{"id":2463,"date":"2026-05-31T05:18:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T05:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2026-05-31T05:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T05:18:56","slug":"asic-urges-aussies-to-check-for-unclaimed-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/asic-urges-aussies-to-check-for-unclaimed-money\/","title":{"rendered":"ASIC urges Aussies to check for unclaimed money"},"content":{"rendered":"

AISC is urging Australians to check if they have lost or unclaimed money, with approximately $2.7 billion waiting to be reunited with its rightful owners.<\/p>\n

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The regulator said many people may be unaware they have lost money owing from old bank accounts, shares or insurance policies.<\/div>\n
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Unclaimed money typically arises when people lose contact with financial institutions or investment companies after moving house, changing their name, or forgetting about an account over time.<\/div>\n
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Unclaimed money is held by ASIC when banks, insurers and companies are unable to return funds to their owners after seven years.<\/div>\n
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In some cases, the money has remained unclaimed for decades, with records dating back to the 1950s. There is no deadline to make a claim, meaning you can search and claim at any time.<\/div>\n
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The largest single amount currently unclaimed is around $1.3 million.<\/div>\n
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Any claims related to old bank accounts under $500 should be made with the bank. Any unclaimed amount more than $500 sits with ASIC.<\/div>\n
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Even smaller amounts can accumulate over time, with interest payable on some unclaimed money from 1 July 2013 onwards.<\/div>\n
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You can search for unclaimed money using the free Moneysmart unclaimed money tool.<\/div>\n
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The process involves:<\/div>\n
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  • Visiting the Moneysmart website<\/li>\n
  • Entering a name or surname<\/li>\n
  • Reviewing any matches in ASIC\u2019s national register<\/li>\n
  • If a match is found, the tool provides details and a transaction number needed to make a claim.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
  • The search and claims process is free, and people do not need to use private claiming services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    In most cases, making a claim requires:<\/div>\n
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      \n
    • proof of identity (such as a driver licence or passport)<\/li>\n
    • documents linking the person to the name and address on the record<\/li>\n
    • the transaction number (OTN) from the search result\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
    • ASIC uses this information to ensure money is returned to the correct person.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      Where documents are missing \u2013 particularly for older accounts \u2013 alternative options may be available to help verify claims.<\/div>\n
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      In addition to money held by ASIC, state and territory governments may also hold unclaimed funds, including wages and salaries, share dividends, and proceeds from estates and trust accounts<\/div>\n
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      Australians are encouraged to check all jurisdictions where they have lived or worked.<\/div>\n
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      With no deadline and no cost to search, checking for unclaimed money is a quick and simple step that could return funds people didn\u2019t realise they had.<\/div>\n
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      Anyone who has previously held a bank account, shares or insurance policy \u2013 or has moved house or changed name \u2013 is encouraged to do a quick search using the Moneysmart tool.<\/div>\n
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      Keeli Cambourne
      \nMay 19, 2026
      \nsmsfadviser.com<\/div>\n
      \u00a0<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      AISC is urging Australians to check if they have lost or unclaimed money, with approximately $2.7 billion waiting to be reunited with its rightful owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2465,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions\/2465"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actinvest.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}