Iowa · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Treasurer of the State of Iowa, Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (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 Iowa's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in IowaSearch your name (and old names, old addresses, family members and businesses) at GreatIowaTreasureHunt.gov.
Click CLAIM on each item that is yours, then FILE YOUR CLAIM. Pick your relationship to the owner (for example "Myself" or "Legal Heir").
Enter your current mailing address. This is where the check will go. Submit to get a claim number.
Within about 20 minutes you get an email. It lists exactly what your claim needs.
Upload your documents online. Mail originals only if your claim form says originals are required.
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.
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.
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.
Watch out: The state says claiming is always free, calls Great Iowa Treasure Hunt Iowa's only legitimate source for unclaimed property, and asks you to contact the Treasurer's Office before you sign any deal with someone offering to recover your money for a fee.
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 Treasurer of the State of Iowa, Great Iowa Treasure Hunt (Unclaimed Property Division). Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Iowa.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. 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.
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.
Allow up to 90 days for review. Heir, business and stock claims can take longer.
Last checked: Oct 2026.