Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (2024)

Each Federal Reserve note includes identifiers that provide information about the note, such as designating the year in which the note’s design was approved.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (1)


Serial Number

A unique combination of eleven numbers and letters appears twice on the front of the note. Each note has a unique serial number. The first letter of the serial number corresponds to the series year.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (2)

Year Series Letter Year Series Letter Year Series Letter
1996A 2004AG 2013M
1999B 2006H 2017N
2001C 2006I 2017AP
2003D 2009J 2021Q
2004E 2006AK
2003AF 2009AL
Year Series Letter
1996A
1999B
2001C
2003D
2003AF
2004E
2004AG
2006H
2006I
2006AK
2009J
2009AL
2013M
2017N
2017AP
2021Q

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (3)

A “star” suffix is used to identify notes that serve as replacements during the production process. If you'd like to learn more about the U.S. currency production process, please visit https://www.bep.gov/currency/how-money-is-made.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (4)

Federal Reserve Indicators

For denominations $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note has a letter and number designation that corresponds to one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. The letter of each indicator matches the second letter of the serial number on the note.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (5)

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (6)

Indicator Bank Indicator Bank Indicator Bank
A1Boston E5Richmond I9Minneapolis
B2New York City F6Atlanta J10Kansas City, MO
C3Philadelphia G7Chicago K11Dallas
D4Cleveland H8St. Louis L12San Francisco
Indicator Bank
A1Boston
E5Richmond
I9Minneapolis
B2New York City
F6Atlanta
J10Kansas City, MO
C3Philadelphia
G7Chicago
K11Dallas
D4Cleveland
H8St. Louis
L12San Francisco

For denominations $1 and $2, the note includes a seal that identifies one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (7)

Note Position Letter and Number

For denominations $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note position letter and number indicates in which position on a plate a note was printed. It is a combination of one letter and one number and can be found on the front of the note.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (8)

In 2014, the BEP began printing $1 notes on 50-subject sheets. For these larger sheets, the note position is identified by columns and rows rather than by quadrants. Note position identifiers on the 50-subject sheet ranges from A1 – J5.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (9)

Please view this video to learn more about the 50-subject production change.

Face and Back Plate Numbers

The face plate and back plate numbers identify the printing plates used to print each side of the note. The face plate number is found on the face of the note and the back plate number is found on the back.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (10)

Federal Reserve notes printed at the Fort Worth, Texas, facility of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing include a small “FW” in front of the face-plate number.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (11)

Treasury Seal

A green seal to the right of the portrait represents the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The design of the seal was changed to incorporate an English inscription and appears on all Federal Reserve notes of the 1969 series year or later.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (12)

Series Year

The series year indicates the year in which a new design was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, or the year in which the signature of a new secretary or treasurer was incorporated into the design. Capital letters following the series year appear when there is a significant change in the note's appearance.

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (13)

Denomination Secretary Treasurer Series Year Serial NUmber Prefix
$20 Rubin Withrow 1996 A
$50 Rubin Withrow 1996 A
$100 Rubin Withrow 1996 A
$1 Summers Withrow 1999 *
$5 Summers Withrow 1996 B
$10 Summer Withrow 1996 B
$20 Summers Withrow 1996 B
$100 Summers Withrow 1996 B
$1 O'Neil Marin 2001 *
$5 O'Neil Marin 2001 C
$10 O'Neil Marin 2001 C
$20 O'Neil Marin 2001 C
$50 O'Neil Marin 2001 C
$100 O'Neil Marin 2001 C
$1 Snow Marin 2003 *
$2 Snow Marin 2003 *
$10 Snow Marin 2003 D
$100 Snow Marin 2003 D
$1 Snow Cabral 2003A *
$2 Snow Cabral 2003A *
$5 Snow Cabral 2003A F
$100 Snow Cabral 2003A F
$20 Snow Marin 2004 E
$50 Snow Marin 2004 E
$10 Snow Cabral 2004A G
$20 Snow Cabral 2004A G
$50 Snow Cabral 2004A G
$5 Paulson Cabral 2006 H
$100 Paulson Cabral 2006 H
$100 Paulson Cabral 2006A K
$20 Paulson Cabral 2006 I
$1 Paulson Cabral 2006 *
$5 Paulson Cabral 2006 I
$10 Paulson Cabral 2006 I
$50 Paulson Cabral 2006 I
$1 Geithner Rios 2009 *
$2 Geithner Rios 2009 *
$10 Geithner Rios 2009 J
$20 Geithner Rios 2009 J
$50 Geithner Rios 2009 J
$100 Geithner Rios 2009 J
$100 Geithner Rios 2009A L
$1 Lew Rios 2013 *
$5 Lew Rios 2013 M
$10 Lew Rios 2013 M
$20 Lew Rios 2013 M
$50 Lew Rios 2013 M
$100 Lew Rios 2013 M
$1 Mnuchin Carranza 2017 *
$10 Mnuchin Carranza 2017 N
$20 Mnuchin Carranza 2017 N
$1 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A *
$2 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A *
$5 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A P
$10 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A P
$20 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A P
$50 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A P
$100 Mnuchin Carranza 2017A P
$1 Yellen Malerba 2021 Q
$5 Yellen Malerba 2021 Q
Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (2024)

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