Iowa unclaimed savings bonds are claimed free in one of 2 ways: through the Treasurer of State's Great Iowa Treasure Hunt when Iowa holds the paper bond, or from Treasury with FS Form 1048 when it does not.
Iowa Code 556.9B (2014) lets the Treasurer seek title in the district court of Polk County. Iowa's federal suit for other bonds was dismissed with prejudice on November 30, 2020. We checked every fact on November 11, 2026.
ClaimMyBonds is a private, independent guide, not the Treasurer of State, the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, Treasury, TreasuryDirect or Treasury Hunt, and we cannot search their records for you. To see how other states compare, read our hub on savings bonds and state unclaimed property offices.
Does Iowa Hold Unclaimed Savings Bonds?
Iowa holds a US savings bond only when the Treasurer of State has physically received the paper bond, for example among the contents of an abandoned safe deposit box; bonds that exist only on Treasury's records stay with Treasury. The table below summarizes Iowa's position.
| Attribute | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Agency | Treasurer of State of Iowa | Iowa Code ch. 556 |
| Program | Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov (not the federal Treasury Hunt) | State program site; TreasuryDirect |
| General statute | Iowa Code chapter 556 | Iowa Code |
| Savings bond statute | Iowa Code 556.9B (2014 Iowa Acts ch. 1079, approved April 10, 2014) | Iowa Acts |
| Escheat court | District court of Polk County | Iowa Code 556.9B |
| Held-bond list | None found in our sources | Checked November 11, 2026 |
| Federal suit | Fitzgerald v. United States, Court of Federal Claims No. 19-678C, dismissed with prejudice November 30, 2020 | Court records |
| Amicus filing | LaTurner (2019) | 933 F.3d 1354 |
| Agreement with Treasury for bond records | None publicly known | Checked November 11, 2026 |
| Cost of a claim | Free | Treasury and state programs charge no claim fee |
Iowa and savings bonds at a glance, as of November 11, 2026. Sources: Iowa Code ch. 556, 80 FR 80259, court records.
We found no Iowa list of the savings bonds it holds. Missouri runs the only verified live state bond name search, and no national name search exists for any state or for Treasury.
The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt Is Iowa's Program, Not the Federal Treasury Hunt
The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt is the Treasurer of State of Iowa's unclaimed property program at GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov, and it has no connection to Treasury Hunt, the federal savings bond search that closed in 2025.
It is a state program on a .gov address, and claiming what it holds costs nothing. Type the address yourself, never from a letter, text or ad.
Treasury Hunt was Treasury's own tool, launched February 5, 2001. TreasuryDirect states: "As of September 30, 2025, the Treasury Hunt® tool is no longer available." No online replacement exists, and older pages that still point to TreasuryHunt.gov are out of date. Treasury Hunt is closed, and neither search ever covered the other's records.
How to Search the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt for a Savings Bond
Search the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt for a savings bond under the owner's name, and claim any paper bond the Treasurer of State holds for free. The 4 steps are below.
- Open GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov by typing the address into your browser.
- Search the name exactly as printed on the bond, plus former and married names; here is how to read a paper savings bond and find that name.
- Repeat the search for each co-owner or POD (payable on death) beneficiary named on the bond, and for a deceased owner.
- Claim each listing that could be a savings bond and keep a record of it.
How to Claim a Savings Bond From the Treasurer of State of Iowa
Claiming a savings bond from the Treasurer of State of Iowa costs nothing, and the Treasurer sets the proof of ownership each claim needs. We found no Iowa claim form, document list, payment method or payment time in our sources, so follow the steps on GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.
A paper bond Iowa returns stays registered to the person named on it.
Treasurer of State of Iowa, unclaimed property program (Great Iowa Treasure Hunt)
Program site: https://www.greatiowatreasurehunt.gov/
Treasurer's program page: iowatreasurer.gov/unclaimed-property
Source: Treasurer of State of Iowa program site and Iowa Code ch. 556, checked November 11, 2026; links checked November 12, 2026. ClaimMyBonds is not affiliated with the Treasurer of State or the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt.
Cashing a Savings Bond Iowa Returns to You
Cash a paper savings bond that Iowa 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 goes to Treasury only. The form needs a certified signature only above $1,000 in redemption value.
The interest is federally taxable and exempt from state and local income tax, Iowa's included (31 U.S.C. 3124(a)). Series and issue date set a bond's value, and our calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, prices it. The steps for how to cash savings bonds cover the bank and the mail route.
If Iowa Does Not Hold Your Savings Bond: Claim From Treasury With FS Form 1048
Claim a savings bond from Treasury with FS Form 1048 (Rev. March 2026) when Iowa does not hold it: Treasury searches its own records for lost, stolen or destroyed paper bonds, and the form is free.
