State Unclaimed Property in Missouri

Official search

The State Treasurer's free unclaimed property search and online claims portal is at treasurer.mo.gov/UnclaimedProperty. The Treasurer also advertises it as showmemoney.com, which redirects there.^{1, 2}

Documents for an heir or estate claim

An heir claim needs proof of death plus proof of authority: probate documents such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if the estate was probated.¹

If the estate was not probated, the proof of authority is an Affidavit of Heirship using the Treasurer's Table of Heirship.^{1, 3}

For a deceased owner, 15 CSR 50-3.090 accepts a certified copy of the letters testamentary, a refusal of letters, or the probate court's final order of distribution, together with a death certificate, as authority to process a claim.⁴

Deadline to claim

Missouri holds unclaimed property under the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act until it is claimed, so there is generally no deadline for heirs to file a claim.^{5, 2}

15 CSR 50-3.090 provides that a claim is never barred by lapse of time, and the Treasurer states there is no time limit for filing claims.^{4, 2}

Fees

The Treasurer's Office never charges to return unclaimed property.¹

Claiming without a probate order

Under RSMo 473.097, if the estate does not exceed $40,000 net of liens, debt and encumbrances and 30 days have passed since the death, an heir may use a small estate affidavit filed with the probate division of the circuit court, without full probate.⁶

How an approved claim is paid

Under Mo. Rev. Stat. 447.565 and 15 CSR 50-3.090, a paid claim includes interest only where the owner would have been entitled to interest had the property not been presumed abandoned, typically property reported as an interest-bearing account.^{7, 4, 2}

That interest stops accruing seven years after the property was delivered to the State Treasurer, so heirs who claim later still receive the principal but no further interest.^{7, 4}

Governing law: Mo. Rev. Stat. 447.500 to 447.595 (Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act); RSMo 473.097 (small estate affidavit); 15 CSR 50-3.090

Probate division of the circuit court

RSMo 473.097 small estate affidavits, letters, refusals of letters and final orders of distribution^{6, 4}

1. 1.Unclaimed Property (Missouri State Treasurer)
2. 2.Unclaimed Property FAQ (Missouri State Treasurer)
3. 3.Table of Heirship (Missouri State Treasurer)
4. 4.15 CSR 50-3 (Missouri State Treasurer, unclaimed property rules)
5. 5.Mo. Rev. Stat. 447.500 (Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act)
6. 6.Mo. Rev. Stat. 473.097 (small estate affidavit)
7. 7.Mo. Rev. Stat. 447.565