How do I find old Treasury bonds?

Using the owner's social security number, you can search for unclaimed U.S. savings bonds, or file a claim for one, by going to the U.S. Treasury's Treasury Hunt webpage . Series EE bonds.

What are the historical interest rates on I bonds?

Line chart of I bond rates from May 2018 to May 2023. The rates are as follows: May 2018, 2.52%; November 2018, 2.83%; May 2019, 1.9%; November 2019, 2.22%; May 2020, 1.06%; November 2020, 1.68%; May 2021, 3.54%; November 2021, 7.12%; May 2022, 9.62%; November 2022, 6.89%; May 2023, 4.3%.

What was the interest on a savings account in 1980?

During the 1980s, savings rates climbed as high as 8% . Deregulation caused deposit interest rates to stay higher than financial institutions could sustainably support, which contributed to banking failures during that decade.

Should I wait 30 years to cash in savings bonds?

If you want full value, you should hold the Series EE bonds at least until maturity, and if you want extra, you can hold them until 30 years. But once 30 years have passed, it's a good idea to cash them in because you won't get any extra benefit .

How much is a $50 Patriot bond worth after 20 years?

After 20 years, the Patriot Bond is guaranteed to be worth at least face value . So a $50 Patriot Bond, which was bought for $25, will be worth at least $50 after 20 years. It can continue to accrue interest for as many as 10 more years after that.

Do savings bonds double in 30 years?

Series EE savings bonds are a low-risk way to save money. They earn interest regularly for 30 years (or until you cash them if you do that before 30 years). For EE bonds you buy now, we guarantee that the bond will double in value in 20 years , even if we have to add money at 20 years to make that happen.

Do Treasury bonds ever expire?

All Series EE Bonds reach final maturity 30 years from issue .

How to find lost bonds in your name?

Search for matured savings bonds and missing interest using Treasury Hunt , an online tool from TreasuryDirect.

Is there a penalty for not cashing matured savings bonds?

While the Treasury will not penalize you for holding a U.S. Savings Bond past its date of maturity , the Internal Revenue Service will. Interest accumulated over the life of a U.S. Savings Bond must be reported on your 1040 form for the tax year in which you redeem the bond or it reaches final maturity.

Is there a downside to I bond?

The cons of investing in I-bonds There's actually a limit on how much you can invest in I-bonds per year . The annual maximum in purchases is $10,000 worth of electronic I-bonds, although in some cases, you may be able to purchase an additional $5,000 worth of paper I-bonds using your tax refund.

What is the highest fixed rate of I bonds ever recorded?

I bond rates history On the U.S. Treasury website, you can view bond rates from 1998 to 2023. During that period, the highest fixed rate on record — 3.60% — was established on May 1, 2000, and the highest inflation rate of 4.81% was set on May 1, 2022.

When should I cash out my I bonds?

Remember, when you cash out your I Bonds you don't earn the interest until you complete the month and that you lose the prior 3 months' interest. If you want to keep all your good interest and get the most out of your I Bonds you should cash out: after earning 3 months of lower interest and.

Do EE bonds really double in 20 years?

EE bonds you buy now have a fixed interest rate that you know when you buy the bond. That rate remains the same for at least the first 20 years. It may change after that for the last 10 of its 30 years. We guarantee that the value of your new EE bond at 20 years will be double what you paid for it .

1980 through April 1995 — TreasuryDirect (2024)

EE bonds interest rates for bonds issued from 1980 through April 1995

EE bonds earn interest until the first of these events: You cash in the bond or it reaches 30 years old. Therefore, many of these bonds have stopped earning interest.

If you moved your EE bond into a TreasuryDirect account, we pay you for the bond as soon as it reaches 30 years and stops earning interest.

If you still have a paper EE bond, check the issue date. If that date is more than 30 years ago, it is no longer increasing in value and you may want to cash it. See Cashing EE and I savings bonds.

To find out how much your paper EE savings bond is worth, use our Savings Bond Calculator.

The calculator will also tell you

when the bond stopped or will stop earning interest (Final Maturity)
if the bond is still earning interest, when we will next add that interest (Next Accrual)

How did (does) my bond increase in value?

The original price of EE bonds that we sold from 1980 through April 1995 was one-half its face value. (For example, a $50 bond cost $25.)

How do we figure the interest rate for these bonds?

EE bonds that we issued before May 1995 earned (or are still earning) interest in one of 2 ways, either

at a guaranteed rate or rates
at a market-based rate (85% of 6-month averages of 5-year Treasury security yields)

For each bond, we calculate which of these 2 ways gives the bond its highest value if we use that way by itself over the entire time you have held the bond.

Understanding the 2 ways we figure interest

Sometimes it helps to think about how these savings bonds earn interest by seeing 2 parallel, but entirely separate and independent, interest-earning paths, both starting on a certain date.

For EE bonds issued from November 1982 through April 1995, that date is the issue date of the bond.

On one path, the bond earns interest only at a guaranteed rate or rates for the entire period.
On the other path, the bond earns interest only at market-based rates for the entire period.

