How To Do Free Online Searches for Unclaimed Money

It's easy to retrieve unclaimed cash without letting it roll down the drain.

You may have money that you didn't know about. Each state has a system for collecting and holdings abandoned money. You may have left some cash sitting in a long-forgotten bank account. Or you might have moved and missed receiving a refund check from an insurance company or a doctor's office. Whatever the case, finding unclaimed money and retrieving it is an easy -- and free -- process.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make a list of all the places you've lived, as well as the states where your family members may have lived.

2. Contact the states through the state links on the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators' website. Find the link in the References section. This will connect you directly with the state agency that is in charge of safeguarding your money and returning it to you.

3. Do a basic search using your last name or maiden name (try both) and first initial. To narrow results, use your full first name or any variations you have used for utility deposits, rental deposits, insurance policies, bank accounts, security deposits and the like.

4. Follow the provided instructions for claiming any assets you find in your name. Some sites have a downloadable form you will need to send in to the comptroller or treasurer at the address indicated on the form or on the site.

   Double check to make sure that you follow the instructions exactly, including any paperwork or proof of identification or proof of residency at a former address that might be required.

5. Repeat the process in all of the states that you or your family members have lived in.

Tips & Warnings

• Check out the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators for a state-by-state directory that will indicate the free online search for unclaimed money for your location.

• Don't give anyone money upfront to do an unclaimed property search for you, and don't provide anyone with your Social Security number or any other private information in order to do an unclaimed property search. Unclaimed property information is easy to find on your own. It is public, and therefore free, information. Anyone who demands cash or personal information from you to do a search is likely a scammer.

References

• National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators: Links To Each State's Unclaimed Property Office