Note: For these special situations, you want a different page.
Death of a savings bond owner
Living estates (where a court has appointed a legal guardian for someone who owns bonds)
Trusts (where a trustee wants to cash savings bonds)
Some changes in information result in our reissuing the savings bond. Some do not.
This page tells you whether we need to know about a change and, if we do, how to tell us.
Note: If your savings bond will mature (stop earning interest) in the next month, we will not reissue it. Series EE and I bonds mature 30 years from their issue date.
We also do not reissue old bonds that have stopped earning interest. You should cash them. See Cashing EE and I savings bonds
What changes do NOT require reissuing EE or I bonds?
We do not reissue bonds in these situations. This table tells what to do instead.
| The situation | What you should do |
| You got married or divorced and changed your name | When you cash in a paper EE or I bond, sign both your name that is on the bond and your current name with the reason for the name change. Examples: Mary Smith, Mary Jones (name changed due to marriage) Mary Jones, Mary Smith (name changed due to divorce) |
| Your name has a minor typo | When you cash in a paper EE or I bond, sign your correct name. |
| You moved and have a new address | You do not need to do anything. The address on your paper EE or I bond was just to mail it to you. The address does not affect ownership of the bond. |
| The bond has the wrong Social Security Number (SSN) | If the SSN on the bond shows as ***** and then the last 4 numbers, that is NOT a problem. We do that to protect your privacy. If the SSN is really wrong – We don't reissue the bond to correct an SSN. However, please let us know. If we ever need to search our database for your bond, we search by SSN. So it's good to have the bond listed in our database with the correct SSN. To correct the SSN on a paper savings bond, do not send the bonds. Send only this information. - Write a letter to us with this information:
- The incorrect SSN
- The correct SSN
- For each bond that has the wrong SSN:
- Serial number of the bond
- Issue date
- Denomination (Is it a $50 bond, a $100 bond, or a different dollar amount?)
- Registration (Who owns the bond: owner, co-owner [if there is one], and beneficiary [if there is one])
- For an EE or I paper bond, send the letter to
Treasury Retail Securities Services
P.O. Box 9150
Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150 |
When must we reissue EE or I bonds?
We must reissue Series EE and I bonds in these situations:
- Correct a major error
- Comply with a court-ordered change of a living owner
- Change the owner, co-owner, or beneficiary, as regulations allow
Notes:
- We reissue EE and I savings bonds in electronic form only. The owner of the reissued EE or I bond must have an account in our online program, TreasuryDirect.
- We reissue EE and I savings bonds only in the name of the owner. Later, the owner may add a secondary owner or beneficiary.
- Reissuing a bond doesn’t change the issue date of the bond.
- When using FS Form 4000, be sure to look through the table on the first page to see who must sign the form for the change you are requesting.
Learn about TreasuryDirect Open a TreasuryDirect account
Correct a major error
For a major error, such as
- the first or last name of an owner, co-owner, or beneficiary is not on the bond
- a name is misspelled and it's not a minor typo
Fill out and send us FS Form 4000 and the bonds.
A court-ordered change of a living owner
A court has appointed a guardian, conservator, or similar representative for the estate of a living owner. This may happen for
- a minor (child)
- a person who cannot handle his or her own finances due to age or illness
- an absentee
Fill out and send us
- FS Form 4000
- the bonds
- either a court order or letters of appointment
Change the owner, co-owner, or beneficiary
In your TreasuryDirect account, you can:
- add another person as secondary owner
- add or remove a beneficiary
- name a new owner instead of a current living owner
- change the name of an owner, co-owner, or beneficiary because of marriage, annulment, divorce, or court order. (Note: This change is allowed but not required.)
Notes about who can make these changes:
- A bond owner may change the beneficiary. The beneficiary does not have to agree to the change.
- A co-owner whose name has changed may change his or her name. The other co-owner does not need to sign the form.
- If 2 living people co-own a bond and want to make a change other than a name change, both must agree and sign the appropriate form:
- If the bond is electronic, FS Form 5446
- If the bond is paper, FS Form 4000
Convert your paper bond EE or I bond to an electronic bond.
Will I have to pay taxes when you reissue the bond?
You are the original owner. We reissued it to someone else. You no longer own it. If you have not been paying tax on the bond's interest every year, you now owe tax on all the interest the bond earned while you owned it. You will not owe tax on interest the bond earns for the new owner.
You are the new owner. You will in the future owe tax on interest the bond earns from the time you became the owner. You do not owe tax on interest the bond earned before you owned it.
See Tax information for EE and I savings bonds
Getting the IRS form about the interest your bonds earned
Each year, we tell you and the IRS about the interest you must report on your federal tax return. (IRS Form 1099-INT)
Electronic bonds
Early in the year, you can get your IRS Form 1099-INT in your TreasuryDirect account.
- Go to your TreasuryDirect account.
- Select the ManageDirect tab.
- Under "Manage My Taxes", choose the relevant year.
