FS Form 1048: Claim for Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Savings Bonds

FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026) is the 6-page Treasury claim you mail to replace or cash paper savings bonds that are lost, stolen or destroyed. Lost Series EE and I bonds that have not matured come back as electronic bonds or are paid; matured bonds are paid by direct deposit.

TreasuryDirect says searches for lost, stolen or missing bonds take eleven months or longer (as of November 11, 2026). A bond whose final maturity passed six years ago or more needs its serial number.

ClaimMyBonds is an independent private guide, not the government. The form is free from TreasuryDirect, and Treasury charges no fee to process it.

What Is FS Form 1048 Used For?

FS Form 1048 is the claim that owners and entitled persons sign to ask Treasury for relief for paper savings bonds, Savings Notes and retirement bonds that are lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated. Relief means a substitute bond or payment. It covers paper securities only.

The official title is "Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds." The rules behind it sit in subpart F of three parts of Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations: Part 315 for older series, Part 353 for Series EE and HH, and Part 360 for paper Series I. Treasury estimates that the form takes about 20 minutes to complete.

Every FS form and where to get it is listed in our guide to savings bond forms.

The table below collects the key facts about FS Form 1048.

Source: FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026); TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026.

Which Bonds and Which Losses FS Form 1048 Covers

FS Form 1048 covers 4 kinds of paper securities in 3 groups, and 4 kinds of loss: a bond can be lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated. The 3 groups of paper securities are listed below.

• Savings bonds of every series, from the war-era Series E to paper Series EE and I
• Savings Notes, also called Freedom Shares, sold from May 1967 to October 1970
• Retirement Plan Bonds and Individual Retirement Bonds, two kinds of retirement bond the form also covers

Two situations fall outside FS Form 1048. A bond that was bought but never arrived is a different claim, filed on FS Form 3062-4. Electronic bonds held in TreasuryDirect, Treasury's website for electronic savings bonds, are not lost when paper is lost, so they are never claimed on FS Form 1048. Stolen savings bonds and destroyed savings bonds use the same form as lost ones.

Who Signs FS Form 1048 for Your Own or a Deceased Owner's Savings Bonds

FS Form 1048 is signed by all persons named on the bonds, or by an authorized representative. For your own bonds, that ordinarily means you, any co-owner and any living beneficiary named on them, each signing for themselves.

A deceased owner's bonds need more evidence. Add a certified copy of the official death certificate for each deceased registrant, meaning each person named on the bond who has died.

A court-appointed representative, such as an executor, adds a court certificate or certified letters of appointment (the court document naming the representative) under court seal, dated within one year of submission.

When no representative was appointed, the form tells you to advise the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which then sends further instructions. FS Form 5336 is the separate federal route for an estate that is not administered. The wider rules for survivors and estates are covered in our guide to savings bonds after death.

Item 4 handles bonds of minors. The parents (ordinarily both) or the parent the minor lives with complete it; when the minor lives with neither parent, the person who provides the minor's chief support signs.

Treasury does not return the evidence you send, so keep your own copies. Who is entitled to an estate's bonds is a legal question, and the estate's attorney is the right person to answer it.

How to Fill Out FS Form 1048, Item by Item

Fill out FS Form 1048 in 7 items. They cover the bonds (Item 1), the loss (Item 2), authority (Item 3), minors (Item 4), relief requested (Item 5), delivery (Item 6) and signatures with certification (Item 7). The table below shows what goes into each item and the rule to watch.

Source: FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026).

Item 1: Describing Lost Bonds With or Without Serial Numbers

Item 1 asks for each bond's serial number, issue date (exact or a range), face amount and inscription. The face amount is the denomination printed on the bond, and the inscription is the names, Social Security number and address printed on it.

Write the complete Social Security number, names with middle names or initials, and street, city and state addresses. The form's own instruction reads: "Describe the missing bonds by bond serial number. State the total number of missing bonds."

Gift bonds add the purchaser's Social Security number. Use FS Form 3500 or a plain sheet when the bonds do not fit. Without serial numbers, FS Publication 0107 (Rev.

August 2022) asks for 4 details: month and year of purchase, complete Social Security number, names with middle names or initials, and the street, city and state address.

Treasury needs these details because the regulation requires that a bond "must be identified by serial number"; without it, the claimant supplies enough information to identify the bond (31 CFR 315.25, 315.26(b)).

Item 1's own instruction puts the savings bond serial number first, ahead of the 4-detail route. That route also has a time limit, set out in the six-year section below.

Item 2: Reporting a Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Bond

Item 2 records what happened to the bonds: whether they were lost, stolen or destroyed, and the facts of the loss. For destroyed or mutilated bonds, send any remaining pieces with the form. FS Publication 0107 asks you to pack the pieces carefully.

For stolen savings bonds, Item 2 asks whether a police report was filed; if so, attach a copy at any amount. A second rule covers any investigated loss: when the bonds involved exceed $5,000 and a law-enforcement agency or an insurance, transportation or similar business investigated, provide a copy of that report.

