Delaware · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Delaware Department of Finance, Office of Unclaimed Property 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 Delaware's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in DelawareSearch the owner's name or business name on the official Delaware site. Add a city if you get too many results.
Check "Claim" on each property that is yours, choose your relationship to the owner, and file the claim online.
Read the claim form you receive. Section C lists the documents you need.
Sign the claim form in front of a notary if your form asks for it.
Upload your documents through the secure link (the fastest way), or mail them. You can also fax them to 302-622-4115, but faxes don't work for color copies.
Delaware pays by mailed check only, never by wire or ACH.
Yes. Through MONEY MATCH, held each September, Delaware matches unclaimed property to the address on your most recent Delaware state income tax return and mails a check, with no claim needed. Not all property qualifies.
Send a certified death certificate and certified proof of your relationship (such as a birth or marriage certificate). Estate representatives also need certified Letters Testamentary or, for some estates, a small estate affidavit, plus the will. Payment goes by check to the estate only, and a power of attorney ends at death.
A finder agreement is void if it is signed any time from when the property became payable to you until 24 months after it was turned over to the state. After that, total fees and costs cannot be more than $1,000 or 10% of the property, whichever is less. The agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, be signed by you with a notarized signature, show the value before and after the fee, and say the property is held by the Department of Finance.
Law: 12 Del. C. §§ 1186 and 1187
Watch out: Delaware never charges a fee to claim and never pays by wire or ACH; if you doubt a MONEY MATCH check, email [email protected] or call 302-577-8782.
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 Delaware Department of Finance, Office of Unclaimed Property. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Delaware.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. A finder agreement is void if it is signed any time from when the property became payable to you until 24 months after it was turned over to the state. After that, total fees and costs cannot be more than $1,000 or 10% of the property, whichever is less. The agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, be signed by you with a notarized signature, show the value before and after the fee, and say the property is held by the Department of Finance.
Send a certified death certificate and certified proof of your relationship (such as a birth or marriage certificate). Estate representatives also need certified Letters Testamentary or, for some estates, a small estate affidavit, plus the will. Payment goes by check to the estate only, and a power of attorney ends at death.
Last checked: Oct 2026.