- Near the top of your "Taxable Transaction Summary", choose the link to view your 1099.
NOTE: Your "Taxable Transaction Summary" is NOT your 1099.
FAQs
Send resignation letter, death certificate, or court order showing why original trustee is no longer acting. Also, send a Certification of Trust or the complete trust agreement including any amendments. *NOTE: A Series EE or Series I savings bond is reissued in electronic form in an online TreasuryDirect account.
How do I transfer savings bonds from my TreasuryDirect account to another TreasuryDirect account? ›
How do I transfer savings bonds from my TreasuryDirect account to another TreasuryDirect account? Log into your primary TreasuryDirect® account. Click the ManageDirect tab at the top of the page. Under the heading Manage My Securities, click "Transfer securities".
How do you reassign a savings bond? ›
Fill out and send us FS Form 4000 and the bonds. In your TreasuryDirect account, you can: add another person as secondary owner. add or remove a beneficiary.
Can lost savings bonds be reissued? ›
For us to replace or cash your EE or I savings bond, you must fill out and submit FS Form 1048. To get the correct version, answer this question: Do you know your bonds' serial numbers? Use this FS Form 1048.
Can you look up EE bonds by Social Security Number? ›
(Treasury Hunt) With your Social Security Number (or Taxpayer Identification Number) or name and state, you can use our Treasury Hunt search to see if you have any savings bonds listed in our database. If you do, you'll get information on how to claim and cash them. We update Treasury Hunt every month.
Do Series EE bonds expire after 30 years? ›
All Series EE Bonds reach final maturity 30 years from issue.
Is there a penalty for not cashing in matured EE savings bonds? ›
While the Treasury will not penalize you for holding a U.S. Savings Bond past its date of maturity, the Internal Revenue Service will. Interest accumulated over the life of a U.S. Savings Bond must be reported on your 1040 form for the tax year in which you redeem the bond or it reaches final maturity.
Can an individual have more than one TreasuryDirect account? ›
TreasuryDirect Accounts. What is a TreasuryDirect Primary account? A TreasuryDirect Primary account is your personal account you open in TreasuryDirect. Once a Primary account is opened, you may establish Minor, Custom, and Conversion Linked accounts that are accessed only from your Primary account.
What happens to a TreasuryDirect account when the owner dies? ›
For an estate that is being administered, the legal representative of the estate must open a TreasuryDirect account in the name of the estate in order to conduct transactions. The legal representative of the estate may then conduct any transactions that are available to an individual account owner.
How do I change the name on my EE savings bond? ›
BUT, if you completely gift them to your children, by taking your name off, you will be liable for taxes on all the accrued interest. To change names on Savings bonds, and these are likely paper bonds, you'll need to go to www.TreasuryDirect.gov and download (under forms), the request to reissue bonds with a new name.
How to Add a Joint Owner or Change Beneficiary on I Bonds
- Registration at Time of Purchase.
- Only a Person, Not a Trust.
- Review Current Registrations.
- Create Your Desired Registration.
- Associate New Registration to Existing Bonds.
- Grant Transact or View Rights.
- Deposited Paper Bonds with Joint Ownership.
Series EE bonds that have matured cannot be reissued in someone else's name. The bonds can only be redeemed.
How can I find out if I have savings bonds in my name? ›
Use the Treasury Hunt® tool to discover if you own savings bonds.
How to find lost savings bonds by Social Security Number? ›
Answer: The best way to search for old savings bonds is to fill out Form 1048, Claim for Lost, Stolen or Destroyed U.S. Savings Bonds, with as much information as possible. (The government's Treasury Hunt tool used to be a good resource for tracking down information about Series E bonds issued since 1974.
Is TreasuryDirect gov legit? ›
TreasuryDirect.gov is the one and only place to electronically buy and redeem U.S. Savings Bonds. We also offer electronic sales and auctions of other U.S.-backed investments to the general public, financial professionals, and state and local governments.
How do I find a lost bond in my name? ›
Search for matured savings bonds and missing interest using Treasury Hunt, an online tool from TreasuryDirect.
Can I redeem Series EE bonds at a bank? ›
You may be able to cash in paper EE bonds at a bank where you have an account or through TreasuryDirect. Ask your bank about its process for cashing savings bonds. Ask your bank how much it will cash at one time. Determine the identification or other documents you will need.
When should I cash in my Series EE bonds? ›
You can get your cash for an EE or I savings bond any time after you have owned it for 1 year. However, the longer you hold the bond, the more it earns for you (for up to 30 years for an EE or I bond). Also, if you cash in the bond in less than 5 years, you lose the last 3 months of interest.
Do Series EE bonds lose value? ›
Series EE savings bonds are a low-risk way to save money. They earn interest regularly for 30 years (or until you cash them if you do that before 30 years). For EE bonds you buy now, we guarantee that the bond will double in value in 20 years, even if we have to add money at 20 years to make that happen.
