FS Form 5188 (Rev. April 2026) names an attorney-in-fact, a person you authorize to act for you, on your savings bonds. You sign it in ink before a certifying officer, then mail it to Treasury Retail Securities Services in Minneapolis.
The alternative is a certified copy of an existing power of attorney (FS Publication 0105). An attorney-in-fact cannot reissue paper bonds or cash them at a bank. ClaimMyBonds is an independent private guide, not the government, and the form is free from TreasuryDirect.
What Is FS Form 5188 Used For?
FS Form 5188 is Treasury's durable power of attorney form: the grantor, who owns the bonds, appoints an attorney-in-fact for "any and all authorized transactions" in Treasury securities. That includes all series of savings bonds and notes. The attorney-in-fact is the agent who acts for the grantor.
The official title is "Durable Power of Attorney for Securities and Savings Bonds Transactions." It is revised April 2026, carries OMB control number 1530-0042 (the federal approval number printed on the form) and is posted as sav5188.pdf. Our guide to savings bond forms lists every FS form and where to get it.
Durable means, by the form's title, that the authority is meant to survive the grantor's incapacity. 31 CFR 353.40(d) says a power of attorney must meet state-law durability rules when the grantor is incapacitated. How long the authority lasts, and how it ends, is a question for an attorney.
The table below collects the key facts about the form.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official title | Durable Power of Attorney for Securities and Savings Bonds Transactions |
| Revision | April 2026 |
| OMB number | 1530-0042 |
| sav5188.pdf on TreasuryDirect | |
| Covers | Treasury securities, including all series of savings bonds and savings notes |
| Signer | The grantor: owner, person entitled, or fiduciary acting for them |
| Certification | Ink signature before an authorized certifying officer; the form's list does not include a notary |
| Send to | Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis |
| Limits | No paper bond reissue; no transfer to the attorney-in-fact's account unless Box C is marked |
| Alternative | Certified copy of an existing power of attorney (FS Publication 0105, revised March 2025) |
| Cost | The form is free; Treasury charges no fees |
Source: FS Form 5188 (Revised April 2026); TreasuryDirect, Forms for Savings Bonds, as of November 11, 2026.
What an Attorney-in-Fact Can Do Under FS Form 5188
FS Form 5188 lists these transactions, among others, in this order.
- Changes of payment information
- Collection of interest
- Redemptions
- Transfers
- Assignments
- Purchases by ACH or another authorized payment method
- Reinvestments
- Completion of tax documents
The form says the list is not limited to these, and which ones matter depends on the bonds. Every Series HH bond reached final maturity by August 1, 2024, and every Series E bond stopped earning interest by June 2010.
Who Signs FS Form 5188?
Three kinds of grantor sign FS Form 5188: the owner, another person entitled to the securities, or a fiduciary (someone legally acting for them). An organization attaches a resolution, and FS Form 1010 may be used for it. A trustee attaches excerpts of the trust.
The attorney-in-fact is the person named on the form, not the person who signs the grant. That person later signs the request the authority supports: FS Form 1522 to cash paper bonds or FS Form 1048 for lost bonds. ClaimMyBonds never acts as attorney-in-fact.
FS Form 5188 or Your Existing Power of Attorney?
Treasury accepts two documents as an attorney-in-fact's authority: FS Form 5188 or a certified copy of an existing power of attorney. The copy must be durable or signed within the past two years (FS Publication 0105, revised March 2025). It carries the certifying officer's legible stamp or seal.
31 CFR 353.40(d) sets three conditions for an existing power of attorney. The grantor's signature must be certified or notarized under state law. It must grant authority to sell or redeem the securities, or similar, and meet state-law durability rules if the grantor is incapacitated.
