FS Form 5336: Disposition of a Decedent's Savings Bonds Settled Without Administration (Voluntary Representative)

FS Form 5336 (Revised April 2026) lets one relative claim a decedent's savings bonds without probate when no one named on the bonds is alive and the estate's Treasury securities total $100,000 or less at the date of death.

That relative, the voluntary representative, signs before a certifying officer (or a notary for paper-bond-only claims) and mails the form to Minneapolis. TreasuryDirect lists 5 months or longer for transactions not in your name (as of November 11, 2026).

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 5336 Used For?

FS Form 5336 is the application one relative files to act as voluntary representative of an estate no court administers, and to collect or distribute the decedent's savings bonds. The decedent's other Treasury securities go in the same claim.

The form's official title is "Disposition of Treasury Securities Belonging to a Decedent's Estate Being Settled Without Administration." The rule behind it is 31 CFR 353.71(e) for Series EE and HH bonds.

Parallel sections: 315.71(e) for Series E, the other pre-1980 series (A to K) and savings notes, 360.71(e) for paper Series I and 363.44(e) for bonds in TreasuryDirect accounts.

Section 353.71 in its current form comes from 70 FR 57428 on September 30, 2005. Every FS form for owners and heirs appears in our guide to savings bond forms.

Administration means a court-supervised estate (probate); FS Form 5336 is Treasury's own route without it, not a state procedure. Key facts:

Source: FS Form 5336 (Revised April 2026); TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026.

When Can You Use FS Form 5336? Four Conditions for Savings Bonds Without Probate

You can use FS Form 5336 only when 4 conditions all hold, as 31 CFR 353.71(e) and TreasuryDirect's non-administered estates page set them out. The four conditions are listed below.

• No living named person: the owner, any co-owner and any POD (payable-on-death) beneficiary have all died; otherwise savings bonds after death belong to the survivor.
• No court administration: no executor or administrator has been appointed, and none is planned.
• No state procedure: no small estate affidavit or other state summary procedure was used.
• $100,000 or less: the decedent's Treasury securities total $100,000 or less in redemption value at the date of death.

An eligible relative aged 18 or older must also exist; without one, an unpaid creditor may use FS Form 1050 (31 CFR 353.71(f)). The bonds pass under the law of the decedent's domicile, the state where the decedent legally lived.

The $100,000 Test: Redemption Value at the Date of Death

A court must administer the estate when the decedent's Treasury securities total more than $100,000 at the date of death, counting savings bonds at redemption value (31 CFR 353.71(d)).

Redemption value is what a bond pays when cashed, interest included; face value is the amount printed on it. The total also counts undelivered payments on Treasury's records, and Treasury may require administration at its discretion.

Every Series E bond reached final maturity, the date a bond stops earning interest, by June 2010 (31 CFR 316.8(b)).

For a death in or after that month, the value at death equals the value today, which our savings bond calculator shows from Treasury's Fiscal Data value files. For a bond still earning interest, its value in the month of death counts.

The table below applies the test to two sets of Series E bonds issued in January 1965, using values for redemption month November 2026.

Source: Fiscal Data, Savings Bonds Value Files, redemption month November 2026.

In example (b), bonds with only $11,000 of face value are worth $103,008.40, which crosses the $100,000 line. Both are Series E savings bonds frozen since final maturity in January 2005.

When FS Form 5336 Is the Wrong Form: Court Estates and State Small-Estate Procedures

Use FS Form 5394, not FS Form 5336, when a court administered and closed the estate, or a state procedure settled it: a small estate affidavit, Summary Administration, a Small Estates Act, Texas Muniment of Title or Louisiana Judgment of Possession.

FS Form 5336 itself says not to complete it when a court appointed a legal representative, the estate is settled under state law, or a document other than an unprobated will shows who is entitled.

Once a state small-estate procedure is used, this route stays closed (31 CFR 353.71(e)(1)(i)). The table below matches each situation to its route.

Source: 31 CFR 353.70, 353.71 (eCFR as of November 9, 2026); TreasuryDirect court-appointed representatives page, as of November 11, 2026.

Who Can Be the Voluntary Representative on FS Form 5336?

One voluntary representative, aged 18 or older and competent, signs FS Form 5336, chosen in a fixed order of 7 relatives that starts with the surviving spouse. The order of precedence, the ranking Treasury uses to pick that person, is listed below (31 CFR 353.71(e)(3); FS Form 5336).

