Find Minnesota Unclaimed Money

Minnesota unclaimed money is held by the Department of Commerce until the rightful owner or their heirs come forward to claim it. If you have lived or worked in the state, there may be funds waiting for you in the database. The official search portal lets you look by name or business name at no cost. Filing a claim is free. The state holds property with no expiration date, so it is never too late to search for Minnesota unclaimed money you may be owed.

What Is Minnesota Unclaimed Money

Unclaimed money in Minnesota refers to financial assets that businesses and organizations have turned over to the state after losing contact with the owner for a set period of time. Banks, insurance companies, utilities, credit unions, and many other types of businesses must review their records each year and make reasonable efforts to reach account holders before reporting property as abandoned. When those efforts fail, the funds go to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which holds the money as custodian until the rightful owner steps forward. The Department receives millions of dollars each year through this process and actively works to reunite people with money that belongs to them.

Property held by the state never expires. There is no deadline to claim what belongs to you.

The state makes the search completely free. There is no cost to look up your name in the database, and there is no fee to file a claim. Once your claim is approved, you receive your money or property at no charge. Heirs can also claim property belonging to a deceased family member, provided they can show their legal authority to do so. The Minnesota Department of Commerce safeguards all unclaimed funds until they are claimed, and the database grows each year as new property is reported by holders across the state. Many people are surprised to find old bank accounts, insurance refunds, stock dividends, or utility deposits sitting in the system from years or even decades ago.

The official search portal is at minnesota.findyourunclaimedproperty.com. This is the place to start.

The official state search portal lets you find unclaimed money by entering your name or a business name, then guides you through starting a claim online.

How to Search for Minnesota Unclaimed Money

Searching the Minnesota unclaimed property database takes just a few minutes. Go to minnesota.findyourunclaimedproperty.com and type your full legal name into the search box. The system will pull up any records that match. Look at each result carefully. Property descriptions show the type of asset and the approximate value. If you see something that looks like it could be yours, click on it to start the claim process right from that page. Try variations of your name, including maiden names, former names, or names where your first and middle names may have been switched. Check business names too, if you have owned or operated a company in Minnesota at any point.

The Department of Commerce provides an overview of how unclaimed property works, including what qualifies, how dormancy periods are applied, and what owners can expect when they file a claim.

You can also run a multi-state search through MissingMoney.com. This site is the official national unclaimed property database, endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators and the National Association of State Treasurers. Most states participate, including Minnesota. If you have lived in more than one state, this is an efficient way to check several databases at once without going to each state website separately. The site links directly to official state portals so you can file any claim you find.

Do not pay anyone to find unclaimed property for you. The search is free. Finder services that charge a fee offer no advantage over what you can do yourself on the state website in a few minutes.

How to Claim Minnesota Unclaimed Property

Claiming unclaimed money in Minnesota involves four steps. First, search the database at the state portal and find property that matches your information. Second, select that property and submit a claim through the online form. Third, complete your claim by uploading or mailing the required documents. Fourth, track the status of your claim using the Claim ID the system assigns when you submit. The Department of Commerce staff will review your claim. Allow about 90 days for processing from the date you submit. If 90 days pass and you have not heard back, call 651-539-1545. Residents outside the Twin Cities metro can call the toll-free number at 1-800-925-5668.

The claim submission page at the official portal walks you through each step, generates a unique Claim ID upon submission, and lets you track progress at any time.

Required documents vary by claim type and property value. For most standard claims, a government-issued photo ID is sufficient. Claims on behalf of a deceased owner require a death certificate and legal proof of your authority to act on the estate, such as letters testamentary or a small estate affidavit. Business claims require documentation that you are authorized to receive funds on behalf of the company. Once you have your documents ready, you can upload them through the secure portal or mail them to: Minnesota Commerce Department, 85 7th Place East, Suite 280, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101. You can also email questions to the program at unclaimed.property@state.mn.us before submitting if you are unsure what to include.

The state holds property indefinitely. Even if it has been in the system for 20 years, you can still claim it.

Types of Unclaimed Property in Minnesota

The most common types of Minnesota unclaimed money are dormant bank accounts and uncashed checks. Insurance benefits that were never paid out make up another large category, along with stock dividends and shares in businesses where the owner's address became outdated. Utility deposits, credit balances from retailers, and customer refunds that were issued but never cashed also show up regularly in the database. Safe deposit box contents are the one form of tangible property that holders turn over to the state. Everything else is a financial asset held in trust by the Department of Commerce until claimed.

How long property sits with a business before being reported depends on the type. Most financial assets, including bank accounts, cashier's checks, money orders, and securities, carry a three-year dormancy period under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 345. That means if a bank has had no contact with an account owner for three years, the funds are presumed abandoned and must be reported to the Commerce Department. Utility deposits also carry a three-year period. Safe deposit box contents have a five-year dormancy period before the box contents are inventoried and turned over. Holders must make a genuine effort to reach the owner before reporting. If the property value is $100 or more, the business must send a written notice to the last known address at least 120 days before the November 1 annual reporting deadline. Life insurance companies report by October 1. There is no minimum dollar amount. Even a $5 balance must be reported once the dormancy period passes.

