How to Determine Maturity of U.S. Savings Bonds

It is important to determine the maturity of any U.S. savings bonds you may have so that you will always know which ones are no longer earning interest and need to be cashed in or swapped. By using services directly offered by the United States Department of Treasury, you will be able to get this information easily to make quick decisions regarding your U.S. savings bonds.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• U.S. savings bonds

1. Check to see what type of U.S. savings bond you have, in order to determine whether it has stopped earning interest. All H and HH bonds, which were discontinued in 2004, have stopped earning interest and should be cashed in. The following bonds have also stopped earning interest and should be either cashed in or swapped: A, B, C, D, F, G, J and K savings bonds, savings notes issued between May 1967 and July 1971, E-series bonds that were issued between May 1941 and July 1964 and December 1965 to July 1974.

2. Discover the time your bond reaches maturity, and when it stops earning interest, as these times can be divergent. For example, many bonds mature in 17 years, but may continue to accrue interest for 30 years or more.

3. Find out if a particular savings bond has matured by consulting with a financial advisor at the bank or financial institution of your choice. You will also be able to buy, sell or trade U.S. savings bonds through these resources.

4. Use the official website of the U.S. Treasury Department, known as TreasuryDirect, to determine the maturity of your US savings bonds (see Resources below).

5. Request information about certain bond issues or download software that will allow you to calculate the value and maturity of all Treasury bonds and other securities at the TreasuryDirect website.

Tips & Warnings

• E and EE savings bonds differ from I-series savings bonds in that they earn fixed rates of interest and are purchased at one-half the face value of the bonds, maturing to their full value at a later date (usually an average of 17 years). I-series bonds, however, earn a combination of fixed rates of interest, combined with additional rates that are adjusted for inflation every 6 months, and are purchased at their full face value.

Resources

• TreasuryDirect.gov website to determine the maturity of bonds