North Carolina · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
North Carolina Department of 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 North Carolina's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in North CarolinaSearch your name on NCCash.gov. You must search before you can fill out the online claim form.
Start a claim online. Some claims qualify for E-Claim Processing, which matches your information electronically.
If your claim doesn't qualify, print and sign the claim form. Upload it with your proof through Claim Document Upload, or mail it to P.O. Box 20431, Raleigh.
A claims processor will contact you if more documents are needed. You get an email when your claim is approved.
You can also call 866-622-2741 (weekdays, 8 am-5 pm). Staff can search for you and mail a claim form.
Yes. Through NCCash Match, the state finds qualifying property of $5,000 or less and mails a letter. A check follows in 6-8 weeks with no claim needed. Some online claims also qualify for faster E-Claim Processing.
Contact the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where your relative lived. The clerk can help you get documents showing you have legal authority to claim. Then file the claim on NCCash.gov.
A finder agreement is void if it is made any time from when the property became payable to you until 24 months after it is turned over to the Treasurer. After that, total fees and costs can be no more than $1,000 or 20% of the property's value, whichever is less (20% for certain heir and estate agreements). The agreement must be in writing, signed by you with your signature notarized, and also signed (and notarized) by a licensed private investigator for the finder. Finders must register with the Treasurer each year.
Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116B-78 (PI license: § 116B-78.1)
Claiming is free. Your state never charges a fee to search or to claim. Be careful with letters, calls or texts that ask for a fee, a percentage or your bank login to release money. Search the official state site yourself.
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 North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in North Carolina.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. A finder agreement is void if it is made any time from when the property became payable to you until 24 months after it is turned over to the Treasurer. After that, total fees and costs can be no more than $1,000 or 20% of the property's value, whichever is less (20% for certain heir and estate agreements). The agreement must be in writing, signed by you with your signature notarized, and also signed (and notarized) by a licensed private investigator for the finder. Finders must register with the Treasurer each year.
Contact the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where your relative lived. The clerk can help you get documents showing you have legal authority to claim. Then file the claim on NCCash.gov.
Normally about 90 days, processed in the order received. The site says high claim volume is currently making it take longer than 90 days.
Last checked: Oct 2026.