Mississippi Unclaimed Funds

Mississippi is holding over $31 million in unclaimed money!  

The Office of the State Treasurer is responsible for the administration of the Unclaimed Property Act.

The law requires that “holders” such as banks, credit unions, insurance companies, retail stores, utility companies, and business associations turn over to the Office of the State Treasurer any assets such as money, cash, checks or stocks that have been abandoned for which there has been no contact for a period of five years.

The Unclaimed Property Division is charged with trying to locate the rightful owners of such assets.


The following Frequently Asked Questions are from the Mississippi unclaimed money site:

WHERE DO I MAIL MY CLAIM FORM?
Office of the State Treasurer
Unclaimed Property Division
1101 Woolfolk Building
501 North West Street
Jackson, MS 39201
P. O. Box 138
Jackson, MS 39205

DOES UNCLAIMED PROPERTY MEAN YOU HAVE THINGS LIKE HOUSES,CARS AND BOATS?
NO, Unclaimed Property is money or stock, not land or houses. Land records are kept at the County Courthouses.

I HAVE LIVED IN THE STATES OTHER THAN MISSISSIPPI. COULD I HAVE PROPERTY IN THOSE STATES AS WELL?
YES, go to www.unclaimed-funds.org to check for Unclaimed Property in other states.

THERE IS PROPERTY BEING HELD FOR A FAMILY MEMBER OF MINE THAT HAS DIED. CAN I CLAIM IT?
YES, each legal heir can file a claim and we split the money/stock according to the filed Will or Obituary.

WHY WAS MY MONEY TURNED OVER TO THE STATE?
It is the law to turn over dormant or unclaimed money or stock after 5 years to the State Treasurer.

WHY DO I HAVE TO SEND IN A COPY OF MY IDENTIFICATION AND SOCIAL SECURITY CARD TO PROVE MY CLAIM?
This is needed to verify that we are paying the correct person. A lot of people use the same name.

WHAT IF I CANNOT PROVIDE PROOF OF OWNERSHIP TO THE PROPERTY?
Proof of ownership is usually established by address or social security verification. Sometimes, the claimant is not able to verify that he or she lived at the last known address that was reported. In these cases, we will do everything we can to assist you in establishing ownership. If we are not successful in finding a connection to an old address, you may be asked to do further research. In most instances, claims of this nature are reviewed on a case by case basis.

HOW DO I OBTAIN OR PROVIDE PROOF OF A PREVIOUS ADDRESS?
A copy of an old bill (ex. utility bill), copy of an old tax return, school records, birth or death certificates or credit reports will suffice. Anything that officially lists your previous address is sufficient. If you can’t submit proof of address, write a simple note explaining this was a house or apartment that you or someone else owned or rented during what approximate period of time. We will research this information and attempt to match the address for you, ut we can’t promise payment without it.

I AM THE PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF A MINOR WHO IS LISTED AS THE OWNER. WHAT DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED?
Send in a copy of your driver’s license and social security card as well as the birth certificate or driver’s license and social security card of the minor, also include all
adoption or guardianship papers from the court.

I HAVE POWER OF ATTORNEY (POA) FOR A PERSON LISTED AS THE OWNER. WHAT DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED?
Send in a copy of the owner’s driver’s license and social security card, as well as a copy of the POA’s driver’s license, social security card and Power of Attorney document.

WHAT IF THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE PROPERTY IS DECEASED?
The regular documentation plus a copy of the owner’s death certificate along with a copy of the filed Will and Probate Orders. If no Will was left, send a copy of the obituary from the paper or the funeral program listing the heirs. If no Will was left and no obituary was printed in the paper, the heir can complete Affidavit of Death and Heirship for consideration.

WHERE CAN I OBTAIN A DEATH CERTIFICATE?
If the person passed away in Mississippi you will need to contact the Mississippi Department of Health at 601-576-7981or at www.msdh.state.ms.us.

HOW DO I GET A FEDERAL EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (FEIN) FOR AN ESTATE?
You will need to contact the IRS at 1-800-829-4933.

WHAT IF THE DECEASED OWNER DIED WITHOUT A WILL?
If the owner did not have a will we will need a copy of the obituary to do
cument how many heirs there may have been.

WHY DO I NEED AN OBITUARY WHEN CLAIMING FOR A DECEASED PERSON?
The obituary usually lists surviving heirs. This helps in determining your eligibility
to claim.

WHY DOES EACH HEIR NEED TO CLAIM THEIR SHARE IN DIVIDUALLY?
The State of Mississippiis bound by law to distribute funds based on the intentions of the will or according to heirship. This means that we cannot pay one heir the entire amount and allow them to distribute the property amongst the other heirs.

DOES EACH HEIR NEED TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
No. As long as one heir submits the death certificate and will or obituary, the others do not need to submit these documents. Each heir will be required to provide their birth certificate, driver’s license, proof of social security number, and proof of current address along with their claim form.

CAN I FAX THE CLAIM FORM?
No. We do not accept faxed or emailed claim forms.

I HAVE ALL MY PAPERWORK READY. CAN I COME IN THE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY OFFICE AND PICK UP A CHECK?
You cannot pick up a check from our office.

AFTER I FILE A CLAIM, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY FUNDS?                       Depending on our current volume and the complexity of your claim it will take approximately 4-6 weeks to process your claim once we have received all the required documentation. The period may be extended if all of the required documentation is not included with the original claim package. Claims with stock securities may take longer.

I RECEIVED A CLAIM FORM FROM YOUR OFFICE. WHY CAN’T I FIND MY NAME ON YOUR DATABASE?
Once you have submitted your claim online or through the mail, it is imported into our system for processing. At that point, it is taken off of the listing while your claim is evaluated.

I’VE MOVED SINCE I SENT MY CLAIM IN, WHAT DO I DO?
To request a change of address, or if you believe your check may have been lost in the mail, please have your claim number ready and call our office at (601)359-3534.

I RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM A CLAIM FINDER THAT SAID THEY COULD HELP ME GET MY PROPERTY FOR A FEE. SHOULD I USE THEM TO HELP ME FILE A CLAIM?
A claimant may file a claim without the assistance of a paid Finder. Finders may charge up to 10% maximum for their services.

Click here to search for Mississippi unclaimed money.

Did you know you can make money finding unclaimed money for other people?

There is a little known business that lets you do that. Unclaimed money finders locate people that don’t know they money being held for them and help them to recover it.

In return, they charge a commission after the money is recovered.

Please click here if you would like to learn more about becoming a Mississippi unclaimed money finder.