The Complete Australian
Lost Money Checklist

Lost super

Super from past jobs that you have lost track of, or small and inactive balances a fund has passed to the tax office.

Where it is held: Your super funds or the Australian Taxation Office. You check both at once by linking the ATO to myGov.

Old bank accounts

Savings, cheque or term deposit accounts with no activity for seven years are transferred from the bank to ASIC.

Where it is held: ASIC, searchable on the MoneySmart unclaimed money register.

Shares

Proceeds from shares sold or compulsorily acquired when the company could not contact the shareholder.

Where it is held: ASIC's MoneySmart register for listed companies. Some smaller amounts go to state registers.

Unclaimed dividends

Dividend payments that were never banked, often because the company had old bank or address details.

Where it is held: ASIC's MoneySmart register, or the state register where the company paid them.

Life insurance

Life policies that matured or became payable where the insurer could not find the policy owner or beneficiary.

Where it is held: ASIC's MoneySmart register lists unclaimed life insurance transferred by insurers and friendly societies.

Rental bonds

A tenancy bond that was lodged with a state authority but never refunded after you moved out.

Where it is held: Rental-bond arrangements differ between states and territories, so they need to be checked separately. There is no national bond search.

Government-held unclaimed money

Refunds, deposits, uncashed cheques and trust money handed over by businesses and government bodies.

Where it is held: The unclaimed money register in each state or territory. Each is separate and must be searched on its own.

Unpaid wages

Wages the Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered from an employer but could not pay to the worker.

Where it is held: The Fair Work Ombudsman. If your employer went broke, the Fair Entitlements Guarantee applies instead.

Deceased estates

Money belonging to a person who has died, including amounts a public trustee holds for beneficiaries it could not reach.

Where it is held: MoneySmart and state registers searched under the deceased person's name, plus the public trustee in each state.

Utility refunds and deposits

Credit balances and deposits left with electricity, gas, water or phone providers after you closed an account.

Where it is held: Businesses may hand unclaimed amounts to the state register where they operate. If the account closed recently, contact the provider first.

Search the state unclaimed money registers listed under Government-held unclaimed money.

Court-held and public trustee money

Money paid into court or held in trust, such as settlements for children or funds for missing beneficiaries.

Where it is held: The public trustee or court funds office in the relevant state. Arrangements differ between states.

Business and company money

Money owed to a business that closed, dividends from a bankruptcy or wind-up, or property left in a deregistered company.

Where it is held: AFSA for bankruptcy dividends, ASIC for deregistered companies, and state registers for other business money.

Tax refunds and ATO credits

Refunds that bounced because of closed bank accounts, or credits from years you did not lodge a return.

Where it is held: The Australian Taxation Office. You check through your myGov account linked to the ATO.

Portable long service leave

Long service entitlements recorded across employers in construction, cleaning, security and community services.

Where it is held: The portable long service authority in the state you worked in. Coverage differs between states.