Federal Unclaimed Money
The United States Federal Government also has web site searches available for unclaimed money such as unclaimed tax refunds, VA benefits, US Savings Bonds, FDIC insurance claims and more. To search for these you need to go to our FEDERAL page.

Searching For Lost Money
Begin your search in the state where you live or the state where your recently moved from. Search under your name and any previous names, such as a maiden name, if applicable. You should start with a broad search using just the last name (not possible in some states). If you get a large number of "hits", refine your search by adding your first initial and possibly your full first name. You can also try your middle initial. The reason for this is to make sure you find any listings that might be under last name only, last name and initial only, and or any listing with misspelled first or middle names (which could be the reason you never received the lost money). Also check for common misspellings of the last name.

The next step is to search unclaimed property records in other states you have lived in and states where your ancestors have lived. Don't limit yourself however, a company holding unclaimed money will, when required by law, turn the unclaimed property over to the state in which it is incorporated, in most cases.

Move on to federal records after searching state records. Many IRS refund checks are undelivered each year due to illegible or incorrect addresses. Do you have US Savings Bonds that are no longer drawing interest? Use the federal links to check them out. Did you ever work for a company whose pension fund was taken over by the federal government or have a bank account in a bank that went bust? These are also reasons to go looking in the federal unclaimed property links.

Finally, remember that you can search for family members and friends. If you find their name, send them to the site to file their own claim. And very importantly, remember that you can claim lost money or lost property that belonged to someone of whom you may be an heir.

If you get lucky, the state office will ask you to provide evidence that you are the rightful owner of the unclaimed property. What you'll need as evidence will be different in each state, but documents such as a death certificate, your own birth certificate, tax records and a will might be needed. Good luck with your search for unclaimed money.