Money audit

How to find unclaimed money and settlements you're owed

Search every state you have lived in for free, claim without paying a finder, check federal databases, find real settlements and spot the scams.

October 16, 20268 min read

Where to look for money you're owed

Official sources, checked Oct. 16, 2026

State unclaimed propertyEvery state you lived in, free

Multi-state searchMissingMoney.com

Federal agenciesIRS, Labor, PBGC, FDIC and more

Class settlementsCourt notice, official site

FTC refundsftc.gov/refunds

Quick answer

Start with your state's official unclaimed property website, which you can find at unclaimed.org/search. Searching is free, and you should repeat it for every state you have lived or done business in, or use MissingMoney.com to search participating states at once. Claiming from the state does not require paying anyone. For class action settlements and FTC refunds, work only from the official settlement site or ftc.gov/refunds, and treat any request for a fee, gift card or bank details as a scam.

What counts as unclaimed money

Unclaimed money is money a business, financial institution or government owes you that you never collected. When an account has no activity or contact with the owner for a set dormancy period, the holder must turn it over to the state by law. State governments hold most of it.

NAUPA lists these as common types:

Checking and savings accounts, and certificates of deposit.
Uncashed payroll checks and dividends, and stocks.
Refunds, customer overpayments and utility security deposits.
Insurance payments, refunds and life insurance policies, and annuities.
Traveler's checks, money orders and, in some states, gift certificates.
Trust distributions, mineral royalty payments and safe deposit box contents.

How to search every state you have lived in

Go to unclaimed.org/search and pick your state on the map. It links to the official government program, where the search is free.
Repeat the search for every state you have lived or done business in. Property is reported to the state where the company that owed it is based, so it can sit in a state you never lived in.
Run a multi-state search on MissingMoney.com. NAUPA says most states participate, and the site shows which states have a match with links to their claim pages.
Search for relatives who have died if you are their legal heir. USA.gov says heirs may be able to claim money that was owed to them.

Only search on official state sites or MissingMoney.com. The FTC says every state has a free search process.

How to claim money from your state

Each state runs its own claim process, so the details vary. California's is a useful example of what to expect:

You file a secure form online with your name, Social Security number, birth date and address. More complicated claims may need extra proof of ownership.
There is no fee to claim, and no deadline once the property has been transferred to the State Controller's Office.
Investigators, also called asset locators or heir finders, may offer to file for you. California law caps their fee at 10 percent of the property's value, with an exception for county probated estates.

You do not need a finder or a lawyer. California says owners can get their property without fees or lawyers by working directly with the state.

Money the federal government may be holding

State searches will not find everything. TreasuryDirect says each federal agency keeps its own records and there is no central source, so check the databases that match your history:

Unpaid wages from an employer: the Department of Labor's back pay search.
Pensions from former employers: the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation search tool.
Tax refunds: the IRS Where's My Refund tool. If you did not file because your income was low, you can still file within three years of the filing deadline to get a refund.
FHA mortgage insurance refunds from HUD, and VA life insurance funds.
Failed banks and credit unions: the FDIC and credit union unclaimed deposit searches.
SEC enforcement funds, and money from bankruptcies through the U.S. Courts Unclaimed Funds Locator.
Savings bonds: the Treasury Hunt tool closed on Sept. 30, 2025. TreasuryDirect now points people with lost, stolen or destroyed bonds to its savings bond forms.

How class action settlements work

In federal court, a class action is a lawsuit brought by representatives on behalf of a larger group. The court decides whether to certify the class, defines who is in it and appoints class counsel. A class settlement needs the court's approval.

For many class actions, including classes proposed for settlement under Rule 23(b)(3), the court must direct the best notice that is practicable, including individual notice to members who can be identified with reasonable effort. It can arrive by mail or electronically, and it must explain in plain language:

What the case is about and who is in the class.
That you can ask to be excluded, and how and when to do it.
That a class judgment binds the members who stay in.

