Georgia unclaimed savings bonds are claimed free in one of 2 ways: from the Georgia Department of Revenue's Unclaimed Property Program when the state holds the paper bond, or from Treasury with FS Form 1048 when it does not. Georgia publishes no list of savings bonds.
Its FAQ says the Department filed court documents to receive bonds as a custodian and points owners to TreasuryDirect meanwhile, and O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 and 44-12-238 (2015, according to Treasury) set the state's escheat rules. Escheat means a state takes ownership of unclaimed property. We checked every Georgia agency fact below on November 11, 2026.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the Department, Treasury, TreasuryDirect or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search their records for you. Both routes below are free. The hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices shows how other states compare.
Does Georgia Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
Georgia does not publish a list of savings bonds it holds. The Georgia Department of Revenue's Unclaimed Property Program says it has filed court documents to receive unclaimed US savings bonds as a custodian for Georgia citizens and, while the judicial process is ongoing, suggests owners visit TreasuryDirect.
Owners search the general claim portal under the Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (O.C.G.A. 44-12-190 et seq.). The table below summarizes the Georgia picture (as of November 11, 2026).
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Program | Georgia Department of Revenue, Unclaimed Property Program (dor.georgia.gov/unclaimed-property-program) | Georgia Department of Revenue |
| Claim portal | gaclaims.unclaimedproperty.com, a general property search | Georgia Department of Revenue |
| Savings bond list | None published | Georgia Department of Revenue |
| Agency statement on bonds | Court documents filed to receive bonds "as a custodian"; court and docket not named | Department FAQ |
| Claim payment | Paper check only; most claims within 30 days, up to 90 | Department search page |
| Cost | Free; no fee listed by the Department | Department program and search pages; O.C.G.A. 44-12-190 et seq. |
| Third parties | Staff speak only with people who have an interest; power of attorney on Form UP-1061 | Department resources page |
| General statute | O.C.G.A. 44-12-190 et seq. | Georgia Department of Revenue |
| Savings bond statutes | O.C.G.A. 44-12-237, 44-12-238; among the 2015 enactments Treasury lists (80 FR 80259) | HB 322 bill text; Federal Register |
| Court named in the statute | Superior Court of Fulton County | HB 322 bill text |
| Federal cases | Amicus for the states in LaTurner (2019); not a plaintiff in the 10 Court of Federal Claims suits, the Third Circuit appeal or Estes | Court records |
| Agreement with Treasury for bond records | None publicly known | No state or Treasury source (checked November 11, 2026) |
A state can return, or be paid for, only a paper bond it physically holds, usually one found in an abandoned safe deposit box. Missouri runs the only verified live state bond name search, so never assume Georgia lists bonds. There is no national name search for unclaimed savings bonds either.
Georgia's Savings Bond Court Filing "as a Custodian"
The Georgia Department of Revenue's FAQ states: "The Department has filed court documents to receive Unclaimed U.S. Savings Bonds as a custodian for Georgia citizens." The FAQ then sends owners to TreasuryDirect. It names no court, docket or date, and we found none in public sources.
The word "custodian" matters. Georgia's statute is a title-escheat law (80 FR 80259), and Treasury never pays a state on a custody-only judgment.
It pays only for a paper bond at final maturity that the state holds, with title by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, December 24, 2015). We found no outcome of the filing, so this page does not say Georgia has received any bond.
How to Search Georgia Unclaimed Property for a Savings Bond
Search Georgia unclaimed property for a savings bond by entering the owner's name in the Department of Revenue's claim portal, and claim any bond listed there for free. The 4 steps are below.
- Open the portal yourself from the Department's program page, never through a link in a letter, text or ad.
- Search the name exactly as printed on the bond, plus former and married names; how to read a paper savings bond shows where the name sits.
- Repeat the search for each co-owner or POD beneficiary named on the bond, and for a deceased owner.
- File a claim for each match and keep a record of it.
How to Claim a Savings Bond From the Georgia Department of Revenue
The Georgia Department of Revenue pays most unclaimed property claims within 30 days of receiving them, can take up to 90 days, and pays by paper check only.
