- Choose your paper bond’s series and denomination from the series and denomination drop down boxes once it’s opened.
- Fill in the issue date found on the paper bond.
- Note: Two-digit months (e.g. 01, 12) and four-digit years must be entered (e.g. 1985 or 2001).
- See our bond diagram if you’re not sure where to look for your paper bond’s issue date or serial number.
What is the value of my $50 Series EE bond?
Savings bonds are regarded as one of the most secure investments available. The underlying principle is that the value of a savings bond grows over time, but it’s easy to lose track of how much it’s worth over time.
The TreasuryDirect savings bond calculator, fortunately, makes determining the value of a purchased savings bond a breeze. You’ll need the bond series, face value, serial number, and issuance date to figure out how much your savings bond is worth.
If you bought a $50 Series EE bond in May 2000, for example, you would have paid $25. At maturity, the government committed to repay the face amount plus interest, bringing the total value to $53.08 by May 2020. A $50 bond purchased for $25 30 years ago is now worth $103.68.
How much is a Series EE bond worth?
Bond prices Series of papers The face value of an EE bond is originally half of the bond’s face value. Bonds are worth the purchase amount plus generated interest, which is compounded monthly, in later years.
What is the current value of a $50 savings bond from 1986?
Savings bonds in the United States were a massive business in 1986, because to rising interest rates. In some minds, they were almost as hot as the stock market.
Millions of Series EE savings bonds purchased in 1986 will stop generating interest at various periods throughout 2016, depending on when the bond was issued, and will need to be cashed in the new year.
No one will send you notices or redeem your bonds for you automatically. It’s entirely up to you to decide.
In 1986, almost $12 billion in savings bonds were purchased. According to the federal Bureau of the Fiscal Service, there were more than 12.5 million Series EE savings bonds with 1986 issue dates outstanding as of the end of October.
According to Daniel Pederson, author of Savings Bonds: When to Hold, When to Fold, and Everything In-Between and president of the Savings Bond Informer, only a few years have seen greater savings bond sales. (Other significant years include 1992, when $17.6 billion in bonds were sold, 1993, when $13.3 billion was sold, and 2005, when $13.1 billion was sold.)
For the first ten years, bonds purchased from January to October 1986 had an introductory rate of 7.5 percent. Beginning in November 1986, the interest on freshly purchased bonds was due to drop to 6%, thus people piled on in October 1986.
In the last four days of October 1986, Pederson’s previous office at the Federal Reserve Bank branch in Detroit received more than 10,000 applications for savings bonds, according to Pederson. Before that, it was common to receive 50 applications every day.
What is the true value of a bond? A bond with a face value of $50 isn’t necessarily worth $50. For a $50 Series EE bond in 1986, for example, you paid $25. So you’ve been generating buzz about the $50 valuation and beyond.
The amount of money you get when you cash your bond depends on the bond and the interest rates that were paid during its existence. You can find the current value of a bond by using the Savings Bond calculator at www.treasurydirect.gov.
How much money are we discussing? In December, a $50 Series EE savings bond depicting George Washington, issued in January 1986, was valued $113.06. At the next payment in January 2016, the bond will earn a few more dollars in interest.
In December, a $500 savings bond with an image of Alexander Hamilton, issued in April 1986, was worth $1,130.60. In April 2016, the next interest payment will be made.
Until their final maturity date, all bonds purchased in 1986 are earning 4%. Keep track of when your next interest payment is due on your bonds.
For the first ten years, savings bonds purchased in 1986 paid 7.5 percent. For the first 12 years, bonds purchased in November and December 1986 paid 6%. Following that, both earned 4%.
Bonds can be cashed in a variety of places. Check with your bank; clients’ bonds are frequently cashed quickly and for big sums. Some banks and credit unions, on the other hand, refuse to redeem savings bonds at all.
Chase and PNC Banks, for example, set a $1,000 limit on redeeming savings bonds for non-customers.
