Unclaimed Money

With many states running public service announcements regarding the billions of dollars in unclaimed money being held in state treasuries around the country, it is important to know how to claim your unclaimed money. The process of actually claiming any unclaimed property or money can vary depending on a variety of different circumstances. When conducting an online search to find unclaimed money if you come across a listing that is pertinent to you it will be necessary to provide information as to whether the money is listed under your name or under the name of a person for which you have a power of attorney or you are an heir, beneficiary, etc.

Each state and entity holding unclaimed property does have various requirements that must be fulfilled before you will be allowed to make a claim for unclaimed money or property. In some cases the amount of the unclaimed property may dictate the procedures for making a claim. In the case of small amounts of money you may be able to make a claim without much paperwork. In the case of larger amounts of money you may be required to file a signed and notarized affidavit attesting to your identity and your claim to the money.


When filing a claim for money or property that is listed under a name other than your own you may need to complete a claim form and submit documentation including your driver’s license or other type of photo identification as well as proof of your social security number. You will also typically be required to provide proof of the owner of the property or money. This can include a copy of their social security card, insurance identification card, death certificate, pay stub, etc. In addition, you may also be required to provide proof that associates the property owner with the last known address that was provided by the reporting company. Such proof can include a utility bill, cancelled check, driver’s license, post-marked envelope, mortgage payment coupon, birth certificate, credit report, pay stub, etc.
Additional documentation may also be required when you wish to file a claim for unclaimed money for a property owner that is under the age of 18. This type of documentation can include a copy of that person’s birth certificate and proof of their social security number. If the reported owner of the unclaimed money has a court appointed guardian, you will need to provide a complete copy of the current guardianship papers along with photo identification in order to make the claim.

In the case where you wish to file a claim as an heir for unclaimed money or property you will typically need to provide a certified copy of the death certificate for the reported owner. You will also need to provide proof of their social security number if that information was not listed on the death certificate. If the person left a will and it was probated you will need to provide a copy of the will and the order admitting the will to probate. If the reported owner of the property did not leave a will or the will was not probated you may need to submit documentation regarding the heirship. This can include a notarized Affidavit of Heirship. As an administrator of the estate of someone with unclaimed money you should be prepared to provide a copy of the current Letters of Administration along with a copy of the owner’s death certificate and proof of their social security number. The Letters of Administration may need to be dated within a certain time period, such as 90 days, for large claims.

If you are filing a claim for unclaimed money on behalf of another individual you will typically be required to submit documentation showing you have an active Power of Attorney agreement for that individual. This will need to be submitted along with other required documentation such as a photo identification and proof of address for that person.