Michigan · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Michigan Department of Treasury, 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 Michigan's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in MichiganSearch the Michigan Unclaimed Property site by name. Add a city or ZIP code to narrow the results.
Click CLAIM on each item. Pick your 'Claimant Relationship' (owner, heir and so on) and click FILE CLAIM.
Enter your current mailing address and submit to get a claim number.
Watch for an email from [email protected] with your claim form attached. Check your spam folder. If it never arrives, call and they will mail it.
Sign the claim form (get it notarized if the form asks). Attach the listed documents and upload them online or mail them to the PO Box.
Track your claim online with your claim number.
If the owner has died, a biological heir, a devisee under the will, a beneficiary, or the personal representative (if the estate is in probate) can claim. The claim form emailed to you lists the documents you need.
Any agreement to pay someone to recover your property is unenforceable if it was made within 24 months after the property was delivered to the state. This applies to written agreements with locators too. The statute sets no percentage cap.
Law: MCL 567.256 (Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, 1995 PA 29, sec. 36)
Watch out: Treasury says you never have to pay a finder's fee. The state charges nothing to search or claim, and it does not endorse any finders or locators.
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 Michigan Department of Treasury, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Michigan.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. Any agreement to pay someone to recover your property is unenforceable if it was made within 24 months after the property was delivered to the state. This applies to written agreements with locators too. The statute sets no percentage cap.
If the owner has died, a biological heir, a devisee under the will, a beneficiary, or the personal representative (if the estate is in probate) can claim. The claim form emailed to you lists the documents you need.
Claims are handled in the order received. Allow 90 days for processing, and about 6 weeks from the start of approval to get paid.
Last checked: Oct 2026.