Savings Bonds: About — TreasuryDirect
When you buy a U.S. savings bond, you lend money to the U.S. government.
In turn, the government agrees to pay that much money back later - plus additional money (interest).
U. S. savings bonds are
Simple
Buy once. Earn interest for up to 30 years.
Safe
Backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
Affordable
Buy them for as little as $25.
You can buy 2 types of U. S. savings bonds
EE Bonds
Guaranteed to double in value in 20 years
Earn a fixed rate of interest
Current Rate: 2.60%
For EE bonds issued November 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025
Electronic only – keep them safe in your TreasuryDirect account
Buy for any amount from $25 up to $10,000.
Maximum purchase each calendar year: $10,000.
Can cash in after 1 year. (But if you cash before 5 years, you lose 3 months of interest.)
(Note: Older EE bonds may be different from ones we sell today.)
I Bonds
Protect against inflation. The interest rate on a particular I bond changes every 6 months, based on inflation.
Current Rate: 3.11%
This includes a fixed rate of 1.20%
For I bonds issued November 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025
Electronic only – keep them safe in your TreasuryDirect account (minimum amount $25)
Maximum purchase each calendar year: $10,000
Can cash in after 1 year. (But if you cash before 5 years, you lose 3 months of interest.)
Interest rate is calculated from a fixed rate and the inflation rate.
You may have an older bond
HH Bonds
We stopped selling HH savings bonds in 2004
But they have a 20-year life. As of August 1, 2024, all HH bonds have reached final maturity. If you have HH bonds dated with 2004, the deferred interest, if any, will be reportable to the IRS at the end of calendar year 2024, even if you did not redeem the security.
Quick Links
Financial Institutions:
Help Customers Cash In Their Savings Bonds
View special instructions on how to cash in paper Savings Bonds that customers may bring in to your bank.
