Unclaimed money in Iowa: how to find and claim it

How to claim in Iowa

1. Search your name (and old names, old addresses, family members and businesses) at GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.

2. Click CLAIM on each item that is yours, then FILE YOUR CLAIM. Pick your relationship to the owner (for example "Myself" or "Legal Heir").

3. Enter your current mailing address. This is where the check will go. Submit to get a claim number.

4. Within about 20 minutes you get an email. It lists exactly what your claim needs.

5. Upload your documents online. Mail originals only if your claim form says originals are required.

6. Track your claim online with your claim number.

Yes. Money Match, launched in 2026, uses Iowa Department of Revenue data to pay some owners automatically. You first get a letter, then a check about three weeks later, with no claim to file. Cash the check promptly: it expires after six months. Not all properties qualify, so keep searching the site.

Official instructions for claims

Documents you may need

• Completed and signed claim form
• Copy of a photo ID
• Your Social Security number
• Any extra items listed on the claim form emailed to you (for example proof of a past address)
• For a deceased owner: the Affidavit of Administration plus a death certificate and obituary, and court papers if there was a probate
• For lost stock certificates: the Affidavit of Lost Certificate

Money owed to a relative who died

Pick "Legal Heir" (or "Open Estate" if you are the executor of an open probate). Fill out the state's Affidavit of Administration, which tells you what to attach: usually the death certificate and an obituary, plus the will and court papers (letters of appointment, final report, or small-estate papers) if any exist. The state pays according to how the estate was distributed, so money may be split among heirs.

Contact the program

Program

Treasurer of the State of Iowa, Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (Unclaimed Property Division)

Phone

515-281-5367

Claims by mail

Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, Lucas State Office Building, 321 E 12th St., 1st Floor, Des Moines, IA 50319

Processing time

Allow up to 90 days for review. Heir, business and stock claims can take longer.

Finder fees in Iowa

Any finder agreement signed within 24 months after the property was turned over to the state cannot be enforced. After that, the fee may be no more than 15% of the property's value, and the agreement must be in writing, signed by you, and say what the property is, its value, and who holds it. A person must be licensed as a private investigation business (Iowa Code ch. 80A) to charge a fee for finding abandoned property. The state will not review a claim form signed by a finder: you must sign it yourself and include a notarized copy of any finder agreement (Iowa Admin. Code r. 781-9.14(2)). These limits do not apply to a fee contract with a practicing attorney.

Law: Iowa Code § 556.11(10)

Good to know

• There is no deadline to claim. Stocks and safe deposit box contents may be sold, but you can still claim what they sold for.
• The program says one in seven Iowans has money waiting, and it passed $450 million returned in total in October 2026.
• Search results do not show the dollar amount. The state reveals the amount only after you file a claim and prove you are the owner.

Also check outside Iowa

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 Iowa

Other states