How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, a deceased owner's unclaimed property is claimed from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property. An heir or the estate representative of a deceased owner files the claim with the Department of Commerce.

State Where the Person Lived

Where the Estate Stands

Letters have been issuedA small estate affidavitNothing has been filed

Property Held in This State

Minnesota names 3 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property

Phone: 1-651-539-1545
Toll-free: 1-800-925-5668
Email: unclaimed.property@state.mn.us
Website: Search and claim →

unclaimedproperty.mn.gov offers a free search and online claims.

Letters testamentary or of administration, or the will naming the claimant as personal representative

For: The personal representative or court-appointed administrator of the estate
Conditions: The claimant is named in the will as personal representative, executor or administrator, or holds letters from the court.
Payment is made to the personal representative or court-appointed administrator and the estate.
Documents: The claim form, completed in full with original signatures and notarized
A copy of the will or the letters showing the claimant's authority to claim the funds for the estate
A copy of the death certificate of the deceased owner
The owner's and the claimant's Social Security numbers and birthdates, given on the claim form

Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)

For: The heirs of an owner who died without a will
Conditions: The Department applies Minnesota's intestacy law to decide how the funds are paid.
Where one heir claims for all the heirs, each heir signs a release statement assigning that heir to claim the funds.
Documents: The claim form, completed in full with original signatures and notarized
A completed Table of Heirship, signed under penalty of perjury
A copy of the death certificate of the deceased owner
Where one heir claims for all, a release statement from each heir with an original signature, notarized
The owner's and the claimant's Social Security numbers and birthdates, given on the claim form
Form: Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)

Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)

This route is for an estate of $75,000 or less.

For: The only living heir of an owner who died without a will
Limit: An estate of $75,000 or less
Conditions: The affidavit states that the claimant is the only living heir and lists the property claimed.
Thirty days have passed since the death.
No petition to appoint a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction.
Documents: Form PRO202, sworn before a notary, naming the property claimed
A certified copy of the decedent's death certificate, attached to the affidavit
Form: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)

Notarization and finders

Notarization: The claim form must be notarized.
Finders: No one may contract for a fee to locate property until 24 months after it reaches the Department. Later, an agreement for a fee above 10 percent of the property's value is valid only in writing, signed by the owner and disclosing the property's nature and value and the holder's name and address.

Federal and national databases

MissingMoney.com: The national database endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators searches the participating states at once for free and links to each one's official program. Most states participate; a state that does not is searched on its own official site.
The Treasury (TreasuryDirect): Unredeemed savings bonds; claims are made on FS Form 1048, as the Treasury Hunt search was withdrawn
PBGC: Unclaimed pensions from terminated plans, searched at pbgc.gov
The IRS: Undelivered tax refunds
The FDIC: Unclaimed deposits and checks from failed banks, searched by name, business name or check number
The NCUA: Unclaimed share accounts at liquidated federally insured credit unions, listed by last name and first initialamacmail@ncua.gov
The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator: A deceased person's life insurance and annuities; a participating insurer contacts the beneficiary if it finds onehelp@naic.org
The VA: Unclaimed VA life insurance

Governing law: Minn. Stat. 345.31 to 345.60; §§ 345.49, 345.50

General information about claiming a deceased person's unclaimed property, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

File the claim with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property. The search and the claim start at the office's site. Minn. Stat. 345.49 has a claim filed on the form prescribed by the commissioner. A claimant relying on a will, trust, or court order may submit only the portions of the document needed to establish the claim.

Heirs can claim without letters from a probate court through the Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list). Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201 lets heirs collect personal property, including intangible assets and debts owed to the decedent, by affidavit without opening full probate when the net probate estate is $75,000 or less and at least 30 days have elapsed since death. The claim on that route includes: The claim form, completed in full with original signatures and notarized; A completed Table of Heirship, signed under penalty of perjury; A copy of the death certificate of the deceased owner; Where one heir claims for all, a release statement from each heir with an original signature, notarized; The owner's and the claimant's Social Security numbers and birthdates, given on the claim form.

An heir or the estate representative of a deceased owner files the claim with the Department of Commerce. With letters from a probate court, the claim is made by the personal representative or court-appointed administrator of the estate.

Every state where the person had an address can hold some of the property: the holding company reports it to the state of the owner's last-known address, and to its own home state where it has no address on record. MissingMoney.com searches most states at once. Insurance, savings bonds, pensions, refunds and failed-bank deposits sit in federal and national databases: the Treasury (TreasuryDirect), PBGC, the IRS, the FDIC, the NCUA, the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator and the VA.

No one may contract for a fee to locate property until 24 months after it reaches the Department. Later, an agreement for a fee above 10 percent of the property's value is valid only in writing, signed by the owner and disclosing the property's nature and value and the holder's name and address. The same property can be claimed directly through the state's own program, which charges no fee.

Claiming Unclaimed Property in Minnesota

Property goes to the state of the owner's last-known address in the holding company's records. Where the records show no address, it goes to the state where the company is organized, so a deceased person's property can sit in any state they once lived in or where a company that owed them is based. A search for a deceased Minnesota resident therefore covers Minnesota and every other state where the person lived, worked or held an account.

Minnesota names 3 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property. With letters from a probate court, the claim is made by the personal representative or court-appointed administrator of the estate. Without letters, heirs claim through the Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list).

Whether the claim form needs a notary is the program's own rule: The claim form must be notarized.

Minnesota holds the property until a valid claim is paid. The state holds unclaimed property "in perpetuity or until the rightful owner or heirs come forward to claim," so there is generally no deadline to claim it.

Searching and claiming are free through a state's official unclaimed property program or missingmoney.com. Third-party finders or locators charge a fee, usually a percentage of the amount recovered, and the same property can always be claimed directly at no cost.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 26, 2026

Legal Sources

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Data sourced from Minnesota statutes and official state code. How we research.

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How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property in Minnesota?

Minnesota names 3 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Letters testamentary or of administration, or the will naming the claimant as personal representativeClaim Requirements (Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)Claim Requirements (Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)Unclaimed Property Process Report (Minnesota Department of Commerce, mandated report, 2018)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Notarization and finders

Federal and national databases

Is this your situation?

Named as Executor

Death of a Parent

Inheritance

Forms for Settling an Estate in Minnesota

Notice to Creditors

Small Estate Affidavit

Estate Inventory

Estate Closing

IRS Form 1310

Letter of Instruction

Affidavit of Death

IRS Form 56

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Can I Self-File Probate?

How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?

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What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?

What Social Security Survivor Benefits Can I Get?

Hire a Minnesota Probate Attorney

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Minnesota Estate Settlement Resources

Minnesota names 3 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Letters testamentary or of administration, or the will naming the claimant as personal representativeClaim Requirements (Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)Claim Requirements (Minnesota Department of Commerce, Unclaimed Property)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)Unclaimed Property Process Report (Minnesota Department of Commerce, mandated report, 2018)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Notarization and finders

Federal and national databases

Letters testamentary or of administration, or the will naming the claimant as personal representative

Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)

Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)

Letters testamentary or of administration, or the will naming the claimant as personal representative

Table of Heirship (the Department's heir list)

Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (Form PRO202)