In its words: "Most claims are paid within 30 days of the claim being received. However, the process may take up to 90 days." It also states: "Claims cannot be paid electronically."
The state claim costs nothing. The program sets the proof it needs and answers questions by phone, so ask before you send any original bond. The contact details are below.
Georgia Department of Revenue, Unclaimed Property Program
Program page: dor.georgia.gov/unclaimed-property-program
Claim portal: gaclaims.unclaimedproperty.com
4125 Welcome All Road, Suite 701, Atlanta, GA 30349
Phone: (855) 329-9863
Source: Georgia Department of Revenue and the NAUPA Georgia page, checked November 11, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the Department.
Cashing a Savings Bond Georgia Returns to You
Cash a paper savings bond Georgia returns like any other paper bond: at a bank that offers the service, or by mail to Treasury with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026).
Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to (FS Publication 0022, Rev. October 2022), and Series HH bonds go to Treasury only. FS Form 1522 needs a certified signature only when the bonds' total current redemption value is more than $1,000.
Georgia does not set the bond's value. Series, denomination and issue date do, and our calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, prices them. The full steps for how to cash savings bonds cover both the bank and the mail route.
If Georgia Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a bond Georgia does not hold from Treasury with FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026): Treasury searches its own records for lost, stolen or destroyed paper bonds, and the form is free.
Georgia's FAQ points owners to TreasuryDirect, but TreasuryDirect states: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." No online name search replaced it, and Treasury gave no reason for the closure.
Mail the FS Form 1048 claim for lost savings bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. A claim filed 6 years or more after final maturity needs the bond's serial number, the number printed on the bond (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)).
O.C.G.A. 44-12-237: Georgia's Savings Bond Escheat Law
O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 makes US savings bonds that are unclaimed property "escheat to the State of Georgia three years after becoming unclaimed property".
If no one claims the bond within 180 days after those three years, the commissioner "shall commence a civil action in the Superior Court of Fulton County", though the commissioner may postpone that action until enough bonds have accumulated to justify the expense.
After a judgment of escheat, the proceeds go to the state general fund under O.C.G.A. 44-12-218. House Bill 322 (2015 to 2016 session, Section 2) added the text, and Treasury lists Georgia among 8 states with 2015 savings bond escheat statutes (80 FR 80259). The table below gives the steps.
| Step | What the statute says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | US savings bonds that are unclaimed property "shall escheat to the State of Georgia three years after becoming unclaimed property" | O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 (HB 322, 2015 to 2016 session) |
| 2 | No claim within 180 days after those three years: "the commissioner shall commence a civil action in the Superior Court of Fulton County" | O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 |
| 3 | After a judgment of escheat: proceeds to the state general fund under 44-12-218 | O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 |
| 4 | Owner or heir claims the bond or proceeds: the commissioner "may pay such claim" upon "sufficient proof" | O.C.G.A. 44-12-238 |
| 5 | Federal limit: Treasury pays a state only for a paper bond at final maturity in its possession, with title by judgment, at its discretion; never on a custody-only judgment | 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; LaTurner (2019) |
Georgia's savings bond escheat law, O.C.G.A. 44-12-237 and 44-12-238 (bill text, HB 322), with the federal limit, as of November 11, 2026.
We quote the text from the bill on legis.ga.gov, the Senate substitute as passed the Senate. We have not verified the official code text, the Act number or an effective date, and we do not state when a bond becomes unclaimed property in Georgia.
O.C.G.A. 44-12-238: Claiming a Bond Georgia Has Escheated
O.C.G.A. 44-12-238 lets a person claim savings bonds Georgia has escheated, or their proceeds: "Upon providing sufficient proof of the validity of such person's claim, the commissioner may pay such claim." The claim goes through the same Unclaimed Property Program as any other. Ask a Georgia attorney about a disputed claim.
What Federal Courts and Treasury Rules Allow Georgia to Do
Federal law lets Georgia be paid only for a paper savings bond it physically holds.
