Data report · October 2026
Unclaimed money by state: 2026 report
How much money states are holding for owners, which states send it back automatically, and how much a finder may legally charge. Compiled from official state sources for all 50 states and DC.
¿Prefiere español? Este informe solo está en inglés. Nuestras guías en español tienen la información de cada estado: dónde buscar, cómo reclamar y cuánto pueden cobrar los localizadores.
Key findings
- 29 of the 51 programs (50 states and DC) publish how much unclaimed property they hold. Together those 29 report at least $56 billion. The other 22 do not publish a current total.
- The largest published totals: Texas $9.0 billion; Ohio $5.4 billion; Illinois $5.0 billion; Pennsylvania $5.0 billion; Georgia $3.0 billion.
- 21 states now pay some owners automatically, with no claim to file, often by matching state tax records. Four more have laws that allow it but no confirmed program yet, and Utah has paused its program.
- Finder fee limits range from 5% in Washington to 30% in Arizona, Florida and Georgia. 13 states set no fixed percentage limit.
- Every program lets owners search and claim for free. All states except Hawaii can be searched together on MissingMoney.com.
State by state
States that publish a total come first, largest first. Totals are as each state published them, on different dates; "more than" figures are lower bounds.
| State | Held by the state | Returned recently | Finder fee limit | Automatic payments | On MissingMoney.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | more than $9 billion in cash and other valuables January 2025 | A record $422.4 million returned in fiscal 2024, on nearly 250,000 claims | 10% (plus reasonable attorney fees) | Allowed by law, not confirmed in use | Yes |
| Ohio | about $5.4 billion September 2026 | About $190 million returned in fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026), with more than 184,000 claims paid | 10% | None found | Yes |
| Illinois | more than $5 billion 2026 | $307.8 million returned to more than 567,000 people, businesses and groups in fiscal 2026 | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | more than $5 billion February 2026 | A record $334.1 million returned in 2025 | 15% | Yes | Yes |
| Georgia | about $3 billion, according to a Georgia House press release (not a Department of Revenue figure) 2026 | — | 30% | Allowed by law, not confirmed in use | Yes |
| Massachusetts | more than $3 billion undated site banner, seen October 2026 | more than $1 billion returned in the last 5 years (site banner) | 10% | None found | Yes |
| Arizona | about $2.8 billion ($2,796,946,197 shown as due to owners on the main page; the search page counter shows $2,444,138,118) October 2026 (live counter on the state site; no date given) | a record $89 million returned in fiscal 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) | 30% | None found | Yes |
| Washington | over $2.8 billion available to be claimed fiscal 2025 (report dated Feb. 9, 2026) | $182 million returned on 389,759 approved claims in fiscal 2025 (a record) | 5% | Yes | Yes |
| Colorado | about $2.5 billion, owed to nearly 17 million people and organizations January 2026 | $158 million returned through nearly 163,000 claims in fiscal year 2025-26 (July 2025 to June 2026) | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| Connecticut | about $1.85 billion, for 11.9 million owners June 30, 2026 | $102.4 million returned to 69,459 owners in fiscal year 2026 (July 2025 to June 2026) | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| North Carolina | nearly $1.7 billion October 2026 | — | 20% or $1,000, whichever is less | Yes | Yes |
| Missouri | more than $1.5 billion undated figure on the Treasurer's site (checked October 2026) | — | 10% rising to 20% over time | None found | Yes |
| Louisiana | $1.2 billion June 2024 | more than $937 million returned in total (running counter on the state site, October 2026; time period not stated) | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| Kentucky | nearly $1.1 billion undated page (checked October 2026) | — | No cap | None found | Yes |
| Alabama | over $1 billion January 2024 | $50.7 million returned in 2023 | 10% | None found | Yes |
| Indiana | nearly $1 billion May 2026 | a record $88 million returned in 2025, and more than $56 million in 2026 as of May 18, 2026 | 10%, never more than $5,000 | Allowed by law, not confirmed in use | Yes |
| Nevada | more than $1 billion June 30, 2025 | over $42 million returned on 24,918 paid claims in fiscal 2025 | 10% (20% after 5 years) | Yes | Yes |
| Oklahoma | more than $1 billion undated statement on the official claim site (checked October 2026) | More than $118 million returned since 2023 (as of February 2026), including a record $3.1 million claim | 25% | None found | Yes |
| Oregon | more than $1 billion January 2025 | Almost $60 million returned through more than 61,000 claims in 2025 | No cap | Yes | Yes |
| South Carolina | over $1 billion available to claim undated letter from the Treasurer on the claims site (the same letter cites $420 million returned, an older total than the $470 million in the Aug. 2026 release); checked October 2026 | More than $52 million returned in a record-breaking year (announced August 27, 2026) | 15% | Yes | Yes |
| Tennessee | over $990 million (another section of the same Treasury home page says $1.2 billion) undated figures on the Treasury home page, checked October 2026 | A record $125 million returned to owners and heirs in fiscal 2025; the Treasury processed about 168,000 claims that year | 10% or $50, whichever is greater | None found | Yes |
