Some paper EE bonds that we sold between 2001 and 2011 say "Patriot Bond" on them. They were a special edition to fund anti-terrorism. Everything about EE bonds applies to these Patriot Bonds.
Interest is compounded semiannually, meaning that every 6 months we apply the bond’s interest rate to a new principal. The new principal is the sum of the prior principal and the interest earned in the previous 6 months. Thus, your bond's value grows both because it earns interest and because the principal gets bigger.
Since May 2005, new EE bonds earn a fixed rate of interest that is set when you buy the bond. They earn that interest for the first 20 years. We may adjust the rate or the way they earn interest after 20 years.
For older EE bonds, rules concerning interest may have varied.
See more about interest for EE Bonds that we issued:
Electronic EE bonds: We pay automatically when the bond matures (if you haven’t cashed it before then).
Paper EE bonds: You must submit the paper bond to cash it.
See Cash in (redeem) an EE or I savings bond.
However, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest. For example, if you cash in the bond after 18 months, you get the first 15 months of interest.
To see what your paper EE bond is worth, use our Savings Bond Calculator.
State and local income tax: No
Federal estate, gift, and excise taxes; state estate or inheritance taxes: Yes
You choose whether to report each year's earnings or wait to report all the earnings when you get the money for the bond.
If you use the money for qualified higher education expenses, you may not have to pay tax on the earnings.
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