Have Old Savings Bonds? They May Have Stopped Earning Interest, and the Money Is Yours

That old bond in the drawer may be done growing

If you or a relative bought U.S. savings bonds years ago, they may be sitting in a drawer, a safe, or a shoebox. That money is still yours. But there is a catch worth knowing.

U.S. savings bonds earn interest for up to 30 years. After that, they stop growing. So an old bond that reached the end of its life is not earning you anything more. Cashing it in puts that money back in your pocket.

HH bonds are one example. The Treasury stopped selling them in 2004, and they have a 20-year life. As of August 1, 2024, all HH bonds have reached final maturity. If you are holding HH bonds, they are no longer earning interest.

How to find bonds you forgot about

Maybe you know you have paper bonds but are not sure what they are worth. Maybe you think a parent or grandparent left some behind. Either way, you can check for free.

TreasuryDirect, the official U.S. government site, has tools to look up how much a paper bond is worth and to search for matured savings bonds. There is no fee to use these tools.

You do not need to pay a finder or a middleman. Anyone who wants a cut to 'recover' your bonds is charging you for something the government lets you do for free.

What happens to the money over time

When you buy a savings bond, you lend money to the U.S. government, and it pays you back later plus interest. Bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, so the money is safe.

Once a bond stops earning interest, holding onto it does not help you. Cashing it in is the way to actually use the money.

If you cannot find a paper bond, or you think one may have been turned over to your state, the search tools on TreasuryDirect are the right place to start.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my bond stopped earning interest?

Savings bonds earn interest for up to 30 years. If your bond is older than that, it has stopped growing. Use the value tool on TreasuryDirect to check your bond and its dates.

Does it cost anything to look up or cash my bonds?

No. Checking a bond's value and cashing it through TreasuryDirect or your bank is free. You never need to pay a company to recover bonds that are already yours.

What if I have HH bonds?

As of August 1, 2024, all HH bonds have reached final maturity, so they no longer earn interest. TreasuryDirect explains how to redeem them.

Can OpenFinancial cash my bonds for me?

No. We are not a bank or a government agency. We point you to the free official tools at TreasuryDirect so you can do it yourself or through your bank.