To redeem mutilated U.S. currency, mail the damaged bills along with a completed Form BEP 5283 to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Mutilated Currency Division in Washington, D.C. The service is free, payment comes by electronic funds transfer at full face value, and processing takes anywhere from six months to three years depending on the condition of what you send.1Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mutilated Currency FAQs
Does Your Money Qualify
Before you package anything for Washington, figure out whether your cash actually needs the BEP. If more than half of the bill is intact and you can still read the denomination, any commercial bank or Federal Reserve Bank will exchange it as “unfit” currency without a special claim. The BEP program is for the harder cases: notes that are charred, fused into a brick, waterlogged, moldy, chemically degraded, chewed, or missing large portions, where the value can’t be determined without expert examination.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 100 Subpart B – Request for Examination of Mutilated Currency for Possible Redemption
The core redemption standard is clearly more than 50% of the note present, plus enough of at least one security feature (watermark, security thread, color-shifting ink, or similar) to authenticate it.3eCFR. 31 CFR 100.5 – Mutilated Paper Currency Both conditions have to be met. A bill with 60% of its surface area but no identifiable security feature can still be rejected.
If 50% or less remains, redemption is still possible, but the burden shifts to you. You have to show the BEP that the missing portion was destroyed rather than lost, and the Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes that call based on the evidence you provide. The decision is final.4eCFR. 31 CFR 100.7 – Treasury’s Redemption Process A documented house fire gives examiners a reason to believe the rest of the bill went up with it. A vague account of money that “fell apart” does not.
One hard limit: currency that has been totally destroyed cannot be redeemed. If nothing identifiable remains, there is nothing to examine.5eCFR. 31 CFR 100.6 – Destroyed Paper Currency
Handle the Bills Carefully Before You Ship
This is where most claims go sideways. People find a wad of fire-damaged cash and immediately try to separate the notes, scrape off residue, or tape fragments back together. Every one of those instincts destroys evidence the examiners need.
Leave the currency in whatever condition you found it. Do not peel fused bills apart. Do not wash off mud or chemical residue. Do not tape fragments together or flatten curled notes. BEP examiners have forensic tools for exactly these situations and are far better equipped than you are.
If the money was inside a container when it was damaged, leave it in that container. Wrap fragile remains in cotton or plastic and pack everything into a sturdy shipping box so nothing shifts in transit. Loose fragments that break off in the mail can be the difference between full and partial redemption.
Fill Out Form BEP 5283
Every submission needs a completed and signed Form BEP 5283. The BEP asks you to fill it out on their website first, which also enrolls you in email status updates, and then print and sign it.6Bureau of Engraving and Printing. How to Submit a Request for Mutilated Currency Examination The form asks for your contact details, a reasonable estimate of the total face value being submitted, and the bank routing and account numbers for payment. Under Executive Order 14247, redemptions are paid only by electronic funds transfer, no Treasury checks, so a mistake in your banking information will stall the claim until you correct it.
Include a written explanation of how the currency was damaged. Be specific and factual: what happened, when, and what the bills were exposed to (fire, water, chemicals, soil, animal activity). Examiners cross-reference your account against the physical condition of the notes. When the damage matches the story, the case moves faster. When it doesn’t, expect follow-up questions or a denial.
Where to Send It
Pack the signed Form BEP 5283 inside the box with your currency and ship to:
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Room 344A
14th and C Streets, SW
Washington, DC 20228
The BEP strongly encourages USPS registered or certified mail because both provide tracking and proof of delivery. Keep your tracking number until the BEP confirms receipt.
If you are in the D.C. area, you can drop off a claim in person at the BEP’s Annex building. Enter through the visitor entrance on 14th Street, SW (on the Department of Agriculture side of 14th Street) and check in at the security station. Drop-offs are accepted Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays. You still need a completed Form BEP 5283.6Bureau of Engraving and Printing. How to Submit a Request for Mutilated Currency Examination
How Long It Takes and How to Check Status
Standard claims run six to 36 months, depending on the condition of the notes.1Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mutilated Currency FAQs A handful of lightly water-damaged bills might clear in under a year. A shoebox of charred fragments from a structure fire can take the full three. Backlog drives much of the wait, so even simple cases sit in the queue for months before an examiner opens them.
When the exam is done, the BEP notifies you of the approved amount and deposits it directly to the account on your Form 5283. No fees are deducted.1Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mutilated Currency FAQs
While you wait, email the Mutilated Currency Division at mcdstatus@bep.gov for a status check. You can also call toll-free at (866) 575-2361 or locally at (202) 874-2141. The BEP aims to respond within 48 hours, and government caller ID may not display when they call back.7Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Mutilated Currency Division Contact Information
Why Claims Get Denied
Not every submission ends in a payout. The regulations list several grounds for denial:
- Fraud or intentional mutilation, which causes the entire submission to be destroyed or retained as evidence.
- Currency that appears connected to criminal activity, which gets the same treatment.
- Material misrepresentation in your written narrative.
- Fragments that cannot be identified as U.S. currency at all.
- Notes where 50% or less remains and you have not shown that the missing portion was destroyed.
The Director’s decision is final. There is no administrative appeal, no second review, and no formal grievance process; submitting currency to the program means accepting those terms.2eCFR. 31 CFR Part 100 Subpart B – Request for Examination of Mutilated Currency for Possible Redemption That makes the packaging and the written narrative you send in the first time all the more important. You get one shot.
Fraud and Counterfeits
Examiners can stop processing any submission that looks connected to illegal activity and refer it to law enforcement. The Director can share information about a submission with law enforcement or other third parties for criminal investigation or civil proceedings.8Federal Register. Exchange of Mutilated Paper Currency If counterfeit notes are mixed in with genuine mutilated currency, the entire package, including the legitimate bills, may be destroyed or kept as evidence at the Director’s discretion.
Deliberately destroying or mutilating U.S. currency to make it unfit for circulation is itself a federal crime, punishable by a fine and up to six months in prison.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 333 – Mutilation of National Bank Obligations The statute targets intentional destruction, not accidental damage. Fire and flood victims have nothing to worry about; someone burning cash to inflate an insurance claim does.
Mutilated Coins Are Not Covered
If you came here about damaged coins rather than paper money, the answer is different. The U.S. Mint’s separate coin redemption program closed permanently on October 25, 2024. The Mint removed 31 CFR § 100.11 and amended § 100.12 to confirm it will not accept fused or mixed coins for redemption, citing authentication cost and the difficulty of screening out counterfeits.10Federal Register. Exchange of Coin Coins that are simply worn but still recognizable can still be deposited at a commercial bank or financial institution with a Federal Reserve relationship.11eCFR. 31 CFR Part 100 Subpart C – Exchange of Paper Currency and Coin Coins that are melted, fused, or too damaged for a bank to accept currently have no federal redemption path.