Missouri Unclaimed Property: How to Search and Claim (Free)
Held by the state
Average claim
Cost to claim
Missouri is holding about $1.5 billion in unclaimed property as of July 2026. You can search your name and claim it for free at ShowMeMoney (treasurer.mo.gov), the official Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division site. A simple claim in your own name takes about 10 minutes and costs nothing.
How to search Missouri’s unclaimed property for free
The only site you need is ShowMeMoney (treasurer.mo.gov), run by the Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free, and so is filing your claim. You never pay the state to get your own money, and you never need to hand over money to see what is waiting for you.
Search your last name first, then try maiden names, nicknames, and any business you owned. Missouri lists property under old mailing addresses, so search broadly and check every result that could be you before you file.
The Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division
Missouri’s unclaimed property is held by the Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division. When a bank, employer, or insurer loses touch with you for the state’s dormancy period, it must turn your money over to this office, which then holds it for you to claim.
Missouri's Unclaimed Property Division is run by the State Treasurer's Office, which holds more than $1.5 billion — about one in ten Missourians has money waiting. The official search is at treasurer.mo.gov, sometimes branded 'ShowMeMoney,' and the average claim is around $300. The Treasurer also runs a proactive 'Missouri Mission: Money' auto-return program that mails checks to owners it can verify without a claim. There is no deadline; the state holds your property until you claim it.
What’s specific to Missouri
- The program is run by the Missouri State Treasurer's Office; the search lives at treasurer.mo.gov.
- The Treasurer holds over $1.5 billion — roughly one in ten Missourians is owed money.
- An auto-return program mails checks to owners the office can verify without them filing a claim.
- Finder agreements are void for the first 12 months, then capped on a sliding scale from 10% up to 20%.
How to claim in Missouri
You can do this yourself in about 10 minutes, free. Here is exactly how, step by step.
Search treasurer.mo.gov
Go to the Missouri State Treasurer's unclaimed property search at treasurer.mo.gov and search your last name. Try maiden names and any Missouri business you owned. Searching is free.
Add each match to your claim
Open every result that could be you and add it. Missouri lists property under old addresses, so check each place you have lived.
Verify your identity
Provide your address and Social Security number so the Treasurer's office can match you to the property. You never pay to claim.
Submit your documents
Upload a government ID and any proof the site lists. Estate and business claims may require notarized paperwork.
Receive payment
The Treasurer reviews the claim and mails a check — often around the $300 average. Simple cash claims are the fastest to pay.
Claiming for a deceased relative in Missouri
You can claim property that belonged to a relative who died, but Missouri will ask for more than a simple claim needs. Expect to provide a certified death certificate and proof that you are entitled to the estate — a will, letters testamentary, or a small-estate affidavit, depending on the amount.
Here’s the honest part: heir claims take longer than claims in your own name, sometimes several months, because the state verifies the chain of inheritance. If several heirs exist, each may need to sign. Our guide on claiming unclaimed money from deceased relatives walks through exactly which documents Missouri accepts.
Dormancy periods in Missouri
“Dormancy” is how long an account can sit untouched before the holder must report it to the state. It varies by property type:
| Property type | Dormancy period |
|---|---|
| Uncashed paychecks / wages | 1 year |
| Bank accounts (checking/savings) | 5 years |
| Utility deposits | 1 year |
| Insurance proceeds | 3 years |
| Stocks / securities | 3 years |
| Money orders | 7 years |
Missouri finder-fee cap
You do not need a finder. A finder is a company that offers to recover your money for a cut. Their letters are not a scam, but they are unnecessary — the same claim is free if you file it yourself.
Missouri does not set a flat percentage cap on finder fees. Instead, under Mo. Rev. Stat. §447.581; 15 CSR 50-3.090, a finder agreement is void for the first 12 months after property is reported; after that fees are capped on a sliding scale — 10% if the property has been held under 24 months, 15% under 36 months, and up to 20% beyond that. Either way, the same claim is free if you file it yourself.
Missouri unclaimed property: common questions
Yes. The unclaimed property search at treasurer.mo.gov is run by the Missouri State Treasurer's Office. Searching and claiming are free. If a site asks you to pay a fee just to see your money, it is not the state.
Straightforward cash claims are usually paid within a few weeks to a couple of months after the Treasurer's office confirms your identity. Claims for securities or a deceased owner take longer because more documents are reviewed.
Yes. 'Found money' is unclaimed property — old paychecks, deposits, and refunds the State Treasurer is holding for you, with the average claim around $300. You can search and claim it yourself for free at treasurer.mo.gov, with no finder and no fee.
Under Mo. Rev. Stat. §447.581 and 15 CSR 50-3.090, a finder agreement is void for the first 12 months, then capped on a sliding scale — 10% under 24 months, 15% under 36 months, up to 20% after. You never need a finder; the same claim is free at treasurer.mo.gov.
Yes, as an heir. There is no deadline in Missouri. You will provide a death certificate and proof you are entitled to the estate. See our guide on claiming for a deceased relative.
Unclaimed property in nearby states
See all state guides, or read how to find unclaimed money in your name for free across every state and federal source.