State Unclaimed Property in Montana

Official search

Search the TransAction Portal (TAP) at tap.dor.mt.gov; a nationwide search runs at missingmoney.com.¹

Fees

The Department of Revenue states that searching and filing a claim through the TransAction Portal is free, and that you do not need to pay a third party to claim your property.²

Documents for an heir or estate claim

An heir or estate claim includes a copy of the death certificate and, for an open estate, court-issued personal representative documents (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration).³

Where there is no estate, the claim includes a Decedent Family History form and an affidavit of successor or heirship, which the Department provides in the claim packet.³

Processing time

Mont. Code Ann. 70-9-815(2) gives the administrator 90 days after a claim is filed to allow or deny it and give the claimant written notice of the decision.⁴

The Department states that it has 90 days to complete a claim once all required documentation is received.²

How an approved claim is paid

Under Mont. Code Ann. 70-9-815(3), the property or the net proceeds of its sale is delivered or paid to the claimant within 30 days after a claim is allowed.⁴

Under the Montana Auto Pay Program (Mont. Code Ann. 70-9-815(5), added by HB 88 in 2025), the Department can match property to its owner from tax records and mail a check of $1,000 or less without a claim. A recipient of a MAPP letter is told not to file a claim for those funds.⁴

Claiming without a probate order

The Department states that an estate is required for the sole purpose of distributing unclaimed property only when the decedent's property subject to administration totals $100,000 or more; under that, a court order is generally not required.³

Without a full probate, heirs claim by submitting an Affidavit of Heirship and a Decedent Family History form provided by the Department, following the laws of intestate succession.³

The $100,000 threshold matches the small estate affidavit limit in Mont. Code Ann. 72-3-1101(1)(a): a probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, that does not exceed $100,000.⁵

Mont. Code Ann. 72-3-1101(2) lets the Department refund unclaimed property worth $5,000 or less to a successor of the decedent, regardless of the value of the estate.⁵

Governing law: Mont. Code Ann. Title 70, Chapter 9, Part 8 (Uniform Unclaimed Property Act); 70-9-815; 72-3-1101

1. 1.Unclaimed Property (Montana Department of Revenue)
2. 2.Claims (Montana Department of Revenue, Unclaimed Property)
3. 3.Heirship Claims (Montana Department of Revenue, Unclaimed Property)
4. 4.Mont. Code Ann. 70-9-815
5. 5.Mont. Code Ann. 72-3-1101