1. Surviving spouse
2. Child
3. Descendant of a deceased child
4. Parent
5. Brother or sister
6. Descendant of a deceased brother or sister
7. Next of kin under the law of the decedent's domicile

Only a surviving spouse, blood relative or legally adopted child may submit the form, "even to a person acting as an attorney-in-fact" (the person named in a power of attorney).

Treasury accepts one voluntary representative at a time, who lists all the decedent's securities in one transaction (FS Form 5336, Revised April 2026; FS Publication 0065).

Signing carries responsibility. To indemnify means to cover others' losses caused by the claim. The regulation caps the representative's indemnity at the value received (31 CFR 353.71(e)(4)), but the form's signature block binds the signer and heirs to repay the United States for any loss from the request, including interest, costs and penalties. If heirs disagree, ask the estate's attorney before anyone signs.

How to Fill Out FS Form 5336

Fill out FS Form 5336 in 4 steps: describe the decedent, identify yourself as representative, list every security, and choose payment or distribution, then sign the certification block.

Treasury pays savings bonds by direct deposit, and no bond can be split. Distribution uses Part F, completed once for each person entitled. The table below shows what each section asks for.

Source: FS Form 5336 (Revised April 2026); 31 CFR 353.71(e).

Signing FS Form 5336: Certifying Officer, or a Notary for Paper Bonds Only

Sign FS Form 5336 in ink in front of an authorized certifying officer; a notary may certify instead only when the claim covers paper savings bonds alone.

A certifying officer is a person Treasury authorizes to confirm your identity and signature, such as an officer of a US bank or trust company (31 CFR 353.55). One electronic bond or other Treasury security in the claim ends the notary option.

The rules for savings bond signature certification differ by form. FS Form 1522 needs a notary or certifying officer only above $1,000, a rule that does not apply to FS Form 5336. FS Forms 1455 and 5394 accept no notary.

Where to Send FS Form 5336 and What to Enclose

Mail FS Form 5336 to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, with the bonds unsigned and a certified death certificate for every deceased person named. That office processes mailed savings bond requests. Enclose these 4 items.

• The form: FS Form 5336, without the instruction pages.
• Every bond: all the decedent's paper bonds, left unsigned.
• Death certificates: a copy for each deceased person named on the bonds, certified by a state or local registrar; a photocopy is fine if the seal is legible.
• Other evidence: any further estate document the form asks for.

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; from outside the US +1 (304) 480-6464
Source: FS Form 5336 (Revised April 2026); TreasuryDirect Contact Us, as of November 11, 2026

Never mail bonds to the Parkersburg, West Virginia address on the form; it takes only Paperwork Reduction Act comments. Treasury returns no evidence, so keep copies, and it charges no fees.

After Treasury Approves FS Form 5336: Cash, Reissue or Distribute the Bonds

After Treasury approves FS Form 5336, each bond is paid by direct deposit or distributed to a person entitled, who files a second form to cash or keep it. A person entitled is an heir under the law of the decedent's domicile; to redeem a distributed paper bond, that heir uses FS Form 1522.

Interest paid to the voluntary representative is reported under the representative's taxpayer identification number (TIN), per FS Publication 0065 (Revised January 2025). The interest is federally taxable and exempt from state and local income tax (31 U.S.C. 3124).

Under IRS Publication 550 (2025), interest earned before death may go on the decedent's final return; otherwise the person who acquires the bonds is taxed on it. For taxes on inherited savings bonds, ask a tax professional.

TreasuryDirect lists 5 months or longer for transactions not in your name (as of November 11, 2026) and publishes no separate time for FS Form 5336.

The table below lists what each person entitled files after the distribution.

Source: FS Form 5336 Part F; TreasuryDirect non-administered estates page, as of November 11, 2026.

Series HH, Bonds Near Final Maturity and Electronic Bonds in an FS Form 5336 Claim

Series HH bonds in an FS Form 5336 claim can only be paid: every HH bond reached final maturity by August 1, 2024, and Part F states: "Series H/HH bonds must be redeemed as they are no longer earning interest." Banks cannot cash H or HH bonds.

Bonds within one full calendar month of final maturity can be cashed but not reissued (31 CFR 353.45(b)); see when savings bonds mature.

Electronic bonds sit in the decedent's TreasuryDirect account, Treasury's online bond system; contact Treasury, which places a hold on the account. Each electronic bond distributed must be at least $25, and the notary option does not cover them.

