How to Cash Saving Bonds Without Probate

What is a non-administered estate?

The estate is a non-administered estate with regard to savings bonds if:

  • No person named on the bond is living.
  • The estate has:
    • Not been and will not be formally administered through a court.
    • Not been and will not be settled under special provisions of state law relating to small estates.
    • 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 a living person 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 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?

How to Cash Saving Bonds Without ProbateThe person handling savings bonds (and other Treasury securities) in a non-administered estate is the “voluntary representative.” See FS Form 5336

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 two 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 information for all these tasks:

  • Savings bonds cannot be split. Each savings bond must be cashed or distributed for its entire amount.
  • When you send  a bond, leave it unsigned.
  • 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  are complete, signed, and certified according to the instructions on the form. Incomplete or inaccurate submissions delay processing.
  • Each form is available online.

Cash savings bonds in a non-administered estate

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:
    • filled out, signed, and certified form
    • certified copy of the death certificate(s)
    • savings bonds – unsigned
  5. Mail the package to:

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

How to Distribute savings bonds in a non-administered estate

In settling an estate, you may ask  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 savings bonds held in a non-administered estate distributed:

  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:

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

  1. Send:
    • all the filled out, signed, and certified forms
    • certified copy of the death certificate(s)
    • savings bonds – unsigned
  2. Mail the package to:

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

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

If you have the following information about a bond, you may file a claim for it:

  • The bond serial number

OR

  • All of the following:
    • Specific month and year the bond was bought (If you don’t know this, provide a date range of month and year.)
    • first and last name of the bond owner (and middle name or initial if it was on the bond)
    • street address, city, and state where the bond owner lived
    • Social Security Number  on the bond

To file a claim, send  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.

How to Check for other savings bonds

If you think the estate might include older bonds that have stopped earning interest but that you can’t find, you can use the Treasury Hunt database to search for them which is updated every month. To search, you need the bond owner’s Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN).If the search turns up bonds for you, you’ll get information on how to claim and cash them.

For assistance with New York estate administration, contact Probate AttorneyRobert Friedman at 585-376-5177.