Virginia Unclaimed Property: Search, Claim, and Automatic Checks

What the Virginia Treasury holds

The state's law is the Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act, found in Chapter 25 of Title 55.1 of the Code of Virginia. It requires a business that has lost touch with a customer, employee, or policyholder to report what it owes and send it to the Treasury. The Treasury then acts as a custodian. Your right to the money does not end.

The Treasury describes unclaimed property as intangible items such as:

• Checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit.
• Payroll checks, vendor checks, and money orders that were never cashed.
• Overpayments, credit balances, and utility refunds.
• Insurance checks and policy proceeds.
• Stocks, bonds, and dividends.
• Contents of safe deposit boxes.

It does not include land, houses, or vehicles. Those follow other laws. The office also returns property to businesses, churches, nonprofits, and local governments, so search for any group you have run as well as your own name.

The vaMoneySearch.gov home page shows a running total of money returned; when we checked, it read more than $1.2 billion. That counter changes often, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a fixed number.

When property is turned over

A business does not hand money to the state the day you stop using an account. Virginia law sets a waiting period, often called the dormancy period, for each kind of property. During that time the business must try to reach you. Here are some of the periods in the Act:

Because wages move to the state after only one year, a final paycheck from a job you left recently may already be on the list. Bank accounts usually take longer. Other property types have their own rules in the Act, so if you are unsure about a specific item, call the Treasury.

Searching vaMoneySearch.gov

The official site is vaMoneySearch.gov. Type a last name or business name in the search box. If you get too many results, the site suggests narrowing them by city or ZIP code. A few habits make a search more complete:

• Try the last name alone first, then add a first name. Reports often use initials or short forms.
• Check spelling variations, including a hyphenated last name typed both ways.
• Include past names, such as a maiden name or a former married name.
• Search for relatives who died, because heirs can claim their property.
• Look at the city listed. If it matches a place you lived or worked, the record is worth claiming.
• Repeat the search once a year. Businesses report new property every year.

The Treasury says its online database is the most up-to-date list, because records are added as soon as holder reports are received and reconciled. If you do not have internet access, you can call 1-800-468-1088, choose option 1, and ask for an inquiry form by mail.

If you have lived in other states, Virginia's site will not show property reported there. Use unclaimed.org, run by the national association of state programs, to reach each state's official search. Our guide on how to find unclaimed money from the government covers federal sources such as old tax refunds and pensions.

Checks that arrive without a claim

In 2025, Virginia changed its law so the Treasury can pay some owners without waiting for them to file. Section 55.1-2532 now lets the administrator make a payment without a claim when all four of these are true:

1. The property is cash, not stock or box contents.
2. The apparent owner is a person, not a business.
3. That person is the only owner on the account.
4. The Treasury has verified the owner's identity, and the payment is $5,000 or less.

The Treasury's own page says it is "now automatically returning unclaimed property," and the program is often called VA Cash Now. If you get a check from the Virginia Department of the Treasury that you did not ask for, it may be one of these payments. You can confirm by calling the claims line before you deposit it.

Automatic payment does not cover everything. Joint accounts, business property, estates, securities, and larger amounts still need a regular claim. That is why you should still search even if you have already received a check.

Filing a Virginia unclaimed property claim

Once you find a record that matches, the vaMoneySearch.gov site walks you through four stages: search, submit a claim, complete the claim, and track it.

Submitting the claim online

Select each property, click Claim, then Continue to File Claim. Enter your current mailing address carefully, since that is where the check will go. The site may ask you to confirm the address. When you click Submit, you get a claim number by email and on the claim form.

Completing it with documents

According to the Treasury, most claims need a completed and signed claim form, a copy of photo identification, and a legal document that lists your Social Security number. The email you receive lists exactly what your claim needs. You can upload documents through the site's secure link or mail them to the Unclaimed Property Division at the post office box shown on your claim form. The division also accepts claim evidence at ucpmail@trs.virginia.gov, but avoid emailing your Social Security number if the upload option works for you.

