Unclaimed money in Maine: how to find and claim it

How to claim in Maine

1. Search your name, your business, and family and friends at maineunclaimedproperty.gov. Narrow results by a city you have lived in.

2. Click CLAIM on your items, pick your relationship to the owner (for example Self, Heir or Personal Representative), and enter your current mailing address.

3. Submit to get a claim number. Some claims need nothing more. If yours needs a signed form or proof, the email you get will list it.

4. If you prefer paper, print the Mail-In Claim Form instead. If the property is worth more than $1,500, a notary must witness your signature.

5. Mail the form and documents to Office of the State Treasurer, Attn: Unclaimed Property, 39 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0039, or upload them online.

Some online claims can be finished without more paperwork; the state emails you a claim form only if it needs a signed form or more proof. We found no automatic-payment program.

Official instructions for claims

Documents you may need

• Signed claim form (notarized if the property is worth more than $1,500)
• Your Social Security number (or tax ID); the owner's SSN and date of birth if you claim for someone else
• Proof you used the address on record, if you have it (old tax records or W-2s are a good source)
• Proof of a name change, if your name is different (marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order)
• The original document, if you have it, such as a check, passbook, bond or stock certificate
• An affidavit if you are not the owner: Estate, Legal Representative, Business, or Surviving Joint Owner

Money owed to a relative who died

The surviving spouse or personal representative files an Estate Affidavit with the claim. Checks are normally made out to the estate of the deceased owner, not to you. If the estate was never probated, the check can be made out to you for claims up to $40,000 if you send Maine's Affidavit of a Small Estate and legal proof of your relationship to the person who died.

Contact the program

Program

Office of the Maine State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Program

Phone

207-624-7470 (toll-free in Maine: 888-283-2808)

Claims by mail

Office of the State Treasurer, Attn: Unclaimed Property, 39 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0039

Processing time

Claims are processed in the order received. Most are done within a few weeks. Estate and stock claims can take longer.

Finder fees in Maine

A finder agreement is void if it was signed between the date the property became abandoned and 24 months after it was turned over to the state (this does not apply to hiring a lawyer to file a claim for identified property). For agreements signed 24 to 36 months after that date, the fee cannot be more than 15%. After 36 months, the law sets no percentage cap, but an unconscionable fee can still be cut. Any agreement must be in writing, describe the property and services, be signed by you, and show the value before and after the fee. You or the state can sue to cut an unconscionable fee. The state says heirfinders must be private investigators licensed in Maine, with some exceptions.

Law: 33 M.R.S. § 2201

Good to know

• Maine pays interest on savings accounts and CDs for up to 10 years after it receives them, plus dividends on stock it holds.
• You may get an IRS 1099 form if your payment includes interest, dividends, or cash from sold stock.
• There is no time limit. The state holds the money in trust and never takes ownership of it.

Also check outside Maine

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 Maine

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