The Massachusetts State Treasurer's Unclaimed Property Division is holding more than $3 billion in cash, uncashed paychecks, forgotten security deposits, dormant bank accounts, stocks, insurance benefits, and the contents of abandoned safe-deposit boxes belonging to roughly one in every ten Massachusetts residents. The search is free, it takes about two minutes, and the only official state site is FindMassMoney.com. This guide walks you through the exact process, the documents you'll need, how long the check takes, and the federal and neighboring-state databases most Bay Staters also need to check to catch every dollar they're owed.
What Massachusetts unclaimed property actually is
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 200A (the Abandoned Property Act), any business holding money or property owed to a Massachusetts resident must turn it over to the State Treasurer after a dormancy period — typically three years for most account types, one year for uncashed payroll checks, and immediately for the contents of abandoned safe-deposit boxes. The Treasurer holds the money in trust for you indefinitely. There is no deadline to claim it, and heirs can claim a deceased Massachusetts relative's property decades later.
Who runs Find Mass Money
Find Mass Money is operated by the Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver General's Unclaimed Property Division, headquartered at 1 Ashburton Place in Boston. The consumer-facing search portal is FindMassMoney.com (which redirects to the treasurer's official mass.gov unclaimed property page). Massachusetts also reports data to the multi-state NAUPA portal at MissingMoney.com, so a MissingMoney.com search surfaces Massachusetts records — but you file the claim on the state site.
The official Find Mass Money search (free, 2 minutes)
- 01Go to FindMassMoney.com — this is the only official state search. Ignore any .com or .org site charging a fee.
- 02Enter your last name and first name. Leave the city field blank on the first pass — the state matches on any address ever on file, and old ones catch most claims.
- 03Search variations: maiden name, nicknames (Mike vs Michael), and any name you used before marriage or a legal change.
- 04Search every deceased relative whose estate you might legally inherit from — parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles.
- 05Search any business you've owned or been an officer of, including sole-proprietor DBAs.
- 06Click 'Claim' on any matching record. Massachusetts accepts fully electronic claims for most cash amounts under $2,500 with no notary required.
Documents you'll need to file a Massachusetts claim
- Government-issued photo ID (Massachusetts driver's license, Mass ID, or U.S. passport).
- Proof of your Social Security number (SSN card, W-2, or a redacted tax return).
- Proof you lived at the address on the state's record — an old utility bill, bank statement, lease, or Massachusetts voter registration from that period works.
- For claims over $2,500 or claims involving stocks, mutual funds, or safe-deposit-box contents, a notarized claim form (Massachusetts provides the form; any bank branch or UPS Store notarizes for free or a small fee).
- For a deceased owner: a certified death certificate, proof of your relationship (birth or marriage certificate), and either a Massachusetts Voluntary Administration affidavit under M.G.L. c. 190B § 3-1201 (for estates of personal property under $25,000 plus one vehicle, filed 30 days after death) or letters of authority from the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court.
- For a business claim: proof you're the current officer or a legal successor (Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth entity record, dissolution documents, or a bill of sale).
How long a Find Mass Money claim takes to pay
Straightforward electronic cash claims under $2,500 are typically approved and paid by paper check within 60–90 days of submission. Claims that require a notarized paper form, involve securities, business entities, or heir documentation generally take 90–180 days. Massachusetts pays every unclaimed property claim by state check mailed to the address on the claim form — no direct deposit — so make sure the address you list is current.
What kinds of Massachusetts unclaimed property show up most often
- Uncashed final paychecks from former Massachusetts employers — Raytheon (RTX), Fidelity, State Street, Liberty Mutual, MassMutual, Boston Scientific, Biogen, Vertex, and every hospital and university system (Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey, Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern) regularly escheat these.
- Utility and rental security deposits from Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, and apartment landlords across Boston, Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, and the Cape.
- Dormant bank and credit union accounts — Bank of America, Santander, Citizens, Rockland Trust, Eastern Bank, DCU, and community-bank accounts abandoned when customers moved out of state.