If you have a large stack of bonds, you should contact a bank ahead of time to schedule an appointment. According to Joyce Harris, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Fiscal Service, it’s also a good idea to double-check the bank’s dollar restrictions beforehand.
Don’t sign the payment request on the back of your bonds until you’ve been instructed to do so by the financial institution.
What types of taxes will you have to pay? You’ll have to calculate how much of the money you receive is due to interest.
The main component of the savings bond, which you paid when you bought it, is not taxable. Interest is taxed at ordinary income tax rates, not at a capital gains tax rate. If you cashed a $500 bond issued in April 1986 in December 2015, it would be worth $1,130.60. The bond was purchased for $250, and the interest earned would be taxable at $880.60.
What if you cashed all of the 1986 bonds that came due in 2016? On your 2016 tax return, you’d pay taxes on those bonds.
It’s critical to account for interest and keep all of your papers while preparing your tax returns. Details on who owes the tax can be found on TreasuryDirect.gov.
What is the procedure for redeeming Series EE bonds?
- Whether you have a local bank account and it accepts savings bonds, inquire if it will accept yours. The answer may be contingent on the length of time you’ve had an account there. If the bank will cash your check, find out if there is a monetary restriction on redemptions and what kind of identification and other documentation you’ll need.
- Send these, along with FS Form 1522, to Treasury Retail Securities Services (download or order). The bonds are not required to be signed. You’ll need to verify your identity. The instructions are on FS Form 1522, in the “Certification” section. Our address is also included in the form.
What is the value of an EE bond after 20 years?
Regardless of the interest rate, the bond will be worth twice as much after 20 years. We make a one-time adjustment to satisfy this guarantee if you maintain the bond for that long.
What is the value of a $100 savings bond dated 1999?
A $100 series I bond issued in July 1999, for example, was worth $201.52 at the time of publishing, 12 years later.
What is the value of a 1991 Series EE bond?
A long walk on the beach is an excellent opportunity to sift through the sand in search of buried treasure. But what if you could spend your summer vacation unearthing hundreds, if not thousands, of cash in buried bonds?
Perhaps someone bought you savings bonds when you were born? Some you bought with your paycheck and stashed in a drawer? Perhaps you’ll discover bonds you didn’t realize you had.
Many of us will come as near to finding pirate plunder as we can by digging up a stockpile of savings bonds. Here are five solutions to common queries regarding finding savings bond cash.
1. What if I purchased bonds in the 1990s but can no longer locate them?
In 1990 and 1992, one grandma told me she bought bonds for a grandson. She, on the other hand, had no idea what had happened to the savings bonds. Her daughter, the mother of the kid, was also unsure.
A longtime savings bond expert in metro Detroit, Daniel Pederson, provided a handful of options.
If Grandma and Grandchild get along, he recommends telling the grandson who is now in his or her 20s or 30s to obtain a lost-bond claim form for savings bonds called Form FS 1048. Search for “Form 1048” on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website, www.treasurydirect.gov.
The form could be filled out by the grandchild. He would, however, recommend that the grandmother submit a separate form for herself. What is the explanation for this? We’re not sure what the bond’s name was. Is it possible that the grandmother purchased other bonds, perhaps for herself, that she forgot about?
“Grandma may discover bonds in her name that she was unaware of, and vice versa,” said Pederson, president of the Savings Bond Informer.
His other piece of advice: on the form, request a list of all bonds, not just those for the few years the grandma was interested in.
Treasury Retail Securities can also be reached at 844-284-2676. You can also e-mail the Treasury Department by visiting www.treasurydirect.gov/email.htm and looking for the right link for a specific e-mail address.
2. What’s the big deal about savings bonds from 1986?
Because of the high return rates, savers bought millions of savings bonds in 1986. The 1986 bonds, on the other hand, are approaching maturity after 30 years and will cease to receive interest in various months this year, depending on the month in which the bond was issued.
