A deceased parent's or relative's savings bonds can be in 5 places: their papers, a TreasuryDirect account, Treasury's paper-bond records, a state unclaimed property office, or another person's name. TreasuryDirect, the Treasury website for electronic bonds, holds only the electronic ones, so the place to look depends on whether the bond was paper or electronic.
No online search has existed since September 30, 2025. A surviving co-owner, or the executor or other legal representative of the estate, asks Treasury to search on FS Form 1048 (Rev.
March 2026), sent with a certified death certificate (a copy that carries the registrar's seal). Treasury charges no fee and the form is free. Our guide to US savings bonds covers both paper and electronic bonds.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent company, not Treasury, TreasuryDirect or a state. We cannot search Treasury's records, and we never ask for a Social Security number.
Is There a Search for a Deceased Person's Savings Bonds?
No online search for a deceased person's savings bonds exists: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." TreasuryDirect's Treasury Hunt page carries that sentence, checked November 11, 2026.
Treasury Hunt launched on February 5, 2001, and Treasury relaunched it in December 2019. Its relaunch release listed "bonds owned by deceased family members" among the purposes it served.
TreasuryDirect gives no reason for the closure and now points to its forms page. The search Treasury still runs starts with a mailed claim, as explained when Treasury Hunt is closed and what replaced the search.
5 Places a Deceased Relative's Savings Bonds Can Be
A deceased relative's savings bonds sit in 1 of 5 places, and each place has its own way to check. The table lists the 5 places, the bonds each can hold and the time Treasury quotes.
| Place | Which bonds | How heirs check | Time | More on it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The relative's papers | Paper bonds, lists, tax forms | Search home files; do not sign bonds | Immediate | found old savings bonds |
| TreasuryDirect account | Electronic EE and I | Contact Treasury; account hold | Not published | electronic savings bonds |
| Treasury's paper-bond records | Paper bonds of every series | FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026) by mail | Eleven months or longer | FS Form 1048 |
| State unclaimed property office | Paper bonds the state holds (safe-deposit boxes) | The state's name search and claim | Set by the state | savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices |
| Another person's name | Co-owned, POD and gift bonds | The named person claims as owner | As for any owner | POD savings bonds |
Where a deceased owner's US savings bonds can be. Times: TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026.
The Relative's Papers: Bonds, Lists, Tax Forms and Bank Records
The relative's own papers are the fastest place to look, because a paper bond, a list of serial numbers or a tax form names the bonds directly. Five kinds of clue are worth searching for, and the list below names them.
- Paper bonds and photocopies, with the serial number printed in the lower right.
- A list of serial numbers or issue dates kept with family papers.
- Copies of Form 1099-INT (box 3), the tax form that reports savings bond interest.
- Bank statements showing Treasury deposits every six months: Series HH bonds paid interest by direct deposit until all HH bonds reached final maturity on August 1, 2024.
- Federal tax returns with IRS Form 8888: paper Series I bonds were bought with tax refunds on returns filed from 2010 through 2024.
Do not sign any bond you find. Bonds from an estate go to Treasury unsigned, and a name printed as "Mail to" on a bond confers no ownership (31 CFR 353.5, 353.7).
A 1099-INT among the papers is the record of a bond that someone cashed or that reached maturity, since TreasuryDirect says the form "will only come when someone cashes the bond or the bond matures." Read more about Form 1099-INT for savings bonds if one turns up.
A TreasuryDirect Account for Electronic Bonds
Electronic savings bonds are held only in the owner's TreasuryDirect account, so heirs contact Treasury instead of searching paper records. After a death notice, TreasuryDirect says: "We will put a hold on the account and tell you what to do."
Since October 28, 2026, the TreasuryDirect login works only through ID.me, an outside sign-in service. Whether an executor can reach a deceased owner's account online is not published, so heirs contact Treasury. For electronic bonds, a 1099-INT sits inside the account by January 31 of the following year.
