Unclaimed Savings Bonds: How to Search Treasury Hunt for Matured Bonds
To find unclaimed U.S. savings bonds, use Treasury Hunt — the Treasury’s free tool at TreasuryHunt.gov, which opens the Treasury Hunt page on TreasuryDirect.gov. It searches for matured bonds that have stopped earning interest. Search by Social Security or Taxpayer ID, then cash or reissue bonds through TreasuryDirect. Every step is free.
Savings bonds are one of the easiest kinds of money to forget. They were bought as gifts, tucked in a drawer, or issued through a payroll plan decades ago — and many were never cashed even after they stopped earning interest. The U.S. Treasury has a free tool to help you find them.
Search Treasury Hunt
Treasury Hunt is the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s official search for matured savings bonds. (The address TreasuryHunt.gov redirects to this same Treasury Hunt page on TreasuryDirect.gov.) You can search using a Social Security number or a Taxpayer Identification Number.
The tool focuses on bonds that have matured — meaning they’ve stopped earning interest — because those are the ones there’s no reason to keep holding.
What "matured" means, and why it matters
Series EE and Series I savings bonds earn interest for 30 years. After that, the bond is worth its full accumulated value but earns nothing more. A bond sitting past maturity is quietly losing value to inflation every year. If you or a relative bought bonds in the 1980s or 1990s, some have almost certainly matured by now.
How to cash or replace what you find
- Paper bonds: Many banks cash paper savings bonds for their account holders. Bring the bond and a photo ID.
- Lost paper bonds: You can ask the Treasury to reissue them electronically. Start at TreasuryDirect.gov and follow the instructions for lost, stolen, or destroyed bonds.
- Electronic bonds: Redeem them directly inside your TreasuryDirect account.
- A deceased owner’s bonds: TreasuryDirect explains the forms needed based on how the bond was registered and your relationship to the owner.
Is there a middleman fee? No.
Treasury Hunt and TreasuryDirect are run by the federal government and are free. You never pay to search for a savings bond or to cash one. If a website offers to locate your bonds for a fee, it’s reselling a free government search — skip it.
The bottom line
Finding lost savings bonds is a five-minute, no-cost search. Run Treasury Hunt with your Social Security number (and those of relatives whose bonds you may inherit), then cash or reissue anything that turns up through TreasuryDirect.
Savings bonds are just one federal source. See the full federal money hub for lost 401(k)s, tax refunds, and more, or start with how to find unclaimed money in your name for free.
Common questions
Use Treasury Hunt, the U.S. Treasury's free tool at TreasuryHunt.gov, which redirects to the Treasury Hunt page on TreasuryDirect.gov. It searches for matured savings bonds that have stopped earning interest. You can search by Social Security number or Taxpayer ID. It's free and run by the government.
A savings bond 'matures' when it stops earning interest. Series EE and I bonds earn interest for 30 years. After that, the bond is worth its full value but grows no more, so there's no reason to keep holding it. Treasury Hunt is designed to help you find these matured, uncashed bonds.
Yes. Treasury Hunt is an official tool from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is completely free. You never pay to search for or cash a savings bond. Any site charging a fee to 'find' your bonds is unnecessary.
Many banks will cash paper savings bonds for account holders. If your bank won't, or the bond is electronic, you can redeem it through TreasuryDirect.gov. For lost paper bonds, you can file to have them reissued electronically through TreasuryDirect. All of this is free.
You may be able to claim them as a beneficiary or heir. TreasuryDirect explains the forms needed depending on the bond's registration and your relationship. Start by searching Treasury Hunt with the owner's Social Security number, then follow TreasuryDirect's instructions for a deceased owner.
This guide is maintained by the Unclaimed Guide Editorial Team and reviewed each quarter. Found something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it, or check the corrections log.