| Iowa | more than $648 million December 31, 2025 | $38.2 million returned on 53,194 paid claims in fiscal 2026 (a record) | 15% | Yes | Yes |
| Kansas | more than $575 million February 2024 | more than $468 million returned to date (all-time running total on the state site, October 2026) | 15% | None found | Yes |
| West Virginia | more than $476 million in listings in the state's database July 2025 | $40.2 million in claims paid in fiscal 2026 (after a record $40.6 million on 20,908 claims in fiscal 2025) | No cap | Yes | Yes |
| Arkansas | more than $400 million November 2025 | $100.2 million returned from January 2023 to November 24, 2025, including $8.1 million in automatic Data Match checks sent since September 2025 | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| New Mexico | about $390 million November 2025 | $18.5 million paid on 6,414 claims in 2025 (as of Nov. 25, 2025) | No cap | None found | Yes |
| Maine | $383.1 million June 30, 2026 | $43.2 million paid on 77,286 claims in fiscal 2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) | 15% for 24–36 months, then no cap | None found | Yes |
| Wyoming | more than $350 million start of fiscal 2026 (July 2025), per the Treasurer's FY2025 Annual Report | a record $41.3 million returned on 5,865 claims in fiscal 2025 (more than $135.9 million returned in all since 1993) | No cap | None found | Yes |
| Vermont | more than $175 million (over 1 million properties) 2026 (undated figure on the Treasurer's page, checked October 2026) | $9.9 million returned on 31,593 claims in fiscal 2025 (a record) | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska | Not published | — | 10% (20% under $500) | None found | Yes |
| California | Not published | — | 10% | None found | Yes |
| Delaware | Not published | over $155 million in cash and securities returned in fiscal year 2024 | 10% or $1,000, whichever is less | Yes | Yes |
| District of Columbia | Not published | $27.45 million returned on 32,068 properties in fiscal year 2025 | No fixed cap (a court can cut it) | None found | Yes |
| Florida | Not published | over $847 million returned in CFO Blaise Ingoglia's first year in office (about July 2025 to July 2026) | 30% | None found | Yes |
| Hawaii | Not published | — | 25% | None found | No |
| Idaho | Not published | — | No cap | None found | Yes |
| Maryland | Not published | over $121 million returned in fiscal year 2025 | No cap | Allowed by law, not confirmed in use | Yes |
| Michigan | Not published | more than $150 million returned in the last fiscal year (stated May 2025) | No cap | None found | Yes |
| Minnesota | Not published | — | No hard cap (over 10% needs a written agreement) | None found | Yes |
| Mississippi | Not published | — | 10% (Treasury guidance) | None found | Yes |
| Montana | Not published | over $111 million returned to Montanans (running total shown on the state's site) | No fixed cap (a court can cut it) | Yes | Yes |
| Nebraska | Not published | about $19.7 million returned in 2025; $13.78 million from Jan. 1 to July 15, 2026 | 10% | None found | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Not published | more than $199 million returned (running total shown on the state's site) | No cap | None found | Yes |
| New Jersey | Not published | $253.3 million returned in fiscal 2025 (record $261.4 million in fiscal 2024) | 20% | None found | Yes |
| New York | Not published | $651 million returned in state fiscal year 2025-26 (April 2025-March 2026), a record | 15% | Yes | Yes |
| North Dakota | Not published | $23.0 million returned on 43,653 claims in the 2023-25 biennium (July 2023-June 2025), a record | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| Rhode Island | Not published | — | 10% | Yes | Yes |
| South Dakota | Not published | $49.6 million paid to rightful owners in fiscal 2025 (year ended June 30, 2025), on 26,470 properties | No hard cap (over 25% needs a written agreement) | None found | Yes |
| Utah | Not published | A record $43.4 million returned to owners in fiscal 2025 | 20% | Paused | Yes |
| Virginia | Not published | $118 million returned to owners in fiscal 2025 | 10%, and only after 36 months | Yes | Yes |
| Wisconsin | Not published | In March 2025, DOR's yearly tax-record match found about $9.9 million for owners: $3.5 million went out as automatic checks to 30,342 people, and larger amounts got letters asking the owner to file a claim (matching program only, not the full-year total) | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Method
Each state's figures come from its official unclaimed property program, its statutes and its published reports, gathered in October 2026. Every state page was researched and then checked by a second reviewer against the official sources. We do not use news reports for figures.
Totals are not adjusted: states publish them on different dates and some give only a lower bound ("more than $1 billion"). The combined total adds the published figures and is therefore a minimum. "Automatic payments" means the state pays some owners without a claim. Finder fee limits summarize state law; see each state's page for the exact rule and the statute.
Using this data
You may quote and republish these figures with credit: Source: RobinClaim (robinclaim.com/unclaimed-money/), October 2026, with a link to this page. Journalists can contact hello@robinclaim.com for state details.