For the first ten years, savings bonds issued from January 1986 to October 1986 had an initial rate of 7.5 percent. However, if you acquired savings bonds in November 1986, the rate dropped to 6% on freshly purchased bonds. Until their final maturity date, all savings bonds purchased in 1986 are currently earning 4%. If the bond was issued in August 1986, hold off on cashing it until August to earn the final amount of interest.
Many of those savings bonds, if not paid by now, could easily be forgotten and hidden in cedar chests, shoe boxes, or safe deposit boxes with old photographs.
Someone who was in their working years in 1986 may now be in their 70s or even 80s.
If you were born in 1985 or 1986, you may not be aware that someone purchased a savings bond for you.
If you already have the bonds, go to www.treasurydirect.gov and use the Savings Bond Calculator to figure out how much they’re worth.
3. Do my old savings bonds pay me any interest?
After 30 years, a Series EE savings bond ceases earning interest, so a 1990 savings bond will continue to receive income until 2020.
In July 2016, a $100 Series EE savings bond purchased in January 1991 would be worth $173.52. The bond, which cost a saver $50 at the time of purchase, will mature in January 2021. It currently has a 4-percentage-point interest rate.
When $17.6 billion in bonds were auctioned in 1992, a surplus of savings bonds was purchased. So, when those 1992 bonds stop collecting income in 2022 just six years from now savers will want to pay attention.
4. Is there an alternative to searching through shoe boxes and other hiding places to track bonds?
This online system is limited, but it can assist you in tracking down information on some no-longer-paying savings bonds issued after 1974.
You enter your Social Security number into Treasury Hunt and are then notified whether you have any savings bonds that are no longer producing interest. You’ll need to file a Form FS 1048 if you can’t discover the bonds or believe they’re missing.
If you live in a location that has been affected by a flood or other calamity, keep an eye out for special breaks on lost bonds. For example, the federal government said in July that it would expedite the replacement of lost bonds in West Virginia communities affected by mudslides and floods.
5. Do you have to pay taxes on your savings bonds in the United States?
You’re only taxed on the amount of interest you earned, not the whole amount you get when you cash the bonds. Granted, a large portion of the money you get from an old savings bond is interest.
An IRS Form 1099-INT would be issued to you. Keep your paperwork until you’re ready to file your taxes. Many banks can cash savings bonds; working with a bank with whom you already have an account can be more convenient.
Some tax advice: Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can use savings bonds issued in 1986 to pay for a child’s college education while avoiding paying federal income taxes on the interest you receive. The preferential tax deduction for higher education expenses only applies to qualifying Series EE and I Bonds issued after 1989 if certain conditions are met.
One reader suggested that you donate all of your savings bonds to charity to avoid paying taxes. No, in a nutshell.
“You can’t give US savings bonds to a charity during your lifetime or even as a beneficiary upon death,” said George W. Smith IV, an accountant in Southfield.
On the plus side, Smith pointed out that the interest earned on a U.S. savings bond is not taxed by Michigan or any other state or territory.
When is the best time to cash in my EE savings bonds?
In about 30 years, most savings bonds stop earning interest (or achieve maturity). A savings bond can be redeemed as soon as one year after purchase, but it’s normally best to wait at least five years so you don’t miss out on the last three months of interest. If you redeem a bond after 24 months, for example, you will only receive 21 months of interest. It’s usually better to wait until your bond reaches full maturity, depending on the interest rate and your individual financial demands.
What is the value of a 1994 series EE bond?
The paper version of EE bonds, which are the most frequent savings bonds issued by the US government, represents a face value that the bond will be worth after 20 years. So, if a bond reads $100 on the front, it sells for $50 when first issued. In 1994, U.S. Series EE bonds were available for purchase in this way. They were offered in denominations of $100, $200, and $500 at face value, with the doubling rule applied once the 20-year period had passed.