West Virginia · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
West Virginia 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 West Virginia's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in West VirginiaSearch your name for free at WVUnclaimedProperty.gov.
File your claim online; the Treasurer says this is faster than mailing a paper claim.
If you prefer paper, fill in the paper claim form, pick your claim type (owner, heir, business, legal representative or trust), and sign it.
Send a copy of your driver's license and proof of your Social Security number. The office may ask for more proof after it reviews your claim.
Mail paper claims to P.O. Box 4228 in Charleston. Send copies only: the office does not return original documents.
Yes. Through WV Cash Now, the Treasurer mails checks automatically, with no claim needed, for certain single-owner property under $5,000 that it can verify through its own data matching. Letters go out each July and checks are mailed in the fall (October in 2026). Property owned by businesses or estates, and securities, do not qualify.
Pick the right heir claim type on the form: no estate, open estate (executor) or closed estate. If no estate was opened, sign a notarized Estate Claim Declaration with a copy of the death certificate, the will if there is one, and a Table of Heirship; other heirs can sign a limited power of attorney so you can collect their shares.
West Virginia law sets no cap on what a finder can charge and no waiting period. The Unclaimed Property Act (W. Va. Code ch. 36, art. 8) has no section on finder agreements. The Treasurer's Office never charges a fee and never sends owners to a third party, so you can always claim yourself for free.
Law: W. Va. Code ch. 36, art. 8 (no finder-fee provision)
Watch out: The Treasurer's Office never charges a fee to search or claim and never sends owners to a third party; if someone offers to find your property for a fee, call the office.
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 West Virginia State Treasurer's Office, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in West Virginia.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. West Virginia law sets no cap on what a finder can charge and no waiting period. The Unclaimed Property Act (W. Va. Code ch. 36, art. 8) has no section on finder agreements. The Treasurer's Office never charges a fee and never sends owners to a third party, so you can always claim yourself for free.
Pick the right heir claim type on the form: no estate, open estate (executor) or closed estate. If no estate was opened, sign a notarized Estate Claim Declaration with a copy of the death certificate, the will if there is one, and a Table of Heirship; other heirs can sign a limited power of attorney so you can collect their shares.
The paper claim form says to allow up to 90 days for verification and processing. State law requires a decision within 90 days and payment within 30 days after approval.
Last checked: Oct 2026.