For savings bonds, Treasury's unclaimed money is claimed with FS Form 1048. Treasury counts 103,064,737 matured unredeemed savings bonds, all series, as of September 30, 2026 (Fiscal Data).
Send the FS Form 1048 claim for lost savings bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, or call 844-284-2676.
Without the serial number, Treasury asks for the month and year of purchase, the complete Social Security number, the full names and the address. The serial number is required 6 years or more after final maturity (31 CFR 315.29(c), 353.29(c)).
Iowa Code 556.9B: Iowa's 2014 Savings Bond Escheat Law
Iowa Code 556.9B, "United States savings bonds, escheatment procedures", makes unclaimed US savings bonds escheat (pass) to the state three years after they are presumed abandoned, through a civil action the Treasurer of State brings in the district court of Polk County.
It was added by 2014 Iowa Acts ch. 1079, sec. 1 (S.F. 2283), approved April 10, 2014, one of 7 such statutes of 2014 (80 FR 80259). The Iowa Code chapter 556 PDF carries the text, and the table follows it step by step.
| Step | What Iowa law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Presumed abandoned | property "unclaimed by the owner for more than three years after it became payable or distributable" | Iowa Code 556.9(1) |
| 2 Escheat | savings bonds "shall escheat to the state three years after such bonds are presumed abandoned property under section 556.9, subsection 1" | Iowa Code 556.9B |
| 3 Court action | the Treasurer of State must "commence a civil action in the district court of Polk county" | Iowa Code 556.9B |
| 4 Notice | publication once each week for three consecutive weeks | Iowa Code 556.9B |
| 5 Claim after judgment | claim under 556.19; "the treasurer of state may pay such claim in accordance with the provisions of section 556.20" | Iowa Code 556.9B, 556.19, 556.20 |
| 6 Federal limit | Treasury recognizes Iowa's title only for a paper bond at final maturity that Iowa holds, and pays at its discretion | 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; LaTurner (2019) |
Iowa Code 556.9B (added by 2014 Iowa Acts ch. 1079, approved April 10, 2014), as of November 11, 2026. Not legal advice.
The two 3-year periods run back to back, so escheat comes more than 6 years after a bond "became payable or distributable". Our sources do not say when Iowa treats a savings bond as payable, so we give no calendar date. The Treasurer publishes notice once each week for three consecutive weeks.
After a Polk County Escheat Judgment: Claims Under Sections 556.19 and 556.20
After a 556.9B escheat judgment, a person claiming the bond files under Iowa Code 556.19, and the Treasurer of State "may pay such claim in accordance with the provisions of section 556.20".
The word "may" makes Iowa's payment discretionary. A claim to Treasury for a bond Iowa does not hold is a separate federal right, and bonds never expire.
Our sources do not show whether a Polk County judgment was ever entered for savings bonds. We state neither that one exists nor that none does. Ask an Iowa attorney.
Fitzgerald v. United States: Iowa's Savings Bond Suit (No. 19-678C)
Fitzgerald v. United States (U.S. Court of Federal Claims, No. 19-678C) is Iowa's savings bond suit, brought by Michael Fitzgerald as Treasurer of State of Iowa, and it was dismissed with prejudice on November 30, 2020.
The 10 state suits sought redemption of "absent bonds" (title by state judgment, certificates not in the state's hands), plus contract and Fifth Amendment takings damages. Judge Elaine D. Kaplan dismissed all 10 in one Opinion and Order, applying LaTurner.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 10, 2014 | S.F. 2283 approved, adding Iowa Code 556.9B | 2014 Iowa Acts ch. 1079 |
| 2015 | Iowa joins the states' joint comments on Treasury's proposed rule; Treasury lists Iowa's 2014 statute | 80 FR 80258, 80259 |
| December 24, 2015 | Treasury's rule takes effect: a state may be paid for a bond at final maturity it holds, with title by judgment, at Treasury's discretion | 80 FR 80258; 31 CFR 315.88, 353.88 |
| August 13, 2019 | LaTurner v. United States: escheat of bonds a state does not hold is preempted; Iowa amicus for the states | 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir.) |
| No. 19-678C | Fitzgerald v. United States: Iowa's Treasurer of State sues in the Court of Federal Claims | U.S. Court of Federal Claims docket |
| October 5, 2020 | Supreme Court denies certiorari in LaTurner (Nos. 19-1279, 19-1285) | U.S. Supreme Court |
| November 30, 2020 | Iowa's suit and 9 others dismissed with prejudice in one Opinion and Order (Judge Elaine D. Kaplan) | Court of Federal Claims, Nos. 15-1364C et al. |
Iowa's savings bond statute, rule comments, amicus filing and lawsuit against the federal record, as of November 11, 2026. The filing date of No. 19-678C is not stated.
