Uncashed paychecks and unpaid wages: where unclaimed pay goes

How long before wages count as unclaimed

A dormancy period is the time property can sit with no activity or contact before it must be turned over to the state.⁸ For wages, many states set one year;¹²³ others set two,⁴ three¹⁴ or five years.⁵

Where to look

Unclaimed wages go to the state of the owner’s last known address in the employer’s records.⁶ If the employer had no address for you, or the state of that address has no law letting it take the money, the money goes to the state where the employer is incorporated.⁶ The which-state tool walks through this.

Back wages are a different program

When the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division finds labor law violations, it often recovers unpaid wages for workers, and it holds the back wages of workers it cannot locate while it keeps looking.²⁰ If it still cannot find the worker after three years, it must send the money to the U.S. Treasury.²⁰ Our guide to other official places to check covers this and similar federal searches.

How to claim

Searching and claiming are free through the official program of the state holding the property.⁷ Find it in the list of states, search every name you have used in each state you have worked or lived in, and follow the claim guide if there is a match.

Questions people ask

What happens to a paycheck I never cashed?

After the dormancy period for wages, it must be turned over to the state,⁸ generally the state of your last known address in the employer's records.⁶

How long before an uncashed paycheck goes to the state?

It depends on the state: one year in California,¹ two years in Pennsylvania,⁴ three in Maryland.¹⁴ The dormancy table lists more states.

Sources

Footnote numbers point here. Open "Quoted text" for the exact words relied on ("[…]" marks words left out).

1. Dormancy Periods for Most Frequently Reported Unclaimed Property Type (PDF) California State Controller's Office · sco.ca.gov · Rev. 07/2023 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   Wages or Salaries 1 CCP 1513 (g)

2. Chapter 717, Florida Statutes (2026), Florida Disposition of Abandoned Personal Property Act The Florida Legislature · leg.state.fl.us · 2026 Florida Statutes · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   717.115 Wages.—Unpaid wages, including wages represented by unpresented payroll checks, owing in the ordinary course of the holder’s business that have not been claimed by the apparent owner for more than 1 year after becoming payable are presumed abandoned.

3. Code of Virginia Title 55.1 Chapter 25, Virginia Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act (full chapter) Commonwealth of Virginia, Legislative Information System (Code of Virginia) · law.lis.virginia.gov · Code as published Nov. 3, 2026; includes 2026 c. 669 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   Unpaid wages, including wages represented by unpresented payroll checks owing in the ordinary course of the holder's business, that have remained unclaimed by the owner for more than one year after such unpaid wages became payable are presumed abandoned.

4. The Fiscal Code, Act of Apr. 9, 1929, P.L. 343, No. 176, Article XIII.1 (72 P.S. § 1301.1 et seq.) Pennsylvania General Assembly · palegis.us · text displayed Nov. 3, 2026; latest Article XIII.1 amendment shown: July 17, 2024, P.L.910, No.81 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   Wages or other compensation for personal services that have remained unclaimed by the owner for more than two (2) years after the wages or other compensation for personal services become payable or are distributed are presumed abandoned and unclaimed.

5. Delaware Code Title 12, Chapter 11, Subchapter II. Unclaimed Property (§§ 1130-1191) Delaware General Assembly / Delaware Code Online · delcode.delaware.gov · current Delaware Code Online text (latest session law cited: 84 Del. Laws, c. 368) · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   (11) Wages, including commissions, bonuses, or reimbursements to which an employee is entitled, or other compensation for personal services, 5 years after the amount becomes payable.

6. Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), opinion Supreme Court of the United States · supremecourt.gov · Feb. 28, 2023 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (3)

   To resolve the competing claims, we established that, as the primary (default) rule, the proceeds of abandoned financial products should escheat “to the State of the creditor's last known address as shown by the debtor's books and records.”

   either because the creditors' addresses were unknown or because the State that is entitled to escheatment under the primary rule did not have a law empowering it to take custody of the proceeds.

   adopted a secondary rule to apply in those circumstances; namely, that the proceeds should escheat to the debtor's State of incorporation.

7. Claim Your Found Property National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) · unclaimed.org · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   Both searching for and claiming your unclaimed property are free, provided you go through the official government program of the state holding the property.