FTC refunds are different

The FTC returns money from its own cases against companies. It says most of those cases do not require a claim, because court orders usually make the company hand over a customer list. When a claim is needed, the details are posted at ftc.gov/refunds, along with the company issuing payments and a phone number.

The FTC pays by check, prepaid debit card, PayPal or Zelle. In most cases each person gets the same percentage of their loss, and the amount depends on how much the FTC collects and how many people lost money.

How to find legitimate settlements and refunds

Start from the notice. A real class notice names the case and explains your options. Look up the official settlement site yourself rather than clicking a link in an unexpected email or text.
Check ftc.gov/refunds for FTC cases. The FTC says the phone numbers and links on that page are legitimate.
Send questions to the administrator running the payments. For the Amazon Prime settlement, the FTC pointed people to the company handling the refunds, and noted that the official site's address did not include Amazon's name.
Keep a copy of what you submit and the date, so you can follow up if a payment does not arrive. Our guide to tracking a refund shows how to keep that trail.

Scam red flags

Scammers copy real unclaimed property programs, FTC refunds and settlement notices. The FTC says these are signs of a scam:

Any upfront fee to search for or release money, whether it is called a processing fee, administrative charge or tax.
A request to pay with a gift card or to read off the card number and PIN. No real business or government agency asks for that.
An unexpected call or text that names a specific amount, says time is running out, or says the claim period was extended just for you.
A text from a "state unclaimed property program." State programs do not send alerts by text.
Someone claiming to be from the FTC who asks for money, your Social Security number, bank account information or remote access to your computer.
A check for more than you are owed, with a request to send back the difference.

Report scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.

Where Compass+ fits

Finding money you are owed is the direction Compass+ is being built in. It does not search unclaimed property databases, file claims, track class action settlements, move money or log into your accounts today.

Today, the Compass assistant runs inside Gerald with a read-only bank connection. It can see the transactions in your linked account. The searches and claims in this guide are steps you take yourself on official sites.

Frequently asked questions

Unclaimed money FAQ

Is it free to search for unclaimed money?

Yes, on official sites. NAUPA, the association of state unclaimed property administrators, says searching is free on your state's official unclaimed property website, and the FTC says every state has a free search process. Start at unclaimed.org/search to find your state's office.

Do I have to pay a fee to claim unclaimed property?

Not when you claim directly from the state. California, for example, says there is no fee to claim property from its State Controller's Office. Private locator services may offer to file for you in exchange for a finder's fee, but you can claim on your own through the official state site.

Is there one website that searches every state?

No. USA.gov says there is no single place to look for all unclaimed money. MissingMoney.com, sponsored by NAUPA, searches the states that participate, which NAUPA says is most of them. Also check each state's own site, and the federal databases for things like pensions, unpaid wages and tax refunds.

Can I claim unclaimed money for a relative who died?

Possibly. USA.gov says you may be able to claim money that was owed to a deceased relative if you are their legal heir. The state's claim process will ask for proof, so check the requirements on the official site.

How do I know if a class action settlement is real?

A court has to approve a class settlement, and the notice to class members must explain the case, who is in the class, how to opt out and what happens if you stay in. Find the official settlement website and administrator yourself instead of clicking links in an unexpected email, and never pay a fee to receive settlement money.

Do I need to file a claim to get an FTC refund?

Usually not. The FTC says most of its cases do not require a claim because the company has to hand over a customer list. When a claim is needed, details are posted at ftc.gov/refunds. The FTC never asks for upfront fees, your Social Security number or bank account information.

Is a text about unclaimed property a scam?

Treat it as one. The FTC says state unclaimed property programs will not text you alerts, and that urgency, a specific dollar amount or a request for a processing fee are signs of a scam. Do not click the link. Search your state's official .gov site yourself.

Sources

Put this guide to work

Build your private money-leak audit.

Estimate the subscriptions, duplicate charges, missing refunds, fees, renewals, and bill increases worth investigating, without uploading a statement.

Use the Money Leak Finder