A beneficiary or secondary owner named on the account takes the bonds, and the steps for a deceased owner's TreasuryDirect account follow from that.
Treasury's Paper-Bond Records
Treasury's records of paper bonds can be searched only by Treasury, after a mailed FS Form 1048 claim. The search covers paper bonds of every series.
If Treasury finds an EE or I bond, it replaces the bond electronically or pays it. A Series HH bond is paid by direct deposit only. The date range its records cover is set out under the pre-1974 limits below.
A State Unclaimed Property Office (Safe-Deposit Box Bonds)
A state unclaimed property office can hold a deceased relative's paper bond only if the bond reached it physically, usually from an abandoned safe-deposit box. A state knows only the bonds it holds in hand.
Missouri runs the only verified live state name search for held paper savings bonds (checked November 11, 2026), covering bonds from abandoned safe-deposit boxes; see Missouri unclaimed savings bonds for the steps, or the Missouri Treasurer's search directly.
South Dakota lists each safe-deposit bond under the owner named on it, and the person listed or that person's heirs can claim it (SDCL 43-41B-17).
Search under the relative's name, and claim under the state's own process. Treasury may pay a state that holds a bond (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88). States get no searchable federal bond list, because no public information-sharing agreement under 31 CFR 323.11 exists as of November 11, 2026.
Bonds Naming Someone Else: Co-Owners, Beneficiaries and Gifts
A bond with a surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary belongs to that person, not to the deceased relative's estate (31 CFR 353.70(b)(1), (c)(1)). A co-owner is a second person named on the bond; a POD (payable on death) beneficiary is the person named to receive it after the owner dies.
Bonds the relative bought as gifts belong to the person named as owner, and for an electronic gift bond not yet delivered when the buyer died, the bond belongs to the owner named on it, whatever the buyer's will says, and Treasury holds it until that owner gives instructions (31 CFR 363.96(e)).
A family member named on a bond searches as an owner. Treasury's rules on savings bonds after death decide who owns the bond now.
Who May Ask Treasury About a Deceased Owner's Bonds
Treasury discloses a deceased owner's savings bond records to survivors and to the estate's executor, administrator or other legal representative (31 CFR 323.2(b)). The table, based on Part 323 of Title 31, shows who asks, who signs FS Form 1048 and what evidence goes with it.
| Who asks | Records basis | Signs FS Form 1048 | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary | Survivor (323.2(b)); owns the bond (353.70(b)(1), (c)(1)) | Yes, as a person named on the bond | Certified death certificate of the deceased owner |
| Executor or administrator appointed by a court | Legal representative (323.2(b)) | Yes, as authorized representative | Letters of appointment dated within one year, plus death certificate |
| Heir, no representative appointed | Survivor (323.2(b)) | State on the form that no representative is appointed; Treasury sends instructions | Death certificate; if no one named on the bond is living, no court case is open or planned, no state small-estate procedure was used and the bonds total $100,000 or less at the date of death, the voluntary representative route (FS 5336) may apply once bonds are known |
| Treasury securities over $100,000 at the date of death | Court administration required (353.71(d)) | The court-appointed representative | As for row 2 |
Source: 31 CFR 323.2(b), 353.70, 353.71; FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026), checked November 11, 2026.
When no court has appointed anyone, the claimant says so on FS Form 1048 and Treasury sends further instructions. An estate whose Treasury securities total more than $100,000 at the date of death needs court administration (31 CFR 353.71(d)). Letters of appointment are the court document naming the executor or administrator.
The estate's attorney decides who acts. Our page on savings bonds in probate covers what executors and administrators do with bonds once they are found.
How to Ask Treasury to Search for a Deceased Relative's Bonds: 7 Steps
Asking Treasury to search for a deceased relative's bonds takes 7 steps, ending with FS Form 1048 mailed to Treasury Retail Securities Services in Minneapolis. The steps below start with the free route.
- Order certified death certificates (registrar's seal; a legible photocopy is accepted; Treasury does not return them).
