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Missouri Unclaimed Property: How to Search & Claim Your Money (2026)

By Recording Law Editorial TeamReviewed September 3, 20268 min read
Missouri Unclaimed Property: How to Search & Claim Your Money (2026)

The Missouri State Treasurer's Office is holding more than $1.5 billion in unclaimed money and property across millions of accounts, and roughly 1 in 10 Missourians has some of it sitting unclaimed with an average return near $300. It ranges from ordinary things, like a forgotten bank account or an uncashed paycheck, to safe deposit box contents such as jewelry, family heirlooms, and military medals. Here is how Missouri's unclaimed property program works, and how to search for your name and file a claim for free.

Information last verified on 2026-07-15. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How Missouri's Unclaimed Property Program Works

When a bank, employer, insurer, retailer, utility, or government agency owes you money and cannot reach you for long enough, Missouri law requires it to stop holding the funds itself. After making an effort to locate you, the holder must report and turn the property over to the Missouri State Treasurer's Office rather than keep it, a process known as escheatment. The Treasurer's Office describes itself as holding this property in trust, not taking ownership of it, and there is no deadline for you or your heirs to come forward and claim it back.

Missouri's program covers a wide range of property types: dormant bank and credit union accounts, uncashed payroll and government checks, unclaimed insurance proceeds, unredeemed stocks and bonds, utility deposits, and the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.

How to Search for Your Missouri Unclaimed Property

The fastest way to check is the Treasurer's own branded portal, ShowMeMoney.com. Despite the catchy name, this is the Missouri State Treasurer's official database, not a commercial finder service, and it is free to search 24 hours a day. Search under every name you have used, including a maiden name or a former business name, and check any other state where you have lived, worked, or banked, since property is reported to the state tied to your address at the time of the report. For a broader look at how unclaimed property works nationwide, and how to check several states at once, see Unclaimed Money & Property by State.

How to File a Claim

Filing directly with the Treasurer's Office costs nothing. The office states that claims processing is a public service provided by the Missouri State Treasurer at no cost to the owner. More than half of all claimants can complete the entire process online through ShowMeMoney.com without mailing anything in. The claim form itself lists the documentation needed to establish rightful ownership, which commonly includes a government-issued photo ID and a document tying your name to the address on the unclaimed property record; larger or estate-related claims typically require more, such as a notarized signature or a death certificate. You can track a submitted claim's status through the "Track Your Claim" tool on the Treasurer's site.

a certified-mail envelope with a green return-receipt card clipped to it, resting on a wooden desk

Missouri's Dormancy Period, Explained

Missouri generally sets its dormancy period, the length of time a bank or business must wait with no owner contact before reporting property to the state, at five years. Once that period passes and the holder's search for the owner fails, the property is reported and remitted to the Treasurer's Office, where it remains available for you to claim with no deadline.

Safe Deposit Boxes, Auctions, and Military Medals

When a safe deposit box goes unpaid, the bank can end the lease and remove the contents, but drilling the box open does not send those contents to the state. Under RSMo 447.505(4), read with the five-year period set by RSMo 447.536, property removed from a safe deposit box is presumed abandoned only after it has gone unclaimed for five years measured from the date the lease or rental period expired. During those five years the bank still holds the contents, so if your box was drilled recently, the place to ask is the bank and not the Treasurer. Once the five years run, the holder reports and remits the contents, and from that point they are handled the same way a dormant checking account would be. The Treasurer's Office receives the contents of roughly 1,000 abandoned safe deposit boxes a year, and periodically auctions non-cash items like jewelry and collectibles that go unclaimed. The proceeds of any auction remain claimable by the rightful owner just like cash would be.

One category is treated differently, and by statute rather than by office policy. Military medals and insignia found in safe deposit boxes are never sold at auction. RSMo 447.559 directs that the Treasurer "shall hold and maintain such military medals until the original owner or such owner's respective heirs or beneficiaries can be identified and the military medal returned," authorizes the office to publish identifying information so owners can be found, and makes any agreement to pay compensation for recovering military medals unenforceable. The Treasurer's Office keeps them and maintains a public list at Treasurer.mo.gov/Military, hoping to reunite Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, and other service medals with the veterans who earned them or their families. The office notes that the name attached to a medal in its records is not always the actual recipient, so it is worth checking the list even if your exact name is not on it.

Tip: You can register for free email alerts through ShowMeMoney.com so the Treasurer's Office notifies you automatically if new unclaimed property is ever reported under your name in the future, instead of you having to remember to check back.

Avoiding Unclaimed Money Scams

Two different things get lumped together here. "Finder" or "asset recovery" services exist and are generally legal, searching for and filing a claim on your behalf for a cut of the money. They are not scams, but they are never necessary, since Missouri's own search and claim process is completely free and the Treasurer's Office will help you directly at no cost.