8. What is unclaimed property? National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) · unclaimed.org · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   After a designated period of time (called the dormancy period) with no activity or contact, the property becomes “unclaimed” and—by law—must be turned over to the state.

9. Code of Alabama § 35-12-72 Alabama Legislature (ALISON) · alison.legislature.state.al.us · current code as displayed Nov. 3, 2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
   Quoted text (1)

   (14) Wages or other compensation for personal services, one year after the compensation becomes payable.

10. Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 32 (Treasurer), Part III Escheats, secs. 3-56a to 3-76 Connecticut General Assembly · cga.ct.gov · current text as displayed Nov. 3, 2026; chapter note refers to the 2026 Supplement, revised to January 1, 2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    Except for wages collected by the Labor Commissioner pursuant to subsection (b) of section 31-68, any sum payable for wages, salary or other compensation for personal services that has remained unclaimed by the owner for more than one year after it becomes due, payable or distributable, is presumed abandoned.

11. K.S.A. 58-3935. Property presumed abandoned; when; general rule Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes · ksrevisor.gov · K.S.A. current as published Nov. 3, 2026; last amended L. 2007 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    (11) wages or other compensation for personal services, one year after the compensation becomes payable;

12. La. R.S. 9:154 Louisiana State Legislature · legis.la.gov · code text as displayed Nov. 3, 2026; history line in text · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    (11) Wages or other compensation for personal services, one year after the compensation becomes payable.

13. 33 M.R.S. §2061 Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · legislature.maine.gov · current text as displayed Nov. 3, 2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    Wages, commissions, bonuses or reimbursements to which an employee is entitled or other compensation for personal services, one year after the amount becomes payable;

14. Maryland Code, Commercial Law § 17-308 Maryland General Assembly (mgaleg.maryland.gov) · mgaleg.maryland.gov · current text as displayed Nov. 3, 2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    (a) All unclaimed wages or outstanding payroll checks held or owing in the ordinary course of the holder’s business, that have remained unclaimed by the owner for more than 3 years after they became payable, are presumed abandoned.

15. Minnesota Statutes chapter 345, Unclaimed Property (full chapter) Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes · revisor.mn.gov · 2026 Minnesota Statutes · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    unpaid compensation for personal services or wages, including wages represented by unpresented payroll checks, owing in the ordinary course of the holder's business that remain unclaimed by the owner for more than one year after becoming payable are presumed abandoned.

16. Reporting Unclaimed Property (holder FAQ) Missouri State Treasurer's Office · treasurer.mo.gov · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    Payroll – 3 years

17. NMSA 1978 Chapter 7, Article 8A, Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (1995), Sections 7-8A-1 to 7-8A-31, with annotations New Mexico Compilation Commission (NMOneSource.com) · nmonesource.com · Current NMSA 1978 as published on NMOneSource, Nov. 3, 2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    (12) wages or other compensation for personal services, one year after the compensation becomes payable;

18. Oklahoma Statutes Title 60 (Property), Uniform Unclaimed Property Act, 60 O.S. §§651-688 Oklahoma Legislative Service Bureau · oklegislature.gov · compiled title; latest amendments shown Laws 2025, c. 421, eff. Nov. 1, 2025 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    Unpaid wages, including wages represented by unpresented payroll checks, owing in the ordinary course of the holder's business which remain unclaimed by the owner for more than one (1) year after becoming payable are presumed abandoned.

19. Utah Code § 67-4a-201, When property presumed abandoned Utah Legislature · le.utah.gov · Effective 5/6/2026 · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (1)

    wages, commissions, bonuses, or reimbursements to which an employee is entitled, or other compensation for personal services, one year after the amount becomes payable;

20. Workers Owed Wages (WOW) U.S. Department of Labor · webapps.dol.gov · checked Nov. 3, 2026
    Quoted text (2)

    After three years, if we remain unable to find the person owed back wages, we are required to send the money to the U.S. Treasury.

    When the Wage and Hour Division finds labor law violations, we often get unpaid wages on behalf of workers. If we cannot locate these employees, we hold their back wages while we continue to look for them.