Replacing lost or destroyed paper savings bonds

A paper Series EE or I savings bond that's lost, stolen, destroyed, damaged or never arrived can be replaced. You claim it on FS Form 1048 from TreasuryDirect, and you choose between a replacement bond and the cash. Replacements are no longer issued on paper, so a replacement is an electronic bond in a TreasuryDirect account.

What you need

• FS Form 1048, printed from TreasuryDirect
• The serial number, issue date and face amount of each missing bond, if you have them, or the years they were issued
• The names, Social Security numbers and addresses shown on the bonds
• What's left of a damaged or destroyed bond
• A copy of the police report, if a bond was stolen and you reported it
• A TreasuryDirect account, if you want replacement bonds

Steps

1. 1

   Describe the missing bonds

   List each bond by serial number with its issue date, face amount and the names on it. If you don't know the exact issue date, give the span of dates it falls in. Attach a separate sheet if you run out of room.

   20 min

2. 2

   Explain what happened

   Mark whether the bonds were lost, stolen or destroyed, and say when the loss was found, who had them last and where they were kept.

   10 min

3. 3

   Choose a replacement or the cash

   A replacement EE or I bond goes into your TreasuryDirect account. To cash it instead, you normally need to have held the bond for a year. That can be waived if the bond was lost in a disaster.

   5 min

4. 4

   Sign in front of a notary or certifying officer

   Everyone named on the bonds, or an authorized representative, signs in ink in front of a notary or an authorized certifying officer, who adds their seal or stamp. Banks and credit unions in the U.S. have certifying officers.

   15 min

5. 5

   Send it

   Mail the form, with any remaining pieces of the bonds and any police report, to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. Documents you send can't be returned.

   10 min

After a disaster

If you live in a declared disaster area, you only need to fill in parts 1, 5, 6B and 7 of the form. Write "DISASTER" at the top of the first page and on the front of the envelope.

If you find the bond later

Once a bond has been replaced or cashed, send the original back to Treasury Retail Securities Services at the same Minneapolis address.

Bonds you don't know about

TreasuryDirect's Treasury Hunt search for matured bonds closed on September 30, 2025. Checking for unclaimed money in your name covers the other places old money can turn up.