A Guide for Savings Bond Owners: Trusts

Savings bonds are often held in a trust by one person for the benefit of another.  The trustor is the person, institution, or organization who creates a trust. You may sometimes hear the trustor referred to as maker, donor, grantor, or settler. The trustee is the person who has been appointed to manage a trust estate.

Use the appropriate link below for a list of what you need to submit to conduct your transaction involving either bonds held in a trust or bonds you are reissuing into a trust.

Before sending forms and documents, be sure they are completed, signed, and certified according to instructions. Incomplete or inaccurate submissions delay processing. Note: We don't return legal evidence.

Cash (Redeem) Bonds

To cash a bond held in a trust, follow the instructions below.

Cash a bond and you are a trustee in the registration on the bond

Send us:

Cash a bond and you aren’t a trustee in the registration on the bond

Send us:

  • FS Form 1522
  • A copy of the trust document (or specific pages)
  • The unsigned bond(s) you wish to cash

You can get the forms above by downloading them or ordering them. To download, click on the underlined form number. To have a form mailed to you, order it at "Forms: Savings Bonds."

Reissue Bonds

This section deals with reissuing bonds into a trust. For other questions on reissues, see “Reissuing Savings Bonds.”

Reissue an EE or I bond into a trust

The bond will be reissued in electronic form, so the recipient must have a TreasuryDirect account.

Reissue an HH bond into a trust

The bond will be reissued in paper form.

Send us:

Reissue an EE or I bond not held in a trust into a trust

The bond will be issued in electronic form, so the recipient must have a TreasuryDirect account.

Send us:

Reissue an HH bond not held in a trust into a trust

The bond will be reissued in paper form.

Send us:

You can get the forms above by downloading them or ordering them. To download, click on the underlined form number. To have a form mailed to you, order it at "Forms: Savings Bonds."

Distribute Bonds

In settling an estate, you may ask us to distribute bonds to entitled persons.  To do this, follow the instructions below.

Distribute EE, or I bonds

Send us the following items.   Notes:  1)Recipient must have a TreasuryDirect account if bond is being reissued. 2) E Bonds can't be reissued. They can be cashed.

  • FS Form 1455
  • One of the following forms for each entitled person and signed by them (they may send individually or in one package). If sent individually, we wait until all are received to process.
  • The unsigned bond(s) you wish to distribute

Distribute HH bonds

Send us the following items:

  • FS Form 1455
  • One of the following forms for each entitled person and signed by them (they may send individually or in one package). If sent individually, we wait until all are received to process.
  • The unsigned bond(s) you wish to distribute

You can get the forms above by downloading them or ordering them. To download, click on the underlined form number. To have a form mailed to you, order it at "Forms: Savings Bonds."

File a Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed Bonds

If your bonds are lost, stolen, or destroyed, you have these options:

  • For EE and I bonds
    • cash them
    • replace them with a bond in electronic form
  • For HH bonds
    • cash them
    • replace them with paper bonds

Note: Not sure if you have an older bond that’s that’s stopped earning interest? Use our Treasury Hunt search engine to see if any bonds are listed in the database. If so, you’ll get information on how to claim and cash them. Treasury Hunt is updated monthly.

For any of those transactions, send us:

  • FS Form 1048 – Make sure you provide all bond serial numbers.  If a bond serial number is unavailable, you must provide the following information on the form, regardless of the type of ownership for the bond:
    • The specific month and year of purchase
    • The first and last name (plus middle name or initial, if it was on the original bond)
    • Street address, city, and state
    • Taxpayer Identification Number (Social Security Number) that appeared on the bond

You can get the forms above by downloading them or ordering them. To download, click on the underlined form number. To have a form mailed to you, order it at "Forms: Savings Bonds."