How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property?
Choose the state where the person lived to see who may claim the unclaimed property, the documents the claim needs, and the other states and federal databases to search.
Search the unclaimed property program of every state where the person lived, worked or held an account, under their full name and any former or married names. MissingMoney.com searches most states at once, and a state it does not cover is searched on its own official site.
The state of the owner's last-known address in the holding company's records, and the company's own home state where it has no address on record. A person who lived in several states can have property in each of them, so every state they lived, worked or banked in is searched.
Each state sets its own rule. 48 of the 51 jurisdictions state a route for a claim without letters from a probate court, and the state pages print each one with the documents it asks for.
Yes, through every state's official program and through MissingMoney.com. A finder charges a share of what it recovers, and anything a finder can locate can be claimed directly at no cost.
They sit outside the state programs, in federal and national databases: the Treasury (TreasuryDirect), PBGC, the IRS, the FDIC, the NCUA, the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator and the VA.
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Learn moreForms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare the sworn statement of a deceased person's family history and heirs for recording in the county land records, with your state's recording instructions.
Small Estate Affidavit
Collect a small estate's property without probate — the sworn affidavit presented to banks and other holders, with a presentation letter for each.
Estate Inventory
Prepare the probate inventory of estate property — every asset at its date-of-death value, composed to your state's statute, with the state's filing or delivery instructions.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor can charge for administering an estate.
Can I Self-File Probate?
Whether your state lets you open probate yourself, and what it costs with a lawyer and without one.
How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?
See the court that issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, the petition, the bond, and the documents to file.
What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?
Find creditor claim deadlines, notice requirements, and payment priority order for your state.
What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?
See the order your state pays an insolvent estate's debts and which claims go unpaid.
How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?
Compare estate-account opening requirements bank by bank: channels, required documents, and steps.