It helps to include something that links you to the address in the record, such as an old lease, bill, or pay stub. Our documents checklist has ideas for tracking down old paperwork.

Tracking the claim

Enter your claim number on the status page of vaMoneySearch.gov at any time. If the office needs more proof, it will tell you what is missing.

If you want to visit the Treasury in person, the office requires an appointment, which you can set up through the same phone number.

Interest, stocks, and safe deposit boxes

Interest. This is where Virginia is unusual. Under section 55.1-2533, if the property was earning interest for you while the business held it, the Treasury adds interest when it pays your claim. The rate is 5% a year, compounded annually, or the lower rate the account actually earned. If the business did not report a rate, the law ties it to the one-year Treasury rate, still capped at 5%. Interest runs from the day the state received the property until the day you are paid. A plain uncashed check does not earn interest, because it was never interest-bearing.

Costs. The same section lets the Treasury deduct the costs of notices, sales, and related expenses from a claim. In practice this mostly applies to property that had to be sold.

Stocks and digital assets. Section 55.1-2529 says securities and digital assets are generally held at least one year before the state sells them at market prices. If you claim after a sale, you get the sale proceeds, not the shares.

Safe deposit boxes. Physical items that are not money are sold at public sale, which can be online. The state may skip a sale if the cost would exceed the value. After a sale, the claim is paid in cash.

Estates and heirs

If the owner has died, Virginia law lists the proof the Treasury prefers, in this order:

1. A certificate of qualification as executor, or an order appointing an administrator or personal representative.
2. An affidavit naming you as the designated successor under the Virginia Small Estate Act (or the matching law in the state where the person lived).
3. The order of distribution or final accounting of a closed estate that shows money due to you.

When none of those exist, section 55.1-2532 gives a fallback. If the owner died at least one year before you file, and the claim is $25,000 or less (not counting interest), the administrator may let you sign an affidavit stating your right to the money. This can save families from opening an estate only to collect a small account.

Start by searching the person's full name, nicknames, and any business they owned. Have a copy of the death certificate ready. If relatives disagree about who should receive the money, talk with a legal aid office or probate lawyer before filing.

How long does a Virginia claim take?

Virginia law does not set a fixed number of days. Section 55.1-2533 says that once a claim is allowed, the administrator must pay "as soon as practical." How long that takes depends on how complete your documents are and whether the claim involves an estate, a business, or securities.

If several weeks pass with no change on the status page, call 1-800-468-1088 and give your claim number.

Finder rules and scam signs

Heir finders and asset locators sometimes write to people about Virginia unclaimed property and offer to recover it for a share. You never need one, because you can claim yourself for free. Section 55.1-2542 limits what they can do:

• A 36-month waiting period. It is unlawful to seek or receive a fee for locating property that the person knows has been reported to the state, until 36 months after the property was delivered.
• A 10% cap after that. An agreement made later is not valid if the fee is more than 10% of the property's value.
• Payment goes to you. The Treasury may issue the check directly to the owner, heir, or estate fiduciary rather than to an agent, even if a power of attorney or assignment says otherwise.
• Penalty. Breaking these rules is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000.
• You can still object. An owner may argue at any time that a locator's fee is excessive or unjust.

Be careful with any message that asks for an upfront fee, a bank login, or gift cards to "release" money. The real program is run from vaMoneySearch.gov and the Treasury's site at trs.virginia.gov. Our scam warnings page lists more red flags.

A short checklist

1. Search vaMoneySearch.gov under every name you, your family, and your business have used.
2. Note whether each record is cash under $5,000 in your name alone; it may come to you automatically, but you can still claim it.
3. File online and save the claim number.
4. Upload or mail the signed form, photo ID, and Social Security proof.
5. For a relative who died, gather the estate papers or check whether the $25,000 affidavit option fits.
6. Check the claim status online and call the claims line if it stalls.

Related guides

• How to find unclaimed money from the government
• Unclaimed money Virginia
• PA unclaimed property
• NAUPA unclaimed property

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Claim rules and forms are set by the Virginia Department of the Treasury. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the Commonwealth of Virginia or any government agency.