Search steps, one card at a time
Mae Finley
Each card below covers one kind of search. Every card ends with the official site to use and the date we last checked it. Searching on these sites costs nothing.
Step 1: Search every state you've lived or worked in
States hold most of this kind of money, and each one keeps its own list. So search the state you live in now, and then each state where you used to live or work.
- NAUPA's state map links to each state's official program. NAUPA is the national group of state unclaimed property offices, and it is a network within the National Association of State Treasurers. Open NAUPA's map of official state programs
- MissingMoney.com lets you search many states at once. NAUPA describes it as a free website that it sponsors, and says most states take part. Not every state does, so check the states that are missing one by one. Search several states at once on MissingMoney.com
- USAGov explains that state governments hold most of this money, and that people who have lived in other states should check those states too. Read USAGov's page on finding money the government may hold
In the year from July 2023 to June 2024, state programs returned about $4.49 billion to owners, according to NAUPA's fiscal year 2024 report. That is a total for the whole country. It says nothing about whether any one person has money held.
Step 2: What to have ready
- Every address you can remember, even old ones.
- Each spelling of your full name, including a maiden name or a name from an earlier marriage.
- For a parent's search, their full name and old addresses. Each state has its own rules for heirs.
Type your Social Security number only on an official government site, and only when that site asks for it to confirm who you are. A real state program will ask you to prove you own what is listed before it sends anything. NAUPA says this usually means proof of who you are and proof of ownership. Read NAUPA's page on what states ask for
Step 3: Old paper savings bonds
- The old Treasury Hunt search is gone. TreasuryDirect says the Treasury Hunt tool has not been available since September 30, 2025. If you think you have a lost, stolen or destroyed savings bond, TreasuryDirect sends you to its forms page. Read TreasuryDirect's Treasury Hunt notice
- What a paper bond is worth. The Savings Bond Calculator prices paper Series EE, E and I bonds and savings notes. Open TreasuryDirect's Savings Bond Calculator
- Cashing a bond you have. You can ask your bank whether it will cash it, or send FS Form 1522 to the Treasury with the bond. A bond must be cashed for its whole value. Read TreasuryDirect's page on cashing EE and I bonds
Never buy a savings bond from a stranger or an auction site. TreasuryDirect says you can't cash a bond you don't own.
Step 4: A pension from an old job
If a private company's pension plan ended and lost track of you, the plan may have sent your benefit to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). PBGC has a search. It asks for your last name and the last four digits of your Social Security number. PBGC says a match is only a first step, not proof that you are owed anything. PBGC says it updates the list every three months, and that the latest update was November 3, 2026. Search PBGC's list of retirement benefits not yet paid
Step 5: A federal tax refund
If you filed a recent federal tax return and never got your refund, the IRS has a refund tracker. You'll need your Social Security number or ITIN, your filing status, the tax year, and the exact refund amount from your return. Check a refund's status on the IRS refunds page (last reviewed October 16, 2026)
Step 6: Refund notices
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sends refunds to people who lost money in some of its cases. The FTC says it never makes you pay an upfront fee, and never asks for your Social Security number or bank account information. It also says that anyone who asks you for money while saying they are from the FTC is running a scam. Read the FTC's answers to common refund questions
The FTC lists its active refund programs on one page, with the company that sends each payment. See the FTC's list of refund programs
If a notice says it is about an FTC refund, look for that case on the FTC's list before you do anything else.
Real or fake?
Three made-up examples. Decide, then read the answer. There's no score.
1. A message says money is being held for you, and you must pay a small processing fee before it can be released.
Answer: Fake. State programs don't charge to search or to file through their official site, and the FTC never asks for an upfront fee. Sources: NAUPA's page on whether searching is free and the FTC's answers to common refund questions.
2. A text says it comes from the FTC and asks for your bank login so it can send your refund.
Answer: Fake. The FTC says it never asks for your bank account information. Source: the FTC's answers to common refund questions.
3. You search your state's official site and find an old account listed under you. The site asks for a copy of your ID and an old address before it pays anything.
Answer: Real. Asking you to prove who you are and that the account is yours is a normal part of the official process. There is still no fee. Source: NAUPA's page on what states ask for.