On $1 and $2 bills, the letter preceding the serial number will match the bank where the bill was printed (such as K for Dallas) and the number portion of this identifier appears separately on the currency. On $5 bills and up, the bank identifier appears separately from the serial number, though the letter also appears next to the series year letter before the actual serial number.

Federal Reserve has 12 banks, and each bank has a letter and number combination associated with it. Federal Reserve Bank IdentifierĪdditionally, each serial number has a letter and number that shows us where the currency was printed. On dollar bills (and $2 bills), the series year only appears in the bottom right quadrant. You can check on a bill you have at home to see how these match up. The series year is also printed separately on the currency, in between the portrait of the historical figure (such as Lincoln on the $5 bill) and the Secretary of the Treasury’s signature in the bottom right part of the bill. The years are represented by letters A-P as follows: On bills worth $5 and up, each serial number begins with a letter, which tells us the series year of the bill. They are accompanied by other identifying letters and numbers that tell us which series year the bill is from and where it was printed.

Serial numbers are eight-digit-long codes that are unique to each bill. This graphic shows how to read the numbers on paper money.