receive a 1099-INT covering every dollar of interest the bond earned over its full life.8TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds For a bond that has been compounding for three decades, that is a large lump sum to absorb in a single tax year. Plan for it.
The alternative is reporting interest annually as it accrues, which spreads the tax bill but requires tracking each year’s earnings.
Finding Your Bond’s Maturity Date
On a paper bond, the issue date is printed in the upper right corner of the certificate. Add 30 years and you have final maturity. A bond issued in March 1996 stopped earning interest in March 2026.
For a fuller picture, the TreasuryDirect Savings Bond Calculator returns current value, interest rate, and final maturity date when you enter the series, denomination, and issue date of a paper EE, E, or I bond.9TreasuryDirect. Paper Savings Bond Calculator The calculator does not work for electronic bonds. For those, log into your TreasuryDirect account.10TreasuryDirect. Calculate the Value of Your Paper Savings Bonds
Looking for a bond you cannot locate? The Treasury Hunt tool was discontinued on September 30, 2025 under the SECURE 2.0 Act. Unclaimed savings bond inquiries are now handled through state unclaimed property programs, which you can search at unclaimed.org.11TreasuryDirect. Treasury Hunt – Searching for Treasury Securities Have the original purchaser’s full legal name, their state of residence at the time of purchase, and any supporting paperwork ready.
How to Redeem a Matured Bond
Electronic bonds in TreasuryDirect can be cashed online at any time. Log in, select the bonds, and the proceeds land in your linked bank account. There is no cap on how much you can redeem at once.
Paper bonds are trickier. Most banks will cash them, but each bank sets its own limits, and some do not handle savings bonds at all.12TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds Call first. Partial redemption is not allowed; you cash the bond for its full value or not at all.
If your bank will not help, or you would rather deal with the Treasury directly, mail the bonds along with FS Form 1522 to Treasury Retail Securities Services in Minneapolis. There is no limit on the number or value of bonds you can redeem this way.12TreasuryDirect. Cashing EE or I Savings Bonds You can also convert paper bonds to electronic form through TreasuryDirect. If the bonds have already matured, the conversion cashes them and deposits the proceeds into a Certificate of Indebtedness in your account.13TreasuryDirect. Convert Paper to Electronic