Savings bonds mature on a fixed schedule set when you buy them

A savings bond reaches maturity when it stops earning interest. For Series EE bonds, that happens 30 years after you purchase them. For Series I bonds, maturity is also 30 years. The maturity date is printed on your bond or shown in your TreasuryDirect account — you do not have to calculate it yourself.

Before maturity, your bond keeps earning interest every month. After maturity, it stops earning anything new. You can still hold the bond after it matures, but the value stays frozen at whatever it reached on the maturity date.

The key point: maturity is not when you can cash it. You can cash most savings bonds any time after you have owned them for one year. Maturity is straightforward when the interest stops.

Key Takeaways

  • Series EE and Series I bonds both mature 30 years from the purchase date, and you can see the exact maturity date in your TreasuryDirect account.
  • You can cash a bond as early as one year after purchase, but you will lose the last three months of interest if you cash it before five years.
  • After maturity, your bond stops earning interest, so holding it longer than 30 years does not increase its value.
  • The maturity date is set when you buy the bond and does not change, even if interest rates change later.

Why 30 years matters for your money

Thirty years is a long time to wait for a bond to mature, but that is the trade-off for the government backing and safety that savings bonds offer. During those 30 years, your money is may provide not to lose value — the bond will never be worth less than what you paid for it, even if inflation or market conditions change.

The catch is that you are locking your money away for a long time. If you need the cash before 30 years, you can withdraw it, but you will face a penalty if you cash it within the first five years. That penalty is the last three months of interest you earned. After five years, you can cash it without any penalty, but you still will not reach the full maturity value until year 30.

For people saving for retirement or a distant goal, the 30-year maturity works in your favor because you are not tempted to spend the money early. For people who might need cash sooner, a savings bond may not be the right tool.

The difference between cashing early and waiting to maturity

You have three windows for cashing a savings bond, and each one affects how much money you get back.

Within the first year: You cannot cash the bond at all. You must wait at least 12 months from the purchase date.

Between one and five years: You can cash it, but you lose the last three months of interest. If your bond earned $100 in interest over two years, you would get back only $75 in interest plus your original purchase price. The $25 represents three months of earnings that the government keeps as a penalty.

After five years: You can cash it without losing any interest. You get every dollar of interest you earned, plus your original purchase price. However, the bond is still earning interest every month until it reaches maturity at 30 years. If you cash it at year 10, you get the value it has reached by year 10, not the full value it will reach at year 30.

How interest compounds before maturity

Savings bonds earn interest monthly, but the interest is added to the bond's value, not paid to you in cash. This means your interest earns interest — a process called compounding. The longer you hold the bond before maturity, the more this compounding effect grows your money.

For Series EE bonds, the interest rate is set by the Treasury Department and changes every six months. For Series I bonds, the rate has two parts: a fixed rate that never changes, plus an inflation rate that adjusts every six months. Both types compound monthly, meaning the interest calculation includes all the interest from previous months.

This is why the difference between cashing at year 10 and waiting until year 30 can be substantial. You are not just earning interest on your original purchase price — you are earning interest on all the interest that has already been added to the bond.

What happens if you hold a bond past maturity

Once your bond reaches its 30-year maturity date, it stops earning interest. The value is locked in. If you do not cash it, the bond will sit in your TreasuryDirect account at that same value indefinitely — it will not grow, but it also will not shrink.

There is no penalty for holding a matured bond, and the Treasury will not force you to cash it. However, there is no financial reason to keep it. Your money is no longer working for you. Most people cash matured bonds and either spend the money or reinvest it somewhere else that is still earning interest.

If you have forgotten about an old bond and discover it matured years ago, you can still cash it at any time. The Treasury keeps records of all bonds registered in your name, and you can access them through TreasuryDirect.

How to track your bond's maturity date

If you own bonds through TreasuryDirect (the Treasury's online platform), log into your account and look at your holdings. Each bond shows the purchase date, the current value, and the maturity date. You do not have to do any math — the maturity date is listed right there.

If you own paper bonds, the maturity date is printed on the bond itself. Look for the issue date and add 30 years. For example, if your bond was issued in May 2020, it will mature in May 2050.

If you have old bonds and are not sure when they were issued, you can search the Treasury's Savings Bond Database online. You will need the bond serial number and the owner's Social Security number. This database shows all bonds ever registered with the Treasury, including matured ones.

Planning around maturity if you need the money sooner

If you know you will need money before 30 years, a savings bond might not be your best choice. Consider how long you can actually leave the money untouched. If it is less than five years, the early-withdrawal penalty makes savings bonds less attractive than other options like high-yield savings accounts or money market accounts, which have no penalties and often offer competitive interest rates.

If you can leave the money for five years or longer but not the full 30, savings bonds still work — you just will not reach the full maturity value. You will get whatever value the bond has reached by the time you cash it, which is still may provide to be at least what you paid for it.

Some people use a ladder strategy: they buy multiple bonds in different years so that one matures every few years. This way, they have access to some of their money without cashing everything at once. However, this requires planning ahead and discipline not to spend the money when each bond matures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cash my bond before it matures?

Yes, you can cash a bond any time after you have owned it for at least one year. If you cash it before five years, you lose the last three months of interest. After five years, there is no penalty, but the bond is still worth less than it will be at maturity because it has not finished earning interest yet.

What is the difference between maturity and when I can cash it?

Maturity is when the bond stops earning interest — 30 years after purchase. You can cash it much earlier, as soon as one year after purchase. Maturity does not control when you can access your money; it controls when the interest stops growing.

Do I have to cash my bond on the maturity date?

No. You can cash it on the maturity date, but you are not required to. You can hold it longer, though it will not earn any more interest. There is no important date or penalty for keeping a matured bond in your account.

If I buy a bond today, when exactly will it mature?

Your bond will mature exactly 30 years from the purchase date. If you buy it in March 2024, it matures in March 2054. The Treasury sets this date when you buy the bond, and it never changes.

What should I do with my bond after it matures?

You can cash it and spend the money, or you can reinvest it in new bonds or other savings vehicles that are still earning interest. Holding a matured bond in your account does not hurt anything, but your money is no longer growing.