South Dakota · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
South Dakota State Treasurer, 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 South Dakota's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in South DakotaSearch your name for free on the State Treasurer's unclaimed property site. The site does not show amounts; you see the value after your claim is approved.
Start a claim online. You will get an email with a claim form listing the documents your claim needs.
Sign the claim form and gather a copy of your photo ID and your Social Security number, plus anything else the form lists, such as proof of the address on the property.
Email the form and documents to [email protected], or mail them to the Treasurer's unclaimed property office in Pierre.
Track your claim online. If you hear nothing within three weeks, call 605-773-3379.
Send court papers showing you are the personal representative or executor (a will, court appointment or probate). If there was no will, you may use a small estate affidavit if it meets SDCL 29A-3-1201; a death certificate comes from the S.D. Department of Health.
Any agreement to pay someone to recover your property is unenforceable if made in the 12 months before the property is reported or within 24 months after it is turned over to the state. After that, an agreement charging more than 25% of the property's value is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by you, and you can always challenge a fee as excessive. Violations are a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Law: SDCL § 43-41B-36
Claiming is free. Your state never charges a fee to search or to claim. Be careful with letters, calls or texts that ask for a fee, a percentage or your bank login to release money. Search the official state site yourself.
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 South Dakota State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in South Dakota.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. Any agreement to pay someone to recover your property is unenforceable if made in the 12 months before the property is reported or within 24 months after it is turned over to the state. After that, an agreement charging more than 25% of the property's value is not valid unless it is in writing and signed by you, and you can always challenge a fee as excessive. Violations are a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Send court papers showing you are the personal representative or executor (a will, court appointment or probate). If there was no will, you may use a small estate affidavit if it meets SDCL 29A-3-1201; a death certificate comes from the S.D. Department of Health.
The state says claims generally take about two to three weeks; contact the office if you have not heard back in three weeks. By law the Treasurer must consider each claim within 180 days and tell you if it is denied.
Last checked: Oct 2026.