Redeem EE/E Bonds and Savings Notes

  • You can redeem your EE Bonds when the bonds are 12 months old.
  • For Series EE/E Bonds and Savings Notes, you'll receive the purchase price of the bond plus accrued interest.
  • If you redeem an EE Bond before it is 5 years old, you will lose 3 months of accrued interest.
  • If you’ve been affected by a disaster, special provisions may apply.

Savings bonds are non-transferable. If you purchase a bond at an auction or find a bond belonging to someone else, you can't redeem it. The registration on the bond is a contractual relationship between the owner and the United States Treasury.

What Are Your Bonds Worth?

It's good to know what your bonds are worth before you redeem them. We have several options to help you determine the current redemption value of your bonds.

Redeem Bonds

To redeem electronic bonds purchased in TreasuryDirect, log in and follow the on-screen directions. Your checking or savings account will be credited with the redemption amount within one business day of the redemption date.

You can cash your EE/E Bonds and Savings Notes at most local financial institutions. Treasury doesn't maintain a listing of local banks that redeem bonds, so check with the banks in your area. When you present the bonds, you'll be asked to establish your identity. You can do this by:

  • Being a customer with an active account open for at least 6 months at the financial institution that will be paying the bonds, or
  • Presenting documentary identification, such as a driver's license.

If you're not listed as the owner or co-owner on the bonds you're redeeming, you'll have to establish that you're entitled to redeem the bonds. It's always a good idea to check with your financial institution before presenting the bonds for payment to find out what identification and other documents you need.

Amount You Can Redeem at One Time

You may redeem up to $1,000 worth of bonds at one time based on documentary identification alone. If you want to redeem more than $1,000 worth of bonds, your servicing Treasury Retail Securities Site that handles savings bond transactions can help. In this instance, you'll need to:

  • Sign the request for payment on the back of the bonds before a certifying officer at the bank.
  • Provide your Social Security number.
  • Mail the bonds to the Treasury Retail Securities Site that services your area.

Tax Information

When a bond is redeemed, an IRS Form 1099-INT is issued, either at the time of redemption or at the end of the tax year, to the person who redeemed the bond. For more information, see Tax Considerations..

Not Sure If You Already Redeemed a Bond?

If you have the serial numbers, we can look up the status of the securities, assuming they are U.S. Treasury securities. To do so, a signed request by the owner or co-owner must be received by us before we can provide the information. If the bond owner or both co-owners are deceased, then the person making the request needs to provide proof, such as a copy of the death certificate(s). Send the request to:

Bureau of the Public Debt
P.O. Box 7012
Parkersburg, WV 26106-7012

Special Circumstances

There are special circumstances that arise when redeeming bonds. Read more about the following situations: