Owners claim lost, stolen or destroyed paper savings bonds from Treasury on FS Form 1048: the form is free and Treasury charges no fee. ClaimMyBonds' paid help with lost savings bonds adds only paperwork, tracing and follow-up.
Treasury Hunt, Treasury's online search, has not been available since September 30, 2025, and lost bonds are claimed by mail. Treasury lists 11 months or longer for lost-bond searches (TreasuryDirect contact page, as of November 11, 2026). A notary fee or postage can still cost money.
ClaimMyBonds is a private company, not the government, Treasury, TreasuryDirect, a state or Treasury Hunt.
Our savings bond claim help costs a flat fee for the paperwork plus a success fee, both invoiced only after you have been paid; amounts are on request, and nothing is paid on this website. Every situation is covered under savings bond claim help.
The Free Route: Claiming Lost or Destroyed Bonds From Treasury Yourself
An owner can claim a lost, stolen or destroyed savings bond without any helper by mailing a signed FS Form 1048 to Treasury Retail Securities Services, Treasury's office for paper bonds. The form (Rev. March 2026, PDF, TreasuryDirect) is free, runs 6 pages and takes about 20 minutes.
It also covers Savings Notes, Retirement Plan Bonds, Individual Retirement Bonds and mutilated bonds. The office states: "we charge no fees, nor do we offer gifts for working with our office" (as of November 11, 2026). Each item is explained under FS Form 1048 claim for lost, stolen or destroyed savings bonds.
The 6 steps are listed below.
- Gather what you know about each bond: the serial number if you have it, the issue date (exact or a range), the face amount and the names, Social Security number and address printed on it.
- Download FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026) from TreasuryDirect; the form is free.
- Describe the bonds in Item 1 and the loss in Item 2, adding remaining pieces of a destroyed bond and any police report.
- Choose relief in Items 5 and 6: an electronic substitute in your TreasuryDirect account (Series EE and I) or payment by direct deposit.
- Sign in ink in front of a notary or certifying officer, together with every other person who must sign.
- Mail the form to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, keep copies, and expect 11 months or longer (as of November 11, 2026).
Every person named on the bond signs, or an authorized representative does. Court-appointed representatives add letters of appointment dated within one year, and parents sign for minors too young to sign.
Treasury keeps the evidence, so keep copies, and may ask for more evidence or a bond of indemnity, a guarantee against loss (31 CFR 353.91).
The table lists 8 harder situations, the free rule and what our help adds.
| Situation | Free rule (Treasury) | What our paid help adds | Free guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| You have the serial numbers | list each bond in Item 1 by serial number, issue date, face amount and inscription, and state the total number of bonds | finding the numbers in your papers and listing them on FS Form 1048 or the FS Form 3500 continuation sheet | savings bond serial number |
| No serial numbers, bond less than 6 years past final maturity | give the issue date (exact or a range), face amount and the inscription: complete SSN, full names, street, city and state; add the buyer's SSN for a gift bond | rebuilding these details from family records | none |
| No serial numbers, bond 6 years or more past final maturity | no claim is considered without the serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)); this covers every Series E, H and Savings Note and paper EE issued January 1980 to November 1990; Series I claims are barred 10 years or more after maturity (360.29(c)), the first I bonds maturing in September 2028 | searching your own papers for a serial number; we cannot obtain one from Treasury | final maturity by series |
| Bond destroyed or mutilated | send any remaining pieces with the form, packed carefully | describing the damage in Item 2 and packing the pieces | none |
| Bond stolen | describe the theft in Item 2 with a copy of any police report; over $5,000 investigated by police or an insurance, transportation or similar business: a copy of that report | collecting the reports and the theft details | none |
| A co-owner or beneficiary named on the bond has died | a certified copy of the death certificate for each deceased registrant | gathering the certificates and checking who signs | savings bond co-owner rules |
| You live in a declared disaster area | complete only parts 1, 5, 6B and 7 and write "DISASTER" on the first page and the envelope | completing the short disaster version | none |
| You are not sure the bond was ever cashed (paper EE or I) | ask your bank; if it cannot tell you, the owner or co-owner sends Treasury Retail Securities Services a signed letter with the serial numbers, without the bonds | drafting the letter for your signature and tracking the reply | none |
Lost, stolen or destroyed savings bonds: the free rule for 8 situations and what ClaimMyBonds' paid help adds, as of November 2026. Sources: FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026); FS Publication 0107 (Rev. August 2022); 31 CFR 315.29, 353.29, 360.29 (eCFR, as of November 6, 2026); TreasuryDirect cashing page.
What Our Help Adds to a Lost-Bond Claim: Paperwork, Tracing and Follow-Up
For a lost bond, ClaimMyBonds' help adds 3 things to the free route: paperwork, tracing and follow-up. You sign FS Form 1048, and Treasury pays or replaces the bond for you. The 3 parts are listed below.
- Paperwork: preparing FS Form 1048, with FS Form 3500 for more bonds and FS Form 2243 for later corrections, ready for you to sign in front of a notary or certifying officer.
- Tracing: working through your own papers and family records to rebuild each bond's serial number or the 4 identifiers Treasury needs; never a search of Treasury's records.
- Follow-up: keeping a record of what was mailed and when, and helping you answer Treasury's letters asking for more information until the claim is settled.
Tracing matters most for the serial number, the code printed on each bond. A claim filed 6 years or more after final maturity, when a bond stops earning interest, is not considered without it (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)).
It can only come from your own papers, such as copies, family files or old payroll and bank records.
What No Helper Can Do About a Lost Bond
5 limits apply to anyone who helps with a lost bond, ClaimMyBonds included, because Treasury's rules give no third party special access. We do not do these 5 things.
- Treasury records: We do not search them, and we hold no list of bond owners or serial numbers.
- Serial numbers: We cannot create or obtain one; past the six-year point, a claim needs a number from your own records.
- Your signature: We do not sign or certify FS Form 1048 for you. A certifying officer must establish your identity and may not certify a request in which they have or will acquire an interest (31 CFR 353.56, 353.57).
- Your money: We do not receive the payment or the substitute bond; Treasury sends relief to your own TreasuryDirect account or bank account.
- Treasury's pace: We cannot speed up a claim, and we never contact Treasury claiming to be you, or contact you claiming to be Treasury.
FS Form 1048 is signed in ink before a notary or an authorized certifying officer, an officer allowed to confirm your identity. FS Publication 0107 (Rev.
August 2022) names certifying officers at banks, trust companies and credit unions; the newer form also accepts a notary. ClaimMyBonds certifies nothing. Both routes for a savings bond signature are compared under savings bond signature certification.
How to Ask for Help With Lost Savings Bonds
Asking for lost savings bond help takes one short form and starts only a callback. Choose "My own savings bonds are lost, stolen or destroyed"; we phone or email you, explain the free FS Form 1048 route first and give fee amounts on request.
The form asks for 5 things: situation, series and approximate issue years if known, state, contact details and consent. It never asks for a Social Security number, serial numbers, bond scans or photos, ID documents or payment details; do not email them either.
In the callback, we ask whether serial numbers survive in your papers and which series and years the bonds were: those 2 facts decide which table row applies. The numbers stay with you and go only onto FS Form 1048.
Fees for Lost-Bond Help: A Flat Fee Plus a Success Fee, Never Out of the Bond
ClaimMyBonds charges a flat fee for the paperwork plus a success fee, and neither fee comes out of a lost bond's replacement or payment. We invoice both only after you have been paid, no earlier than the eighth business day after the money reaches you; if you are not paid, you owe nothing.
Savings bonds are not transferable, are payable only to the named owners (31 CFR 353.15) or another person entitled (353.39(b)), and cannot be pledged (353.16). We never ask you to sign over a bond or its proceeds.
No Treasury regulation sets, caps or approves a helper's fee, and Treasury licenses no paid service.
Before any payment, you get in writing both fee amounts, the total cost, what it covers and the refund terms, including how the fees apply when Treasury grants an electronic substitute. On state-held bonds, the state's rules on paid helpers apply to both fees together.
No helper speeds up Treasury: lost-bond searches take 11 months or longer, against 3 months or longer to cash paper bonds in your name (TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026). We promise no result, amount or date, as the terms for the claim help service state.
Before Paying Anyone to Find Lost Bonds: Finders, Impersonators and State Custody
Nobody needs to pay a finder to claim a lost savings bond. The owner signs FS Form 1048, the only claim route, and no company holds Treasury's list of bond owners. States with an information-sharing agreement under 89 FR 102735 (December 18, 2024) get names and addresses only, no serial numbers.
They may not release them to third parties without Treasury's advance written approval (31 CFR 323.11(b), (c)). No state is publicly known to have one as of November 11, 2026. Finder fees are covered under savings bond recovery services and their fees.
The FTC Impersonation Rule bars falsely posing as a government entity or misrepresenting affiliation with one (16 CFR 461.2, effective April 1, 2024); 31 U.S.C. 333 bars using Treasury names to suggest endorsement. An offer of "Treasury's bond finders" is a warning sign.
A bond left in a dormant safe deposit box can reach a state: South Dakota records each such bond under the owner named on it (SDCL 43-41B-17). Missouri runs the only verified live state name search, for paper bonds it holds (as of November 11, 2026).
Searching and claiming through the official state program costs nothing (National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators). Rules differ among state unclaimed property offices.
Lost Savings Bond Help Questions
Can I claim a lost savings bond without the serial number?
Yes, while the bond is less than 6 years past final maturity. Treasury then uses 4 identifiers: month and year of purchase, the owner's complete Social Security number, full names with middle names or initials, and street, city and state address (FS Publication 0107, Rev. August 2022); gift bonds add the purchaser's number. Later claims need the serial number (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)). Other free ways to find lost or missing savings bonds exist.
How long does a lost savings bond claim take?
Treasury lists 11 months or longer for searches for lost, stolen or missing savings bonds, as of November 11, 2026. A bond Treasury's records show as cashed is presumed properly paid if no claim came within 10 years of that redemption (31 CFR 353.29(b)).
Will Treasury send me a new paper bond?
No: Treasury replaces a lost Series EE or I bond only with an electronic bond of the same issue date, or pays it by direct deposit (31 CFR 353.26(e), 360.26(e); 79 FR 8859, 8860, February 14, 2014). Bonds at, past or within one full calendar month of final maturity, and Series HH, are paid by direct deposit (FS Form 1048). Substitutes follow the rules for electronic savings bonds and TreasuryDirect accounts.
What if I find the bond after Treasury replaces it?
The original bond becomes the property of the United States and must be surrendered, not cashed (31 CFR 315.28, 353.28(b)). Banks can check serial numbers against a Treasury file of bonds reported lost, stolen or never received (FS Publication 0022, Rev. October 2022). FS Form 2243 (Rev. April 2026) corrects or adds facts to a pending claim for lost, stolen or destroyed savings bonds.
Can a relative handle the claim for an older owner?
Yes: an attorney-in-fact, the owner's agent under a power of attorney, files a lost-bond claim on FS Form 1048 (FS Publication 0105, Rev. March 2025). The publication asks for a certified copy of the power of attorney, signed within the past 2 years or durable, or FS Form 5188 (Rev. April 2026). FS Form 5456 (Rev. April 2026) lets the owner release bond information to a named person. Guardians follow the rules for cashing savings bonds for someone else.
Can ClaimMyBonds search Treasury's records for my lost bonds?
No: ClaimMyBonds cannot search Treasury's records, and no online search replaced Treasury Hunt, which has not been available since September 30, 2025. TreasuryDirect states: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." Lost bonds go to Treasury on FS Form 1048; the other options are under Treasury Hunt is closed.
Other Help and Free Guides
ClaimMyBonds' help covers 3 more situations, and 2 free guides cover the steps around a lost-bond claim. They are listed below with the overview.
- Savings bond claim help for every situation
- Help claiming a deceased relative's savings bonds
- Help cashing old paper savings bonds you found
- Help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
- How to find savings bonds of a deceased parent
- Savings bond scams
Ready to ask? Request help with your savings bonds; the free FS Form 1048 route comes first in every callback.
Rules and dates checked November 11, 2026, against the Treasury sources named above. Read how we check every value, date and rule.