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 a young child's bond
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:
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 most savings bonds, yes, you will receive a form for the year you cash the bond. For Series A, B, and C bonds of all years and for Series D bonds issued through February 1941, no, because they are not subject to federal income tax.
For a Series HH bond that carries deferred interest, you will get a tax form either after you cash the bond or after it matures, whichever comes first.
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.
FAQs
You can cash paper bonds at a bank or through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's TreasuryDirect website. Not all banks offer the service, and many only provide it if you are an account holder, according to a NerdWallet analysis of the 20 largest U.S. banks.
How long does it take for TreasuryDirect to cash bonds? ›
Savings Bond purchases are generally issued to your TreasuryDirect account within one business day of the purchase date.
How do I cash out my TreasuryDirect account? ›
Log into your primary TreasuryDirect® account. Click on the ManageDirect tab at the top of the page. Click "Redeem securities" under the Manage My Securities heading. On the Redemption page, choose the radio button beside Payroll Zero-Percent C of I and click "Submit".
How do I cash out my Series I bonds? ›
Electronic I bonds can be cashed online through TreasuryDirect.gov. Paper I bonds can be cashed online, or they may be accepted by some banks. If you hold an I bond for less than five years, you'll lose three months' interest.
How do I avoid taxes when cashing in savings bonds? ›
You can report the interest each year you earn it or when you cash the bond. You will report it on Schedule B of your 1040. You can avoid these taxes by using the money for qualified higher education expenses.
What documents do I need to cash a savings bond? ›
If you're cashing in a paper savings bond of $1,000 or less, you'll need FS Form 1522 and a copy of your driver's license, passport, state ID or military ID. If the bond amount is more than $1,000, you must have your signature certified by a notary or certifying officer.
How long does TreasuryDirect redemption take? ›
Redeeming from TreasuryDirect
If you have not told us to reinvest the money from a matured security, we pay you the value of the security automatically on the day the security matures.
How do you avoid tax on treasury bonds? ›
You can skip paying taxes on interest earned with Series EE and Series I savings bonds if you're using the money to pay for qualified higher education costs. That includes expenses you pay for yourself, your spouse or a qualified dependent.
Can you cash out a Treasury bond at any time? ›
You can get your cash for an EE or I savings bond any time after you have owned it for 1 year. However, the longer you hold the bond, the more it earns for you (for up to 30 years for an EE or I bond). Also, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.
How do you transfer money out of TreasuryDirect? ›
Identify the security or securities you want to transfer. Choose External Transfer. Open the link for FS Form 5511, "TreasuryDirect Transfer Request." Fill out the required information and follow the instructions on the form.
Reinvest or Redeem Treasury Bills
If you hold a bill in TreasuryDirect, when the bill matures, you can reinvest it or redeem it.
Can I cash my deceased parents' savings bonds? ›
TO CASH BONDS FOR A DECEDENT'S ESTATE:
Series EE, Series E, and Series I bonds can be cashed at a local financial institution. Some of these transactions may have to be forwarded for further processing. Series HH and Series H bonds must be sent to one of the addresses shown at the bottom of the following page.
How do you cash in old Series E bonds? ›
Because Series E savings bonds are in paper format, the easiest way to cash them in is to bring them to your financial institution. Your bank or credit union can use information about when the bonds were issued and the interest rate at the time to calculate the value and provide you with the money you're entitled to.
Who cashes Series I bonds? ›
Only E/EE and I bonds are still sold, but all types are able to be redeemed through the Federal Reserve.
Should I cash in my Series I bonds? ›
You'll likely want to time your cash-out for three months after your I-Bond's reset date so that the three months' interest you lose are of the new lower rate, not the higher rate you were happier with. To accomplish that, you should hold your I-Bond for at least 15 months.
Do banks cash Treasury Bonds? ›
A paper savings bond must be cashed for its entire value. At a bank: Banks vary in how much they will cash at one time – or if they cash savings bonds at all. With us: We have no limit on the value or number of savings bonds you can cash at one time as long as the bonds meet the requirements for cashing.
How do I cash out my Treasury bills? ›
You can hold Treasury bills until they mature or sell them before they mature. To sell a bill you hold in TreasuryDirect or Legacy TreasuryDirect, first transfer the bill to a bank, broker, or dealer, then ask the bank, broker, or dealer to sell the bill for you.
How to find out if a savings bond has been cashed? ›
You can call the Savings Bond Processing Site at (800) 553-2663 to check on the status of a savings bond.
