On March 13, Federal Reserve banks will begin distributing the
redesigned $5 bills to customer banks, which then distribute currency
to businesses and consumers. The new bills will first begin circulating
in the U.S. and gradually in other countries as international banks
place orders for $5 bills from the Federal Reserve. Older $5 notes will
continue to circulate and maintain their full face value. Therefore, it
will not be necessary to trade in old $5 bills for new ones.
"The U.S. government has been working with the business
community and central banks to ensure a smooth transition for the new
$5 bill," said Rose Pianalto, assistant to the Board of Governors of
the Federal Reserve Board. "Because the $5 bill is used so extensively
in vending and self-checkout machines, encouraging businesses to get
those machines updated to accept the new design has been a particular
focus for us."
Any business that operates machines that accept $5 bills
should contact the machines’ manufacturers and ensure they get adjusted
to accept the new design, said Dawn Haley, chief of the Office of
External Relations at the Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
"At the same time, for any business that deals in cash, this is a good
time to start training employees on what security features to look for
in the new $5 bill, before they start seeing it in their cash
registers" she said.
The new $5 bill incorporates state-of-the-art security
features that are easy to use by cash handlers and consumers alike.
Hold the bills to the light to check for these features:
* Watermarks: There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5
bill. A large number "5" watermark is located to the right of the
portrait replacing the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln
found on the older design $5 bills. A second watermark–a column of
three smaller 5s–has been added to the new $5 bill design and is
positioned to the left of the portrait.
* Security Thread: The embedded security thread runs vertically and
has been moved from its position to the left of the portrait in
older-design $5 notes to the right of the portrait on the redesigned $5
bill. The letters "USA" followed by the number "5" in an alternating
pattern are visible along the thread from both sides of the bill. The
thread glows blue under ultraviolet light.
Free educational materials are available to businesses, financial
institutions, trade and professional associations, citizen groups and
individuals to prepare cash handlers and consumers to recognize the new
design and protect themselves against counterfeits. Since 2003, the
U.S. government has distributed more than 78 million pieces of public
education and training materials about the new $5, $10, $20 and $50
bill redesigns. Materials are available to order or download in
multiple languages at www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney.