Billions of dollars — and billions more in crypto — are sitting in government databases, forgotten accounts, and bankrupt exchanges — unclaimed, waiting, and legally yours to collect. An estimated 1 in 7 Americans has unclaimed money in a state database right now. The average claim is $2,080. And most people never check.
This guide covers every major category of unclaimed money worldwide — what it is, how much is out there, who typically has it, and exactly how to search for free. We'll also explain how to check all of these in a single search at the end.
Don't have time to read the whole list?
cryptoandmoneysearch.com checks all of these at once — free, no signup, 60 seconds.
Start Free Search →1. Your Lost Superannuation (Australia)
Every time an Australian changes jobs, there's a chance a superannuation account gets left behind. When an employer sets up a default super account for a new employee and the employee doesn't nominate their own fund, a new account is created — often without the employee realising. Change jobs enough times and you could have five or six super accounts spread across different funds, each quietly losing money to fees.
The ATO is currently holding over A$18.9 billion in lost and unclaimed super across 7.3 million accounts. "Lost" means the super fund has lost contact with you. "Unclaimed" means the ATO itself is holding it after the fund transferred it. Either way, it's yours.
Who typically has lost super? Casual and part-time workers, anyone who's changed jobs more than twice, people who moved interstate or emigrated, anyone who worked under a slightly different name (maiden name vs married name), and younger workers who had jobs before they were 25 and didn't pay attention to super paperwork.
How to find it: Log in to myGov and link your ATO account. The ATO will show all super accounts registered under your Tax File Number, including lost accounts and any amounts held directly by the ATO. You can then consolidate everything into a single active fund. The process takes about 10 minutes and is completely free. Search our Australia unclaimed money page for a full step-by-step guide.
2. Unclaimed State Property (USA)
Every US state runs an unclaimed property programme. When a bank account, savings account, brokerage account, gift card, insurance payout, utility deposit, or other financial asset sits inactive for 3–5 years without any owner contact, the holder is legally required to transfer it to the state government. The state holds it indefinitely — no deadline, no fees — until the rightful owner claims it.
New York alone holds over $18 billion. California holds $15 billion. Texas $11 billion. These are not small amounts — they include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance payouts, pension checks, and court settlements that were never collected.
Who typically has unclaimed state property? People who moved states for college or work and left behind a checking account. Anyone who had a security deposit from an old apartment that was never returned. Children who had custodial savings accounts set up by grandparents. People who had employer pension or profit-sharing payments that were issued by cheque and never cashed. Beneficiaries of life insurance policies where the insurer couldn't locate the estate.
How to search: MissingMoney.com searches most states simultaneously. Each state also has its own portal — California uses claimit.ca.gov, New York uses ouf.osc.state.ny.us, Texas uses claimittexas.org. Or use the US unclaimed money page which links all 50 state portals in one place. Search your full legal name, any previous names, and past addresses.
3. Forgotten UK Pensions and Bank Accounts
The average person in the UK changes jobs 11 times over their career. Each job change creates an opportunity for a pension account to get left behind — especially defined contribution workplace pensions where the pot stays with the old provider unless you actively move it.
Beyond pensions, the UK's MyLostAccount service searches for dormant current accounts, savings accounts, and NS&I Premium Bonds across 70+ providers including all major banks and building societies. HMRC also holds unclaimed tax refunds — particularly for people who were on PAYE employment and left the UK without claiming their end-of-year rebate.
Who typically has forgotten UK accounts? Anyone who worked in the UK for even a short period — especially on short-term contracts or in hospitality, retail, or healthcare. Expats who moved abroad and didn't consolidate UK finances before leaving. People who had an ISA or savings bond that matured and was never rolled over. Premium Bond holders who moved and didn't update their address with NS&I.
How to search: Use the government's Pension Tracing Service (gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details) for workplace pensions, MyLostAccount.org.uk for bank accounts, and HMRC's online account for tax refunds. Our UK unclaimed money guide walks through each step.
4. Crypto Airdrops You Never Collected
Blockchain protocols regularly distribute free tokens to eligible wallet addresses as a way to bootstrap user bases, reward early adopters, or compensate users after a protocol fork or upgrade. These distributions — called airdrops — happen with little or no advance notice, and uncollected tokens don't expire in most cases. They just sit in the smart contract waiting to be claimed.
Some of the largest airdrops in history went mostly unclaimed. The Uniswap UNI airdrop in 2020 gave 400 UNI tokens (worth over $17,000 at peak) to every wallet that had ever used the protocol — but many early DeFi users had moved wallets and missed it. ENS distributed governance tokens to every .eth domain holder in 2021. Arbitrum airdropped ARB tokens to Ethereum Layer 2 users in 2023. Countless smaller protocols have done the same.
Who typically has uncollected airdrops? Anyone who used DeFi protocols before 2022, early Ethereum users, people who held NFTs or participated in early DAO governance, anyone with a .eth domain name, or anyone who used Layer 2 networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, or zkSync before their token launches.
How to check: Connect your wallet address to a reputable airdrop checker. Our crypto airdrops page lists the major active claim portals and explains how to check safely without connecting your private key anywhere.
5. FTX, Celsius, and Other Bankrupt Exchange Claims
Nine major cryptocurrency exchanges collapsed between 2022 and 2024, leaving millions of creditors with frozen funds. What surprised most people: the bankruptcy process actually recovered significant assets, and payouts are happening — often at 100% or more of the original dollar value of the claim.
- FTX — $16B+ recovered; $11B+ distributed across 5 rounds, with the 5th distribution of ~$900M paying out on July 31, 2026. The next distribution is expected around January 2027. Creditors need to be registered on the Kroll portal with KYC and a payout provider (BitGo, Kraken, or Payoneer) linked.
