Non-administered estates

Paper savings bonds

This page tells you what to do with paper savings bonds in a non-administered estate.

What is a non-administered estate?

The estate of someone who has died is a non-administered estate with regard to savings bonds if all of these are true:

• No person named on the bond is living.
• The estate
  • has not been and will not be formally administered through a court
  • has not been and will not be settled under special provisions of state law relating to small estates
  • has savings bonds and other Treasury securities that in total come to $100,000 or less in redemption value as of the date of death

If someone living is named on the bond as a co-owner or beneficiary, the bond does not become part of the estate of the person who died. See Inheriting savings bonds as a named co-owner or beneficiary.

If any of the bullet points above is NOT true, see Court-appointed representatives.

Who may handle savings bonds in a non-administered estate?

We call the person handling savings bonds (and other Treasury securities) in a non-administered estate the "voluntary representative." See FS Form 5336, Part B.

To act as the voluntary representative, you must be at least 18 years old, competent to do this, and be the surviving spouse, blood relative, legally adopted child, or next of kin as determined by law. A strict order determines who is qualified to be the voluntary representative.

What may the voluntary representative of a non-administered estate do?

As the voluntary representative, you may

• cash the savings bonds with payment to you on behalf of all the people who are entitled to a share of the estate
• distribute the savings bonds to people who are entitled to them

Whatever you decide about those 2 options, you must submit the necessary documents, all bonds, and other securities belonging to the estate in ONE transaction.

If you want to cash some bonds and distribute some bonds, use ONE form to ask us for ALL these actions.

When you sign the form, you also certify that you will distribute the money or bonds to the people who are entitled according to the law of the place where the person who died was a legal resident at the time of their death.

You may also want to

• file a claim for a lost, stolen, or destroyed bond
• check if the person who died owned bonds that you can't find

Important notes for all these tasks

• Savings bonds cannot be split. Each savings bond must be cashed or distributed for its entire amount.
• When you send us a bond, leave it unsigned.
• We can't return what you send us. Therefore, send only copies of documents like the death certificate. Be sure that everything is legible on the copy, including the seal or stamp of the court.
• Be sure that all documents and forms you send us are complete, signed, and certified according to the instructions on the form. Incomplete or inaccurate submissions delay processing.
• Each form is available online.
• Depending on the situation, we may need more information or more forms. After we receive and review the package from you, we will let you know if we need anything else.

Cash savings bonds in a non-administered estate

Note: If you are cashing some bonds and distributing some bonds, go through the instructions for both actions before putting together and mailing the package. All the forms and bonds for both actions must be in the same package.

To cash savings bonds held in a non-administered estate with payment to you as the voluntary representative:

1. Fill out FS Form 5336
2. WAIT to sign until you are in the presence of a certifying official, as explained on the form.
3. Get a certified copy of the death certificate for everyone who has died who is named on any of the bonds
4. Send us the
   • filled out, signed, and certified form
   • certified copy of the death certificate(s)
   • savings bonds – unsigned
5. Mail the package to us at
   

   Treasury Retail Securities Services
   P.O. Box 9150
   Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150

Distribute savings bonds in a non-administered estate

In settling an estate, you may ask us to distribute bonds to different people who are entitled to those bonds.

• The new owner of an HH bond will receive a paper bond.
• The new owner of an EE or I bond will receive an electronic bond. To hold an electronic bond, the owner must have an account in our online program, TreasuryDirect.

To have us distribute savings bonds held in a non-administered estate:

1. Fill out FS Form 5336.
2. WAIT to sign until you are in the presence of a certifying official, as explained on the form.
3. Get a certified copy of the death certificate for everyone who has died who is named on any of the bonds.
4. Have each person who is entitled to a distributed bond also fill out and sign the appropriate forms:
   • If they want cash for their bond: FS Form 1522
   • If it is an EE or I bond and they want to keep it: FS Form 4000
   • If it is an HH bond and they want to keep it: FS Form 4000 and FS Form 5396

   Note: The signatures on these forms may have to be certified. The person filling out the form must follow the instructions on the form.

5. Send us
   • all the filled out, signed, and certified forms
   • certified copy of the death certificate(s)
   • savings bonds – unsigned
6. Mail the package to us at
   

   Treasury Retail Securities Services
   P.O. Box 9150
   Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150

File a claim for lost, stolen, or destroyed savings bonds

To file a claim, send us FS Form 1048.

On the form, you have the option of getting cash for the bond or getting a replacement bond. Replacement HH bonds are on paper. Replacement EE or I bonds are electronic.

Check for other savings bonds

If you think the estate might include bonds that you can't find, you can use our Treasury Hunt database to search for them. We update the database every month.

To search, you need the bond owner's Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN) or name and state.

If the search turns up bonds for you, you'll get information on how to claim and cash them.

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