Unclaimed Property in Minnesota: Collect your lost or forgotten money today!
MINNESOTA - Did you know you could have unclaimed property or money waiting for you with the Minnesota State Commerce Department? If you've heard about this before but dismissed it as a scam, you're not alone. Many people initially think it's too good to be true—but rest assured, it’s real! In fact, the national counterpart to Minnesota's program, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), can even help you locate unclaimed assets in other states where you may have lived.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Unclaimed Property Division is responsible for safeguarding unclaimed property and reuniting it with its rightful owners. This includes items like bank accounts, safe deposit box contents, wages, insurance benefits, security deposits, stock dividends, unclaimed checks, and more. To date, the division has returned more than $804 million to Minnesota residents.
Finding out if you have unclaimed property is quick and easy. Visit the Minnesota Unclaimed Property website, enter your first name, last name, or business name into the search bar, and click "Search" (pictured above and below). Once your search is complete, you'll see a list of names matching your criteria, along with any associated unclaimed property. You can refine your search at the top of the page to narrow down results if needed. In further detail below, we walk you through how to fill out the documents to collect your lost money.
Detailed Process To Claim Your Lost Money
If you find an Unclaimed Property that matches your name and address, you can click the "Claim" button on the left side of the page to select all the property that belongs to you. A prompt will then say, "Continue to File Claim" at the top and bottom of the page, which you can click to take you to the next step.
In the next step, you will see a page like the image below, with a prompt on the right asking you to complete your "Claimant Relationship." Here, you will select the appropriate option based on the descriptions in the prompt above.
Once you have selected the appropriate option, you will click "File Claim," which will bring you to another page asking you to fill out your full name, address, date of birth, email, home number, social security/ Tax ID, and address. An example of that page you will be able to find below. The site asks for your social security number to verify your identity and rights to claim said property.
You might get asked to verify or confirm your address to ensure the check is mailed to the correct and valid address.
You will then be able to preview your claim and ensure all the information is correct. If the information is correct, you give your electronic signature and "Submit" the claim. Your claim will be created at this point, and you will get a generated claim number.
Depending on the property you claim, you will need to complete two more steps to get the claim. When you submit your claim, an email will also be sent to you describing what additional items they might need to verify it was you and it is your property. Most claims will require a completed and signed claim form, a copy of your photo ID, and a legal document confirming your social security number.
There are two ways to submit these documents, including through the secure link they will provide for you online (image of that link pictured below) or via the mail to the following address for Minnesota:
Minnesota Department of Commerce
Unclaimed Property Program
85 7th Place East, Suite 280
Saint Paul, MN 55101
After you have completed all these steps, the state will work to verify your identity and send you your check. You will be able to track the progress of your Unclaimed Property claim, which you can find a link to here, or you can go to their website to find the "Search For Your Claim's Status."
Take a moment to check—you might discover funds or valuables you didn’t know were missing! For additional searches outside Minnesota, visit the NAUPA website to explore unclaimed property nationwide. Let us know in the comments below if this helped you find and claim lost money!
