Savings bonds stop earning interest on a fixed date set when you buy them, not when you cash them

A savings bond earns interest for a set number of years — usually 20 or 30 years depending on the type — and then stops accruing new interest on what the U.S. Treasury calls the final maturity date. After that date, the bond's value is locked. You can still hold it, but it will not grow. The bond will not lose value either; it simply stops working for you.

The exact date is printed on your bond or shown in your TreasuryDirect account. For Series EE bonds, the final maturity is 30 years from issue. For Series I bonds, it is also 30 years. For older Series HH bonds (no longer sold), it was 20 years. You do not have to cash the bond on that date — you can leave it in your account indefinitely — but any money sitting in it after final maturity is earning zero percent.

Key Takeaways

  • Series EE and I bonds stop earning interest 30 years after the issue date, which is printed on the bond itself or visible in TreasuryDirect.
  • You can hold a bond past its final maturity date without penalty, but it will earn no additional interest once that date passes.
  • Interest stops accruing on the final maturity date regardless of when you cash the bond, so delaying redemption after that date costs you nothing but also gains you nothing.
  • Checking your bond's issue date and calculating the final maturity date helps you plan when to redeem or reinvest the money elsewhere.

How to find your bond's final maturity date

If you own physical paper bonds, the issue date is printed on the front. Count forward 30 years from that month and year. That is your final maturity date. If your bond was issued in March 2000, it stops earning interest in March 2030.

If you own bonds through TreasuryDirect (the online system run by the U.S. Department of the Treasury), log in and view your account. Each bond listing shows the issue date. You can also download a statement that includes the final maturity date for each bond you hold. This is the fastest way to check multiple bonds at once.

What happens to interest after final maturity

Once a bond reaches final maturity, the Treasury stops crediting interest to it. The bond's value becomes fixed at whatever it was on that final maturity date. If your Series I bond was worth $1,200 on its 30-year anniversary, it remains $1,200 forever — it does not shrink, but it does not grow.

This is different from the bond's original maturity date, which occurs earlier (usually 20 years for Series EE and I bonds). At original maturity, the Treasury guarantees the bond will be worth at least what you paid for it, even if interest rates have been low. But interest continues to accrue between original maturity and final maturity. Only at final maturity does all interest accrual stop.

Why you should cash or reinvest before final maturity

There is no penalty for holding a bond past its final maturity date, and you can leave it in TreasuryDirect or in a safe deposit box indefinitely. However, once it stops earning interest, that money is no longer working for you. If you need the cash, cashing it makes sense. If you want to keep it invested, you could move the proceeds into a new Series I or EE bond, a high-yield savings account, or another investment.

The timing matters most if you own older bonds. A Series EE bond issued in 1994 reached final maturity in 2024. If you still hold it, you have already missed years of potential growth elsewhere. Checking your bonds now and redeeming those past final maturity should be a priority.

Redeeming a bond after it stops earning interest

You can redeem a bond at any time after it reaches final maturity, and the process is the same as redeeming before that date. For TreasuryDirect bonds, log in, select the bond, and request a redemption. The Treasury deposits the money into your linked bank account within one to three business days.

For paper bonds, you take them to a bank or credit union that redeems savings bonds (not all do, so call ahead). You will need to present identification and endorse the bond. The institution will give you the final value — the amount it was worth on the final maturity date — and you receive that in cash or a check.

Tracking bonds you may have forgotten about

If you own paper bonds and are unsure of their issue dates, check the bond itself. The issue date is always printed clearly on the front. If you have lost track of bonds entirely, the Treasury maintains a searchable database called the Savings Bond Database at treasurydirect.gov. You can search by your Social Security number and the last name on the bond to find bonds registered to you, including their issue dates and current values.

This search is especially useful if you inherited bonds or received them as a gift years ago. The database shows whether any of your bonds have already passed final maturity, which tells you immediately whether they are still earning interest or have stopped.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I extend a bond's maturity date to keep it earning interest?

No. The final maturity date is set by the Treasury and cannot be changed. Once 30 years have passed since the issue date, the bond stops earning interest permanently. Your only option is to redeem it and reinvest the money elsewhere.

What if I cash a bond before its final maturity date?

You receive the full value it has earned up to that point. There is no penalty for early redemption on Series EE and I bonds held for five years or longer. If you cash within five years, you lose the last three months of interest, but the bond still stops earning on its final maturity date whether you cash it early or not.

Do I owe taxes on interest after a bond reaches final maturity?

You owe federal income tax on all interest earned, whether you cash the bond before or after final maturity. You report the interest in the year you redeem the bond. State and local taxes do not apply to savings bond interest. If you held the bond for education expenses, you may be able to exclude the interest from tax under specific conditions.

What is the difference between original maturity and final maturity?

Original maturity is when the Treasury's may provide kicks in — the bond will be worth at least what you paid. Final maturity is when all interest stops accruing. For Series EE and I bonds, interest continues between these two dates, so final maturity is the date that actually matters for your money.