Updated August 2026
Series E bonds — the original "war bonds" — were sold from May 1941 to June 1980 at 75% of face value (a $100 bond cost $75). Every Series E bond has now reached final maturity and stopped earning interest: they earned for 40 years if issued through November 1965, 30 years after that.
Its value is frozen at the last redemption value it reached at maturity — often 4 to 9 times its face value thanks to decades of compounding. A $25 bond from the early 1940s typically redeems for well over $100. Enter the series, denomination and issue date in the calculator to get the exact figure from the Treasury tables.
E bonds most often surface when settling a parent's or grandparent's estate. Three practical notes:
Bonds issued before 1952 matured before modern electronic tables begin; for those rare cases the Treasury's paper records govern — everything from 1952 onward is covered here.
Series E bonds went by different informal names depending on when they were sold: bonds bought during World War II are commonly called "war bonds," and the design is instantly recognizable to many families going through an inherited box of paper. A related security, the Series Savings Note ("Freedom Share," sold 1967–1970 alongside E bonds), follows the same maturity and valuation logic — pick "Series E / Savings Note" in the calculator if that's what's printed on yours.
Yes — final maturity only stops the interest, it doesn't cancel your right to redeem. There's no deadline. See how to cash old savings bonds for exactly where to take a matured paper bond and what identification or estate paperwork you'll need.
The series letter, denomination, and issue month are printed on the certificate face the same way as EE and I bonds, though the older engraved design can make small print harder to read. Look for the issue date printed as month and year (not the date you happen to have found the bond) — that's the figure the calculator needs.
Are Series E bonds still earning interest? No — every Series E bond reached final maturity by 2010 at the latest and has been frozen since. Any interest you see credited afterward would be an error, not a real accrual.
Is the interest on an old E bond taxable? Yes, federally, in the year you cash it — often the largest single 1099-INT a family sees from an estate. See the tax guide.