Unclaimed Money in Alaska: What You Need to Know
Alaska law requires banks, oil companies, fishing employers, and insurance firms to remit dormant accounts to the Department of Revenue after 5 years of inactivity. The department holds property indefinitely — no deadline, no fee. Alaska has two separate systems to search: the standard unclaimed property database (below) and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) program, which issues annual dividends to Alaska residents who may have uncollected prior-year payments.
Why Alaska Has So Much Unclaimed Property
Alaska's oil industry — dominated by BP (before its 2015 Alaska exit, now Hilcorp), ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil on the North Slope — employs thousands of workers on rotating shift schedules from multiple states. Alaska's unique North Slope oil work culture, with 14-day-on/14-day-off schedules, means many workers maintain primary addresses in Texas, Louisiana, or other home states while receiving Alaska payroll and per diems. When these workers change employers, retire, or pass away, payment addresses at their home states may be outdated and Alaska-specific accounts go dormant.
Alaska's commercial fishing industry — the largest wild-capture fishery in the United States — employs thousands of seasonal workers from across the country and from abroad. Filipino, Mexican, and other international fishing vessel crews working in Alaska's Bristol Bay, Southeast Alaska, and Bering Sea fisheries receive payroll that sometimes goes unclaimed when workers return to their home countries. Alaska's large military population at Fort Wainwright, Eielson AFB, and Elmendorf-Richardson adds additional rotating-service-member accounts to the unclaimed property fund.
What Types of Property Are Unclaimed?
Dormant bank accounts
Uncashed payroll & dividend checks
Stocks, bonds & mutual funds
Safe deposit box contents
Life insurance proceeds
Utility deposits & court deposits
Official Databases to Search
revenue.alaska.gov/Treasury/UnclaimedProperty — Alaska Unclaimed Property
The official Alaska unclaimed property database managed by the Alaska Department of Revenue. Search by name or business for accounts dormant 5 years or more.
MissingMoney.com
NAUPA's multi-state search portal. Often returns Alaska results alongside other states you've lived in — useful if you've moved around.
Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD)
Alaska's PFD pays annual dividends to qualifying residents. If you lived in Alaska and missed applying in prior years, you may be owed uncollected PFD payments. This is a SEPARATE program from unclaimed property — search at pfd.alaska.gov.
Alaska pays an annual dividend to qualified residents from the Alaska Permanent Fund. If you lived in Alaska and did not apply for the PFD in prior years, you may be owed uncollected dividends. The PFD is administered separately from the unclaimed property database — search at pfd.alaska.gov. You can apply for PFD payments from prior years if you were eligible but did not receive them.
How to Claim Unclaimed Money in Alaska — Step by Step
Claiming is free and straightforward. Follow these steps to search every relevant database and successfully lodge your claim.
Visit revenue.alaska.gov/Treasury/UnclaimedProperty and enter your full name. Try variations — maiden names, middle names, and former addresses increase your chances. Search for deceased relatives' names too.
MissingMoney.com (run by NAUPA) covers Alaska and other states simultaneously. If you've lived in multiple states, this single search can surface property from all of them at once.
When you find a match, click to view claim details. You'll typically need: a government-issued photo ID, proof of current address (utility bill or bank statement), and documentation proving ownership of the account or property.
Most Alaska claims can be filed online with document upload. Paper mail-in claims are also accepted by the Alaska Department of Revenue. Submit everything together — incomplete claims are the most common cause of processing delays.
After submission, the Alaska Department of Revenue reviews your documents and verifies your identity. Processing typically takes 60 to 180 days. You can check claim status online. Once approved, payment is made by check or direct deposit.
Search Tips for Alaska Residents
- ✓ Search Alaska's unclaimed property database AND the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (pfd.alaska.gov) separately — these are two distinct programs and many Alaska residents are unaware they may have outstanding amounts in both systems
- ✓ North Slope oil field workers who received payroll from BP, ConocoPhillips, Hilcorp, or ExxonMobil Alaska operations should search for uncashed per diem checks, shift differential payments, and retirement plan distributions under both their Alaska and home-state addresses
- ✓ Commercial fishing workers who fished in Alaska's Bristol Bay, Southeast Alaska, or the Bering Sea should search for uncashed processing plant payroll checks and crew share distributions — fishing vessel crew accounts are among Alaska's most common unclaimed property types
- ✓ Military families who were stationed in Alaska (Fort Wainwright, Eielson AFB, Elmendorf-Richardson, or Fort Richardson) should search for utility deposits with Chugach Electric, Golden Valley Electric, or Alaska Communications accounts that may have been left when orders came to move
- ✓ Alaska has no state income tax — federal income tax refunds for Alaska residents are managed by the IRS (irs.gov/refunds) separately from Alaska's unclaimed property system
Ready to Search for Free?
Our tool links you directly to Alaska's official unclaimed property database and all US federal databases — no signup, no fee.
Search Alaska Free Now →Or search the official database directly: revenue.alaska.gov/Treasury/UnclaimedProperty