- Work out who signs, using the table above.
- Contact Treasury about any TreasuryDirect account.
- Collect the identifiers in the table below.
- Complete the form (PDF, TreasuryDirect: sav1048.pdf), Rev. March 2026, 6 pages, about 20 minutes, choosing an electronic substitute (EE, I) or payment.
- Sign in ink before a notary or certifying officer (an officer of a bank, trust company or credit union), and attach letters of appointment dated within one year where a representative signs.
- Mail it to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150 (never P.O. Box 214 or Parkersburg, West Virginia) and keep copies.
What to Write Without a Serial Number
Without serial numbers, Treasury searches by the deceased owner's full Social Security number, full names, addresses and the month and year of purchase (FS Publication 0107, Rev. August 2022). The table, drawn from that publication, lists each identifier and where Treasury asks for it.
| Identifier | How to write it | Where Treasury asks |
|---|---|---|
| Deceased owner's Social Security number | All nine digits | FS Pub 0107 |
| Names on the bonds | With middle names or initials, plus any co-owner or beneficiary | FS Pub 0107 |
| Addresses | Street, city and state as they were when the bonds were bought | FS Pub 0107 |
| Purchase month and year | Exact or a range such as "1985 to 1990" | FS Pub 0107 (specific month and year); FS 1048 Item 1 (range allowed) |
| Purchaser's SSN (gift bonds) | The buyer's number | FS 1048 Item 1 |
| Face amounts and count | For example "$50, 4 bonds" | FS 1048 Item 1 |
Source: FS Publication 0107 (Rev. August 2022); FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026).
FS Form 1048 Item 1 accepts a date range and asks for face amounts (the amount printed on the bond) and inscriptions (the names, Social Security number and address printed on it). Gift bonds need the purchaser's Social Security number. Extra bonds go on FS Form 3500 or a plain sheet.
Bonds From Before 1974 and the Six-Year Serial Number Rule
A search by Social Security number reaches only bonds issued on or after January 1, 1974, when a taxpayer number became required on new bonds (31 CFR 316.2(c)(1)).
Older bonds were 11.9% of matured unredeemed bonds in Treasury's report of June 17, 2021, so names and addresses carry those searches. Treasury's records from October 1957 on are digitized (97% of matured unredeemed bonds); records from 1935 to September 1957 had not been digitized as of March 11, 2025.
A claim filed six years or more after final maturity needs the serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)).
Every Series E bond stopped earning interest by June 2010, so every claim for a lost Series E bond needs the serial number. Treasury has not published how it applies the rule when its own records hold the number.
Series I bonds face a 10-year bar (31 CFR 360.29(c)), and the first I bond reaches final maturity in September 2028. Copy any number from old lists or photocopies, and see what a savings bond serial number is and where it sits.
How Long the Search Takes and What It Costs
Treasury lists searches for lost, stolen or missing savings bonds at eleven months or longer, and transactions not in your name at five months or longer (TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026). Treasury states that it charges no fees (Contact Us), and the form is a free download from TreasuryDirect.
Treasury Retail Securities Services answers savings bond calls at 844-284-2676, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm ET, or +1 (304) 480-6464 from abroad. Keep copies of everything you mail, because Treasury does not return death certificates.
Paid Finders and Fake Search Sites
No private finder, website or state can search Treasury's savings bond records for a family: Treasury runs the only search, after a claim. TreasuryDirect says: "There are no Treasury approved apps or third-party websites for TreasuryDirect account access."
Never type a deceased relative's Social Security number into a site that promises a bond search. Treasury identified at least $50 million in known savings bond fraud as of September 2024 (2024 Report to Congress). Learn how to spot savings bond scams, including fake finders and impersonators.
Was the Bond Already Cashed? Checking a Relative's Old Bonds
A bond with no claim within 10 years of its recorded redemption is presumed properly paid (31 CFR 353.29(b) for EE and HH, 315.29(b) for Series E and older), so an old bond in a relative's list may already be cashed.