Common FS Form 5336 Mistakes Found in Online Guides

Five errors repeat across online guides to FS Form 5336, and each contradicts the April 2026 form or 31 CFR 353.71. They are listed below.

• "Every heir signs": Treasury accepts one voluntary representative, who signs alone.
• "Notarize it if the bonds are worth over $1,000": that is the FS Form 1522 rule; FS Form 5336 needs a certifying officer, or a notary for paper-bond-only claims.
• "FS Form 5336 is the small estate affidavit form": once a state small-estate procedure is used, the estate goes on FS Form 5394.
• "Search Treasury Hunt first": Treasury Hunt is closed and has not been available since September 30, 2025.
• "A beneficiary files FS Form 5336": a surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary already owns the bond (31 CFR 353.70) and needs no FS Form 5336.

Fill-in websites may carry older copies; check for the April 2026 revision.

FS Form 5336 and the Other Ways to Settle a Decedent's Savings Bonds

FS Form 5336 settles one kind of estate; four neighboring rules cover survivors, reissue, creditors and retirement bonds. A lost, stolen or destroyed bond is claimed with FS Form 1048 (Revised March 2026).

When a Co-Owner or POD Beneficiary Is Still Alive

A surviving co-owner or POD beneficiary becomes the sole owner, and the bond is not part of the estate (31 CFR 353.70(b)(1) and (c)(1) for Series EE and HH). No FS Form 5336 is needed.

The survivor cashes with a certified death certificate and FS Form 1522, or at a willing bank. POD savings bonds pass outside the estate.

Keeping Inherited Bonds Instead of Cashing Them

A person entitled can keep an inherited EE or I bond by reissue with FS Form 4000 (Revised April 2026). The new bond is electronic, held in TreasuryDirect, as paper reissue ended on February 14, 2014 (31 CFR 353.48(a), 360.48(a)).

HH bonds and bonds within one month of final maturity cannot be kept. Reissuing inherited savings bonds follows the distribution.

Creditors and Disclaimers: FS Form 1050 and FS Form 1849

With no administration, state procedure or eligible relative, an unpaid creditor may claim a documented debt with FS Form 1050 (Revised March 2026; 31 CFR 353.71(f)): payment only, no reissue, no notary.

A person entitled who steps aside signs FS Form 1849 (Revised April 2026) before a certifying officer; a minor or person under legal disability may not.

Retirement Plan Bonds: FS Form 3565 Instead of FS Form 5336

Retirement Plan and Individual Retirement Bonds of a deceased owner with no legal representative go on FS Form 3565 (Revised August 2022), signed before a certifying officer.

The form warns: "RETIREMENT PLAN AND INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT BONDS MAY NOT BE REISSUED AFTER THE DEATH OF THE REGISTERED OWNER." Treasury issued these Retirement Plan Bonds from January 1963 to April 30, 1982.

FS Form 5336 FAQ

Where Do You Get a Printable FS Form 5336 PDF?

Download sav5336.pdf (Revised April 2026) free from the TreasuryDirect forms page, print it and mail it without the instruction pages.

Can a Lawyer, Attorney-in-Fact or Recovery Service File FS Form 5336?

No, unless that person is the eligible relative: a surviving spouse, blood relative or legally adopted child.

Bonds are not transferable (31 CFR 353.15), so Treasury pays the person entitled, never savings bond recovery services.

Can a Bank Cash a Deceased Owner's Savings Bonds Without FS Form 5336?

Yes, in two cases: a bank may, at its option, pay a surviving POD beneficiary or a court-appointed representative (31 CFR 321.7(d), (f)).

FS Publication 0022 (Rev. October 2022) has banks refer small estate affidavits and executors under an unprobated will to Treasury. Policies vary across what banks cash savings bonds.

How Do You Find Savings Bonds a Deceased Relative Owned?

Start with the decedent's papers; no online name search has existed since Treasury Hunt closed on September 30, 2025.

A known but missing bond is claimed with FS Form 1048, the last step to find savings bonds of a deceased relative.

Can FS Form 5336 Put Savings Bonds Into a Trust?

No. FS Form 5336 cannot distribute bonds or make payment to a trust.

After distribution, the person entitled may reissue paper bonds to a personal trust with FS Form 1851 (Revised April 2026), under the rules for savings bonds and trusts.

Is FS Form 5336 the Same as a Small Estate Affidavit?

No. A small estate affidavit is a state procedure; once one is used, the bonds go on FS Form 5394 (31 CFR 353.71(e)(1)(i)).

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