Money owed to you

Unclaimed property held by your state

Money businesses couldn't deliver to you and had to turn over to the state: old paychecks, closed bank accounts, utility and rent deposits, refunds, insurance payouts and stock.

1. Search MissingMoney.com, which checks many states at once.
2. Then search the official site of every state you've lived in. Some states aren't part of MissingMoney, and unclaimed.org lists every state's office.
3. Try maiden names, nicknames and old addresses.
4. If you find a match, file the claim on the state's own site. You'll need ID and proof of an old address.

Searching and claiming is free. Finder companies may offer to do it for a cut, but you never have to pay one.

Old U.S. savings bonds

Savings bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest but were never cashed.

You'll need: The bond owner's Social Security number, typed only on the Treasury's site.

1. Open Treasury Hunt on TreasuryDirect.
2. Search with the Social Security number of the person the bonds were issued to.
3. Follow the Treasury's instructions to cash or replace any bonds it finds.

Tax refunds you haven't received

Refunds that were delayed or never arrived, and refunds from years you didn't file.

You'll need: Your Social Security number, filing status and refund amount, typed only on IRS.gov.

1. Check a pending refund with the IRS's Where's My Refund tool.
2. If you had taxes taken out of your pay but didn't file, you generally have 3 years from the tax deadline to file and claim that refund.
3. Free help filing is available through the IRS's free tax prep sites (see Help programs).

Back pay the Labor Department collected for you

Wages the U.S. Department of Labor recovered from employers who underpaid workers.

You'll need: Your name and the employer's name.

1. Search Workers Owed Wages by your name.
2. If your name comes up, follow the steps there to claim it.

Forgotten 401(k)s and pensions from old jobs

Private employer and union retirement plans connected to your Social Security number, like old 401(k)s and pensions. It doesn't cover IRAs or government plans.

1. Open the Retirement Savings Lost and Found database and sign in with Login.gov.
2. Look over the plans it lists for you.
3. Contact each plan's administrator. They confirm whether money is still owed.

It only searches your own Social Security number. It can't search for someone who has passed away.

Pensions from companies whose plans ended

Pension money held by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for people it couldn't find.

1. Search PBGC's unclaimed pensions list. It's updated every few months.
2. If you get a match, call PBGC to confirm it. A match alone doesn't prove the money is yours.

FHA mortgage insurance refunds

If you had an FHA-insured home loan, you may be owed back part of the mortgage insurance you paid.

You'll need: Your FHA case number, or your name.

1. Search HUD's FHA refund list.
2. Follow HUD's instructions to apply for any refund it shows.

Money from banks and credit unions that closed

Deposits left in banks and credit unions that failed and were closed by regulators.

You'll need: Your name.

1. Search the FDIC's list for banks.
2. Search the NCUA's list for credit unions.

Money from bankruptcy cases

Payments from federal bankruptcy cases that never reached the people owed.

You'll need: Your name, or a business name.

1. Search the U.S. Courts Unclaimed Funds Locator.
2. Follow the court's steps to claim.

Money for investors hurt by fraud

Payments from SEC cases to investors who lost money because of securities fraud.

You'll need: The name of the company or fund you invested in.

1. Check the SEC's list of cases that are paying investors.

FTC refunds

Refunds from Federal Trade Commission cases against companies that cheated customers. Most are sent automatically by check, PayPal, Venmo or Zelle.

You'll need: Nothing for most of them. Watch your mail and email.

1. Look over the FTC's list of recent refund programs.
2. If an FTC check or PayPal, Venmo or Zelle payment arrives, accept it quickly. They expire, often within 30 to 90 days.
3. The FTC never asks you to pay anything to get a refund.