Unclaimed Money Victoria: The 12-Month Rule and Free Search

In Victoria, unclaimed money such as dividends, unpresented cheques and old gaming winnings is held by the State Revenue Office under the Unclaimed Money Act 2008, and it becomes unclaimed after just 12 months of remaining unpaid, the shortest threshold of the states covered in this series.

Who Holds Unclaimed Money in Victoria

The State Revenue Office of Victoria administers the state's unclaimed money register under the Unclaimed Money Act 2008 (Vic), with the Commissioner of State Revenue acting as the Registrar of Unclaimed Money. As with every state register in this series, it is entirely separate from ASIC's federal register for banks, life insurers and companies, and from the ATO's superannuation system; a search with the State Revenue Office does not reach money held in either of those systems, or in another state's register. Searching and claiming is done through sro.vic.gov.au/unclaimed-money and, in the Office's own words, it's free to search and free to claim.

What Counts as Unclaimed Money in Victoria

Under section 3(1) of the Act, unclaimed money is principal, interest, dividends, bonuses, profits, salaries, wages and other sums legally payable to an owner that have remained unpaid for at least 12 months after becoming payable, once lodged with the State Revenue Office by the business or trustee holding it. The Office's own guidance gives dividends, unpresented cheques and unclaimed gaming winnings as common examples, and separately calls out claiming Tatts, Intralot and TAB winnings held for 12 months or more as its own category, a distinctly Victorian feature not called out the same way in New South Wales or Queensland guidance.

The 12-Month Threshold and the $20 Minimum

Victoria's 12 month threshold is the shortest found among the states reviewed for this series, shorter than NSW's 2 year state threshold and far shorter than ASIC's 7 year rule for dormant bank accounts. The minimum amount under section 3(1) is $20, unless a higher amount is set by regulation, in which case the higher figure applies instead. This article states the base $20 figure from the Act; whether a higher prescribed amount is currently in force under the Unclaimed Money Regulations was not confirmed here and should be checked before relying on $20 as the exact current cutoff.

How to Search and Claim, for Free

The State Revenue Office states plainly that it's free to search and free to claim. The general process is to search the register by name or address, select a matching entry, and complete the application form. For a deceased estate, the application must be signed by the executor or executors named in the probate grant or letters of administration, and the money may be listed under the executor's or a solicitor's address rather than the deceased's own. Evidence generally required includes a document linking the claimant, or the deceased, to the address on record, such as a rates notice, utility bill, bank statement, licence or insurance policy, plus any stale cheques, share certificates or receipts in the claimant's name, and a letter from the business that lodged the money confirming the claimant as the rightful owner and the exact amount lodged. See probate in Victoria and who inherits when there is no will for the estate side of that process.

Claiming Through an Agent or Lawyer

Someone can apply on an owner's behalf, such as an agent or lawyer, but they must include a signed letter from the owner authorising them, showing either the total amount or a list of the specific entitlements they are authorised to claim. That said, neither the State Revenue Office's published pages nor the Act's full text carries the kind of explicit consumer warning against paid finding agents that Revenue NSW publishes, and no fee cap for a paid finder was found in Victorian law either. Because the official search and claim process is free, there is no need to pay a third party regardless.

Is There a Deadline to Claim in Victoria?

Unlike New South Wales, Victoria's Act does not appear to set a deadline for an owner to claim their own money back. Section 33, which lets an owner apply to the Registrar for payment, contains no within-a-set-number-of-years language. That is not simply a general gap in the Act's drafting: section 29, a nearby provision that lets a business claim back a payment it made to the Registrar by mistake, does set a 5 year deadline for that different situation, which suggests the absence of a deadline for an owner's own claim in section 33 is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight. No extinguishment or limitation clause equivalent to NSW's section 16 was found anywhere in the Act's text.

Interest on Victorian Unclaimed Money

As with NSW, no provision was found that pays interest to an ordinary owner claiming their own money under section 33. Most of the Act's interest provisions run the other way: penalty interest charged against a business or trustee that pays an assessed amount late, and against a person who received a payment the Registrar later decides they were not entitled to and who does not repay it. Sections 66 and 67 are the exception, requiring the Registrar to pay interest to a business or trustee that succeeds on an objection, review or appeal of an assessment, so it is not accurate to describe every interest provision in the Act as penalty interest running against holders. Either way, this is a contrast with ASIC's federal register, which has paid CPI based interest directly to claimants since 1 July 2013.

Lost Superannuation Is a Different System

Superannuation is not part of the State Revenue Office's unclaimed money register. Lost and unclaimed super is handled by the ATO, either held by the fund itself while it tries to make contact with an uncontactable member, or transferred to the ATO once the fund is legally required to do so, and it is searched separately through myGov.

Checking Other States Too

Victoria's register only covers money held in Victoria. Anyone who has also lived or worked in New South Wales or Queensland should separately check unclaimed money in New South Wales and unclaimed money in Queensland, along with ASIC's federal register.

This article provides general information about unclaimed money in Victoria and does not replace guidance from the State Revenue Office or advice from a legal practitioner. Figures and thresholds reflect the Unclaimed Money Act 2008 (Vic) as accessed in August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to search and claim Victoria's unclaimed money register?

Yes. The State Revenue Office describes the process as free to search and free to claim.

How long does money have to go unpaid before it is unclaimed in Victoria?

At least 12 months after it became legally payable, under section 3(1) of the Unclaimed Money Act 2008, the shortest threshold among the states covered in this series.

Is there a minimum amount for Victorian unclaimed money?

The Act sets a base minimum of $20, with the possibility of a higher amount being set by regulation. This article does not confirm whether a higher figure currently applies.

Is there a deadline to claim unclaimed money in Victoria?

No deadline was found in the provision that lets an owner claim their money, unlike New South Wales, which has a 6 year extinguishment clock. A nearby Victorian provision does set a 5 year deadline for a different kind of claim, which supports reading the absence of one for owners as deliberate.

Does Victoria pay interest on unclaimed money?

No provision paying interest to an ordinary claimant was found. Most of Victoria's interest provisions run the other way, charging penalty interest against non-compliant businesses, though sections 66-67 separately require the Registrar to pay interest to a business or trustee that wins an objection, review or appeal of an assessment.

Does Victoria warn against paid money finding agents the way New South Wales does?

No explicit warning of that kind was found in the State Revenue Office's guidance or the Act's text. Because the official process is free, using a paid finder is unnecessary regardless.

How do I claim unclaimed money for a Victorian deceased estate?

The application must be signed by the executor or executors named in the probate grant or letters of administration, along with supporting identity and estate documents.