Savings Bonds
Savings bonds are debt securities issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to pay for the U.S. government’s borrowing needs. Saving bonds are considered one of the safest investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
There are several types of U.S. savings bonds:
- Series EE Bonds These savings bonds replaced the Series E bonds. They are purchased at a discount of half their face value in $50 to $10,000 denominations, but you cannot buy more than $30,000 (face value) during any calendar year. EE bonds increase in value as the interest accrues or accumulates and pay interest for 30 years. When EE bonds "mature," or come due, you are paid your original investment plus all of the interest.
- Series HH Bonds You can purchase Series HH bonds, but only in exchange for Series EE or E bonds and Savings Notes, or with the proceeds from a matured Series HH bond. Unlike EE bonds, Series HH bonds are purchased at their face amount in $500 to $10,000 denominations, but there is no limit on the amount you can purchase. These bonds don’t increase in value and have a maturity of 20 years.
- Series I Bonds These bonds are sold at face value and grow with inflation-indexed earnings for up to 30 years. You can buy Series I bonds in $50 to $10,000 denominations, up to $30,000 in any calendar year.
U.S. savings bonds have tax advantages. You can defer federal taxes on the interest until you cash in the bond or stops paying interest at maturity. Savings bonds are also exempt from state and local taxes. Because savings bonds are registered with the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of the Public Debt, you can get your bonds replaced if your bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed.
For more information about savings bonds, visit the website of U.S. Department of Treasury's Bureau of the Public Debt. At its site, you can use its Savings Bond Calculator to help you make more informed investment decisions about savings bonds. The website also provides a section describing the different types of securities issued by the Treasury.
Savings Bond Calculator
Find out what your bonds are worth with our online calculator. The calculator will price Series EE, E, I bonds, and Savings Notes. Features include current interest rate, next accrual date, final maturity date, year-to-date interest earned, and more...
- Find what your bond is worth today
- Build an inventory of bonds
- Not sure what the Calculator is giving you?
- Want to save your inventory?
- Do you report savings bond interest to the IRS every year as it accrues?
- Get Started
To find what your bond is worth today:
- Click the 'Get Started' Link above or the button at the bottom of this page to open the Calculator.
- Once open, choose the series and denomination of your bond from the series and denomination drop down boxes.
- Enter the issue date that is printed on the bond. Note: Enter two digit months (e.g. 01, 12) and four-digit years (e.g. 1985 or 2001).
- Click the 'Calculate' button.
To build an inventory of bonds:
- Repeat the above process for each of your bonds.
- The calculator will add each new bond to the top of your inventory listing.
To find what your bonds are worth in other months:
If you'd like to see what your bonds were worth in the past or will be worth in the near future:
- Change the 'Value as of' date at the top of the calculator to the desired date.
- Click 'Update'.
- Your inventory will update to show the values or your bonds as of the date you enter.
- The Calculator can show you what your bonds were worth from 01/1996 through the current rate period.
Not sure what data the Calculator is giving you?
If you have questions about any of the fields that are displayed, click the 'Help' button at the top of the calculator. You'll be taken to our help area where you can find short descriptions of what you're seeing in those fields.
Want to save your inventory?
Now you can save your inventory so you can update your bond values quickly and easily. All you need to do is use your browser's built in saving function. Click “View/Print/Save List”' and then when the list appears, click “File” and 'Save As' and name your inventory. Make sure that you save your file as an "HTML Only" file and click 'Save'. You've saved your file! If you'd like more detail, check out our Instructions for Saving Your Inventory Page.
Do you report savings bond interest to the IRS every year as it accrues?
If you report interest annually, check out the calculator's YTD Interest feature. It reports the amount of interest your bonds have accrued from the start of a year through the date you enter in the "Value as of" section. Here's how you can use this feature to calculate the amount of interest your bonds accrued in one calendar year:
- List the bonds you want to report annually.
- Enter December of the tax year in the 'Value as of' box. For example, if you want to find the interest your bonds accrued in 1999, enter 12/1999 in the 'Value as of' box.
- Find the value in the 'YTD Interest' box. That's the amount of interest your bonds accrued that year.
Feel free to change the default values below. Then, click the "calculate" button to find out how you can reach your savings goals! For more information, click the instructions link on this page.
This calculator is for estimation purposes only.
Because interest and tax rates can't be predicted, these calculators are only intended to give you an idea of what your investment could be worth based on the assumptions you make. Actual earnings may be different.
