How to Cash In Old Paper Savings Bonds That Stopped Earning

A stack of paper savings bonds turns up in a drawer or an estate box. The wrong assumption is that they keep growing. TreasuryDirect says EE and I bonds earn for up to 30 years, and every bond from the old series has already stopped. A bond issued in October 1996 reaches 30 years this month, and from then on it earns nothing while it sits.

Sort the bonds by series and issue date

Each bond shows its series (EE, E, I, H, HH) and an issue date. EE and I bonds issued 30 or more years ago no longer earn. Per TreasuryDirect's page on old bond series, bonds from series A through K, including all Series E and H bonds, and all Savings Notes no longer earn interest either. Cash those first.

Check what each bond is worth

Enter the series, denomination and issue date in the Savings Bond Calculator. Add the values. The total decides whether your signature needs certifying in the mail route below.

Ask your bank before you go

Call your bank and ask whether it cashes savings bonds, how much it will cash at once, and what ID it needs. TreasuryDirect's cashing page notes that some banks do not cash bonds at all and each sets its own limit. A bond must be cashed for its whole value, not in part.

Mail FS Form 1522 if the bank says no

Download FS Form 1522 (revised April 2026). List each bond by issue date and serial number, and give your Social Security number and the routing and account number for the direct deposit. Treasury sets no limit on how many bonds you cash this way.

Certify your signature if the total is over $1,000

At $1,000 or less, sign the form and enclose a copy of your driver's license, passport, state ID or military ID. Over $1,000, sign in front of a notary or a bank officer who adds a seal or signature guarantee stamp; the signature certification page lists who qualifies. Do not sign the form ahead of time.

Send the form with the original bonds

Mail the form and the bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, as of October 2026. Use a trackable mail service and keep copies of both sides of every bond.

If you inherited the bonds. The form can be signed by a surviving coowner, beneficiary or estate representative, and Treasury may ask for more evidence. Missing bonds and other unclaimed money are covered in how to claim unclaimed money from your state.

If you are worried about taxes. The interest is subject to federal income tax but not state or local tax, and a Form 1099-INT follows, as the EE and I bond tax page explains. When Treasury cashes the bond, the 1099-INT arrives the following January.

Sources. TreasuryDirect cash EE or I savings bonds, TreasuryDirect cashing old bonds from other series, FS Form 1522, Savings Bond Calculator, TreasuryDirect signature certification, TreasuryDirect tax information for EE and I bonds.