Honolulu County Unclaimed Money

Honolulu County residents have two places to search for unclaimed money: the statewide Hawaii Unclaimed Property Program run by the Department of Budget and Finance, and a separate escheated checks program run by the City and County of Honolulu. Both are free to search. If you have ever lived or worked on Oahu, held a bank account here, or had a utility deposit in the county, there may be funds held in your name waiting to be claimed. Start your search today to find out.

How to Search Honolulu County Unclaimed Money

Searching for unclaimed money in Honolulu County means checking two databases. First, go to the state portal at unclaimedproperty.ehawaii.gov. Type in your name. The system will show any property held by the State of Hawaii on your behalf. This is where you will find dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks from businesses, insurance proceeds, stock dividends, and utility deposits that were never returned. The search is free and takes only a few minutes.

After you check the state database, visit the City and County of Honolulu's escheated checks page at honolulu.gov/bfs/escheated-checks. This is a separate program. The city holds checks it issued that were never cashed. You can search by payee name, check amount, or check number. Records go back through recent years including 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. If you find a match, you fill out the Claim for Recovery of Escheated Check form on that same page and submit it to the Treasury Division. These are two different pools of money, so you need to check both to be thorough.

Honolulu County is unique among Hawaii's counties because it runs its own escheated checks program alongside the state system. No other county does this. That means Oahu residents have an extra layer of funds to look for that residents on other islands do not. If you have done business with the city in any way, received a tax refund, or had a check issued by the city government, check the city database too.

The main program page for the state is at budget.hawaii.gov/finance/unclaimedproperty. This gives you full details about what the program covers, how to file a claim, and who to contact. The state program is administered under Chapter 523A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, which governs how unclaimed property is reported, transferred, and returned to owners.

The Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services manages the city's financial operations, including the escheated checks program for unclaimed city-issued funds.

The BFS handles treasury functions for the City and County of Honolulu and is the starting point for any claim related to city-issued checks that were never cashed.

What Counts as Unclaimed Money in Honolulu County

Unclaimed money in Honolulu County can come from many sources. Bank accounts are the most common. If a savings or checking account has had no activity for five years and the bank cannot reach the account holder, the funds get turned over to the state. The same applies to certificates of deposit after seven years of inactivity. Money market accounts and similar instruments follow the same five-year rule.

Insurance companies report unclaimed funds too. If a life insurance policy matures or a claim goes unpaid for three years, the insurer must report the proceeds to the state program. Utility deposits that go unclaimed are turned over after just one year. That means if you moved out of a Honolulu apartment and forgot to claim your electricity deposit, it may already be in the state system waiting for you. Wages and payroll checks that go uncashed also have a one-year dormancy period before they reach the state. Stock dividends and shares of stock follow a seven-year rule under HRS Chapter 523A.

Safe deposit box contents are handled differently. Banks must turn over the contents after they have been inactive long enough and the bank cannot contact the owner. The state holds physical items from safe deposit boxes and lists them in the search database. Real estate is not covered under the unclaimed property law. Only personal property like money, securities, and tangible personal property from safe deposit boxes qualifies.

The state does not hold unclaimed real estate from Honolulu County. For real property questions, the Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division handles tax records and ownership information. That is a separate function from unclaimed money.

The Honolulu escheated checks program is a city-level unclaimed funds database that operates separately from the statewide Hawaii Unclaimed Property Program.

Residents of Honolulu County should check this database in addition to the state portal, since city-issued checks that were never cashed are tracked here and nowhere else.

How to Claim Honolulu County Unclaimed Money

Claiming your unclaimed money is free. You do not pay anything to search, file, or receive your funds. If someone asks for a fee to help you claim, that is a finder service, not the official program. The state caps finder fees at 10% of the amount recovered under Section 523A-25 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. You can always file a claim yourself at no cost through the official portal.

For state-held property, start at budget.hawaii.gov/finance/unclaimedproperty/owner-information. This page walks you through the three claim types: original owner, deceased owner (heir), and business. If you are the original owner, you need to verify your identity with documents like a government-issued ID and proof of your former address. Claims over $50 must be notarized. If you are claiming on behalf of a deceased relative, you need documents showing your relationship to the deceased and your right to the funds. An Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent under HRS 560:3-1201 and 560:3-1202 may be required. Securities claims require an IRS Form W-9.

For city-held escheated checks, go to the escheated checks page, find your name in the records, and download the Claim for Recovery of Escheated Check form. Fill it out and submit it to the Treasury Division at Honolulu Hale, 530 South King Street, Room 115, Honolulu HI 96813. You can also email the Bureau of Financial Services at bfstreasmailbox@honolulu.gov. The city offers a 24-hour curbside drop box for form submissions.

Honolulu County Finance and Treasury Contacts

The City and County of Honolulu's financial operations run through the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. The Treasury Division within BFS handles escheated checks and related financial matters. Visit the Treasury Division at Honolulu Hale, 530 South King Street, Room 115, Honolulu, HI 96813. You can reach them by email at bfstreasmailbox@honolulu.gov. Their financial forms page at honolulu.gov/bfs/financial-forms has the claim forms you need. A 24-hour curbside drop box is available at the location for form drop-off outside of business hours.

For the state program, the Department of Budget and Finance runs the Hawaii Unclaimed Property Program from the No. 1 Capitol District Building, 250 S. Hotel Street, Room 304, Honolulu, HI 96813. The mailing address is P.O. Box 150, Honolulu, HI 96810. Call (808) 586-1589 with questions. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM HST, except state holidays. You can also reach the program through the contact page at budget.hawaii.gov/finance/unclaimedproperty/contact-unclaimed-property.

Residents on neighbor islands who need to reach the state office can call toll-free. From Kauai, dial 274-3141 extension 61589. From Maui, call 984-2400 extension 61589. From Hawaii Island, call 974-4000 extension 61589. These lines connect directly to the state unclaimed property staff.

The Honolulu Treasury Division is the city office that manages escheated checks and processes recovery claims for city-issued funds.

If you find a match in the city's escheated checks database, the Treasury Division at Honolulu Hale is where you submit your claim form or drop it off using the 24-hour curbside box.

Holder Reporting in Honolulu County

Businesses and organizations in Honolulu County that hold other people's money or property must report it to the state. This includes banks, insurance companies, utilities, employers, retailers, and nonprofits. Under HRS Chapter 523A, holders must file reports by November 1 each year covering all property that became dormant during the prior fiscal year. All reports must be submitted electronically in the NAUPA Standard Electronic File Format. Paper reports are not accepted.

If you run a business in Honolulu County and you are unsure about your reporting obligations, the state holder information page at budget.hawaii.gov/finance/unclaimedproperty/holder-information covers what you need to know. The NAUPA organization also maintains a Hawaii-specific resource page at unclaimed.org/reporting/hawaii that explains the electronic filing standards used statewide. Failure to report can result in penalties under state law, so businesses should review their obligations each year.

Note: Dormant account rules for banks are covered in FAQs published by the Hawaii Division of Financial Institutions at cca.hawaii.gov/dfi/dormant-account-faqs.

The Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division handles property tax records and ownership data for Oahu, which is a separate function from the unclaimed money program but useful for owners tracking property-related financial matters.

Real estate is not covered under Hawaii's unclaimed property law, so property-related questions should go to the Real Property Assessment Division rather than the unclaimed money program.

Cities in Honolulu County

The following communities on Oahu have their own pages with more detail on searching for unclaimed money at the local level.

Nearby Counties

Hawaii's other counties also have unclaimed money resources. Each county has its own page with contact details and search guidance.