If the owner is due $50 or more, an attempt to locate the owner, known as due diligence, must be performed before remitting the property. A letter detailing the amount due the owner and requesting a positive confirmation from the owner should be sent to the owner’s last known address or new address if one is available.

No. There is nothing too small that does not require reporting. However, amounts due an owner that total less than $50 for the owner may be reported in aggregate. That is, the amounts due owners that are less than $50 may be summed and reported as one aggregate for that property type. Since our goal is to return the property to the rightful owner, if detail is available, we encourage you to report it.

No, negative or zero – dollar reports are not required by Montana. If you choose not to file a negative report, please retain those records for your information.

See our Unclaimed Property Holder Guide for dormancy periods and property type codes.

NAUPA property and owner codes can be found at Unclaimed.org.

If you made an error on your report for a specific property, please contact us at UnclaimedProperty@mt.gov and we will get this corrected for you.

• Owner(s) Name, this shall include any person having legal or equitable interest in the asset. (examples: beneficiary, DOD, POD, trustee, etc.)
• Social Security number(s) for owner(s)
• Date of Birth for Owner(s)
• Address for the owner(s)
• Any other identifying information for the owner.
  • Other stale liabilities in the general ledger – these are recorded obligations for which no check was issued. Examples are customer deposits or overpayments, accounts receivable overpayments, unidentified receipts, or dividends payable.
  • Securities and related property held by agents – many shareholders fail to cash dividend checks. Also, there are unexchanged/undelivered shares that occur from splits and mergers.

Montana has reciprocal agreements with all U.S. states. Once a year, we send property information to any state where the owner’s last known address has been reported to us.

Yes, when the owner’s last known address is listed in Montana.

Holders are required to retain unclaimed property records for 10 years after the property was reportable. Keep records of the owner’s last known address, even though the post office may have returned their mail. This information is required to assist claimants in confirming ownership of their property.

Do not send anything on paper after you file your holder report. No paper documents are needed, and no notary verification is required. All paper documents received will be destroyed

• November 1, using a June 30 cut off – all holders except life insurance companies
• May 1, using a December 31 cut off – life insurance companies only

Unclaimed or “abandoned” property refers to property or accounts within financial institutions or companies – in which there has been no activity generated (or contact with the owner) regarding the property for one year or a longer period. Unclaimed property can be intangible, which is most common ex; uncashed checks, savings, checking, payroll (wages, bonuses, commissions), utility security deposits, credit balances, money orders, customer deposits, travelers’ checks, stocks and bonds (uncashed dividends, interest checks, underlying shares principle), Insurance proceeds, trust distributions, mineral royalty payments, Insurance payments or refund and life insurance policies, certificates of deposit, and other intangible interest or benefits. It can also be tangible ex; contents of a safe deposit box.

Any entity doing business in the state of Montana or doing business with individuals in the state of Montana must report abandoned property. This includes, but is not limited to, banks, credit unions, utility companies, wholesalers, retailers, manufactures, governmental entities, insurance companies, public corporations, public authorities and estates and trust.

Everything found in the safe deposit box should be sent to the State of Montana Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Division 60 days after the due date of report.

Please mail contents to:

Montana Department of Revenue
Attn: Unclaimed Property
125 N Roberts Street
3^rd Floor Reception Desk
Helena MT 59601-4558

Do not report worthless, nontransferable, or restricted securities.

When reporting securities, please remember that your report is not complete until you provide evidence of the property being transferred into the ownership of the State of Montana. The required evidence depends on the type of security and how it will be delivered to our custodian on behalf of the state. Please see the Reporting and Delivery of Securities Property Instructions for specific requirements.

An Intent to Deliver must be sent to our custodian MontanaCustody@kelmarassoc.com and UnclaimedProperty@mt.gov five days prior to delivery of unclaimed securities.

Questions regarding Unclaimed Securities can be sent to UnclaimedProperty@mt.gov.

An unlocatable mineral trust is created when the leasehold, mineral, or royalty interest owner can’t be found. In these cases, a court may name a trustee to manage and invest the funds until they are claimed. Normally, a court will appoint the clerk of court for the county as a trustee. If the clerk of court declines, the Department of Revenue will be named instead.

When we manage a fund, claimants receive 50% of the interest earned on our investments.

We maintain an Unlocatable Mineral Trust Summary spreadsheet (XLSX) of the trusts we administer.

To claim a trust you must file a Notice of Address with the Clerk and Recorder of the same county where the mineral interest is located. There is a $5.00 fee for filing a Notice of Address. (82-1-306, MCA)

Making an Unlocatable Mineral Trust Payment

If you are a Holder remitting unlocatable mineral trust unclaimed property, please mail a check to the Montana Department of Revenue with the following attached documents:

• UCH Payment Voucher
• List of trusts and amounts included in the payment.

Gift certificates shall be reported as abandoned 3 years after December 31 of the year in which the certificates were sold, but if redeemable in merchandise only, the amount abandoned is 60% of the certificate’s face value. The gift certificates are not presumed abandoned if they were sold by an entity who did not reach the annual threshold for prescribed year.

The annual threshold for reporting year 2025 is $391,950.16.