Treasury adds a warning: "Medical evidence or other proof of the grantor's condition may be required in any case." The table below compares the two documents.
| Point | FS Form 5188 | Existing power of attorney |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Treasury form for savings bonds | State-law document |
| Age | Durable by its title | Durable, or signed within two years |
| Signature | Ink, before a certifying officer; no notary in the form's list | Certified or notarized under state law |
| Copy sent | The signed form | Certified copy with the officer's stamp or seal |
| Authority | "Any and all authorized transactions" | Authority to sell or redeem, or similar |
| Incapacitated grantor | Durable form; medical evidence may be required | Must meet state-law durability rules; medical evidence may be required |
| Limits | No paper reissue; no self-transfer unless Box C | No reissue at an attorney-in-fact's request |
| At a bank | Not allowed | Not allowed |
Source: FS Form 5188 (Revised April 2026); FS Publication 0105 (revised March 2025); 31 CFR 353.40(d), eCFR as of November 9, 2026.
FS Form 5188 is written for savings bonds and uses Treasury's own text. Whether a state document is durable under your state's law is a question for an attorney. The same rules apply to Series E and savings notes (31 CFR 315.40(d)) and I bonds (360.40(d)).
The steps for cashing under either document are in our guide to cashing savings bonds for someone else.
Does FS Form 5188 Need a Notary? The Certifying Officer Rule
FS Form 5188 must be signed in ink in the presence of an authorized certifying officer, and the form's list does not include a notary. A certifying officer is a person Treasury authorizes to confirm your identity and signature.
The form's list names a financial institution seal, or a Treasury-recognized signature guarantee or medallion stamp. An existing power of attorney differs: its signature may be "certified or notarized" under state law (31 CFR 353.40(d)). For an attorney-in-fact's request, FS Publication 0105 asks for a certifying officer.
Who Can Certify the Grantor's Signature on FS Form 5188
31 CFR 353.55 lists the certifying officers; four of its main groups are shown below.
- Officers of a bank or trust company incorporated in the US, its territories or Puerto Rico, and employees it expressly authorizes (designated employees), with the institution's seal or paying-agent stamp
- Judges and clerks of US courts and other listed federal officials
- Armed Forces commissioned or warrant officers, only for service members, their families and civilian employees
- Abroad, US diplomatic or consular officers and officers of foreign branches of US banks
A certifying officer may not certify a request in which they have or will acquire an interest (31 CFR 353.57). The attorney-in-fact therefore never certifies the grantor's signature.
The officer and the institution are fully responsible for the identification (353.56(b)). ClaimMyBonds does not certify signatures. Our guide to savings bond signature certification compares the notary, officer and medallion routes form by form.
Where to Send FS Form 5188 and What Goes With It
Mail FS Form 5188 to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, together with the request it supports. Send FS Form 1522 to cash paper bonds or FS Form 1048 for lost bonds (FS Publication 0105). When an attorney-in-fact cashes bonds, the bonds go unsigned.
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
Source: FS Form 5188 (Revised April 2026); TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026
Documents you send are not returned. Transactions not in your name take five months or longer (TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026). Treasury Retail Securities Services says it charges no fees.
Our page on FS Form 1522 to cash paper bonds by mail covers the request an attorney-in-fact signs.
What FS Form 5188 Does Not Allow
FS Form 5188 leaves four limits in place, listed below.
- Paper bond reissue, which an attorney-in-fact may not request under FS Form 5188 or FS Publication 0105
- Transfer to the attorney-in-fact's own account, allowed only if the grantor marks Box C
- Cashing at a bank (31 CFR 321.9(c)); FS Publication 0022 tells banks: "Do NOT cash bonds or notes presented and signed by: an attorney-in-fact"
- Filing FS Form 5336 for a deceased owner, open only to a surviving spouse, blood relative or legally adopted child, "even to a person acting as an attorney-in-fact"
Treasury's wording is "An attorney-in-fact may not reissue definitive savings bonds," and "definitive" means paper. FS Publication 0105 adds: "We don't reissue savings bonds upon the request of an attorney-in-fact."
