FS Form 0385: When the Name on a Savings Bond Does Not Match Yours
FS Form 0385 lets someone with no stake in your bonds certify two names are you. When you need it, when signing both names is enough, and when to use FS 4000.
Paper savings bonds can sit in a drawer for 20 or 30 years, and names change in that time. A bond bought for a newborn may carry a misspelling, a bond bought for a bride may carry her maiden name, and a bond bought by a grandparent may use a nickname. When the bond is cashed, the name on it has to be connected to the person asking for the money. The Treasury has three tools for that, and FS Form 0385 is the one people know least about.
Which name problem do you have?
The TreasuryDirect page on changing information about EE and I bonds sorts name problems into situations that do and do not require reissuing the bond. Combined with the Treasury’s guidance for banks and the Certificate of Identity itself, the options look like this:
| Situation | What to do | Form |
|---|---|---|
| You married or divorced and changed your name | When you cash a paper EE or I bond, sign both the name on the bond and your current name, with the reason | None |
| Minor typo in your name | Sign your correct name when you cash the bond | None |
| Major error: a first or last name missing, or a misspelling that is not a minor typo | Send the bond for reissue | FS Form 4000 |
| The two names need a third party to tie them to you | A person with no interest in the bonds certifies that both names refer to you; TreasuryDirect’s name-change page does not mention this form | FS Form 0385 |
| Electronic bond in TreasuryDirect | Change the name in your account after marriage, annulment, divorce or court order | None |
TreasuryDirect’s own example for the first row is a signature reading “Mary Smith, Mary Jones (name changed due to marriage).” The same rule works in reverse for a divorce.
What happens at the bank
Many people cash paper bonds at their own bank. The Treasury’s Quick Start guide for financial institutions tells tellers how to handle a name that does not match. If it is “an obvious difference, like a shortened first name, a maiden or married name,” the teller should “have them re-sign, note the explanation, and proceed.” If the difference is not obvious, or the explanation does not satisfy the teller, the guidance is not to cash the bond and to refer the customer to TreasuryDirect’s instructions for cashing by mail.
That second outcome is where, in our reading, FS Form 0385 can help. The Treasury’s pages on name changes do not mention it, so treat it as the tool for when Treasury Retail Securities Services asks for proof that two names are one person. Cashing by mail means sending the bonds to Treasury Retail Securities Services with FS Form 1522, the request for payment, and a mismatch the bank would not accept still has to be explained to the Treasury. A Certificate of Identity sent with it gives the Treasury a sworn statement from a third party that the name on the bond and the name on the request belong to the same person.
The form, section by section
FS Form 0385 is two pages, revised March 2026. The first page has three parts.
The affidavit. The person who signs is not you. The form’s instruction is direct: “A person who is not named on the securities and who has no interest in the securities must sign this form in the presence of a certifying officer.” That person gives a daytime phone number, mailing address and email address.
The statement. The signer fills in a fixed sentence: “I certify the names of ____ and ____ refer to the same person, whose correct name is ____. The names are different because ____. The source of my knowledge is: ____.” The form then asks whether, during a stated period, “any other person known to you” used either name, with a yes or no box and space to explain. That question exists because two relatives can share a name, which is also why the bank guidance warns tellers that “family members share names or suffixes are different.”
The certification. A certifying officer at a financial institution completes the officer’s section: the name of the person who appeared, the date and place, and the officer’s signature and title, with the institution’s name and address. The form’s instructions to the officer say the person’s name and date of appearance “MUST be completed,” the person must sign in the officer’s presence, and a Medallion stamp requires an original signature.
The second page lists the stamps that count: the institution’s own Signature Guaranteed, Endorsement Guaranteed, corporate or issuing-or-paying-agent seal, or the stamp of a Treasury-recognized signature guarantee or Medallion program. A notary seal is not on that list; our table of which TreasuryDirect forms take a notary and which need a certifying officer covers the rest of the family.
