New Hampshire Unclaimed Money

NH RSA 471C is the law regarding abandoned and unclaimed property and how you can recover it. One example is when a financial institution holds your money in an account, and there has been no owner initiated account activity, or you have not communicated regarding the account for a period of five years, the institution presumes it is abandoned. At this point the institution reports and remits it to the State Treasurer who acts as custodian of the property. The reported owner's name is advertised statewide in a newspaper and a notice is sent to the owner's "last known address" as reported. Upon establishing ownership you may reclaim your property from the Treasury Abandoned Property Division.

In New Hampshire most property types are presumed abandoned or unclaimed if there has been no account activity for five (5) years. However, wages, payroll or salary and utility deposits are presumed abandoned or unclaimed after one (1) year.

Within three (3) years of being reported the money is transferred to the state's General Fund and in part to the various County Treasurers, helping to reduce some of the individual tax burdens. However, the rightful owner retains the right to claim the property and this right is never lost.