When FS Form 5188 Is Not the Right Route
FS Form 5188 helps only when the owner has signed it, and five other situations need a different route. After the owner dies, the estate rules decide who is paid. The table below lists the five.
| Situation | Route and rule | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Owner has died | Estate rules decide who is paid (31 CFR 353.70, 353.71); FS Form 5336 only for a surviving spouse, blood relative or legally adopted child | savings bonds after death |
| Owner incapacitated, no power of attorney, all bonds and notes worth $20,000 or less | Voluntary guardian files FS Form 2513 (Rev. August 2022) before a certifying officer; notary certification is not acceptable | |
| Owner incapacitated, more than $20,000 | Court-appointed legal representative; letters dated not more than one year before presentation (31 CFR 353.60) | |
| Bonds in a TreasuryDirect account | FS Form 5446 (Rev. April 2026) lists an attorney-in-fact as a signer for some registration edits; certifying officer needed, notary certification is not acceptable; ask Treasury before cashing | electronic savings bonds |
| Bonds held by a state | The state's own rules apply; Texas Comptroller may not pay a power of attorney holder, except in limited cases such as a medically incapacitated owner | Texas unclaimed savings bonds |
Source: 31 CFR 353.60, 353.64, 353.70, 353.71; FS Forms 2513, 5336, 5446; Tex. Prop. Code 74.501(e)(2), (f)(2), as of November 11, 2026.
FS Form 5188 and the Other Savings Bond Forms
FS Form 5188 grants authority but moves no bond by itself. Four neighboring forms carry the transactions an attorney-in-fact may or may not do: FS Form 1522 to cash, FS Form 1048 for lost bonds, and FS Form 4000 or FS Form 1851 for reissue.
Cashing Paper Bonds as Attorney-in-Fact: FS Form 1522
An attorney-in-fact cashes paper bonds only by mail with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026), the unsigned bonds and the authority. The form is sav1522.pdf on TreasuryDirect. The steps are in our guide to FS Form 1522 by mail.
Lost Bonds Under a Power of Attorney: FS Form 1048
An attorney-in-fact files a claim for lost, stolen or destroyed bonds on FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026). FS Publication 0105 says an attorney-in-fact's forms must be signed before an authorized certifying officer, available at a bank, trust company or credit union. Our guide to FS Form 1048 covers lost-bond claims.
Reissue Requests Need the Owner: FS Form 4000 and FS Form 1851
A reissue for a living owner needs the owner's own signature on FS Form 4000 or FS Form 1851, not the attorney-in-fact's, because an attorney-in-fact may not reissue paper bonds.
A reissue is a change of name, co-owner or beneficiary, or a move into a trust. The request form is FS Form 4000 (Rev. April 2026), and FS Form 1851 (Rev. April 2026) covers reissue into a trust.
FS Form 5188 FAQ
Can You Submit FS Form 5188 Online?
No online submission is recorded. The form is signed in ink before a certifying officer and mailed to P.O. Box 9150.
Where Do You Get the FS Form 5188 PDF?
Download sav5188.pdf from TreasuryDirect's forms page and check that it reads "Revised April 2026". Copies on document-sharing sites carry no revision check.
Where Are the Instructions for FS Form 5188?
Treasury's guidance is FS Publication 0105, "Power of Attorney: United States Savings Bonds & Notes" (revised March 2025). It is a publication, not a form.
Does FS Form 5188 Cover More Than Savings Bonds?
Yes. The form covers Treasury securities in general, "including all series of United States Savings Bonds and Savings Notes". This guide covers savings bonds only.
Can a Bank Cash Savings Bonds for an Attorney-in-Fact?
No. A bank is not authorized to redeem when the presenter acts under a power of attorney (31 CFR 321.9(c)), so the request goes by mail. See what banks cash savings bonds for bank policies.
Do You Have to Pay Anyone to Use FS Form 5188?
No. The form is free from TreasuryDirect, and Treasury Retail Securities Services says "we charge no fees". A private helper may charge for paperwork help but never replaces the signature of the owner or attorney-in-fact. See savings bond recovery services for the fee rules.
Rules checked November 11, 2026, against the Treasury sources named above; see our methodology.