Tap each one
Three steps
You need no account here, and nobody to do it for you. A family member can sit with you, or search a parent's name with them.
Search the official sites yourself.Start at MissingMoney.com, then your own state's site.
- Unclaimed property is money or property with no activity or contact with the owner for a set time, often a year or more. By law it is then turned over to the state. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- Common kinds: checking or savings accounts, uncashed paychecks or dividends, refunds, utility deposits, insurance payments and life insurance, and safe deposit box contents. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- MissingMoney.com is the official unclaimed-property site of the National Association of State Treasurers, endorsed by NAUPA. MissingMoney.com, read 2026-10-22
- Most states take part in MissingMoney.com, so it searches many states at once and links to each state's official site when it finds a match. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- To find your own state's program, use the map at unclaimed.org/search. In most states the program is run by the state treasury. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- Search past names, common misspellings of your names, and the names of relatives if you may be the rightful heir to their property. MissingMoney.com, read 2026-10-22
- Some money sits with federal programs instead: the FDIC for closed banks, the NCUA for closed credit unions, the PBGC for pensions from plans that ended, and the VA for unclaimed veterans' insurance. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
Claim it through the state, with proof.The official program costs you nothing. A finder is never required.
- Searching for and claiming your property carry no fee when you go through the official program of the state holding it. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- Expect to show proof of identity, such as a driver's license or passport, and proof that the property is yours, such as a pay stub or a utility bill from the old address. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- Most claims can be started online, as part of the search. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- Some companies, called finders or locators, offer to claim it for you for a fee, usually a percentage of what they find. You do not need one to get your property. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
- If a letter says you owe a fee to search for or claim your money, check your state's official program first. Many states regulate finders, and some cap their fee. NAUPA, read 2026-10-22
Ignore calls and texts about it.Search yourself instead. Do not click the link.
- State unclaimed-property programs do not text you with alerts about unclaimed property. A scammer will. Do not click links in texts you did not expect. FTC, read 2026-10-22
- A scam call or text may use a real-sounding but fake agency name, and name a specific amount you are supposedly owed. FTC, read 2026-10-22
- If the caller says time is running out, or says the claim period was extended just for you, that is a scam. FTC, read 2026-10-22
- If they ask for personal information, or an upfront "processing" fee to release the money, that is a scam. FTC, read 2026-10-22
- The government will not call or text you asking you to pay it to search for unclaimed money, and it will not rush you. FTC, read 2026-10-22
- Spotted one? Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, then tell a friend so they can spot it too. FTC, read 2026-10-22
If you live in Colorado
The Great Colorado Payback
Colorado's program is run by the State Treasurer. Search it at unclaimedproperty.colorado.gov.
- There is no deadline. Money turned over to the State Treasury always belongs to the owner or heir, and there are no time limits for filing a claim. Colorado State Treasury, read 2026-10-22
- A check may come on its own. The Great Colorado Payback mails some checks automatically once it confirms an owner's identity. If one arrives, no search or new claim is needed, and the Treasury's website lets you confirm the check is real. Colorado State Treasury, read 2026-10-22
- Got a letter, postcard or email? Search your name on the official site exactly as it is printed on the notice. Colorado State Treasury, read 2026-10-22
If you have a grandchild
A grandchild's Trump Account
Accounts opened for children in America this fall, and some already hold money from donors. That makes them a new story for scammers. What the official pages say:
- The account may already exist. Starting Oct. 1, 2026, the Treasury opened accounts automatically for eligible children. IRS: Trump Accounts, read 2026-10-23
- Some already hold money. Nearly 70 million accounts are open, and 26 million have already received contributions from donors. Social Security press release, read 2026-10-23
- Only a parent or guardian claims it. An authorized person claims the account in the official Trump Accounts app, after verifying their identity and their authority to manage the child's account. Until then, no one can manage it. IRS: Trump Accounts, read 2026-10-23
- The newborn contribution has to be asked for. Children born from Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2028, may qualify for a one-time federal contribution, and a parent must elect it on Form 4547, even when the account opened automatically. IRS: Trump Accounts, read 2026-10-23
- Family can add once it is claimed. Friends and family can contribute after a parent or guardian claims the account. Social Security press release, read 2026-10-23
- Call the number the IRS lists, not one from a text. The IRS points to the Trump Accounts Help Center and 866-USA-4547. IRS: Trump Accounts, read 2026-10-23
- A fee to "release" money is the scam. The FTC's rule for unclaimed funds fits here too: the government won't call or text asking you to pay to get money, and won't rush you. FTC consumer alert, read 2026-10-22
Next
Keep what you find safe
Sources
Where every line comes from
Each page below was read on the date shown. If a page changes, its own words win.
- NAUPA: What is unclaimed property?, read 2026-10-22
- NAUPA: fees, finders and the official programs, read 2026-10-22
- NAUPA: Claim your found property, read 2026-10-22
- NAUPA: Search beyond your state, read 2026-10-22
- MissingMoney.com (National Association of State Treasurers), read 2026-10-22
- FTC: How to handle unexpected calls about unclaimed funds (March 30, 2026), read 2026-10-22
- Colorado State Treasury: The Great Colorado Payback, read 2026-10-22
- IRS: Trump Accounts, read 2026-10-23
- Social Security: Trump Account insert for newborns, read 2026-10-23