Companies must turn over money they cannot return to its owner after a dormancy period, usually one to five years. The state then holds it for you with no deadline in most cases. Searching and claiming are free.
Open the official searchUnclaimed.org. Free. We take no cut and ask for nothing.
The money is held where the owner's last known address was. Typical items are final wages, utility deposits, bank balances, insurance proceeds and stock dividends. Each state runs its own site, and most share one national search page.
States differ on how long they take and what proof they need. Read the state's own page rather than trusting a summary, including ours.
Our 12-minute money check lists nine official searches in a fixed order, with the minutes each one takes: your state (2), savings bonds (1), a lost pension (1), a failed bank (1), a closed credit union (1), an undelivered tax refund (2), an FHA refund (1), veterans' life insurance (1) and federal court funds (2). Nine steps, twelve minutes, and none of them costs a cent. We keep a page for every state, 50 plus the District of Columbia, and each links to that state's own claim page, because that is where your money is actually held.
Facts on this page match our official-source guides, last checked 2 October 2026. Rules and screens change, so follow the agency's own instructions.
It stays with the state. Nothing is lost by searching late, but proof gets harder to find with time.
The state keeps holding it for you, with no deadline in most cases. Check your state's page for any exception.
Final wages, utility deposits, bank balances, insurance proceeds and stock dividends are typical.
States try, but addresses go stale. Search yourself.
Once you have done the free searches, The Unclaimed Money Handbook puts every state's office and the paperwork in one PDF. The searches on this site stay free either way.
Open refunds and settlements, with the official link next to each. Free, no finder fee, one click to leave.
Was this worth your time? Tell Google you want The Claim Desk in your answers. One click, and the next time you ask where your money is, we come with it.