How to check if you're owed a slice of Australia's unclaimed billions

NSW has $300 million in state coffers ready to be claimed — but it's not the only stash of forgotten funds waiting for owners.

Unclaimed money can include funds from superannuation, bank accounts, shares and other sources. Source: Getty / Brendon Thorne

Nearly $300 million is waiting to be claimed by NSW taxpayers from businesses that have not been able to track down the people who are entitled to it.

The unclaimed money register, managed by Revenue NSW, includes funds from overpayments, uncashed cheques, dividends, refunds, and other amounts owed to individuals.

The state tax collector holds almost $395 million in additional money for people registered at addresses outside NSW.

How to check for unclaimed money across Australia

You might find lost money from deceased estates, lost share dividends, salaries and wages, cheques, overpayments and more.

To check for unclaimed money in your state's database, head to the relevant state website below:

• NSW
• Victoria
• Western Australia
• Queensland 
• South Australia
• ACT
• Tasmania
• Northern Territory

How to check if you have unclaimed superannuation

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said in October there were seven million Australians who could have a stake in a $19 billion pool of lost and unclaimed superannuation.

It said the average amount owned was $2,590.

You can check if you have lost or unclaimed super by checking your myGov account, using the ATO app, or phoning the lost super search line on 13 28 65.

A full ATO guide on how to check for lost or unclaimed super is available here.

Money you could be owed: Lost bank accounts, shares and more

On top of superannuation, you could have a slice of $2.6 billion of lost money to be claimed from bank accounts, shares, investments and life insurance policies, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

This money is managed by ASIC and comes from accounts that haven't been touched for a certain period, usually after seven years of inactivity.

Cash is transferred to ASIC if the account or policy isn't claimed, which can happen if you move, change address, or forget to update your details.

Other potential sources include energy companies, universities, and health funds, among many others.

To check if you have unclaimed money, you can use the unclaimed money search on ASIC's Moneysmart website.

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