In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the US Treasury Department to issue savings bonds. They are commonly used as a safe investment as they are backed by government credit; this means that investors will have full confidence that they will receive their money.
In general, these bonds help finance the credit needs of the government; For this reason, the Department of the Treasury is the only institution authorized to issue them through banks and savings and credit cooperatives.
If you own one of these titles, it is very easy to check if it has been cashed; In this article, we will explain 5 different ways to do it.
Date of issuance of the Savings Bond
Currently millions of citizens have savings bonds that have not been cashed; therefore, millions of dollars are floating around the country. However, if you have one in your possession and you want to know if it has been cashed, you must first know the date of issue.
Also, there are ways to check whether or not a personal check has cleared and the fastest way to do this is to check your bank account online. You can look at your monetary statement or even contact your bank to get more information about it, but that's not the only thing you should look for, you should also know where I can cash a check.
But going back to interest-bearing bonds, the reason is that you can only check the status of bonds issued after 1974 online; if earlier, you will need to contact the Treasury Department directly by sending a letter or email.
How to check if a savings bond has been cashed
Online
The Treasury Department allows us to verify this information through its official website; but before starting the search, it is necessary to know the following information:
- Voucher serial number.
- Date of issue.
- Face value of the security.
- AND Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN).
The first step is to visit the official Treasure Direct website and access the Treasure Hunt tool. Then click the blue "Start Search" button.
You will then be prompted to enter the SSN or EIN. By clicking the "search" button, detailed information related to the bonus will automatically appear on the screen. If the portal does not find a match for the SSN or EIN, it will inform you that no information is available.
Generally, the person whose name is written on the bond is the only one authorized to collect it. However, if you know the SSN or EIN, you can check if it has already been charged.
Send an e-mail
If you were unable to obtain information through the Treasure Hunt tool, you can check the status of your savings bond by sending an email. The message cannot exceed 5,000 characters, and once sent, the department will be able to search their files for the information.
Submit a written request
If it is more convenient for you to use the postal service, you can send a written letter to the Department of the Treasury requesting a manual verification of the status of your title.
When writing the letter, we recommend that you include your full name, address, SSN or EIN, bond face value, serial number, and issue date. If the owner is already deceased and you are authorized to pick it up, you must also submit a copy of the death certificate.
Don't forget to write your signature on the letter.
Call the Treasury Department
For more specific cases, however, you can dial this number: 844-284-2676, and request information. You will need to provide the bond's serial number, issue date and face value.
Savings voucher destroyed, lost and stolen
In this case, you can also request information if your savings bonus has already been collected or if you can still collect it.
All you have to do is submit Form 1048 "Claim for Lost, Stolen, or Destroyed United States Savings Bills"; and send it to the Treasury Department. By clicking here you can download the form with the necessary instructions to complete it.
Don't forget to write your signature on the letter.
