You might want to sit down for this. Right now, the State of Vermont is holding onto more than $150 million. It isn't their money. It belongs to people like you, your neighbors, and that small business down the street. Most of it comes from boring stuff—forgotten utility deposits, a final paycheck from a job you left in 2018, or a life insurance policy from a relative you haven’t thought about in years.
Honestly, the state of Vermont unclaimed property list is basically a giant "lost and found" for cash. And it’s growing. Fast. In the 2025 fiscal year alone, companies handed over a record-breaking $24 million to the State Treasurer’s Office.
What’s Actually Hiding in the State Vault?
When we talk about "unclaimed property," people usually think of dusty jewelry boxes. While the state does get the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes (yes, including coins and jewelry), most of it is "intangible."
We’re talking about:
- Uncashed checks (payroll, dividends, or rebates).
- Forgotten bank accounts that went dormant.
- Security deposits from old apartments in Burlington or Brattleboro.
- Stocks and mutual fund shares.
- Refunds from the Vermont Department of Taxes that never reached your mailbox.
The law says if a business can't find you after a certain amount of time—usually one to five years—they can't just keep the money. They have to send it to the state. State Treasurer Mike Pieciak’s office then holds it in perpetuity. That’s a fancy way of saying they keep it forever until you, or your heirs, show up to claim it.
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The 2026 "MoneyBack" Reality
You might have heard about the "MoneyBack" program. It’s a pretty cool partnership between the Treasurer’s Office and the Tax Department. Basically, they use tax data to verify who people are and where they live, then they just mail a check. No paperwork required.
In late 2025, they sent out over 1,000 checks, mostly ranging from $100 to $250. It's a great start, but it only scratches the surface. If your missing money is over a certain amount, or if the state doesn’t have your current address on file, you still have to go through the manual claim process.
How to Search Without Getting Scammed
First rule: Never pay for this. There are "heir finders" who will mail you official-looking letters offering to help you recover your funds for a 10% fee. In Vermont, that 10% fee is actually the legal limit they can charge, but why give them a dime? You can do the exact same search for free in about thirty seconds.
Go to the official portal at MissingMoney.Vermont.gov.
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Don’t just search your own name. Search for:
- Maiden names.
- Common misspellings (the people entering this data make typos too).
- Deceased relatives. If you are the legal heir, that money belongs to you now.
- Your business name. Many Vermont LLCs have "credits" sitting with utility companies they forgot about.
The "Prose" of the Process
If you find a match, the path forward depends on the amount. For properties under $200, the state recently updated its software to allow for an "express" online claim. If you're the original owner, you often don't even need to mail in physical documents. You just fill out the online form, and they mail a check within a few business days.
It gets slightly more complicated if the amount is higher or if you’re claiming for a deceased person. For a claim over $200, you’ll likely need a notary. If you’re an executor for an estate and the claim is over $5,000, Vermont law usually requires an "open estate" through the probate court. It sounds like a headache, but for several thousand dollars, it’s worth the trip to Montpelier—or at least the postage.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
Life is busy. You move to a new house, you forget to update your address with your old electric company, and that $80 deposit just sits there. Or a relative passes away and nobody knew they had a small life insurance policy.
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The state currently handles over 900,000 individual properties. Even though the Treasurer's office returned a record $9.9 million to over 31,000 Vermonters in FY2025, the pile of money is getting bigger because businesses are reporting more than ever.
Practical Steps to Find Your Money
Don't just read this and move on. Seriously.
- Search the database quarterly. New reports are filed by holders every year by May 1st. If you didn't have anything in January, you might have something in June.
- Check neighboring states. If you ever lived in New York, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts, check their state databases too. The money is held by the state of your last known address.
- Keep your records tidy. Tell your heirs where you keep your "important stuff." It prevents your hard-earned cash from becoming a statistic in the Treasurer's annual report.
- Update the Tax Department. Since the MoneyBack program relies on tax data, making sure the Department of Taxes has your current address is the easiest way to get paid automatically.
If you hit a snag or have a weird situation—like a business that closed twenty years ago—you can actually talk to a human. The Unclaimed Property Division is located at 109 State Street in Montpelier. You can call them at (802) 828-2407. They’re surprisingly helpful for a government agency.
Take five minutes today. Type your name into the state database. Most people find nothing, but for those who do, it's like finding a twenty-dollar bill in your winter coat—except sometimes that twenty has a few extra zeros behind it.
Next Step: Head over to MissingMoney.Vermont.gov and run a search for your name and any former addresses you've had in the state.