- Uncashed insurance benefit checks from Liberty Mutual, MassMutual (Springfield), Boston Mutual, and life-insurance benefits owed to Massachusetts beneficiaries.
- Stock dividends and mutual-fund shares from Fidelity and State Street customer accounts left dormant after job changes.
- Contents of safe-deposit boxes abandoned at Massachusetts banks — coins, jewelry, savings bonds, war medals, and heirloom papers, inventoried and eventually auctioned by the Treasurer if unclaimed (proceeds still belong to you).
Massachusetts finder-firm rules (why you should never pay a fee)
Under M.G.L. c. 200A § 13, private 'asset recovery' or 'finder' firms cannot charge more than 10% of a claim on Massachusetts unclaimed property, and they cannot solicit an owner at all until at least 24 months after the property is reported to the state. Any letter arriving inside the first two years — or any firm demanding 15%, 20%, or a flat 'processing' fee — is either violating Massachusetts law or is an outright scam. Every claim on FindMassMoney.com can be filed by you directly, for free, in about 15 minutes. Massachusetts also allows any signer to cancel a finder agreement in writing within 30 days.
Find Mass Money postcards and letters — are they real?
The Massachusetts State Treasurer does mail official postcards and letters to owners of unclaimed property they've matched to a current address — it's a legitimate outreach program. A real Massachusetts notice will direct you to FindMassMoney.com or mass.gov/unclaimed-property, list a claim ID, and never ask for a fee, gift card, Social Security number by return mail, or bank login. If a letter references a private .com website, asks for money, or promises a percentage-based recovery service, it's a finder firm — not the state.
Federal and neighboring-state money most Massachusetts residents also have waiting
The State Treasurer only holds Massachusetts-reported property. If you've lived, worked, gone to school, or held accounts in any other state — extremely common in Greater Boston and the Merrimack Valley, which pull commuters from every corner of New England — those states hold your money separately. And federal databases hold unclaimed IRS refunds, pensions, savings bonds, and open class action settlement funds.
- New Hampshire Unclaimed Property (nh.gov/treasury) — anyone who commuted from or lived in southern NH.
- Rhode Island Unclaimed Property (findrimoney.com) — anyone with ties to Providence or the South Coast.
- Connecticut Big List (ctbiglist.com) — anyone who's lived along the CT/MA border or in Hartford.
- New York Office of Unclaimed Funds (osc.state.ny.us/unclaimed-funds) — extremely common for anyone who worked in NYC.
- MissingMoney.com — the NAUPA multi-state portal covering 40+ states in a single search.
- IRS.gov/account — unclaimed federal tax refunds (average $900); a 3-year filing deadline applies.
- PBGC.gov/wr — unclaimed pensions from former employers whose plans were terminated (average $4,700).
- TreasuryHunt.gov and TreasuryDirect.gov — matured U.S. savings bonds (they don't expire).
- FTC.gov/refunds and TopClassActions.com — open class action settlements paying Massachusetts residents right now.
The faster way: check every source in one scan
Find Mass Money covers Massachusetts. But between neighboring New England states, federal databases, and active class action settlements, most Massachusetts residents have money in more than one place. Hidden Payouts scans Massachusetts plus every other state registry, federal source, and active settlement against your profile in one pass, then tells you exactly where to file each claim directly with the official issuer. You always claim through the official .gov site and keep 100% — we charge for the scan, not a cut of your money.
Related Hidden Payouts guides
Once you've searched Massachusetts, drill into the federal sources and neighboring states most Bay Staters also have money in.
- How to Get Free Money From the Government — 12 legit federal programs.
- Is Unclaimed Property Legit? Real state sites vs finder-firm scams.
- National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits — 401(k)s from former employers.
- How to Claim a Class Action Settlement (with no receipt).
- New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey unclaimed property guides for anyone who's worked across the border.