How to find your Series EE bond's current value
The U.S. Treasury publishes the value of every Series EE bond issued since May 2003 on a website called TreasuryDirect. You can look up your bond's worth by entering its serial number and series date. If you bought your bond through TreasuryDirect (the online system), you can also log into your account and see all your bonds listed with their current values updated monthly.
For paper bonds issued before May 2003, the Treasury has a separate lookup tool. You will need the bond's series letter, denomination, and serial number — all printed on the front of the bond itself. The value updates on the first and fifteenth of each month, so the number you see depends on when you check.
If you have lost the serial number or cannot find the bond itself, you can contact the Bureau of the Fiscal Service directly. They maintain records of all registered bonds and can help you locate the information you need to look up its value.
Key Takeaways
- Series EE bonds issued after May 2003 can be valued instantly through TreasuryDirect's online lookup tool using the bond's serial number.
- The value of a Series EE bond depends on how long you have held it — bonds earn interest monthly, but the rate is fixed when you buy.
- A Series EE bond bought at face value will be worth at least that amount after 20 years, even if interest rates have fallen.
- You can cash in a Series EE bond at any time after one year, but you will lose the last three months of interest if you cash it before five years.
Why your bond's value changes month to month
When you buy a Series EE bond, the Treasury locks in an interest rate for the life of the bond. That rate does not change. However, the way the Treasury reports the bond's value does change, because it shows you what the bond would be worth if you cashed it in that month.
For bonds issued from May 2003 onward, the interest rate is set by the Treasury every six months (in May and November). The rate you receive depends on the month you bought the bond. A bond purchased in June 2023 earns a different rate than one purchased in December 2023, and that rate stays the same for as long as you hold it.
The monthly value you see online reflects the principal you paid plus all the interest earned so far. If you bought a $100 bond and it has earned $8.50 in interest over three years, the lookup tool will show $108.50 as its current value.
The 20-year may provide and what it means for your money
The Treasury guarantees that a Series EE bond will be worth at least double its purchase price after 20 years. If you bought a $100 bond, it will be worth at least $200 after 20 years, regardless of what interest rates have done in the meantime. This is a floor, not a ceiling — if interest rates have been high, your bond will be worth more than double.
This may provide exists because interest rates can fall. If you bought a bond when rates were high and rates later drop, your bond's interest earnings slow down. The 20-year doubling rule ensures you do not lose money on that bet. The Treasury makes up the difference if needed, though in practice this rarely happens because bonds issued in recent decades have earned enough interest on their own to exceed the doubling threshold.
After 20 years, your bond continues to earn interest at its original rate until it reaches final maturity at 30 years. At that point, it stops earning interest and you should cash it in.
Penalties for cashing in your bond early
You can cash in a Series EE bond at any time after holding it for one year. However, if you cash it in before five years have passed, you will lose the last three months of interest. This is called the early redemption penalty.
For example, if you bought a bond in January 2024 and cashed it in March 2025 (14 months later), you would receive the value as of December 2024, not March 2025. The three-month penalty applies whether you cash it in at 14 months or at four years and 11 months.
Once you have held the bond for five years, there is no penalty. You receive the full current value whenever you decide to cash it in. This is why many people hold Series EE bonds for at least five years — the penalty disappears and you keep all the interest earned.
How to read the value breakdown on TreasuryDirect
When you look up a bond on TreasuryDirect, you will see several numbers. The purchase price is what you paid for it. The current value is what it is worth today if you cashed it in (minus the three-month penalty if applicable). The interest earned is the difference between those two numbers.
You will also see the issue date (when you bought it) and the final maturity date (when it stops earning interest at 30 years). If the bond is past its final maturity date, the value will no longer change and you should cash it in.
The lookup tool shows the value as of the most recent update date, which is always the first or fifteenth of the month. If you check on the tenth of the month, you are seeing the value from the first. If you check on the twentieth, you are seeing the value from the fifteenth.
What happens if you cannot find your bond's serial number
If you have a paper bond but cannot read the serial number clearly, you can still look it up using the other information printed on the bond: the series letter (EE), the denomination ($50, $100, etc.), and the issue date. The Treasury's lookup tool accepts these details.
If you have lost the physical bond entirely, contact the Bureau of the Fiscal Service at 844-284-2676 or visit their website. They can search their records using your name and Social Security number. This process takes longer than an online lookup, but the Bureau maintains a complete registry of all registered bonds.
For bonds purchased through TreasuryDirect, you do not need the serial number at all — just log into your account and your bonds are listed there with their current values.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see what my bond will be worth in the future?
No, the Treasury does not publish projected values. You can see only the current value based on the interest rate locked in when you bought it. If you know the rate (published on the Treasury website for each issue month), you can calculate future values yourself, but the Treasury does not provide a calculator for this.
Why does my bond's value sometimes stay the same month to month?
Series EE bonds earn interest monthly, but the amount is very small. In months when interest rates are low, the monthly increase may be less than a penny, so the rounded value shown online does not change. The interest is still being earned — it just does not show up until the total reaches the next cent.
What if I lost my bond and never registered it?
Unregistered paper bonds (ones you bought in cash and never reported to the Treasury) are treated as lost property. You can still cash them in if you find them, but the Treasury has no record of them. If you have truly lost an unregistered bond, there is no way to recover its value through the government.
Does the value shown online include taxes I will owe?
No. The value shown is the amount you will receive when you cash the bond. You will owe federal income tax on the interest earned (not on the original purchase price), but that tax is separate from the bond's value. State and local taxes may also apply depending on where you live.
Can I check my bond's value on my phone?
Yes, if you own the bond through TreasuryDirect, you can log into your account on any device with internet access. For paper bonds, you can use the Treasury's lookup tool on your phone as long as you have the serial number and issue date available.