Redeem Series HH Savings Bonds

Notice: As of September 1, 2004, the U.S. Treasury is no longer issuing HH/H Savings Bonds. Investors are no longer able to reinvest HH/H Bonds or exchange EE/E Bonds for HH Bonds.

  • You will get the purchase price of the bond.
  • Interest is paid every six months; so their value doesn't change.
  • You must be able to identify yourself as the owner, co-owner, or other person authorized to redeem the bonds.
  • If you're not the owner or co-owner, you'll need to establish that you're entitled to redeem the bonds you're presenting.
  • A financial institution must guarantee your signature on the back of the bonds, once you establish your identity.
  • If you're redeeming bonds on which a decedent is named, see Death of a Savings Bond Owner for more information.

Savings bonds are nontransferable. If you purchase a bond at an auction or find a bond belonging to someone else, you can't redeem it. The registration on the bond is a contractual relationship between the owner and the U.S. Treasury.

Where to Redeem Your Bonds

Your local bank can't pay you for your HH/H Bonds. However, the bank can help you by:

  • certifying or guaranteeing your signature, and
  • forwarding the bonds, with your direct deposit instructions, holding instructions, and any supporting evidence of entitlement, if applicable, to the Treasury Retail Securities Site that services your area.

You will receive payment for your HH/H bonds through direct deposit. You can request direct deposit by filling out a Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form, PD F 5396.

Interest Due the Following Month

If you're redeeming your HH/H Bonds and interest is due to be paid the following month, your bonds will be held until the following month.

For example, you send a redemption request for your HH Bond maturing in May, but the next interest payment is in June. The Treasury Retail Securities site will hold your bond until June.

Deferred Interest

If you exchanged EE/E Bonds to purchase HH/H Bonds, and deferred paying federal income tax on the interest earned on the EE/E Bonds, you'll need to report this deferred interest for the year in which you redeem the HH/H Bonds.

You'll receive a 1099-INT showing the deferred interest, which is reported to the IRS. For information on reporting the deferred interest on a deceased bond owner's final federal income tax return, see Death of a Savings Bond Owner.

Not Sure If You Already Redeemed a Bond?

If you have the serial numbers, we can look up the status of the securities, assuming they are U.S. Treasury securities. To do so, a signed request by the owner or co-owner must be received before we can provide the information. If the bond owner or both co-owners are deceased, then the person making the request needs to provide proof, such as a copy of the death certificate(s). Send the request to:

Bureau of the Public Debt
P.O. Box 7012
Parkersburg, WV 26106-7012