Who should sign it
The only rule printed on the form is that the signer is not named on the bonds and has no interest in them. Someone who would share in the proceeds, such as a co-owner, a beneficiary or an heir to the bonds, fails that test. Within the rule, the most useful signer is someone who has known you under both names, because the form asks for “the source of my knowledge.” A long-time friend, colleague or neighbor who can write “known her since 2004, before and after her marriage” gives the Treasury more than a stranger could.
The signer has to appear in person before the certifying officer and establish their own identity there; it is the signer’s signature, not yours, that the officer guarantees.
When FS Form 4000 is the better route
The Certificate of Identity proves a connection; it does not change the bond. If the name on the bond is wrong in a way that will cause trouble every time, such as a missing first or last name or a serious misspelling, TreasuryDirect’s instruction is to “fill out and send us FS Form 4000 and the bonds.” Reissue has consequences: EE and I bonds are reissued “in electronic form only,” the owner “must have an account” in TreasuryDirect, and reissue “doesn’t change the issue date of the bond,” so the interest history is preserved. Our FS Form 4000 guide explains who signs what on that form.
Reissue is also refused near the end of a bond’s life. TreasuryDirect says it will not reissue a bond that will mature in the next month, or an old bond that has stopped earning interest; those should simply be cashed, which brings you back to signing both names or using FS Form 0385.
Before you mail anything
- Try the simple route first. Sign both names with the reason at your bank, or your correct name for a minor typo.
- If the bank refuses, cash by mail. Use FS Form 1522, and include FS Form 0385 if the names need a third party to tie them together.
- Choose a signer who knew you under both names and has no interest in the bonds.
- Get the right stamp. A signature guarantee or Medallion stamp from a financial institution, not a notary.
- Keep copies of everything, including the bonds’ serial numbers, before sending originals to PO Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150.
Sources
- Bureau of the Fiscal Service — FS Form 0385, Certificate of Identity, revised March 2026: affidavit, certification and acceptable seals
- TreasuryDirect — Changing information about EE or I savings bonds (reissuing): name changes, minor typos, major errors and reissue rules
- Bureau of the Fiscal Service — Quick Start supplement for financial institutions: handling names that do not match the bond
- TreasuryDirect — Forms for Savings Bonds
Quick answers
What is FS Form 0385?
FS Form 0385 is the Treasury's Certificate of Identity. A person who is not named on the securities and has no interest in them signs it in front of a certifying officer, stating that two names refer to the same person, what that person's correct name is, why the names differ and how the signer knows. The current version is revised March 2026.
Do I need FS Form 0385 to cash a savings bond in my maiden name?
Usually not. TreasuryDirect says that if you married or divorced and changed your name, you sign both the name on the bond and your current name, with the reason, when you cash a paper EE or I bond, for example "Mary Smith, Mary Jones (name changed due to marriage)." A bank teller who sees an obvious difference such as a maiden or married name is told to have you re-sign and note the explanation. FS Form 0385 is for proving that two names are the same person when that simple route is not enough.
Who can sign a Certificate of Identity for savings bonds?
Only someone who is not named on the securities and has no interest in them. The form says that person must sign "in the presence of a certifying officer," who certifies the signature with an official stamp such as a Signature Guaranteed or Medallion stamp. Certifying officers are available at U.S. financial institutions, including credit unions.
What if my name is misspelled on a savings bond?
It depends on how badly. For a minor typo, TreasuryDirect says to sign your correct name when you cash the bond. For a major error, such as a missing first or last name or a misspelling that is not a minor typo, the bond must be reissued with FS Form 4000, and reissued EE and I bonds are electronic only, so the owner needs a TreasuryDirect account.
Where do I send FS Form 0385?
The form says to send it, with any additional information, to Treasury Retail Securities Services, PO Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. Send it with the request it supports, such as FS Form 1522 to cash paper bonds by mail.
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