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.

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.

Enlarged excerpt of a $5 note showing the serial number

Year	Series Letter	Year	Series Letter	Year	Series Letter
1996	A	2004A	G	2013	M
1999	B	2006	H	2017	N
2001	C	2006	I	2017A	P
2003	D	2009	J	2021	Q
2004	E	2006A	K
2003A	F	2009A	L

Year	Series Letter
1996	A
1999	B
2001	C
2003	D
2003A	F
2004	E
2004A	G
2006	H
2006	I
2006A	K
2009	J
2009A	L
2013	M
2017	N
2017A	P
2021	Q

Front of the $5 note

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.

Excerpt of a note showing the -star- at the end of the serial number

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.

Excerpt of a note showing the letter and number indicators

Front of a $5 note.

Indicator	Bank	Indicator	Bank	Indicator	Bank
A1	Boston	E5	Richmond	I9	Minneapolis
B2	New York City	F6	Atlanta	J10	Kansas City, MO
C3	Philadelphia	G7	Chicago	K11	Dallas
D4	Cleveland	H8	St. Louis	L12	San Francisco

Indicator	Bank
A1	Boston
E5	Richmond
I9	Minneapolis
B2	New York City
F6	Atlanta
J10	Kansas City, MO
C3	Philadelphia
G7	Chicago
K11	Dallas
D4	Cleveland
H8	St. Louis
L12	San Francisco

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

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.

Illustration showing the arrangement of 36 notes on a printing plate.

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.

Illustration showing the arrangement of 50 notes on a printing plate.

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.

Face plate and back plate numbers of different notes.

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.

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.

Excerpt of a note showing the Treasury seal.

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.

Excerpt of a note showing the series year.

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	1999	B
$10	Summer	Withrow	1999	B
$20	Summers	Withrow	1999	B
$100	Summers	Withrow	1999	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