Ever wonder what happens to bills that have been burned, damaged by liquids or ruined by…. other methods? Most might think it’s the end of the line for these bills, never to grace your account or piggy bank again, but maybe not.
Did you know there’s an actual department waiting to receive your damaged Franklin’s (yes, your Washington’s, too)? Yep, the cash from Jenny’s jeans you accidentally ran through the washer or the shredded moolah from the wallet you accidentally mowed over last Saturday morning could be returned to you for full value if:
- Clearly more than 50 percent of a note identifiable as United States currency is present, along with sufficient remnants of any relevant security feature and clearly more than one-half of the original note remains; or, (https://bep.gov/services/currencyredemption.html)
- Fifty percent or less of a note identifiable as United States currency is present and the method of mutilation and supporting evidence demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Treasury that the missing portions have been totally destroyed. (https://bep.gov/services/currencyredemption.html)
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing offers this as a FREE service and has returned more than $30M to more than 30,000 claimants a year!
So, round up the pieces of the twenties your toddler turned into confetti and follow these submission instructions to see if you can get your bills back!
Check out this video for an interesting story on how one man used this service to retrieve his rent money…even though his dog had different plans for it!