In other words, we compare the cumulative effect of applying only market-based rates for the entire period to the cumulative effect of applying only the guaranteed rate(s) for that entire period.

Knowing the guaranteed interest rate(s) for my bond

The easiest way to find out how much an EE bond from before May 1995 is worth is to use the Savings Bond Calculator.

If you want to figure out for yourself or to understand how your bond grew in value by the guaranteed interest rate path, you will be interested in this information. Each EE savings bond from this period had an original guaranteed rate that lasted for 9 to 18 years. It then had a new guaranteed rate for all its years after that until it stopped earning interest.

Part 1: Interest during the original maturity period. The guaranteed rate depends on the date we issued the bond because that gives the bond's original maturity period and the rate we guaranteed for that time.

This table tells you the rates and length of time the bonds earned that rate:

EE bond issue date	Overall rate of return originally guaranteed for original maturity period	Original maturity period
March 1993 – April 1995	4% per year, compounded semiannually	18 years
November 1986 – February 1993	6% per year, compounded semiannually	12 years
November 1982 – October 1986	7.5% per year, compounded semiannually	10 years
May 1981 – October 1982	9% per year, compounded semiannually	8 years
November 1980 – April 1981	8% per year, compounded semiannually	9 years
January 1980 – October 1980	7% per year, compounded semiannually	11 years

Part 2. Interest rate after the original maturity date. The rate could change after the original maturity date. Bonds that entered an extended maturity period from May 1989 through February 1993 had a guaranteed minimum rate of 6 percent during that extended maturity period. All other extended maturity periods (including ones ongoing today) have had a guaranteed rate of 4 percent.

What is the market-based rate for bonds that we issued before May 1995?

Every May 1 and November 1, we calculate the market rate to apply to these EE bonds.

We base the rate on the 5-year Treasury securities yield and then set the rate this way:

Take 85 percent of the average of these yields for the applicable earning period.
Round the rate to the nearest one-hundredth of one percent for bonds issued May 1989 and later, and for bonds and notes which entered an extended maturity period on or after that date. Otherwise, round the rate to the nearest one-quarter of one percent.

We then apply the resulting rate to the entire period for which the bond is entitled to market-based earnings.

Date we set the market rate for these EE bonds	5-year Treasury securities yield we use to set the rate
Remember that we take 85% of this number and then round it, as we describe above.
November 1, 2023	4.21%
May 1, 2023	3.79%
November 1, 2022	3.32%
May 1, 2022	1.78%
November 1, 2021	0.86%
May 1, 2021	0.58%
November 1, 2020	0.31%
May 1, 2020	1.20%
November 1, 2019	1.74%
May 1, 2019	2.56%
November 1, 2018	2.84%
May 1, 2018	2.42%
November 1, 2017	1.84%
May 1, 2017	1.87%
November 1, 2016	1.19%
May 1, 2016	1.46%
November 1, 2015	1.55%
May 1, 2015	1.50%
November 1, 2014	1.65%
May 1, 2014	1.58%
November 1, 2013	1.32%
May 1, 2013	0.76%
November 1, 2012	0.70%
May 1, 2012	0.90%
November 1, 2011	1.32%
May 1, 2011	1.97%
November 1, 2010	1.67%
May 1, 2010	2.40%
November 1, 2009	2.43%
May 1, 2009	1.83%
November 1, 2008	3.12%
May 1, 2008	3.04%
November 1, 2007	4.57%
May 1, 2007	4.61%
November 1, 2006	4.88%
May 1, 2006	4.56%
November 1, 2005	4.01%
May 1, 2005	3.80%
November 1, 2004	3.61%
May 1, 2004	3.16%
November 1, 2003	2.90%
May 1, 2003	2.96%
November 1, 2002	3.61%
May 1, 2002	4.40%
November 1, 2001	4.52%
May 1, 2001	5.00%
November 1, 2000	6.16%
May 1, 2000	6.36%
November 1, 1999	5.77%
May 1, 1999	4.79%
November 1, 1998	5.11%
May 1, 1998	5.62%
November 1, 1997	6.21%
May 1, 1997	6.31%
November 1, 1996	6.51%
May 1, 1996	5.70%
November 1, 1995	6.08%
May 1, 1995	7.42%
November 1, 1994	6.96%
May 1, 1994	5.53%
November 1, 1993	5.00%
May 1, 1993	5.62%
November 1, 1992	5.93%
May 1, 1992	6.56%
November 1, 1991	7.50%
May 1, 1991	7.73%
November 1, 1990	8.46%
May 1, 1990	8.25%
November 1, 1989	8.21%
May 1, 1989	9.19%
November 1, 1988	8.65%
May 1, 1988	8.12%
November 1, 1987	8.44%
May 1, 1987	6.87%
November 1, 1986	7.13%
May 1, 1986	8.26%
November 1, 1985	9.83%
May 1, 1985	11.17%
November 1, 1984	12.87%
May 1, 1984	11.71%
November 1, 1983	11.04%
May 1, 1983	10.17%
November 1, 1982	13.05%