Iowa joined the states' joint comments on Treasury's 2015 rule (80 FR 80258). It also filed as an amicus, a friend of the court, in LaTurner.
What Federal Courts and Treasury Rules Leave Iowa
Federal law leaves Iowa one savings bond route: Treasury may, at its discretion, pay a state for a paper bond at final maturity that the state possesses and owns by court judgment (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88; 80 FR 80258, December 24, 2015). Treasury does not pay for absent bonds.
LaTurner v. United States, 933 F.3d 1354 (Fed. Cir. August 13, 2019; certiorari denied October 5, 2020), held that federal law preempts, meaning overrides, state escheat of bonds a state does not hold, and that serial numbers are required. The 2020 order left the possession route open.
Treasury recognizes Iowa's title only for bonds Iowa holds (31 CFR 315.88, 353.88). Iowa was not among the 2012 Third Circuit appellants, the Estes plaintiffs or the 2004 letter states. The 2019 and 2021 Unclaimed Savings Bond Acts were not enacted.
Iowa Savings Bonds After the Owner Dies: Federal Rules Decide Who Owns Them
Federal savings bond rules, not Iowa 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 will or court order cannot defeat that result (31 CFR 353.20(a); Free v. Bland, 369 U.S. 663 (1962)). Those are the savings bond co-owner rules.
Heirs search the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt under the deceased owner's name and use FS Form 1048 for the rest. 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 serves estates that are not administered, and FS Form 5394 (Rev. May 2026) serves closed estates and state small-estate procedures. We state no Iowa small-estate rule, so ask the estate's attorney.
Paid Helpers and Third Parties in Iowa Claims
Treasury pays a savings bond only to its registered owner or another person entitled (31 CFR 353.39(b)), so a paid helper in an Iowa claim never receives the bond money itself. No Treasury fee rule exists and we state no Iowa cap or registration rule; see savings bond recovery services.
Other States With Savings Bond Escheat Laws and Suits
Iowa is one of 7 states that enacted a savings bond escheat statute in 2014, and 8 sibling pages cover states with related laws or suits.
- Kentucky unclaimed savings bonds (2014; Ball, No. 16-221C)
- Louisiana unclaimed savings bonds (2014; Kennedy, No. 15-1365C)
- Mississippi unclaimed savings bonds (2014; Fitch, No. 16-231C)
- South Dakota unclaimed savings bonds (2014; Sattgast, No. 15-1364C)
- Missouri unclaimed savings bonds (2014; Cole County case)
- North Carolina unclaimed savings bonds (2014, listed by Treasury)
- Kansas unclaimed savings bonds (first statute, 2000; LaTurner)
- Indiana unclaimed savings bonds (2015; Zoeller, No. 16-699C)
More Guides for Iowa Bond Owners and Heirs
7 related guides cover situations an Iowa search does not.
- Savings bond lookup
- Savings bonds of a deceased parent or relative
- Found old savings bonds
- POD savings bonds
- Savings bonds in probate
- What banks cash savings bonds
- Help after a state contacts you about savings bonds
Iowa Unclaimed Savings Bonds FAQ
How long does a Great Iowa Treasure Hunt claim take?
The Treasurer of State sets how long a Great Iowa Treasure Hunt claim takes, and our sources hold no Iowa processing time as of November 11, 2026. Treasury's own times are 11 months or longer for lost bond searches and 3 months or longer for cashing paper bonds in your name (TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026).
How do I find out if I have unclaimed savings bonds in Iowa?
Search the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt for paper bonds Iowa holds, and file FS Form 1048 with Treasury for every other lost bond; both are free. No public site searches Treasury's records by name, as our guide to unclaimed savings bonds explains.
Who is the state treasurer of Iowa, and does the office handle savings bonds?
The Treasurer of State of Iowa is the office that runs the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt and holds the paper savings bonds Iowa receives as unclaimed property. No. 19-678C was brought in Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald's name. A private company offering to find Iowa bonds is not the Treasurer; see savings bond scams.
Does Iowa own my savings bonds?
No, not unless Iowa holds the paper bond: LaTurner (2019) bars a state from taking title to bonds it does not possess, and Iowa's own suit for such bonds was dismissed with prejudice on November 30, 2020.
Can Iowa get savings bond records from Treasury?
No state, Iowa 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 (89 FR 102735, December 18, 2024), and Treasury shares no Social Security numbers or serial numbers. See what states can receive from Treasury.
Do savings bonds expire while Iowa 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.
Compiled from named primary sources; how we check every statute and docket.