“Maturity” trips people up because savings bonds have two different milestones:
- Original maturity — when the bond reaches its face value (for EE bonds, guaranteed at 20 years).
- Final maturity — when it stops earning interest forever. This is the one that matters for your wallet.
Final maturity by series
- Series EE: 30 years from issue. Bonds issued 1980–1996 have all stopped earning.
- Series I: 30 years from issue. The first I bonds (1998) mature in 2028.
- Series E: 40 years if issued May 1941 – November 1965; 30 years afterward. Every E bond has matured.
- Savings Notes (Freedom Shares): 30 years — all matured by 2000.
After final maturity
The bond's value is frozen. Every month you keep holding it, inflation erodes real value, and the IRS technically expects the accumulated interest to be reported in the year of final maturity even if you haven't cashed the bond — a rule that surprises many estates. The practical move: identify matured bonds, cash them, and reinvest.
Check every bond in one pass
Add your bonds to the free inventory — each one is automatically labeled earning or matured with its exact final-maturity month, and the totals show how much is sitting in zero-earning paper.
→ Check your bond's value now (free)