Treasury may, at its discretion, pay a state for a bond at final maturity in its possession whose title the state holds by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, December 24, 2015). It does not pay on a custody-only judgment.
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019), held that federal law preempts, meaning overrides, state escheat of bonds the state does not hold, and that the serial numbers are required to redeem them. The State of Georgia filed as an amicus, a friend of the court, for the states.
Georgia was not among the 10 states whose Court of Federal Claims suits were dismissed on November 30, 2020, or among the Third Circuit appellants of 2012.
Georgia Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not Georgia law, decide who owns a bond after the owner dies. 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), (c)(1)).
A POD (payable on death) beneficiary is the person named to receive the bond at the owner's death. A will or court order cannot defeat that result (31 CFR 353.20(a); Free v. Bland, 369 U.S. 663 (1962)). The rules for POD savings bonds apply the same way in Georgia as elsewhere.
Heirs search the deceased owner's name in the portal. Department staff speak only with people who have an interest in a property, so heirs claim as such or through a power of attorney on Form UP-1061. A returned bond then follows Treasury's estate rules.
A court must administer the estate if the decedent's savings bonds total more than $100,000 in redemption value at the date of death (31 CFR 353.71). FS Form 5336 (Rev.
April 2026) serves estates that are not administered, and FS Form 5394 (Rev. May 2026) serves closed estates and state small-estate procedures. We state no Georgia small-estate rule here. Ask the estate's attorney about individual decisions.
Paid Helpers and Third Parties in Georgia Claims
Georgia's Unclaimed Property staff "is legally prevented from communicating with entities who have no interest in a property", so a paid helper acts only through the owner or a power of attorney on Form UP-1061.
Treasury pays only the owner or the person entitled (31 CFR 353.39(b)), a point our guide to savings bond recovery services explains.
Other States With 2015 Savings Bond Escheat Laws
Georgia is one of 8 states Treasury lists as enacting a savings bond escheat statute in 2015, and 4 sibling pages cover four of them.
- Florida unclaimed savings bonds
- South Carolina unclaimed savings bonds
- Arkansas unclaimed savings bonds
- Ohio unclaimed savings bonds
More Guides for Georgia Bond Owners and Heirs
5 related guides cover situations the Georgia portal does not.
- Savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative
- Found old savings bonds
- Savings bond co-owner rules
- Savings bonds in probate
- Help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
Georgia Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
How can I search for unclaimed savings bonds by name?
Search by name in a state's unclaimed property program only for paper bonds that state holds; no public site searches Treasury's savings bond records by name. Missouri runs the only verified live state bond name search (November 11, 2026). For other routes, see our savings bond lookup.
Does Georgia own my savings bonds?
No, not unless Georgia holds the paper bond: LaTurner (2019) bars a state from taking title to bonds it does not possess, and Treasury pays a state only for a held bond at final maturity, at its discretion.
Do savings bonds expire while Georgia holds them?
No: savings bonds never expire and no deadline applies to cashing them (Executive Order 13968, 85 FR 83745); they stop earning interest at final maturity. See when savings bonds mature for each series.
Can Georgia get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, Georgia included, is publicly known to have signed the information-sharing agreement that 31 CFR 323.11(b) requires before Treasury shares owner names and addresses (as of November 11, 2026). A state may use them only to locate owners, never to escheat or publish them (89 FR 102735, December 18, 2024). See what states can receive from Treasury.
Where can I cash a savings bond in Georgia?
Cash a paper savings bond at a Georgia bank that offers the service or by mail with FS Form 1522; the Department of Revenue does not cash bonds. Banks may cash paper bonds but are not required to, and Series HH goes to Treasury only. See the banks that cash savings bonds.
Can I still search TreasuryDirect for unclaimed savings bonds, as Georgia's FAQ suggests?
No: TreasuryDirect has offered no name search since Treasury Hunt ended on September 30, 2025, even though Georgia's FAQ still points owners there. File FS Form 1048 instead; Treasury Hunt is closed.
Compiled from named primary sources; how we check every statute and docket.