Series EE bonds earn interest on top of the initial bond amount. The longer you keep the bond, the more interest it will earn. Savings bonds are a low-risk investment because it takes many years to earn a significant amount of interest. It's best to keep a Series EE bond for at least five years. If you cash in these bonds within five years of purchase, you'll lose three months of earned interest.
Step 1
Look up how much your Series EE bonds are worth using online savings bond calculators. Some banks are able to look up the worth of bonds using bond serial numbers to determine the amount of interest earned.
Step 2
Contact your bank to see if it provides bond-cashing services. If it does, take your Series EE bond notes to your bank along with a form of ID such as a driver's license or Social Security card.
Step 3
Cash in Series EE bonds issued to you electronically by visiting the Treasury Direct website, which is maintained by the Department of the Treasury. You'll have to provide checking or savings account information so funds can be deposited in your account. This usually take one to two days, depending on fund transfer rates.
References
Resources
Tips
- If you're a victim of a natural disaster or dire financial circumstances, you may be able to cash in bonds before the five-year mark without losing three months of earned interest.
Warnings
- You must pay tax on interest earned when cashing in Series EE bonds. You'll receive
- IRS Form 1099-INT in the mail at tax time.
Writer Bio
Based in the Washington metro area, Jessica Jones has been a freelance writer since 2006, specializing in business topics. Her fiction has also been featured in publications such as "The Jamaican Observer Sunday Literary Supplement" and at websites including HackWriters. Jones earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Lesley University.