- Celsius Network — ~$3B owed to creditors; roughly $2.5B repaid so far via the Stretto portal. Distributions ongoing through 2026.
- Mt. Gox — ~$9B in Bitcoin being returned to creditors who filed claims before 2024. Distributions via Kraken and Bitstamp, ongoing.
- BlockFi — $1.2B+ owed; claims portal active via Kroll.
- Voyager Digital — $1B+ repaid to creditors; remaining distributions via direct ACH or cheque.
- Genesis — $4B distributed to creditors in 2024.
- Bittrex — 100% in-kind recovery for US customers.
Who should check? Anyone who had an account on any of these platforms at the time of collapse, including accounts they hadn't logged into in months. Even small balances qualify for a claim. Check your old email for account confirmation emails — that's often the fastest way to verify whether you had a balance. Our crypto claims hub links to each official portal.
6. Dormant Bank Accounts in 35+ Countries
Unclaimed money isn't just a US and Australian phenomenon. Most developed countries have statutory unclaimed property programmes — and they're searchable for free.
Canada: The Bank of Canada holds over $1.3 billion in unclaimed bank balances. Accounts dormant for 10+ years with balances over $1,000 are reported to the Bank of Canada. Search at bankofcanada.ca/unclaimed-balances.
New Zealand: The Inland Revenue holds unclaimed money from bank accounts, insurance policies, and investments dormant for 6+ years. Searchable at ird.govt.nz.
Singapore: The Monetary Authority of Singapore holds unclaimed monies from banks and finance companies. Search at mas.gov.sg/regulation/unclaimed-monies.
Germany: Dormant accounts are held by the respective banks indefinitely — Germany has no centralised register, but individual banks are required to respond to inquiries. The Bundesbank provides guidance at bundesbank.de.
Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and others all have their own registers. Our country page index covers 37 countries with direct links to each official search portal.
The pattern that creates international unclaimed funds: someone lived or worked abroad temporarily, opened a local bank account, and then returned home — leaving behind a small balance that grew dormant. Or a relative died leaving assets in a foreign account that the family didn't know about.
7. Accounts in a Deceased Relative's Name
When someone passes away without a will — or with a will that didn't capture all their assets — bank accounts, investment accounts, insurance policies, and pension benefits can sit unclaimed indefinitely. Banks don't automatically close accounts when someone dies. Insurance companies don't automatically pay out death benefits if the beneficiary doesn't file a claim. These assets simply become dormant, and eventually transfer to the state as unclaimed property.
In most countries, legitimate heirs can claim these assets years or even decades after the death — with the right documentation. The typical requirements are a certified death certificate, proof of your relationship to the deceased (birth certificate, marriage certificate), and a copy of the will or letters of administration if the estate went through probate. For smaller accounts, many US states have simplified "small estate" affidavit procedures that bypass probate entirely.
Who should look? Anyone who had a parent, grandparent, spouse, or close relative pass away in the last 20+ years and the estate wasn't thoroughly audited at the time. Estates handled quickly or informally often miss accounts. Life insurance policies taken out decades ago may have been forgotten. Old pension accounts from early careers, particularly from employers that have since been sold or restructured, frequently turn up as unclaimed property.
How to search: Search the deceased's full legal name (including maiden name if applicable) in every state they lived in, plus any countries they spent significant time in. Our guide to claiming a deceased relative's unclaimed money covers the process in detail for the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
How to Check All 7 at Once
Doing this manually means visiting 40+ separate government websites, logging into old exchange accounts, connecting wallets to airdrop checkers, and running name searches in a dozen different countries. Most people start the process and give up after the third website.
CryptoAndMoneySearch.com aggregates all of these searches into a single free tool. Enter your name and it simultaneously queries US state databases (via NAUPA and MissingMoney), Australian super and ATO registers, UK unclaimed account databases, Canadian Bank of Canada balances, Singapore MAS, and the claims portals for all 9 major failed cryptocurrency exchanges. No account required. No data stored. Results in under 2 minutes.
Search everything at once — free
40+ government databases · 35+ countries · 9 failed crypto exchanges · No signup
Start Free Search →Frequently Asked Questions
Is it free to search for unclaimed money?
Yes — every government unclaimed property database is free to search. Any service that charges you to search is unnecessary. The only cost involved in claiming is sometimes getting certified copies of documents (death certificates, etc.) if you're claiming on behalf of a deceased person.
How long does it take to claim unclaimed money?
In the US, most state claims take 60–90 days once you submit documentation. Simple claims with clear documentation can be approved faster. Complex claims involving deceased estates or large amounts may take 6+ months. Australian super consolidation is typically processed in 3 business days.
Can someone else claim my unclaimed money?
Not easily. Government unclaimed property programmes require identity verification — typically a government-issued ID and proof of your connection to the property (address history, last 4 digits of SSN, etc.). Scammers claiming to "find" your unclaimed money for a fee are almost always unnecessary — you can find and claim it yourself for free.
What if I find money under a deceased person's name?
You can claim it as an heir with proper documentation. You don't need a lawyer for most claims under $10,000–$25,000 (the threshold varies by state). Above that amount, you may need letters testamentary from probate court. Many states have simplified affidavit procedures for small estates that bypass probate entirely.
Do crypto bankruptcy claims expire?
The deadline to file a claim has passed for most exchanges — FTX's claim filing deadline was September 29, 2023; Celsius's was November 2022. However, if you filed a claim before the deadline, you are already registered as a creditor and will receive distributions as long as you keep your contact and payout details current in the relevant claim portal.