Before you start, have these ready
- The death certificate
- The will, probate or letters of administration showing who can act for the estate
- The deceased person's full name, previous names and past addresses
- Your own photo ID and proof of your relationship or authority
Who can search and claim
Anyone can search - the registers are public. Claiming is restricted to the executor named in the will, an administrator appointed by the court, or next of kin where the estate is small and no grant was required.
If the estate has already been distributed, newly found money still belongs to the estate and must be distributed under the will or the intestacy rules.
Where to look
Search MoneySmart for bank accounts and shares, the ATO for superannuation and any unclaimed death benefit, the state register where the person lived, and the public trustee in that state.
Search under every name and every former address you can establish. Records are frequently held against an address the person left decades ago.
What you'll need to claim
The death certificate, the will and grant of probate or letters of administration, your own identity documents, and evidence linking the deceased to the money.
Where no grant exists, some registers will release smaller amounts to next of kin with a statutory declaration. Thresholds vary between registers.
Superannuation is generally not part of the estate - it is paid to dependants or the estate under the fund's rules, so contact the fund directly.
When probate may not be required
Some agencies publish a simpler process for smaller estate claims, using the death certificate, a statutory declaration and proof of relationship instead of a grant. The amount and evidence rules differ, so ask the holder before paying to obtain probate solely for one unclaimed amount.
Be cautious if an unknown person offers to reveal or recover an inheritance for a fee. Verify the record directly with the public trustee or official register first.
Step by step
- 1
Confirm who has authority to claim: the executor named in the will, or the administrator if there is no will. Registers pay the estate, not individual relatives.
- 2
Search MoneySmart under the deceased person's surname, previous surnames and initials, matching records by their old addresses.
- 3
Search the unclaimed money register of every state they lived, worked or ran a business in.
- 4
Check the public trustee in those states, which holds estate money for beneficiaries it could not find.
- 5
Contact their super funds directly about death benefits, which are never listed on a public register. If you do not know the funds, the ATO can help an executor identify them.
- 6
Lodge each claim with the death certificate and proof of your authority. Requirements differ, so read each register's page before sending documents.
Example: a parent who moved states
An executor finalising their mother's estate knows about her Queensland accounts but not that she ran a small business in Victoria in the 1980s. A surname search on the Victorian State Revenue Office register under her maiden name, which she used for the business, shows an unpresented refund cheque. The executor claims it for the estate with the death certificate and probate.
Common mistakes
- Searching only the name on the death certificate. Older records may be under a maiden name or an anglicised spelling.
- Assuming the estate was finished. Money can be transferred to a register years after probate closed.
- Paying a fee to a service that says it has found an inheritance. Verify through the official trustee or register first.
- Sending original documents. Registers generally accept certified copies; check before you post anything.
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 under the deceased's former addresses as well as their name.
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.
- ASIC MoneySmart - find unclaimed money (opens official site in a new tab)
- NSW Trustee and Guardian (opens official site in a new tab)
- State Trustees Victoria (opens official site in a new tab)
- Queensland Public Trustee - unclaimed money (opens official site in a new tab)
- Public Trustee SA (opens official site in a new tab)
- Public Trustee WA (opens official site in a new tab)
- Public Trustee Tasmania (opens official site in a new tab)
- ACT Public Trustee and Guardian (opens official site in a new tab)
- Public Trustee NT (opens official site in a new tab)
Keep looking
Continue your lost-money search
Money goes missing in more than one place. These are the next things worth checking.
- Deceased estate searchesHow an executor searches and claims money that belonged to someone who has died.
- Life insurance and friendly societiesUnpaid policies and super death benefits that were never claimed by a beneficiary.
- Bank accounts, shares and dividendsASIC holds bank money inactive for seven years, plus unclaimed dividends and share proceeds.
- How super gets lostWhy balances end up with the ATO and how to check under every past employer.
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.