The typical challenge with holding bonds is understanding exactly how much they are worth at a given point in time. Find out what your savings bonds are worth with our helpful savings bond calculator. The tool will allow you to get an indicative current and future value. You can even vary the levels of expected interest rates and tax to project the outcome of different economic scenarios.
On this page, you will find detailed instructions on how to use the calculator, information on what the terminology means, and brief information on how to cash out your Savings Bonds.
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How to use the savings bond calculator
- Your initial Deposit – The basic information that you need to enter into the calculator is your initial savings deposit, the duration of the bond you have chosen, the start date, and the APR% (Annual Interest Rate) of your bond.
- Deposits and Withdrawals – Enter the amounts and the frequency of payments you expect to invest or take out.
- Income Taxes & Inflation – If you wish to see what impact federal and state tax will have on your savings bonds you can adjust the rate in this section. The rates are automatically set to 25% state & Federal Tax, while Annual Inflation is set at 2.35%. (We don’t update this continually, so if at the time of use inflation there is a change of circumstance you can update the figure to get a better understanding of the final value of your savings bonds) If you change this section you must hit the calculate button. The information regarding your initial and ongoing deposits and any withdrawals will automatically calculate, but changes to taxes and inflation do not.
- Here are your results – You will now be presented with running commentary on how your inputs will calculate by the end of the fixed term bond period.[/su_list]
- Total Amount Deposited – How much you have invested over the total period
- Total Amount Withdrawn – The amount that you have taken out over the period
- Interest Earned – The amount of money your bonds have made over time before any tax is taken off.
- Savings before Taxes – You initial deposit plus the gross interest (increase in value before tax)
- Personal Income Tax – How much federal/ state tax is taken off the gains from your investment.
- Savings After Income Tax – Your initial investment plus gains after tax
- Spending Power of your savings – When inflation is taken into consideration, what is the relative value of your investment in the future.
- Annual Percentage Yield (APY%) – The average amount of annual interest generated.
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What are the limitations of the Savings Bond Calculator?
Although most bonds are tradeable, their price is ultimately determined by the market. Our calculator should only be taken as indicative of what the value is now or in the future.
The results given by the Bond Price Calculator can only be indicative of what might happen if market interest rates change.
The calculator does not take into account other factors that can significantly affect the value of a bond, such as a credit downgrade.
The Savings Bond Calculator won’t tell you who owns the bond or is it is eligible to be cashed.
What types of bonds do the savings bond calculator cater for? Series EE Savings Bonds, in the U.S, are also called Patriot Bonds, they are the modern equivalent of series E, which was superseded by EE in the 1980s. This type is sold at face value, meaning $1000 will buy a $1000 bond. The full value is realized when you redeem it. Interest is issued directly to your bank account electronically. You can buy a maximum of $10,000 worth of Series EE savings bonds in one year.
Series I U.S. Savings Bonds: Similar to EE Bonds they are generally sold at face value and have an upper yearly investment limit of $10,000. Series I savings bonds have a variable inflation matching rate, meaning your investment won’t be relatively lower in value than when you invested it originally.
The current and future value of both types of bonds can be derived using our savings bond calculator. In the case of series E or EE, you would need to use an estimate of inflation over the term of the bond, while with Series I, you should remove the inflation rate figure altogether to get an estimate of the bond yield once it hits maturity.
Savings Bond Calculator terminology
Bond Face Value: The amount of money you will receive on the bond’s maturity date.
Months Until Maturity: The number of months until the bond matures in this section of the bond calculator.
Coupon Rate: Also often referred to as the interest rate of the bond
Current Market Rate (Discount Rate) (%): There is no one defining the rate for the market; however, the most closely viewed and easiest to find is the that taken from US Treasury bonds.
E.g. If you own a 10 year corporate bond with a yield that is 200 basis points (2%) above the yield of a Treasury bond of the same duration. By changing the value (Current Market Rate), you can simulate a change in the interest rates for Treasury bonds.
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Glossary of Bonds Terms
A bond is when companies or goverments need to generate funds and when you invest you will receive you lump sump back with interest at the end of your agreement.
Bonds issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending.
A Treasury Note are bonds issued by the United States Department of the Treasury and last up to 10 years.
Treasury securities are the bonds issued to investors by the U.S. government
A Municipal Bond is usually issued by local Governments to finance public projects such as roads, schools, and airports. You will recieve you lump sum and interest back at the end of the term.
A Corporate Bond is issued by businesses to raise funds for expansions or projects. You will recieve you lump sum and interest back at the end of the term.
A Bond that has no interest rate but your investments are entered into prize draws to win £25 to £1mil.
Usually offered by Banks and Building Societies, Saving Bonds will last for a fixed term and earn interest. You are not able to access the money during the fixed term.
A Fixed Bond will start and end with same Interest Rate.
FAQs
💸 How much is a savings bond worth
Often the most challenging thing about bonds is getting to the bottom of how much the bond itself is worth. You can find out directly through TreasuryDirect or use our simple calculator by entering a small number of details: Initial investment, the term of the bond, the annual interest rate, and the start date. If you are using series E or EE you can also include inflation and tax to see both the actual and relative value of your investment now or at the point of maturity, just remove inflation for Series I.
💸 Do savings bonds expire
Savings Bonds do not expire, but they do stop accruing interest. Savings bonds mature on a pre-designated date, at which point they stop should be cashed in.
💸 Are savings bonds a good idea?
Savings bonds are considered some of the very safest investments, as they backed up and honored by the government of the United States. As with all low-risk investments, the return on investment is lower than high-risk investments.
💸 How do I cash a savings bond
You can redeem your savings bond directly with TreasuryDirect. If you have electronic bonds, you can redeem online, which will then take two businesses to be in your account.
💸 Do savings bonds lose value
Once a Savings Bond has matured it will be exposed to inflation, and its relative value will drop over time.
💸 Is there a penalty for no cashing in a matured savings bond?
There is no penalty for not cashing in a matured savings bond, although upon maturity tax on the capital gains will be due. The thing to watch out for is that if you don't cash in your bonds after they stop receiving interest they will be more exposed to inflation, which will erode the relative value of the bond against the cost of goods and services in the economy.
💸 Does the government still sell is savings bonds
💸 Historically you could buy US back Savings Bonds at traditional banks or credit unions. The option to do so ended in 2012. The Treasury today only allows their purchase online.
