United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Marketing Service

How to File a 

Bond Claim

Claim Filing Process

1. Request a claim form and instructions from one of our Packers 

and Stockyards Division (PSD) regional offices. Or go to www.ams.

usda.gov to download a claim form and related instructions. Use 

form PSD 2110 for claims against market agencies selling livestock 

on commission (bond condition clause 1), and form PSD 2120 for 

all other claims against dealers, clearing firms, and packers (bond 

condition clauses 2, 3, & 4).

2. Complete the claim form.

3. Ask a notary public to notarize the claim (to validate your 

identity).

4. Provide copies of the following to support your claim:

• Buyers’ invoices or accounts of sale showing the date of 

the transaction, numbers of head and species of livestock, 

weight, price, etc.

• Insufficient funds (also known as “NSF”) checks, if issued.

• Notices from your bank showing why it returned the check 

issued in payment for livestock.

• A full statement explaining the transaction on which you 

are basing your claim.

5. Keep copies of your claim, supporting documents, and proof of 

when and how you filed your claim.

6. File a copy of the claim form and supporting documents with 

PSD, the surety or trustee on the bond, or both. The filing date is the 

date your claim is first received.*

Bond and Bond Claim 

Requirements & Information

The Packers and Stockyards Act 

requires all dealers and market 

agencies (selling or buying) 

to be bonded. Slaughtering 

packers with average annual 

livestock purchases exceeding 

$500,000 must also maintain 

a bond. The minimum bond 

amount is $10,000. You can 

find lists of bonded entities 

with their names, addresses, 

and bond amounts, as well as 

blank bond forms and payment 

requirements at www.ams.usda.

gov.

When a bonded entity does 

not pay you for livestock, filing 

a bond claim may reduce your 

loss. Anyone damaged by a 

bonded entity’s failure to comply 

with the terms of the bond may 

submit a claim. You do not have 

to be named on the bond to 

make a claim against it.

You must file your bond claim 

within 60 days from the date 

of the transaction on which 

the claim is based. Use the 

following to help you determine 

what the “date of the transaction” is:

• The date of the transaction is the date when 

the market agency 

(auction markets and 

selling on commission firms) sold your 

livestock. 

• If you sold livestock 

to a dealer, packer or, 

market agency buying 

on commission, the 

date of the transaction 

is the date when the 

buyer purchased your 

livestock (live weight 

transactions). 

• If you sold the livestock 

on a performance or 

contract bases (e.g., 

contract weight, dressed 

weight, grade and yield, 

formula, etc.) then the 

transaction date is when 

all the applicable pricing factors are known 

and the final price can 

be determined.

www.ams.usda.gov Continued on back
Agricultural Marketing Service How to File a Bond Claim

The surety or trustee on the 

bond does not have to pay your 

claim if:

1. The claim is not timely filed, 

or

2. Claim is not made on 

amounts due from the sale 

proceeds of a livestock sale, or

3. You file suit in court to 

recover under the bond:

• in the first 120 days, or

• later than 547 days after 

the date of the transaction which the claim is 

based.

What you receive from the 

proceeds of a bond also depends 

on:

1. The bond amount being 

claimed upon, and

2. The total of all the valid 

claims against the bond 

that were timely filed, and

3. The amount of your own 

valid claim that was timely 

filed.

For example, multiple people 

file claims against a $20,000 

bond. The total dollar amount 

of the valid claim(s) that 

claimant(s) timely filed is 

$25,000. You timely filed a 

$5,000 bond claim, and the 

surety or trustee determines 

the whole dollar amount is 

valid. If you did not file court 

action during the prohibited 

periods, your estimated pro-rata 

share of the bond should be 

($5,000/$25,000) x $20,000 = 

$4,000.

*NOTE: If the 60-day filing 

deadline is less than a week 

away, we recommend that you 

fax your signed claim form to 

one of our PSD regional offices. 

Please submit any documents 

you omitted when you faxed 

the initial claim (such as a 

notarized version of the claim 

or supporting documents) to the 

same regional office at soon as 

possible.

PSD Eastern Regional Office 

75 Ted Turner Dr. S.W., Suite 230 

Atlanta, GA 30303 

Phone: 404-562-5840 

Fax: 404-562-5848

Email: PSDAtlantaGA@ams.

usda.gov 

Region includes Alabama, 

Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, 

District of Columbia, Florida, 

Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, 

Maryland, Massachusetts, 

Mississippi, New Hampshire, New 

Jersey, New York, North Carolina, 

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 

South Carolina, Tennessee, 

Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, 

and the Territories of the U.S., 

including Puerto Rico. 

PSD Midwestern Regional 

Office 

210 Walnut Street, Room 317 

Des Moines, IA 50309 

Phone: 515-323-2579 

Fax: 515-323-2590

Email: PSDDesMoinesIA@ams.

usda.gov 

Region includes Illinois, Indiana, 

Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, 

North Dakota, Ohio, South 

Dakota, and Wisconsin. 

PSD Western Regional Office 

3950 North Lewiston, Suite 200 

Aurora, CO 80011 

Phone: 303-375-4240 

Fax: 303-371-4609

Email: PSDDenverCO@ams.

usda.gov 

Region includes Alaska, Arizona, 

California, Colorado, Hawaii, 

Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, 

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, 

Texas, Utah, Washington, and 

Wyoming. 

Please direct 

comments or 

questions about this 

publication to: 

USDA Agricultural Marketing 

Service

Fair Trade Practices Program

Packers and Stockyards Division

1400 Independence Avenue S.W. 

Washington DC 20250-3601 

Phone: 202-720-7051

Fax: 202-205-9237

Email: PSDWashingtonDC@ams.

usda.gov 

Toll-Free HOTLINE: 

1-833-DIAL PSD 

(1-833-342-5773)

This publication does not create 

or confer any rights for or on 

any person. Nor does it operate 

to bind the public. You can 

use an alternative approach, 

if the approach satisfies the 

requirements of the Packers and 

Stockyards Act and regulations. 

See 7 U.S.C. 204 and 9 CFR 

201.27 - 201.34, which relate to 

the content in this publication.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

May 2018 www.ams.usda.gov employer, and lender.