If your savings bond from a Series other than EE, I, or HH has finished its interest-earning life, you could cash it and use the money for something else – a project, a financial need, or a new investment like an interest-earning savings bond or other Treasury security.
Note: For these special situations, you want a different page.
Living estates (where a court has appointed a legal guardian for someone who owns bonds)
Who is this page for (and not for)?
This page is about paper savings bonds that have reached their term limit (matured) and, thus, have stopped earning interest.
It's not relevant for electronic savings bonds because we pay for them automatically as soon as they stop earning interest.
You also want a different page for these situations:
- Your paper or electronic EE or I savings bond has not yet reached 30 years from the date we issued it but you want to cash it in: Cashing EE or I savings bonds
- Your HH savings bond has not yet reached 20 years from the date we issued it but you want to cash it in: Cashing in HH savings bonds
- You wonder if a Treasury marketable security (not a savings bond, but instead a Bill, Bond, Note, TIPS, or FRN) has matured and is no longer earning interest: Auction Query
What savings bonds have stopped earning interest?
If you have a savings bond from any of the following series, it no longer earns interest: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, and all Savings Notes.
The only savings bonds that still earn interest are I bonds and some EE and HH bonds. For those, you must look at the issue date. EE and I bonds earn interest for 30 years from the issue date. HH bonds earn interest for 20 years from the issue date.
How do I know if my bond has already been cashed?
If you have the serial numbers of your old bonds, but you are not sure if they have been cashed, you can write to us:
Treasury Retail Securities Services
P.O. Box 9150
Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150
Are there bonds I may have forgotten about? (Treasury Hunt)
With your Social Security Number (or Taxpayer Identification Number) or name and state, you can use our Treasury Hunt search to see if you have any savings bonds listed in our database. If you do, you'll get information on how to claim and cash them. We update Treasury Hunt every month.
How do I get my money for savings bonds?
Information for special circ*mstances:
Cashing savings bonds outside the United States
Cashing your (adult's) bonds in the United States
At a bank where you have a bank account:
Contact them. Ask:
- Will they cash your savings bonds?
- How much will they cash at one time?
- What identification or other documents do you need?
With us:
- Get FS Form 1522.
- Fill it out.
- Get your signature certified, if required. (See the instructions on the form.)
Send the form and the bonds to us at the address on FS Form 1522.
Will I get a form for my tax return?
For a Series EE or Series I savings bond, yes. For a Series HH savings bond that carries deferred interest, you will get a tax form either after you cash the bond or after it matures, whichever comes first. Because bonds from the other, older series no longer earn interest, you have no tax liability for them when you cash them.
Can I authorize someone else to cash my bonds?
You may authorize an attorney-in-fact to cash your bonds. See our instructions for an attorney-in-fact.