An owner or co-owner can write to Treasury with the serial numbers, without sending the bonds, or ask the bank. Treasury's published letter route names owners and co-owners only, so an heir asks Treasury Retail Securities Services first by phone.
If Treasury earlier replaced a lost bond, the paper original found later belongs to the United States (31 CFR 315.28, 353.28).
What to Do After You Find a Deceased Relative's Savings Bonds
4 jobs follow once a deceased relative's bonds are found: confirm who owns them, value them, cash or keep them, and report the interest. The list gives one step for each job.
- Confirm who owns each bond (savings bond co-owner rules).
- Value it with our savings bond calculator, built on Treasury's published value files.
- Cash or keep it: when no one named on the bond is living, no court case is open or planned, no state small-estate procedure has been used and the bonds total $100,000 or less at the date of death, FS Form 5336 (one voluntary representative) applies, while closed and state small estates use FS Form 5394.
- Report the interest (taxes on inherited savings bonds).
Savings bonds never expire (Executive Order 13968, 85 FR 83745). The bond goes to the surviving co-owner or beneficiary, or to the estate when no one else is named, which answers what happens to bonds when someone dies.
The same routes cover bonds in your own name, and the guide to find lost or missing savings bonds walks through them.
Deceased Relative's Savings Bonds: Questions
How do I find out if my deceased parent had savings bonds?
Check 4 sources: the relative's papers, TreasuryDirect (contact Treasury), an FS Form 1048 search of Treasury's records, and the state unclaimed property office. The fifth place is a bond that names a surviving co-owner or beneficiary.
Can I use Treasury Hunt to find a deceased relative's bonds?
No: Treasury Hunt has not been available since September 30, 2025, and no online tool replaced it. Older guides and some state sites still link it.
Can I search a deceased person's savings bonds by Social Security number?
Not online: the deceased owner's full Social Security number goes on FS Form 1048, and Treasury searches its records by mail. It reaches bonds issued from January 1, 1974.
Can I find a deceased parent's savings bonds online for free?
No free online search exists; the free route is FS Form 1048, which costs nothing to download, and Treasury charges no fee. Allow eleven months or longer (as of November 11, 2026).
What happens to a TreasuryDirect account when the owner dies?
Treasury puts a hold on the account once told of the death and says what to send; a beneficiary or secondary owner takes the bonds, otherwise the estate. An administered estate's representative opens a TreasuryDirect account in the estate's name (31 CFR 363.44(a)), Treasury's steps for a TreasuryDirect account when the owner dies start with that hold.
How can I find savings bonds by name?
No public name search exists except a state's search of the paper bonds it physically holds; Treasury searches its own records by name and address after an FS Form 1048 claim. 103,064,737 matured bonds of all series were uncashed on September 30, 2026 (Fiscal Data).
Do U.S. saving bonds ever expire?
No: savings bonds never expire and there is no deadline to cash them (Executive Order 13968, 85 FR 83745), though interest stops at final maturity. The date varies by series, as set out under when savings bonds stop earning interest.
What is the phone number for the Treasury Direct department?
Treasury Retail Securities Services answers savings bond calls at 844-284-2676, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm ET; the number from outside the United States is +1 (304) 480-6464, and there is no walk-in service.
How to cash a savings bond not in your name?
Only the person entitled under Treasury's rules can cash it: a surviving co-owner or beneficiary, the estate's representative, or a voluntary representative on FS Form 5336. A child not named on the bond uses an estate route, set out under how heirs cash or reissue inherited bonds.
More Guides to Finding Savings Bonds
Four related topics cover the wider search for savings bonds, and the list names them.
- What owners can use now that Treasury Hunt is closed
- Unclaimed savings bonds and why no name search exists
- SECURE 2.0 and savings bonds, what states can receive
- Savings bond recovery services and their fees
Rules and times checked November 11, 2026; see How we check every date and rule.