Federal and national unclaimed money

MissingMoney.com and NAUPA state unclaimed property search

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.

• Go to unclaimed.org and use MissingMoney.com to search many participating states at once.
• Also search the official site of every state you have lived or done business in, because not all states may show up in one search.
• If there is a match, follow the link to that state's official government site to file the claim.

Cost: Free to search on official state sites and MissingMoney.com

Official site

U.S. savings bonds (TreasuryDirect)

Old 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.

• Paper EE or I bond you have: ask your bank whether it cashes bonds, or send FS Form 1522 and the bonds to Treasury.
• Lost, stolen or destroyed bond: file FS Form 1048 to replace or cash it.
• Not sure whether a bond was already cashed: write to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, with the serial numbers (do not send the bonds).
• Electronic bonds: sign in to your TreasuryDirect account and use ManageDirect > Redeem securities.

Cost: Free

Official site

IRS refunds from tax returns never filed (3-year rule)

Tax 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.

• Find your W-2, 1099 and other forms, or get a free wage and income transcript with Get Transcript Online at IRS.gov (Form 4506-T by mail is slower).
• Fill out the Form 1040 for that tax year (prior-year forms are on IRS.gov or from 800-829-3676).
• File it before the 3-year deadline.

Cost: Free (filing a return costs nothing; paid tax preparers may charge)

Deadline: Tax year 2022: April 15, 2026 (passed). Tax year 2023: not yet announced by the IRS as of October 2026; see notes.

Official site

IRS undelivered or lost refund checks (Where's My Refund?)

Refund checks that were returned to the IRS as undeliverable (often because you moved) or that were lost or stolen.

• Check status with Where's My Refund? (the IRS refund tracker), your IRS online account, or the IRS app; you need your SSN or ITIN, filing status, tax year and exact refund amount.
• If you moved, update your address with the IRS (Form 8822).
• For a lost or stolen check, ask for a refund trace through the refund tracker or 800-829-1954 (current-year refunds, single/separate/head of household filers), or by calling 800-829-1040 or sending Form 3911 (married filing jointly).

Cost: Free

Official site

NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator

Life insurance policies and annuities of a person who has died that the family may not know about. It does not search for policies of living people.

• Open the Life Insurance Policy Locator from naic.org (Consumer tab > Tools).
• Enter your contact details and the deceased person's information from the death certificate (SSN or ITIN, legal name, dates of birth and death, veteran status, your relationship).
• Wait: participating insurers check the request, and if a policy is found and you are the beneficiary, the insurer contacts you directly.

Cost: Free

Official site

PBGC unclaimed pension search

Retirement benefits from private-sector employers whose plans ended and could not find the worker; the employer may have sent the money to PBGC for safekeeping.

• Search PBGC's database with your last name and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
• If there is a match, call PBGC and give more identifying information.
• Send the documents PBGC asks for to finish the claim.

Cost: Free to search (no fee mentioned on the official site)

Official site

Retirement Savings Lost and Found Database (Department of Labor)

Helps you find old workplace retirement plans (pensions and 401(k)-type plans) from private-sector employers and unions that are linked to your Social Security number, plus who to contact. It does not cover IRAs, government plans, some religious-employer plans, or Social Security.

• Create or use a Login.gov account and verify your identity (legal name, date of birth, SSN, phone, photos of your driver's license or state ID).
• Enter your Social Security number and search.
• Contact the plan administrators listed in your results; only they can confirm whether money is still owed.

Cost: Free; DOL says it does not charge a fee to recover funds

Official site

FDIC unclaimed funds from failed banks

Insured deposits (checking, savings, CDs, IRAs, cashier's checks, money orders and more) at a failed bank that the owner did not claim within 18 months after the bank failed.

• Search the FDIC's unclaimed funds database by your name, business name or check number (you can add the failed bank's name, city or state).
• If you find a match or think you are owed money, call FDIC Claims Depositor Services at 1-888-206-4662, option 2.
• If the FDIC has already sent the money to a state, claim it from that state's unclaimed property program.

Cost: Free to search (no fee mentioned on the official site)

Deadline: Claims should be made within 18 months of the bank's failure; after that the FDIC transfers unclaimed deposits to the state of the depositor's last known address.

Official site

NCUA unclaimed deposits from closed credit unions

Share (deposit) accounts at federally insured credit unions that the NCUA closed (liquidated) and that members never claimed.

• Check the NCUA list of involuntary liquidations to confirm your credit union was closed.
• Look for your last name and first initial on the NCUA unclaimed deposits list.
• Fill out the Member Verification Form and send it by mail (NCUA Liquidating Agent, 10910 Domain Drive, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758) or email ([email protected]).

Cost: Free (no fee mentioned on the official site)

Deadline: Claims made within the 18-month insurance period are paid in full up to the insured amount; after that, shares become uninsured and may be paid only in part (pro rata).

Official site

HUD/FHA mortgage insurance premium refunds

Refunds HUD/FHA may owe to people who had an FHA-insured mortgage.

• Search HUD's refund database by last name or FHA case number (format 051-4567890), with optional city and state.
• If your name is found, call 1-800-697-6967 to get your refund.
• If your name is not found but you think you are owed money, call the same number to ask.

Cost: Free (no fee mentioned on the official site)

Official site

VA unclaimed life insurance funds

Death awards, dividend checks and premium refunds from older VA life insurance programs that were mailed out but returned as undeliverable. VA holds the money until it finds the policyholder or beneficiary.

• Search the VA Unclaimed Funds database by the veteran's last name (first name optional).
• If you find a record, contact VA and provide more identifying information to show the money is yours.

Cost: Free (no fee mentioned on the official site)

Official site

SEC and FTC refunds from enforcement cases

Money collected from companies or people in government enforcement cases and paid back to harmed investors (SEC) or consumers (FTC).

• SEC: look up your case on the SEC 'Distributions to Harmed Investors' page and follow the case link for the claims process and administrator.
• FTC: check ftc.gov/refunds for active refund programs; each one lists the company handling payments and a phone number.
• Only call phone numbers listed on sec.gov or ftc.gov/refunds, not numbers from an unexpected message.

Cost: Free; the FTC says it never requires upfront fees

Deadline: Varies by case; check the case page.

Official site

Class action settlements: how to check that one is real

Money paid to groups of people under a settlement of a class action lawsuit. Real settlements exist, but fake notices are also used to steal personal information.

• Find the case name, court and case number in the notice.
• Confirm the case exists in court records; for federal cases use PACER / the PACER Case Locator from the U.S. Courts.
• File only through the settlement website or phone number named in the court-approved notice, and never pay a fee to receive settlement money.

Cost: Filing a claim is free. PACER may charge per-page fees for documents (fee amounts not verified here).

Deadline: Each settlement sets its own claim deadline in the court-approved notice.

Official site