You probably found an old greeting card or a dusty envelope in a safety deposit box and realized there’s a piece of paper worth real money missing. It happens. A lot. Honestly, billions of dollars in unredeemed savings bonds are just sitting in the U.S. Treasury’s vaults right now, waiting for someone to claim them. If you’re trying to figure out how to find lost EE bonds, you aren't just looking for paper; you're hunting for interest that’s been compounding for decades.
Paper bonds are fragile. They get tossed during moves. They get eaten by basement floods. Sometimes, Grandma just forgot where she tucked that $50 gift from 1992.
The good news? The government knows they owe you that money. The bad news? Their system for getting it back to you isn't exactly a one-click Amazon experience. You have to prove who you are, what you lost, and that you have the right to claim it. It’s a bit of a paper-chase, but for a bond that might have tripled in value, it’s worth the headache.
The Treasury Hunt is Dead (Sorta)
For years, the go-to tool was a website called "Treasury Hunt." It was simple. You put in your Social Security number, and it told you if you had matured bonds. But the Treasury Department pulled the plug on the old version of that tool. Now, the process is a bit more manual, though they’ve recently updated the TreasuryDirect site to be slightly less like a relic from the 1990s.
If your EE bond hasn't reached original maturity (which is usually 20 years, though they keep earning interest for 30), it won't even show up in many automated searches. You have to go through the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
Why did they change it? Security, mostly. But also because the sheer volume of "lost" bonds is staggering. We are talking about Series E, EE, and I bonds that have stopped earning interest and are basically just interest-free loans to the government at this point. If you have an EE bond from the mid-80s, it stopped earning interest a long time ago. You’re literally losing purchasing power every day it sits in a government ledger.
Digging for the Serial Numbers
Most people think they can’t do anything because they don't have the serial number. That’s a myth. While having the serial number makes the process lightning-fast, you can still find your money using:
- Your Social Security Number (or the buyer's SSN)
- The approximate dates of purchase
- The names on the bond (including any nicknames or maiden names)
- The address listed at the time of purchase
If you’re looking for bonds belonging to a deceased relative, it gets trickier. You’ll need a death certificate. You might need court-certified letters of appointment if you’re the executor. The Treasury isn't just going to hand over cash because you share a last name. They are sticklers for the legal trail.
The FS Form 1048: Your New Best Friend
Basically, if you don't have the physical bond, you’re going to become very familiar with FS Form 1048. This is the "Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bonds."
It’s a five-page document that looks intimidating but is actually pretty straightforward if you take it slow. You’ll need to describe the bonds as best as you can. If you don't know the exact denominations, estimate. If you don't know the exact year, give a range.
Pro tip: Do not sign this form at your kitchen table. You have to sign it in the presence of a certifying officer. Usually, this means a trip to your local bank. Not every bank employee can do this; you usually need a "notary-like" validation but specifically a "Signature Guaranteed" stamp or a certification from a financial institution officer. Call ahead. Ask if they have someone who can certify a Treasury form. If you just show up, you’ll likely get a blank stare from a teller who hasn't seen a paper bond in ten years.
The Waiting Game is Real
Once you mail that form to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service in Parkersburg, West Virginia, prepare to wait. This isn't a "two-week turnaround" situation.
I’ve seen people wait six months. I’ve seen it take a year if the records are old or the names don't match up perfectly. The Treasury has to manually search through digitized microfilm and old databases to find a match.
If they find the bonds, they won't usually send you new paper ones. Paper bonds are basically extinct. Instead, they will either pay out the value of the bond to your bank account or, more likely, issue the bond in electronic form within a TreasuryDirect account.
Why You Should Check for "Matured" Bonds First
An EE bond earns interest for 30 years. If you found a bond from 1993, it's still earning. If you found one from 1980, it’s dead. It’s just a piece of paper.
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Check the "issue date" in the top right corner.
If the bond is "matured," it means the government has stopped paying you to hold it. You are essentially giving them a free loan. In the world of finance, that’s a cardinal sin. Even if you love the nostalgia of the paper, the math says: cash it in and put it in a high-yield savings account or an index fund. The value of a $100 EE bond from 1990 is likely over $200 now, depending on the fixed rate and the doubling guarantee.
What Most People Get Wrong About EE Bonds
There's a common misconception that all EE bonds double in 7 years. That's wrong.
The "doubling" guarantee depends on when the bond was issued. For most EE bonds issued since the late 90s, the Treasury guarantees the bond will be worth at least its face value (it will "double" from its purchase price) after 20 years. If the interest didn't get it there, the Treasury does a one-time adjustment to make it happen.
But here’s the kicker: if you cash it at year 19, you miss that jump. You only get the accrued interest. Knowing how to find lost EE bonds is only half the battle; knowing when to cash them is where the real money is made.
If you find a bond that is 18 or 19 years old, wait. That 20-year mark is the "magic" date where the value often jumps significantly.
Dealing with the "Maiden Name" Trap
I’ve talked to dozens of people who hit a brick wall because their bonds were bought in a maiden name or by a grandparent who passed away forty years ago.
If the bond is in your old name, you just need to provide evidence of the name change (like a marriage certificate) when you file Form 1048.
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If you are the survivor of a deceased owner, look at the bond’s "inscription." If it says "Owner A OR Owner B," and you are Owner B, it’s yours. You just need the death certificate for Owner A. If it says "Owner A POD (Payable on Death) to Owner B," same deal.
If you aren't named on the bond at all, but you’re the heir? You’re going to need to look into your state’s small estate laws or probate records. It’s a bit of a slog, but if there are twenty $1,000 bonds in that box, it’s a slog worth $20,000 plus interest.
Physical Condition Doesn't Matter (Mostly)
If you have the bond but it’s been through a washing machine or half-eaten by a dog, don't throw it away. As long as the serial number or the names and dates are legible, the Treasury can usually process it as a "mutilated" bond.
Put the pieces in a Ziploc bag. Do not tape them back together. Tape can mess up the scanning process they use to verify the ink and paper. Just mail the fragments with the 1048 form.
Practical Steps to Take Right Now
- Check your Social Security Number through the TreasuryDirect "Treasury Hunt" tool anyway. Even though it's limited, it's the fastest first step.
- Gather your data. Write down every address you’ve lived at for the last 30 years. Write down the SSNs of your parents or whoever might have bought bonds for you.
- Download FS Form 1048. Read it twice. It’s the primary way to trigger a manual search.
- Open a TreasuryDirect account. Even if you hate the interface, it's the only way to receive the value of lost bonds electronically without a mountain of extra paperwork.
- Look for a Certifying Officer. Call your bank. Don't ask for a notary. Ask for a "Signature Guarantee" or someone authorized to certify Treasury forms.
- Mail it via Certified Mail. Do not just put this in a standard envelope with a forever stamp. Use tracking. You are mailing your financial identity and a claim for potentially thousands of dollars.
Finding these bonds is a test of patience. The government isn't in a rush to give the money back, and their records from the 1980s are sometimes stored in actual underground caves in Pennsylvania. But the money is yours. It was a gift or a hard-earned investment, and it deserves to be back in your bank account rather than sitting in a federal ledger.
Start with the addresses. Most people find their lost bonds simply by providing the Treasury with the zip code of the house they lived in when they were five years old. It’s often the missing link that connects your current SSN to a bond bought in 1988.