Illinois · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Illinois State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division holds money that businesses could not return to its owners. Here is how to search, what proof you need and how long it takes.
Search Illinois's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in IllinoisSearch ICash by your name. Add a city or ZIP code if you get too many results.
Select your property and file the claim online. Enter your current mailing address, because that is where the check goes.
Read the email you get after filing. The attached claim form lists exactly which documents your claim needs.
Send the signed claim form and documents by upload on ICash, by email to [email protected], or by mail.
Get the claim form notarized if the claim is over $5,000 or is for a safe deposit box or securities.
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.
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.
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)
Watch out: Money Match letters and checks are real and safe to cash; if you are unsure, call the Unclaimed Property Division at 217-785-6998 or email [email protected].
Search every other state where you lived or worked. Some money, like old savings bonds and IRS refunds, is held by federal agencies.
Money that businesses could not return to you and had to hand over to a state, such as old bank accounts and insurance policies. USA.gov says state governments hold most unclaimed money.
Official siteOld paper or electronic U.S. savings bonds that were never cashed, including bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest (EE and I bonds earn interest for up to 30 years), plus lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.
Official siteTax refunds owed to people who never filed a federal tax return for a year, often because they earned little and were not required to file. The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund; after that the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.
Official siteSearch the official database run by the Illinois State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Illinois.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. 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.
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.
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.
Last checked: Oct 2026.