Items 5 and 6: Choosing an Electronic Replacement or Payment

Treasury replaces a lost Series EE or I bond that has not matured with an electronic bond in a TreasuryDirect account bearing the same issue date, or pays it by direct deposit; it never issues a new paper bond.

The rule comes from 31 CFR 353.26(e), amended at 79 FR 8859, and 360.26(e), amended at 79 FR 8860, both on February 14, 2014.

An electronic replacement lands in a TreasuryDirect account, the same kind of account that holds electronic savings bonds bought online. Since October 28, 2026, the TreasuryDirect login runs only through ID.me, an identity-verification service. The table below shows what Treasury gives back for each bond situation.

Note 1: matured bonds include every Series E, H, HH and Savings Note, and paper EE issued January 1980 to November 1996 (203 issue months that stopped earning by November 2026).

Source: FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026); 31 CFR 353.26(e), 360.26(e); Fiscal Data Savings Bonds Value Files, November 2026.

Series HH bonds have all reached final maturity, the date a bond stops earning interest, so Treasury pays them by direct deposit only. Part 6B asks for your bank's routing number, which the form describes as nine digits beginning with 0, 1, 2 or 3.

The Six-Year Serial Number Rule for Bonds Past Final Maturity

Treasury does not consider a claim filed six years or more after a bond's final maturity unless the claimant supplies the bond's serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c) and 353.29(c)).

Section 315.29(c) reads: "No claim filed six years or more after the final maturity of a savings bond will be entertained, unless the claimant supplies the serial number of the bond." The six years run from final maturity, which differs by series, as shown in the summary of final maturity by series.

The table below applies the rule to each series as of November 2026.

Note 1: HH bonds reach the six-year point between 2006 and August 2030. Note 2: 131 issue months that reached final maturity by November 1, 2020; later issues have not reached the six-year point. Note 3: no paper I bond has reached final maturity yet (31 CFR 360.29(c)).

Source: 31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c), 360.29(c) (eCFR, as of November 9, 2026); Fiscal Data Savings Bonds Value Files, November 2026, for EE final maturities.

As of November 2026, every Series E, H and Savings Note is past the six-year point. So are paper EE bonds issued January 1980 to November 1990.

HH bonds reach the point between 2006 and August 2030, depending on their issue month. For these bonds, the 4 details from FS Publication 0107 no longer open a claim; the serial number does.

Series I bonds follow a stricter rule. Section 360.29(c) states: "Any claim filed 10 years or more after the maturity of a savings bond will be barred." The first I bonds, issued September 1998, reach final maturity in September 2028, so no paper I bond is affected yet.

A second limit applies to every series: a bond with no claim within 10 years of its recorded redemption is presumed properly paid (315.29(b), 353.29(b)), and for I bonds such a claim is barred (360.29(b)).

Does FS Form 1048 Need to Be Notarized?

Yes, FS Form 1048 must be certified: every signer signs in ink in front of a notary or an authorized certifying officer.

A certifying officer is an officer, for example at a bank, trust company or credit union, whom Treasury rules authorize to confirm your identity and signature. The form accepts 3 kinds of certification, listed below.

• Notary seal or stamp
• Financial institution seal or stamp
• Stamp from a Treasury-recognized medallion program, a signature-guarantee stamp program

FS Publication 0107 (Rev. August 2022) still says to sign before a certifying officer at a bank, trust company or credit union. The form (Rev. March 2026) is newer and also accepts a notary, so follow the form.

FS Form 1048 has no dollar threshold for certification: unlike FS Form 1522, it offers no ID-copy option for small amounts. ClaimMyBonds does not certify signatures. The three routes are compared under the topic of savings bond signature certification.

Where to Send FS Form 1048

Mail FS Form 1048 to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. Treasury Retail Securities Services is the office that processes mailed savings bond requests for Treasury.

Treasury Retail Securities Services
P.O. Box 9150
Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150
Phone: 844-284-2676 (toll free), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm ET; outside the US +1 (304) 480-6464
Source: FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026); TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026; international number: TreasuryDirect help pages

The form also prints an address in Parkersburg, West Virginia, but that address takes only Paperwork Reduction Act comments about the form.

The regulation at 31 CFR 353.26(a) still names Parkersburg, WV 26101, yet the March 2026 form names Minneapolis, and this page follows the form. Evidence you send is not returned. The 6 points below are worth checking before you seal the envelope.

• Form version: page 1 reads "Revised March 2026".
• Item 1: serial numbers, or the 4 identifying details when the six-year point has not passed.
• Pieces and reports: remaining pieces of destroyed bonds; any police report filed; a report copy for investigated losses over $5,000.
• Death evidence: a certified death certificate for each deceased registrant.
• Certification: every signature in ink before a notary or certifying officer.
• Copies: your own set, because Treasury keeps what you send.

