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How to Find a Lost Savings Bond
Even if you don't know how many you had, when you got them or what kind they were, you may still be able to track down missing U.S. savings bonds.
By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
August 25, 2008
In 1976 and 1978 my first two children were born. They both received savings bonds as gifts for either their birth or Christmas. I have lost them and have no idea of how many they had, the face value of them, the exact dates of issue or even exactly what kind they were! What do I do? Is there any way of replacing them? Does the Treasury Department have all of the information concerning these bonds? Can you walk me through this process?
The more information you have, the easier it will be for the U.S. Bureau of the Public Debt to track down the lost savings bonds. But it won't hurt to try even if you just have the basic details.
Start by going to TreasuryDirect.gov and download Form 1048 Claim for Lost, Stolen or Destroyed U.S. Savings Bonds. Fill out as much information as you can about the lost bond including the bond owner's name, address and Social Security number, the approximate issue date (or date range), serial number if available and other details about the loss.
Then certify the form at a bank and mail it to the Department of Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt, at P.O. Box 7012, Parkersburg, WV 26106 for series E, EE and I bonds; for H and HH bonds, send it to P.O. Box 2186, Parkersburg, WV 26106. For more information about each type of savings bond, see the Products in Depth section of TreasuryDirect.gov.
If you had the serial number, the Bureau of the Public Debt could generally track down and reissue your bonds within three to four weeks. But without all of that information, the process could take months.
You can also use the Treasury Hunt tool to see if the Bureau of the Public Debt has any savings bonds for your children that had been returned as undeliverable or if they have any bonds that are no longer earning interest. Treasury Hunt may not contain a record of all savings bonds -- only Series E savings bonds issued after 1974 that have reached maturity -- so it's still important to submit a form for lost or stolen savings bonds.
Most bonds stop earning interest after 30 years, which is right around the age of the bonds you're looking for, you so you can also check the Treasury Securities That Have Stopped Earning Interest table to see the status after the bonds are reissued, even if nothing shows up on TreasuryHunt.
And if the bonds are still earning interest, you can check out the current value using the Calculate the Value of Your Paper Savings Bonds tool at TreasuryDirect.gov.
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Reader Comments (5)
Posted by: Britney Himenes at 11/01/2009 12:59:36 AM
well i was wanting to know if anyone can help me find my savings bonds.i know nothing about them, they were issued to me every birthday and christmas for about 6-8 years by my grandfather in sacramento. i never knew him so i dont know his information. all i know is my information do you think you can possibly try and help me i really would like to have possesion of them until im able to cash them when im 18. please get back to me if you can. thankyou
Posted by: Yvonne Nance Sarvis at 01/30/2010 12:53:49 PM
My daughter was given bonds before her birth by my coworkers. They were lost when the safe they were stored in was cleaned out, during a move from house to house. I do not know who purchased them, or what SS number they were purchased under. I have sent in multiple requests to the treasury department always with the same response-unable to find any that match. I am at a lose at what to try anymore. Could you please help. The bank has even sent in a request letter for me and they received the same response. I know the year they were purchased and the city, but that is just about it. Thank you so much for your help..
Posted by: Marilyn Robberson at 03/18/2010 08:53:26 PM
I'm proud that I found your website, I hope that perhaps you will be able to help me to locate my son and daughters" bonds. I tried to follow your advice but none of the pages will open up for me. I will keep trying. My biggest fear is that these bonds no longer exist--the originals burned up in a fire when the kids were small, only the grandparents that purchased them would have any knowledge about these, and they aren't talking. So I am at a loss as to knowing what to do. I'd appreciate any help that you can give me. Thank You.
Posted by: benjamin wallace at 05/20/2010 08:53:00 PM
i need you to send me a claim form if you can. thank you.
Posted by: kathie h. at 06/24/2010 04:29:33 PM
We recieved several bonds for our marriage in 1987 and my sons birth the same year. the bonds were issued in several different names, mine and his, mine alone, mine and my son, whose name was spelled wrong, my name was spelled differently on a few, as well as my husbands. Is there a way to search online by name only? The bonds were lost many years ago in one of many moves we have made. I do not have the serial numbers or any information on the bonds themselves, only the names that were on them, however, the combination of the names is endless.