How to find the current value of your savings bond
The value of a savings bond depends on when it was issued, what series it is, and how long you have held it. A bond worth $50 when you bought it might be worth $52 today, or $75, or still $50 — the math is different for each type and each purchase date.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury runs a free tool called the Savings Bond Calculator at treasurydirect.gov. You enter the series (Series EE, Series I, or Series HH), the issue date, and the denomination you paid for it, and the calculator tells you what it is worth on today's date. This is the official number — not an estimate, but what the Treasury will actually pay you if you cash it in today.
If you do not have the exact issue date, look at the bond itself. The date is printed on the front. If you have lost the physical bond, you can search your records by serial number through TreasuryDirect, the online account system where many people now hold bonds electronically.
Key Takeaways
- Use the Treasury's Savings Bond Calculator at treasurydirect.gov to find the exact current value of any bond you own.
- Series EE bonds earn interest monthly and reach full value at 20 years; Series I bonds adjust their rate every six months based on inflation.
- A bond's value grows whether you hold it in paper form or in a TreasuryDirect account, but the calculator needs the issue date to compute it.
- Cashing in a bond before five years have passed costs you three months of interest as a penalty.
- Bonds continue to earn interest for up to 30 years, so an old bond you forgot about may be worth significantly more than you paid for it.
Why Series EE and Series I bonds have different values
Series EE bonds are sold at half their face value. If you paid $50 for an EE bond, its face value is $100. The bond earns a fixed interest rate set by the Treasury when you buy it. That rate stays the same for the life of the bond. After 20 years, the Treasury guarantees the bond will be worth at least its face value — so your $50 investment will be worth at least $100. After that, it continues to earn interest at the same rate until it stops earning at 30 years.
Series I bonds are sold at face value. You pay $50 for a $50 bond. The interest rate on an I bond has two parts: a fixed rate that never changes, and a variable rate that adjusts every six months based on inflation. The combined rate is what you earn. Because the inflation part changes, the value of an I bond grows at different speeds depending on when you check it and what inflation has done since you bought it.
Series HH bonds, which are no longer sold but many people still own, work differently again — they pay interest directly to your bank account twice a year rather than adding it to the bond's value. The bond itself stays at its face value while you collect the payments.
What happens to bond value if you cash it in early
You can cash in a savings bond at most banks, or through TreasuryDirect if you hold it electronically. But there is a cost to cashing in before the bond has been held for five years: you lose the last three months of interest. If a bond is worth $52 today but you have only held it for three years, you will receive $51 instead because three months of accrued interest is forfeited.
After five years, you can cash the bond in without penalty and receive its full current value. This is why many people hold bonds past the point where they need the money — the penalty makes it expensive to access the cash early, but once five years have passed, there is no reason not to cash it if you need it.
The penalty does not apply if you hold the bond for five years or longer. At that point, the value you see in the calculator is exactly what you will receive.
How bonds keep earning money over time
A savings bond is not a one-time transaction. Once you own it, it earns interest every month for as long as you hold it — up to 30 years from the issue date. Many people forget about bonds they bought years ago and are surprised to find they have grown substantially.
For Series EE bonds, the interest compounds — meaning you earn interest on the interest. The rate is fixed, so you can predict roughly how much it will grow each year. For Series I bonds, the rate changes twice a year, so the growth is less predictable but typically keeps pace with inflation.
The bond stops earning interest at 30 years. After that, it has no reason to stay in your possession — the value will not increase, and you might as well cash it in and put the money somewhere else.
Checking the value of old bonds you may have forgotten
If you own bonds issued years ago, you can still find their current value. The Treasury keeps records of bonds going back decades. If you have the serial number and issue date, the Savings Bond Calculator will work. If you have lost the physical bond but remember roughly when you bought it, you can search TreasuryDirect by the approximate date and your name.
Bonds issued before 2003 are held as paper certificates. Bonds issued from 2003 onward are typically held electronically in TreasuryDirect. Either way, the Treasury has a record, and the calculator will show you what it is worth today. Many people discover bonds they received as gifts decades ago are now worth far more than the original purchase price.
If you have inherited a bond from someone else, the same tool works — you just need the series, issue date, and denomination. The value does not change based on who owns it; it only depends on how long it has been earning interest.
The difference between purchase price and current value
A savings bond's current value is not the same as what you paid for it or what it will eventually be worth. The calculator shows you the value on a specific date — today. Tomorrow, if you own a Series I bond, the value might be slightly different because interest accrues monthly. If you own a Series EE bond with a fixed rate, the value will grow predictably but slowly.
The purchase price is what you paid when you bought the bond. For EE bonds, this is half the face value. For I bonds and HH bonds, it is the full face value. The current value is what the bond is worth right now, including all the interest it has earned since you bought it. The maturity value is what it will be worth at 30 years if you hold it that long.
These three numbers are almost always different. Understanding which one you are looking at prevents confusion when you are deciding whether to cash in a bond or hold it longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find the value of a bond if I lost the paper certificate?
Yes. If you bought the bond after 2003, it is held electronically in TreasuryDirect and you can log in to your account to see it. If you bought it before 2003, you can contact the Treasury or use the Savings Bond Calculator if you remember the series, issue date, and denomination. The Treasury has records going back decades.
Does the value of a Series I bond go down if inflation drops?
No. The interest rate on a Series I bond can go down, but the bond's value never decreases. Once interest is added to the bond, it stays there. If the inflation component of the rate drops to zero or negative, you still earn the fixed portion of the rate, and the bond's value continues to grow.
What is the maximum value a savings bond can reach?
A Series EE bond reaches its may provide minimum value (face value) at 20 years, then continues earning at the same fixed rate until 30 years. A Series I bond has no maximum — it keeps earning the combined fixed and inflation rates until 30 years. After 30 years, neither bond earns any more interest, so that is when the growth stops.
If I cash in a bond before five years, how much interest do I lose?
You lose exactly three months of interest. If the bond is worth $52 today but you have held it for only three years, you receive $51. The penalty is the same whether you cash it in at one year or at four years and eleven months — always three months of accrued interest.
Can I check the value of a bond without the serial number?
The Savings Bond Calculator requires the series, issue date, and denomination, but not the serial number. If you remember when you bought the bond and what type it was, that is usually enough. If you need to find a specific bond among several you own, the serial number helps, but it is not required to calculate value.