Unclaimed money in Delaware: how to find and claim it

How to claim in Delaware

1. Search the owner's name or business name on the official Delaware site. Add a city if you get too many results.

2. Check "Claim" on each property that is yours, choose your relationship to the owner, and file the claim online.

3. Read the claim form you receive. Section C lists the documents you need.

4. Sign the claim form in front of a notary if your form asks for it.

5. Upload your documents through the secure link (the fastest way), or mail them. You can also fax them to 302-622-4115, but faxes don't work for color copies.

6. Delaware pays by mailed check only, never by wire or ACH.

Yes. Through MONEY MATCH, held each September, Delaware matches unclaimed property to the address on your most recent Delaware state income tax return and mails a check, with no claim needed. Not all property qualifies.

Official instructions for claims

Documents you may need

• A completed, signed claim form, notarized if required
• A clear, color copy of your government-issued photo ID
• Proof of your current mailing address
• Proof that links you to the property, such as an old letter from the company, a utility bill, a tax return, or a lease showing your name at the address on file

Money owed to a relative who died

Send a certified death certificate and certified proof of your relationship (such as a birth or marriage certificate). Estate representatives also need certified Letters Testamentary or, for some estates, a small estate affidavit, plus the will. Payment goes by check to the estate only, and a power of attorney ends at death.

Contact the program

Program

Delaware Department of Finance, Office of Unclaimed Property

Phone

855-505-7520 (international: 302-232-3022)

Claims by mail

State of Delaware, Unclaimed Property Office, P.O. Box 8140, Wilmington, DE 19803-8140

Finder fees in Delaware

A finder agreement is void if it is signed any time from when the property became payable to you until 24 months after it was turned over to the state. After that, total fees and costs cannot be more than $1,000 or 10% of the property, whichever is less. The agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, be signed by you with a notarized signature, show the value before and after the fee, and say the property is held by the Department of Finance.

Law: 12 Del. C. §§ 1186 and 1187

Good to know

• If you claim stock within 18 months of the date the state mailed you notice, you may be able to get the shares back instead of cash.
• Extra money from a sheriff's sale of real estate is not handled here. It goes through the Delaware Superior Court's Project Rightful Owner.
• Delaware has been part of MissingMoney.com since October 2022.

Also check outside Delaware

Search every other state where you lived or worked. Some money, like old savings bonds and IRS refunds, is held by federal agencies.

Questions about Delaware

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