Claim your unclaimed money for free, and safely
NAUPA says there are billions in uncashed payroll checks, stocks, credit balances, and more
waiting to be claimed. Getting yours back is free when you use your state's official site. This guide shows you where to go and how to avoid the scams that copy it.
It's free. You never have to pay to search or claim.
The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), the states' own association, says: It's free to search, if you use your official state government's unclaimed property website.
Where to search
- MissingMoney.com:
a free website, managed by NAUPA, from which you can search participating state's databases.
Go to MissingMoney.com. - Your state's own site, plus every state you've lived or worked in. Find each official site in NAUPA's state directory.
- Claim on the official site, not through a link in a text, an email or a letter. Our how-to-claim guide covers the steps.
Signs it's a scam
- Anyone asks for an upfront "processing" fee. The FTC says:
If the caller asks for personal information, or an upfront 'processing' fee to release the funds, that's a scam.
- Someone calls or texts asking you to pay to search.
The government won't call or text and ask you to pay them to search for unclaimed funds.
- You're rushed: the FTC warns scammers push you to
respond now and ask questions later.
- A letter says you're the heir to a stranger's life insurance policy. The FTC calls these letters scams.
State guides
Plain-English guides built only from each state's official pages, with sources and the date we checked them:
Your state isn't listed yet? Use NAUPA's directory to find its official site.
Sources
- Search for your unclaimed property (it's free), NAUPA, checked 2026-10-07
- National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), checked 2026-10-07
- How to handle unexpected calls about unclaimed funds, FTC consumer alert (March 30, 2026), checked 2026-10-07
- Unclaimed life insurance money? It's a scam, FTC consumer alert (July 9, 2026), checked 2026-10-07