Are Series E Savings Bonds still earning interest?
Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
Categorized as: Series E US Savings Bonds • Stinker bonds • Savings Bond interest rates
My parents have a number of Series E bonds. Can you tell me when they stop earning interest?
Series E Savings Bonds were issued from May 1941 through June 1980. The newer Series EE bonds, which are still available, were first issued in January 1980.
From their first issue through November 1965, Series E bonds earned interest for 40 years. All of these have stopped earning interest.
From December 1965 through the last issue in June 1980, Series E bonds earn interest for 30 years. There are still a few of these E bonds that are good, but in June 2010 there will no longer be any E bonds earning interest.
If your parent's bonds are still earning interest, they should start planning now to minimize the income tax impact of redeeming them. If your parents don't cash them, the IRS still wants the income reported in the year they stop paying interest. There are more details about how to minimize the tax impact in my book, Savings Bond Advisor.
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I have many, many Savings Bonds which I purchased thru payroll savings whils working for the FederalGovernment thru the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Denominations are $25, $50 and $100. There are just too many to use your Savings Bond Calculator, doing them one at a time. The Treasury used to provide a publication which listed each month/year/denomination and gave the current value. I haven't seen one for some years now. Is it still available, and how can I get a current copy? Thanks in advance for a reply.
Dan Duffy
Daniel - all the ones issued before this month in 1978 have stopped earning interest so the value is the same as it was the last time you looked them up. It's a huge financial mistake to hold on to these; you should cash them and reinvest in new bonds.
I don't know if the Treasury still offers the publication you're looking for; their web site is impossible for finding anything useful. Why don't you use the link here to email them and find out how to get a copy?
Tom Adams
Tom, this sounds rather dumb, but I'm not a computer expert. How do I message them thru this site? And thanks for your response to my first question.
Dan
Dan - On this page, on the left, there's a box that says "Savings Bond Questions" in black and "Ask the Treasury" in blue or red. You may have to scroll up to see it. Click on the words "Ask the Treasury".
Tom Adams
Here is the link to the Treasury's Savings Bond redemption tables.