Unclaimed money in Illinois: how to find and claim it

How to claim in Illinois

1. Search ICash by your name. Add a city or ZIP code if you get too many results.

2. Select your property and file the claim online. Enter your current mailing address, because that is where the check goes.

3. Read the email you get after filing. The attached claim form lists exactly which documents your claim needs.

4. Send the signed claim form and documents by upload on ICash, by email to [email protected], or by mail.

5. Get the claim form notarized if the claim is over $5,000 or is for a safe deposit box or securities.

6. Track your claim online with your claim ID. Payment is mailed to the address you entered on your claim.

Yes. Through Enhanced Money Match, the Treasurer checks state records and mails a letter and then a check to some owners with no claim needed; it covers simple cases such as cash owed to one person, not stocks, joint owners, escrow or safe deposit boxes.

Official instructions for claims

Documents you may need

• Every claim needs at least a completed, signed claim form, a copy of photo ID and your Social Security number.
• Proof of Social Security number, such as a Social Security card, Medicare card or W-2.
• If the property shows an old address: proof you lived there, such as an old ID, bank statement, W-2, pay stub, tax return, auto registration or postmarked envelope.
• If your name changed: marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.

Money owed to a relative who died

Heirs usually send a death certificate, a small estate affidavit listing all heirs and their shares, proof of relationship, and proof the deceased owned the property; if probate is open, send court-certified Letters of Office dated within three years. If the total claimed is $250 or less, a simpler Capacity to Claim Affidavit can be used.

Contact the program

Program

Illinois State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division

Phone

800-961-8303 (also 217-785-6998)

Claims by mail

Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 19495, Springfield, IL 62794-9495

Processing time

The Treasurer says the first review of claim paperwork may take up to 90 days after it arrives, depending on how many claims come in. Claims that need more documents can take longer.

Finder fees in Illinois

Finders must hold a license from the Illinois Treasurer. A finder agreement cannot charge more than 10% of the amount collected, and there is a waiting period before finder contracts can be used.

Law: 765 ILCS 1026/15-1302 (Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act)

Good to know

• Since 2018, Enhanced Money Match has sent more than $130 million to more than 870,000 people without a claim.
• There is a Spanish-language version of the search site.
• Illinois says it must return property to owners or heirs no matter how long it takes.

Also check outside Illinois

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 Illinois

Other states