Before you start, have these ready
- Your own full name, plus every business or trading name you have invoiced under
- The name of the person or company that collapsed, and roughly when
- Invoices, statements or a proof of debt form you lodged with the trustee
- Any letters from the trustee, liquidator or administrator, even if years old
- An ABN or company extract if you are claiming on behalf of a business
Who this affects
Creditors - including small businesses, contractors and former employees - who were owed money by a person or company that collapsed and who moved before the final distribution was made.
Former bankrupts entitled to a surplus after their estate was fully administered.
Beneficiaries of a deceased creditor's estate.
How to search
Search AFSA's unclaimed money register by your own name, and separately by any business or trading name you have used. Company and sole trader debts are often recorded under the business name only.
If a customer or client of yours collapsed years ago and you wrote the debt off, it is worth a search - partial distributions are common.
Claiming
Lodge the claim form on the AFSA website with identity documents and evidence of the debt or entitlement: invoices, a proof of debt lodged with the trustee, or correspondence from the administration.
Business claims also need evidence you control the entity, such as an ABN record or company extract.
Step by step
- 1
Search AFSA's unclaimed money page under your personal name first, with surname only.
- 2
Search again under each business or trading name, including abbreviations such as Pty Ltd and P/L.
- 3
If the debtor was a company rather than a person, also search ASIC's deregistered company money on MoneySmart, because company wind-up money more often sits with ASIC.
- 4
Note the administration name and reference shown against any match.
- 5
Download AFSA's claim form and gather your evidence of the debt: the invoice, the proof of debt, or the trustee's correspondence.
- 6
Lodge the form with identity documents. For a business claim, include proof you control the entity.
- 7
Keep a copy and a record of the date you lodged. Ask AFSA what processing time to expect rather than assuming one.
Example: a contractor who wrote off a debt (hypothetical)
A sole trader invoiced a builder $4,000 in 2016 and the builder went bankrupt soon after. The trader lodged a proof of debt, heard nothing and wrote it off. Years later the estate was finalised with a small dividend, but the cheque went to a business address that no longer existed, so the money passed to AFSA. Searching the trading name rather than the personal name brings up the record. With the old invoice, the proof of debt and an ABN record, the claim can be lodged directly with AFSA.
Common mistakes
- Searching only your personal name when the debt was invoiced by your business.
- Assuming a written-off debt paid nothing. Partial distributions are common and the balance may be sitting unclaimed.
- Looking only at AFSA when the debtor was a company. Company money more often vests with ASIC.
- Throwing out the trustee's letters. They carry the administration reference that makes a claim straightforward.
- Paying a recovery agent a percentage. You can lodge the same claim yourself at no cost.
I found a possible match, what now?
A listing is a record the authority holds, not proof the money is yours. Note the reference shown against it, check the details you recognise, then open the claim page on the official site and read what evidence it asks for before you start. You lodge the claim directly with that authority, never through this site.
What documents you may needI found nothing, what now?
A nil result usually means you searched the wrong register, the wrong spelling of a name, or too few variations of it. Try surname only, earlier surnames and each state you have lived in, then work through the troubleshooting steps before you give up.
Searched and found nothingTip: Search both your own name and any business name you traded under.
Common questions
Official sources checked
- Researched and reviewed by
- Find Lost Money Australia
- Information last verified
- 1 August 2026
Find Lost Money Australia is an independent information service, not a government agency. Our review checks the responsible agency's current page, search location and claim instructions. Agencies can change their rules, so confirm details on the official site before you act.
Keep looking
Continue your lost-money search
Money goes missing in more than one place. These are the next things worth checking.
- Business and company moneyTrust balances, deregistered company funds and refunds owed to a business you ran.
- Bank accounts, shares and dividendsASIC holds bank money inactive for seven years, plus unclaimed dividends and share proceeds.
- Your state or territory registerEach state holds unclaimed refunds, deposits and trust money from businesses in that state.
- Every official registerEvery official register we have verified, filterable by state and type of money.
Searching is free. Every register we link to lets you search at no cost, and you can lodge a claim yourself. Be cautious of any business that asks for an upfront fee simply to search a public register on your behalf. Find Lost Money Australia is an independent information service. We are not a government agency and we do not hold or search unclaimed money databases.