Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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SALT LAKE CITY — You reach into your wallet to pull out a dollar bill and it rips.
It’s a frustrating scenario that has probably happened to you before — maybe less now in the paperless age of currency. So what do you do in that situation?
Dan Amira, a writer for “The Daily Show," posted a tweet that made the rounds on the internet last week that brilliantly shows what you should do with damaged currency to ensure you do not lose your money.
Amira tweeted a photo of a ripped $10 bill and a letter he sent to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
“To whom it may concern, Enclosed is one $10 bill. I don’t know how it ripped in half. I just took it out of my pocket one day and it was in two pieces. I think it was just old.
Please send a reimbursement check to: Dan Amira [address redacted]
Thanks,
Dan”
Sometime later, sure enough, the Department sent Amira a check for $10, replacing the value of the damaged bill.
I used to think the government was bad, but now I think it is good pic.twitter.com/0qXsWfBlsB
— Dan Amira (@DanAmira) April 3, 2018
It’s actually the textbook way to handle the situation, according to the bureau. In fact, the bureau even has a Mutilated Currency Division.
Here’s how you can get your money back, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing:
1. Damaged currency can be mailed or personally delivered to the bureau building, located in Washington, D.C.
2. Include a legible letter stating the estimated value of the currency, your contact information and an explanation of how the currency became damaged. The letter should also contain the bank account number and also a routing number for a U.S. bank.
3. Provide a payee and mailing address information for a reimbursement check. The bureau also suggests you should use careful packaging to ensure more damage isn’t done to the money, making a value of the currency more difficult to tell.
The damaged currency can be mailed to via USPS:
Bureau of Engraving & Printing
MCD/OFM, Room 344A
P.O. Box 37048
Washington, DC 20013
It can also be delivered to:
Bureau of Engraving & Printing
MCD/OFM, Room 344A
14th and C Streets SW
Washington, DC 20228
The bureau states claims may take anywhere from six to 36 months to process based on workload. It may be a long wait, but at least you won’t be left empty-handed.
