Alabama · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Office of the Alabama State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division holds money that businesses could not return to its owners. Here is how to search, what proof you need and how long it takes.
Search Alabama's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in AlabamaSearch your name (and old business or family names) on unclaimed.alabama.gov. Searching is free.
Check the CLAIM box next to each item that is yours and click Continue to File Claim. Enter your current mailing address, because the check goes there.
Read the email the state sends you. It lists the exact documents your claim needs.
Sign the claim form. Mail it with your documents to P.O. Box 302520, Montgomery, AL 36130-2520, or bring it to Suite 636, 100 North Union Street, Montgomery (Mon–Fri, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.).
Use your claim number to check your claim's status online.
If you get a "Quick Claim" postcard from the Treasury, you can sign the card and mail it back with a copy of your photo ID and proof of your Social Security number; you do not need a separate claim form. By law, claims of $200 or less can be paid with a sworn affidavit when you lack matching paperwork (Ala. Code § 35-12-84(c)).
If a probate court named you executor or administrator, you can claim for the estate. If there was no will or estate, the spouse (or, if none, the children, then the parents) may claim without a probate order for small amounts, using a probate court letter saying no estate was opened and an affidavit signed by all heirs (Ala. Code § 35-12-84); call 888-844-8400 for help.
A finder agreement is void if signed between the date the property was presumed abandoned and 24 months after it was turned over to the Treasurer (an agreement with a lawyer to file a claim is an exception). After that, the agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, say you can claim it from the state for free, and be signed by you. The total fee cannot be more than 10% of the amount claimed.
Law: Ala. Code § 35-12-93
Watch out: The Treasury says "heir finder" companies cannot do anything you cannot do yourself for free, and Alabama never charges to return your property.
Search every other state where you lived or worked. Some money, like old savings bonds and IRS refunds, is held by federal agencies.
Money that businesses could not return to you and had to hand over to a state, such as old bank accounts and insurance policies. USA.gov says state governments hold most unclaimed money.
Official siteOld paper or electronic U.S. savings bonds that were never cashed, including bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest (EE and I bonds earn interest for up to 30 years), plus lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.
Official siteTax refunds owed to people who never filed a federal tax return for a year, often because they earned little and were not required to file. The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund; after that the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.
Official siteSearch the official database run by the Office of the Alabama State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Alabama.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. A finder agreement is void if signed between the date the property was presumed abandoned and 24 months after it was turned over to the Treasurer (an agreement with a lawyer to file a claim is an exception). After that, the agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, say you can claim it from the state for free, and be signed by you. The total fee cannot be more than 10% of the amount claimed.
If a probate court named you executor or administrator, you can claim for the estate. If there was no will or estate, the spouse (or, if none, the children, then the parents) may claim without a probate order for small amounts, using a probate court letter saying no estate was opened and an affidavit signed by all heirs (Ala. Code § 35-12-84); call 888-844-8400 for help.
The Treasury says claims usually take 6 to 8 weeks on average. By law it must approve or deny a claim within 120 days and pay within 30 days after approval.
Last checked: Oct 2026.