How to Cash Old Savings Bonds

There's no deadline to cash a savings bond — even one that reached final maturity years or decades ago still holds its full frozen redemption value and can be cashed at any time. Here's how, in the situations people actually run into.

Option 1: A bank

Many banks and credit unions still redeem paper savings bonds for existing customers, typically requiring valid government ID and, for larger amounts, that you've held an account with them for a while. Policies vary a lot by institution and have gotten stricter over time as fewer branches handle paper bonds — call ahead before bringing in a stack.

Option 2: By mail, through Treasury Retail Securities Services

If a bank won't handle your bonds (a common outcome for large amounts or bonds you didn't buy there), you can redeem directly by mail through Treasury Retail Securities Services. This route works for any paper bond, including fully matured Series E bonds decades old, and is the standard path for larger or more complicated redemptions.

What you'll need

• The physical bond(s), or a completed replacement claim if the bond is lost, stolen, or destroyed.
• Government-issued photo ID.
• Your Social Security number, for 1099-INT reporting.
• For a deceased owner's bonds: typically a death certificate and documentation establishing your right to the bonds (as a named co-owner, beneficiary, or through the estate) — the exact paperwork depends on how the bond was registered.

Cashing a deceased relative's bonds

How this works depends heavily on the bond's registration:

• Named co-owner: usually the simplest case — the surviving co-owner can typically redeem directly with ID and a death certificate.
• Named beneficiary (POD — "payable on death"): similar to co-ownership; the beneficiary redeems with proof of the owner's death.
• Sole owner, no beneficiary named: the bond generally becomes part of the estate, and redemption follows the estate's executor/administrator process.

Whoever eventually redeems the bonds should expect a 1099-INT for the accrued interest — see the tax guide for how that's typically handled for inherited bonds.

Lost, stolen, or destroyed bonds

A missing paper bond isn't gone for good — it can be replaced. TreasuryDirect provides a claim form (FS Form 1522) to request a replacement or direct payment for a bond you can document you own but no longer physically have, using whatever identifying details you can supply (issue date, denomination, and serial number if known — a partial serial is often still enough to search). If you're not sure whether you or a relative ever owned unclaimed bonds at all, the Treasury's "Treasury Hunt" search tool can check for matured, uncashed bonds registered to a given name.

Check the value first

Before making a special trip to a bank or mailing anything in, it's worth knowing what you're actually holding — a bond that hasn't hit its 12-month minimum hold isn't redeemable yet, and knowing the exact current value in advance avoids any surprises at the counter. Run each bond through the calculator, or load the whole stack into the inventory to get a total before you go.

FAQs

Is there a deadline to cash a matured bond? No — matured bonds keep their frozen value indefinitely and can be redeemed whenever you're ready.

Can I cash a bond that isn't in my name? Only as a documented co-owner, beneficiary, or estate representative — a bank or Treasury will ask for the paperwork establishing that right.

→ Check your bond's value now (free)