Minnesota Statutes Chapter 345 contains the full Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, which sets dormancy periods, reporting requirements, and the claim process for all types of abandoned property in Minnesota.

Minnesota updated its unclaimed property law in 2019 to require that interest and increments on interest-bearing property be paid to the owner when a valid claim is approved. So if an account earned interest while sitting in the system, you may be entitled to more than the original balance.

Minnesota Unclaimed Property Law

The law governing unclaimed money in Minnesota is the Uniform Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, found at Minnesota Statutes Chapter 345. This law defines what property qualifies as abandoned, who must report it, when reports are due, how owners file claims, and what happens to businesses that fail to comply. Section 345.31 provides the core definitions, including what constitutes a holder, an owner, and an apparent owner. Sections 345.32 through 345.39 cover specific property types and their dormancy periods. Section 345.49 governs the claim filing process and what the commissioner must do with submitted claims.

Section 345.41 spells out the annual reporting requirements for all holders of unclaimed property in Minnesota, including what information must appear in each verified report filed with the Commissioner.

Under Minnesota Statute 345.41, every person or business holding abandoned funds must file a verified annual report with the Commerce Commissioner before November 1. Life insurance companies face an October 1 deadline. Each report must include the owner's name and last known address for any property worth $100 or more. Items under $100 can be reported as an aggregate total by property type. The report must also note whether the property is interest-bearing and the rate it earns. Holders who have no unclaimed property to report must still file a negative report to confirm they reviewed their records. Electronic reporting is required for holders submitting 10 or more properties.

Penalties for failing to comply are serious. Minnesota Statute 345.55 makes willful failure to file a required report a misdemeanor. Willfully refusing to pay or deliver unclaimed property to the commissioner is a gross misdemeanor. On top of criminal charges, any holder who fails to deliver property after a written demand from the commissioner owes interest at 12 percent per year from the date of the demand. Both civil and criminal penalties can apply at the same time.

The penalties statute enforces compliance by imposing criminal charges and a 12 percent annual interest rate on unclaimed property that is not properly delivered to the state after a written demand.

National Unclaimed Property Search Resources

MissingMoney.com is the official national unclaimed property search database. It is endorsed by NAUPA, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, and by the National Association of State Treasurers. Most states participate, and Minnesota is included. According to recent data, over $3 billion in paid claims were processed across all states in a single year. About 95 percent of those claims were filed online through state websites. Statistics suggest that 1 in 7 people have unclaimed property sitting in a state database right now. The average claim value runs around $2,080. Multi-state searching through this site can save you time if you have lived in more than one state during your lifetime.

MissingMoney.com provides a single search interface that checks multiple state databases at once and links directly to official state portals so you can file any claim you find.

NAUPA, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, represents unclaimed property programs from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, several Canadian provinces, and Kenya. The FY24 Annual Report shows that member states returned $4.5 billion to rightful owners in a single year. About 1 in 10 Americans has unclaimed property waiting somewhere in the national system. Every year on February 1, National Unclaimed Property Day serves as a reminder to check your state's database. The NAUPA Minnesota profile lists direct contact information for the Department of Commerce, including the phone number and mailing address for the Unclaimed Property Division.

NAUPA facilitates collaboration across all 50 state unclaimed property programs and provides education resources for both consumers and businesses navigating the system.

The Minnesota Office of the State Auditor also publishes guidance on unclaimed property, with particular focus on how local governments can search the state database for funds that may belong to them. The guidance explains how to type an organization or local government name into the search box to find any accounts or assets that were reported under that name.

Federal Unclaimed Money in Minnesota

The state database covers property reported by Minnesota businesses, but there is a separate federal source worth checking. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota holds unclaimed funds from bankruptcy cases. These funds typically arise when a trustee distributes dividends to creditors but the creditor never collects, often because an address on file was wrong or outdated. If you believe you may be owed money from a bankruptcy proceeding in Minnesota, you can search the U.S. Bankruptcy Unclaimed Funds Locator, which is a national database covering all federal bankruptcy courts. To file a claim with the Minnesota court, you need a government-issued photo ID and must show proof that you notified the U.S. Attorney. Email inquiries go to MNB_Unclaimed_Funds@mnb.uscourts.gov. The court requires original signatures on all documents and will not accept anything that appears altered.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota holds unclaimed distributions from bankruptcy cases and accepts claims from creditors whose contact information was out of date at the time of distribution.

Browse Minnesota Unclaimed Money by County

All 87 Minnesota counties are covered by the state unclaimed property system. Select a county below to find local resources and information on how to search and claim unclaimed money as a resident of that area.

View All 87 Minnesota Counties

Minnesota Unclaimed Money by City

Residents of major Minnesota cities can search the state unclaimed property database for funds tied to their name or address. Select a city below for local resources and information.

View Major Minnesota Cities