Missouri also limits what a finder can charge you and when. Under RSMo 447.581, any agreement to pay compensation for recovering property is unenforceable if it was made within twelve months after the property was paid or delivered to the Treasurer. After that, the agreement is invalid if the compensation is greater than 10 percent between twelve and twenty-four months, greater than 15 percent between twenty-four and thirty-six months, or greater than 20 percent after thirty-six months. Anyone who agrees to recover property for you for compensation must register with the Treasurer before submitting a claim, and a claim filed by an unregistered representative is invalid. RSMo 447.562 requires the claim form itself to carry the warning that a person who assists in recovering property for a fee without being registered with the State Treasurer is subject to penalties. Note that this is registration with the Treasurer, not a professional license, so asking a finder whether they are "licensed" is the wrong question. Ask whether they are registered, when the property reached the Treasurer, and what percentage they want.

a closed umbrella and a single house key resting on a side table beside a stack of old unopened mail

Outright fraud is different. The Federal Trade Commission has warned about unsolicited calls, texts, and emails claiming you have unclaimed funds waiting and pressuring you to act quickly. Red flags include being asked to pay an upfront "processing" or "release" fee, being asked for sensitive personal information out of the blue, or being told your claim expires soon. No legitimate Missouri agency asks for payment before releasing money that already belongs to you. Report suspected scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about how Missouri's unclaimed property program works as of the verification date above. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Program rules, dormancy periods, and processing details change over time, so verify current information directly with the Missouri State Treasurer's Office before relying on any figure here.

a desk calculator and a short stack of coins beside a printed dollar-amount table, digits softly blurred

Last updated: 2026-07-15.

More Missouri Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to search for and claim unclaimed property in Missouri?

Yes. The Missouri State Treasurer's Office states that it never charges to return unclaimed property, and claims processing is provided as a public service at no cost to the owner.

What is ShowMeMoney.com?

ShowMeMoney.com is the Missouri State Treasurer's own branded search portal for unclaimed property. It is an official state site, not a third-party finder service, and more than half of claimants can complete a claim entirely online there.

How long does a Missouri claim take to process?

The Treasurer's Office does not publish a fixed processing timeline and says it aims to return property as quickly as possible. You can check the status of a submitted claim using the Track Your Claim tool on the Treasurer's site.

What documents do I need to file a claim?

At minimum, expect to provide a government-issued photo ID and a document connecting your name to the address on the unclaimed property record. Larger or estate-related claims typically require additional documentation, such as a notarized signature or a death certificate.

What happens to unclaimed safe deposit box contents in Missouri?

Not what many people assume. Drilling the box does not hand the contents to the state. Under RSMo 447.505(4) and RSMo 447.536, contents removed from a box are presumed abandoned five years after the lease or rental period expired, and the bank holds them in the meantime. Once they are remitted to the Treasurer, non-cash items like jewelry are periodically auctioned, with the proceeds still claimable by the rightful owner, while military medals and insignia are never sold and are instead held and listed publicly under RSMo 447.559 so they can be reunited with veterans or their families.

Is there a deadline to claim my property in Missouri?

No. Missouri holds unclaimed property in trust with no filing deadline, so you or your heirs can generally search and claim it at any time.

Is it a scam if someone contacts me offering to find unclaimed money for a fee?

Not necessarily, but Missouri regulates these agreements closely. Under RSMo 447.581, a fee agreement made within twelve months after the property reached the Treasurer is unenforceable, and a later one is invalid if the fee exceeds 10 percent (twelve to twenty-four months), 15 percent (twenty-four to thirty-six months) or 20 percent (over thirty-six months). The recoverer must also register with the Treasurer before submitting a claim, and a claim filed by an unregistered representative is invalid. It becomes an outright scam if you are asked to pay an upfront fee before any money is found, or if the contact impersonates a government agency and pressures you with a false deadline. Either way you never need a finder, because claiming directly is free.

Updates

Corrected when safe deposit box contents actually reach the state (five years after the lease expired under RSMo 447.505 and 447.536, not when the bank drills the box), added Missouri's statutory limits on finder fees and its registration requirement under RSMo 447.581, and cited RSMo 447.559 for the military medal protections.

Sources and References

  1. Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property(treasurer.mo.gov).gov
  2. Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Frequently Asked Questions(treasurer.mo.gov).gov
  3. Missouri State Treasurer's Office, About Unclaimed Property(treasurer.mo.gov).gov
  4. Missouri State Treasurer's Office, Military Medals & Insignia(treasurer.mo.gov).gov
  5. FTC Consumer Advice, How to handle unexpected calls about unclaimed funds(consumer.ftc.gov).gov
  6. SEC Investor.gov, Escheatment (Financial Institutions) glossary entry(investor.gov).gov
  7. RSMo 447.505, Property presumed abandoned, when (Missouri Revisor of Statutes)(revisor.mo.gov)
  8. RSMo 447.536, Abandonment periods changed from seven to five years(revisor.mo.gov)
  9. RSMo 447.581, Agreements to locate reported property, enforceability and fee limits(revisor.mo.gov)
  10. RSMo 447.559, Sale of abandoned property and treatment of military medals(revisor.mo.gov)
  11. RSMo 447.562, Claim form requirements including the unregistered-representative warning(revisor.mo.gov)
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