Maturity timelines depend on the bond type and the rate environment when you bought it

Series EE bonds reach final maturity after 30 years. Series I bonds also mature in 30 years. Series HH bonds (no longer sold) matured after 20 years. The maturity date is printed on your bond or shown in your TreasuryDirect account — it is the date you bought it plus the number of years above. Before maturity, you can cash in most bonds without penalty after holding them for one year, though you will lose the last three months of interest if you cash before five years have passed.

The maturity date matters because it is when the U.S. Treasury stops paying interest. After that date, your bond stops earning money, even if you do not cash it in. This is different from the final redemption date, which is when the Treasury will no longer accept the bond for payment — typically 30 years after issue for EE and I bonds.

Key Takeaways

  • Series EE and I bonds mature after 30 years from the purchase date, at which point they stop earning interest.
  • You can cash in most bonds after one year, but cashing before five years means losing the last three months of interest.
  • The exact maturity date appears on your bond certificate or in your TreasuryDirect account under bond details.
  • After maturity, the bond no longer earns interest, so holding it longer provides no financial benefit.

Series EE bonds: 30 years to full value

A Series EE bond purchased today will reach its maturity date 30 years from now. The Treasury guarantees that a Series EE bond will double in value by the time it reaches 20 years old — this is the doubling may provide. If market interest rates have been low during those 20 years and your bond has not yet doubled, the Treasury will adjust the value upward to meet that may provide.

After 20 years, the bond continues to earn interest at the current rate for another 10 years until it reaches the 30-year mark. Once 30 years have passed, the bond stops earning interest entirely. You can still hold it, but it will not grow in value. The Treasury will continue to accept it for redemption indefinitely, but you gain nothing by waiting.

Series I bonds: 30 years to maturity, with rate changes every six months

Series I bonds also mature after 30 years. The difference is that the interest rate changes every six months based on inflation. The rate you receive when you buy is locked in for the first six months. After that, the Treasury announces a new combined rate (a fixed portion plus an inflation component) every May and November, and your bond earns that new rate for the next six months.

Because the rate adjusts, the value of an I bond grows unevenly — some six-month periods will add more to your bond's value than others. You can see the current value and the next rate change date in your TreasuryDirect account. Like EE bonds, I bonds stop earning interest after 30 years and provide no benefit if held beyond that point.

What happens if you cash in before maturity

You can redeem most savings bonds after holding them for at least one year. If you cash in before five years have passed, you lose the last three months of interest — this is the early redemption penalty. After five years, you can cash in without penalty and receive all interest earned to date.

The penalty applies to both EE and I bonds. For example, if you bought a bond on January 1 and cashed it in on March 1 of the following year, you would receive the bond's value as of October 1 of the previous year (three months back), not the current value. This is why many people hold bonds for at least five years even if they need the money sooner — the penalty can be substantial.

How to find your bond's exact maturity date

If you own bonds through TreasuryDirect (the online system run by the U.S. Department of the Treasury), log in and navigate to "Manage My Savings Bonds." Each bond listing shows the issue date and the maturity date. The maturity date is always the issue date plus 30 years for EE and I bonds.

If you own paper bonds, the issue date is printed on the front of the certificate. Count forward 30 years from that date to find maturity. You can also call the Treasury's customer service line or visit the TreasuryDirect website to look up bonds you own but may have lost track of.

Why maturity matters for your financial plan

Knowing when your bonds mature helps you plan for when that money will be available and when it will stop growing. If you are holding bonds as part of a long-term savings strategy, maturity is the point at which you should decide what to do with the money — reinvest it, spend it, or move it elsewhere. Bonds held past maturity are earning zero interest, so there is no reason to keep them in that form.

For people who bought bonds decades ago and forgot about them, checking the maturity date is important. A bond that matured 10 years ago is still redeemable, but it has not grown in value since maturity. The Treasury will eventually stop accepting bonds for redemption (typically 30 years after the final maturity date), so cashing in old bonds before that deadline is wise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cash in my bond before it matures?

Yes. You can redeem most bonds after holding them for one year. If you cash in before five years, you lose the last three months of interest. After five years, you can cash in without penalty and receive the full value earned to date.

What happens to my bond after it matures?

After maturity, your bond stops earning interest. You can still hold it or redeem it for cash, but its value will not increase. The Treasury will accept it for redemption for many years after maturity, but there is no financial reason to wait.

Do Series EE bonds really double in 20 years?

The Treasury guarantees that Series EE bonds will double in value by 20 years. If interest rates have been low and your bond has not doubled on its own, the Treasury adjusts the value upward to meet this may provide. After 20 years, the bond continues earning interest for another 10 years until full maturity at 30 years.

How do I know if my old bonds have matured?

Add 30 years to the issue date printed on the bond. If that date has passed, your bond has matured and is no longer earning interest. You can check TreasuryDirect online or call the Treasury to confirm the maturity date and current value of any bonds you own.

Is there a penalty for holding a bond past maturity?

No penalty exists for holding past maturity, but your bond earns no interest after that date. The only reason to hold past maturity is if you have not yet redeemed it, but you gain nothing financially by waiting.