How much a U.S. savings bond is worth depends on its series (EE or I), its denomination, and its issue date, and the fastest way to get the exact figure is the free calculator on TreasuryDirect.gov for paper bonds or your TreasuryDirect account for electronic ones. A paper Series EE bond bought for $50 could be worth $100 or more today. An electronic EE bond purchased at face value grows through fixed-rate interest and is guaranteed to double at the 20-year mark.
How to Look Up a Paper Bond’s Value
The TreasuryDirect Savings Bond Calculator prices paper Series EE, Series E, and Series I bonds. You need three pieces of information from the face of the bond: the series, the denomination (face value), and the issue date. The serial number is not required.1TreasuryDirect. Paper Savings Bond Calculator
Enter those details, click Calculate, and the tool returns:
- Current value — what the bond is worth today
- Total interest earned since purchase
- The rate the bond is currently earning
- The next accrual date, when the value will next increase
- The final maturity date, when interest stops
You can also change the “Value as of” date to check past or future values. Historical values go back to January 1996, and future values are available through the end of the bond’s current six-month rate period. To build an inventory of multiple bonds, enter each one and save the results page from your browser.1TreasuryDirect. Paper Savings Bond Calculator
How to Check Electronic Bond Values
The paper calculator does not price electronic bonds. If your bonds are held in TreasuryDirect, log into your account and the current values display automatically alongside each holding.
What Drives the Value
Savings bonds grow through interest that gets added to the bond’s principal rather than paid out as cash, so the redemption value climbs as interest compounds. How that interest is calculated depends on the series.
Series EE
Paper Series EE bonds issued between 1980 and 2012 were sold at half their printed face value, meaning a $100 bond cost $50 at purchase.2TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds Interest Rates for Bonds Issued From 1980 Through April 1995 Electronic EE bonds, the only type currently sold, are purchased at full face value. EE bonds issued since May 2005 earn a fixed rate set at the time of purchase. Older EE bonds may have earned variable rates depending on their issue date.3TreasuryDirect. About U.S. Savings Bonds
Series I
Series I bonds are always purchased at face value. They earn a composite rate that combines a fixed rate locked in at purchase with a semiannual inflation rate adjusted every six months against the Consumer Price Index. The formula is: fixed rate + (2 × semiannual inflation rate) + (fixed rate × semiannual inflation rate).4TreasuryDirect. I Bonds Interest Rates Because the inflation piece resets twice a year, an I bond’s value grows faster or slower with economic conditions. I bonds have no doubling guarantee.
Current Rates for New Bonds
For bonds issued from November 2025 through April 2026, Series EE bonds earn a fixed annual rate of 2.50%. Series I bonds issued during the same window earn a composite rate of 4.03%, built from a 0.90% fixed rate and a 1.56% semiannual inflation rate.5TreasuryDirect. Fiscal Service Announces New Savings Bonds Rates New rates for bonds issued from May 2026 onward will be announced on May 1, 2026. The rate you received at purchase is what your bond earns, so today’s rates do not tell you what an older bond is worth. Only the calculator or your TreasuryDirect account gives you that number.
The 20-Year and 30-Year Marks
Both series earn interest for up to 30 years from the issue date.6TreasuryDirect. EE Bonds After that, the bond stops growing. A bond held past final maturity sits idle, losing purchasing power to inflation while earning nothing. If you hold bonds more than 30 years old, they have already reached their maximum value.
Series EE bonds have an extra milestone at year 20. The Treasury guarantees an EE bond will be worth at least double its purchase price at the 20-year mark, and if interest alone hasn’t gotten it there, a one-time adjustment closes the gap.3TreasuryDirect. About U.S. Savings Bonds The bond then keeps earning at its fixed rate for the remaining 10 years.
Early Redemption Reduces the Value
You cannot cash a savings bond within the first 12 months after purchase. That applies to both EE and I bonds.7TreasuryDirect. I Bonds
Between the first and fifth year, you can cash the bond, but you forfeit the last three months of interest. Redeem an 18-month-old bond and you receive only the first 15 months of interest.7TreasuryDirect. I Bonds The penalty applies to both series.8eCFR. 31 CFR 351.31 – Interest Penalty for Series EE Bonds After five years, there is no penalty. The calculator’s current-value figure reflects the accrued value; if you plan to redeem before year five, subtract the last three months of interest to see what you would actually receive.
Taxes Owed When You Cash a Bond
Interest on savings bonds is subject to federal income tax but exempt from state and local income tax.9TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds Most owners defer reporting until they cash the bond or it reaches final maturity, though you can elect to report interest annually as it accrues. That election, once made, must continue for every savings bond you own.
When you redeem, the paying institution issues a Form 1099-INT showing the total interest earned. Bank redemptions produce a 1099-INT by January 31 of the following year; TreasuryDirect posts the form to your account by the same date.9TreasuryDirect. Tax Information for EE and I Bonds
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 at an eligible institution. The bonds must have been issued after 1989, you must have been at least 24 when you bought them, and your modified adjusted gross income must fall below annual thresholds. For tax year 2025, the exclusion phases out between $99,500 and $114,500 for single filers and between $149,250 and $179,250 for joint filers.10Internal Revenue Service. Publication 970 – Tax Benefits for Education The IRS adjusts these figures each year; 2026 thresholds had not been published at the time of writing.