After You Mail FS Form 1048: Processing Time, Replacement and Found Bonds

Treasury takes eleven months or longer to process searches for lost, stolen or missing savings bonds (TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026). That is the longest of the processing times TreasuryDirect lists, ahead of ten months or longer for trusts and other TreasuryDirect requests.

A replaced bond keeps the lost bond's issue date (31 CFR 353.26(e)). FS Publication 0022, Treasury's guide for banks, explains: "A validation date could differ from the issue date if, for example, the bond was reissued or was included in a claim for lost bonds and consequently replaced."

A bond found after Treasury grants relief is the "property of the United States" under 31 CFR 315.28, and it must be surrendered, not cashed. Paying banks can check serial numbers "against a Treasury file of bonds reported lost, stolen, or never received" (FS Publication 0022).

Treasury may also ask for more evidence or a bond of indemnity, with or without surety, before granting relief (31 CFR 353.91). Under 31 CFR 353.90, the Commissioner may waive a rule to relieve unnecessary hardship. FS Form 2243 corrects or adds facts to a pending claim.

FS Form 1048 in a Declared Disaster Area

In an area with an official disaster declaration, complete only parts 1, 5, 6B and 7 of FS Form 1048 and write "DISASTER" on the first page and the envelope. This shorter route serves bonds that are lost, illegible or contaminated. Do not send the bonds themselves (TreasuryDirect disaster page, as of November 11, 2026).

Cash relief goes by direct deposit to the account you name in part 6B. The one-year holding period is waived for cash requests. Check fema.gov to confirm that your area has a declaration.

HH bonds stay payment only, as the form says. The disaster rule is one of the exceptions to the usual timing rules for when you can cash savings bonds, including the disaster exception.

FS Form 1048 and Related Savings Bond Forms

FS Form 1048 is one of 5 related forms covered here; its 4 neighbors cover bonds never received (FS Form 3062-4), corrections to a claim (FS Form 2243), and cashing or reissuing bonds still in hand (FS Forms 1522 and 4000).

Bonds That Never Arrived: FS Form 3062-4

FS Form 3062-4 (Rev. April 2026, OMB 1530-0048), "Claim for United States Savings Bonds Not Received," is for bonds bought but never delivered. A certifying officer must certify it, and a notary is not acceptable. Treasury estimates about 10 minutes to complete it (sav3062-4.pdf).

Correcting or Adding to a Claim: FS Form 2243

FS Form 2243 (Rev. April 2026, OMB 1530-0021), "Supplemental Statement for United States Securities," supports an FS Form 1048 or 3062-4 claim, for example to correct serial numbers given wrongly. A notary or certifying officer certifies it, and it takes about 15 minutes (sav2243.pdf).

Bonds You Still Hold: FS Form 1522 or FS Form 4000

A bond you still hold is cashed by mail with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026), free from TreasuryDirect's forms page. Owners who want to change the registration of paper EE or I bonds, such as a name, a co-owner or a beneficiary, use FS Form 4000 (Rev.

April 2026), and the reissued bonds become electronic. A plain conversion of paper bonds to electronic, with no change, is done online through SmartExchange.

FS Form 1048 FAQ

Can You File FS Form 1048 Online?

No. FS Form 1048 is mailed with original signatures and certification, and fill-in websites cannot submit it to Treasury. Treasury Hunt once produced a special version of the form with a reference number, but it has not been available since September 30, 2025; the history is under Treasury Hunt is closed.

Where Do You Get a Printable FS Form 1048 PDF?

Download sav1048.pdf (Revised March 2026) from TreasuryDirect's forms page and print it. Copies on fill-in sites may show older revisions, so check the revision date on page 1.

How Do You Replace a Lost Savings Bond Without the Serial Number?

Describe the bond in Item 1 of FS Form 1048 with the 4 details from FS Publication 0107: month and year of purchase, complete Social Security number, names and address. This works only before six years have passed since final maturity. Owners who first need to find lost or missing savings bonds can start with the free routes.

How Much Would a $100 Savings Bond From 1985 Be Worth Today?

A $100 Series EE bond issued in any month of 1985 is worth $230.64 in redemption month November 2026 (Fiscal Data Savings Bonds Value Files). It stopped earning interest at final maturity in 2015. A lost 1985 bond is past the six-year point, so a claim needs its serial number. The month-by-month figures belong to the 1985 Series EE savings bond value table. Other years and series are in our savings bond calculator.

How Do You Claim a Deceased Relative's Lost Savings Bonds?

A survivor or the estate's representative signs FS Form 1048 and adds a certified copy of the death certificate for each deceased registrant. Tracing which bonds existed is a separate step, covered under savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative.

Do Lost Savings Bonds Expire?

No. Savings bonds never expire and have no deadline to cash, as Executive Order 13968 (85 FR 83745) notes. A lost bond's claim, however, needs the serial number six years after final maturity, and I bond claims are barred 10 years after maturity. The dates are set out under when savings bonds stop earning interest.

Rules checked November 11, 2026, against the Treasury sources named above; see our methodology.