The Gift You Forgot About
For decades, savings bonds were a classic gift for birthdays, graduations and new babies. Many of those bonds were put in a drawer, lost in a move or forgotten after a grandparent passed away.
Once a bond reaches final maturity, it stops earning interest. Holding on to it doesn’t make it worth more. It just sits there. The U.S. Treasury has a free tool that helps owners and heirs find matured bonds using a Social Security number.
What Is Treasury Hunt?
Treasury Hunt is the U.S. Treasury’s free search tool on TreasuryDirect. It looks for two things:
- Matured savings bonds that have stopped earning interest and were never cashed
- Undeliverable bonds and interest payments that were mailed but returned to the Treasury
Because the database is organized by Social Security number, it works best for bonds issued from 1974 onward, when Social Security numbers became required on bonds. Some older bonds include the number too, so it’s still worth searching even for very old gifts.
How to Search, Step by Step
- Go to Treasury Hunt on the official TreasuryDirect website.
- Enter the Social Security number of the person named on the bond. That can be you, a parent, or a grandparent who passed away.
- Search more than one number. Bonds given as gifts may list the buyer’s SSN, not the child’s, so search the people who likely bought them.
- If you find a match, follow the instructions on screen to submit a claim.
Do You Have Paper Bonds at Home?
Before searching online, check old files, safes, safe deposit boxes and a relative’s papers. Paper bonds can be cashed at many banks or sent to the Treasury. If you know a bond existed but can’t find the paper, the Treasury has a process to replace lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You have the paper bond | Cash it at a bank that redeems bonds, or follow TreasuryDirect’s mail-in instructions |
| The bond is lost or destroyed | Ask the Treasury to search for and replace it with its official claim form |
| The owner passed away | The heir or executor can claim; you’ll need a death certificate and proof of your right to the bond |
| Treasury Hunt shows a match | Submit the claim as instructed in the tool |
How Much Could a Bond Be Worth?
It depends on the series, the face value and when it was issued. Many older bonds are worth more than their face value because they earned interest for 30 or 40 years. TreasuryDirect has a free savings bond calculator where you can enter a bond’s details to see its value.
Watch Out for Bond “Recovery” Services
You never need to pay anyone to search Treasury Hunt or to cash a bond. The Treasury doesn’t charge for either. Be careful with any service that offers to find your bonds for a percentage of their value.
Official tool: Treasury Hunt on TreasuryDirect (free).
Next Step: Look for back wages from old jobs
If an employer ever underpaid you, the Department of Labor may have already recovered that money and could be holding it in your name. The next step explains how to search by employer and how the claim works.
Your Unclaimed Money Checklist
This guide is part of a 7-step series. Work through each step to make sure you haven’t missed any money in your name:
- Step 1: Search every state you have lived in
- Step 2: Check for unclaimed IRS tax refunds
- Step 3: Find old savings bonds with Treasury Hunt (you are here)
- Step 4: Look for back wages from old jobs
- Step 5: Check the federal databases
- Step 6: File your claim the right way
- Step 7: Avoid unclaimed money scams
