after loss

How to Find Out If You Are Owed an Inheritance

By Jason Su · Updated October 30, 2026

Most unclaimed inheritances go unclaimed because nobody told the heir, not because the money does not exist. Between an account an older relative left behind, a policy nobody knew about, and an estate where the person handling things never tracked down every relative, there is usually something sitting there. The search is free, it is mostly a matter of public records, and it starts in four places.

Start with the probate court in the county where they lived

When someone passes with a will, the will is usually filed with the probate court in the county where they lived. That filing is a public record, and it is the single most direct answer to “am I owed anything.”

Call or visit the probate court for that county and ask whether a case has been opened. If it has, you can ask to see the file. The file names the person appointed to handle the estate — the personal representative — and often includes the will itself, so you can see whether your name appears in it.

A few things make this search easier:

• The correct court is the county where the person lived, not where they passed or where you live.
• Many courts let you search case records online by name, though some still require a visit or a written request.
• If no case has been opened, it may be because the estate is small enough to skip probate, or because the family has not started yet. Neither means you are owed nothing.

For the mechanics of how probate works and when it is required, see what is probate.

Search your state’s unclaimed property office

This is the step people confuse with inheritance, so it is worth drawing the line.

Unclaimed property is money a company or bank could not return to its owner — a dormant account, an uncashed check, an old insurance payment — that the state now holds. It is not the same as an inheritance, but the two meet in a specific way: when a personal representative cannot find an heir, the money may eventually be handed to the state as unclaimed property. So the same relative can leave you both a bequest in a will and a dormant account sitting in a state database.

Search every state the person ever lived in, under every name they used — a maiden name, a middle initial, a misspelling. The national entry point is unclaimed.org, and missingmoney.com searches several states at once. Both are free.

The full walk-through of this search, including the federal sources that sit separate from the state programs, is in how to find unclaimed money after someone dies.

Check the life insurance policy locator

A life insurance payout is one of the most common inheritances that never reaches anyone. The policy was paid-up years ago, the paperwork is gone, and no one ever filed a claim.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners runs a free Life Insurance Policy Locator. You enter the person’s information, and the request goes out to participating insurers, who search their records and contact you if they find a policy naming you as a beneficiary. It is free, it is national, and it reaches insurers you could never call one by one.

The details of how the locator works, and the other ways to hunt down a missing policy, are in how to find a lost life insurance policy.

Ask the person handling the estate directly

If you know who was appointed to handle the estate — the personal representative, or the trustee if there is a trust — a short written request is often the fastest route of all.

Send a dated letter stating your name, your relationship to the person who passed, and your contact details, and ask whether you are named as a beneficiary and when you can expect to hear more. Keep a copy.

You may not always get a fast or friendly reply. Estates move slowly, and the person handling things may be overwhelmed. The letter still matters, because it puts your claim on record and starts a paper trail you may want later.

What changes when there is no will

Here is the part that surprises people. If there is no will, there is no document to find at the courthouse. State law — called intestacy law — decides who inherits, based on your legal relationship to the person: a spouse, a child, a parent, a sibling, in an order that varies by state.

So the question is not “where is the will” but “am I an heir under this state’s rules.” If you are a child or a surviving spouse, you likely are. If you are a more distant relative, it depends on who else is in the picture.

In that situation, the probate court is still the right first stop. Ask whether a case has been opened for the person, and who has been appointed. If you believe you are an heir, the court can tell you how to assert your claim.

These four searches catch different things

None of these checks replaces the others, because each one looks at a different pile of money.

The probate court tells you whether a will exists and who is handling things. Unclaimed property catches accounts and checks that drifted to the state. The insurance locator finds policies you could not have known about. And a direct letter reaches the one person who can answer the rest.

Run all four, not one. A family that searches only the probate court misses the dormant bank account; a family that searches only unclaimed property misses a will that never mentioned them. Together they cover most of what gets left behind.

What you need to prove your claim

Finding the money is step one. Receiving it means proving two things: that you are who you say you are, and that you are connected to the person.

Expect to gather:

• Your own identification — a government-issued photo ID.
• Proof of your relationship — a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, or adoption papers.
• Anything that ties you to the estate — the probate case number, the will, or a letter naming you as a beneficiary.
• Proof of the person’s passing — a certified copy of the certificate, which you may already have if you are the one handling things. Extra copies are cheap at the start and hard to chase later; see how to get a copy of a will for the related paperwork.

The exact documents vary by state and by who is holding the money, but this set covers almost every case.

What not to do

• Do not pay a service to “find your inheritance.” The searches above are free or nearly free. A finder that charges is doing what you can do in an afternoon.
• Do not search only the state they last lived in. Money is held where the company last knew the person, which is often years earlier.
• Do not stop at “no results.” Estates are filed slowly, and databases lag. Run the searches again in a few months.
• Do not assume no will means no inheritance. Intestacy law still decides, and you may be an heir.
• Do not give your information to anyone who asks for an upfront fee. Official searches never require one.

Frequently asked

How do I know if a will exists for someone?

Ask the probate court in the county where they lived whether a case has been opened. Wills are filed there and are public records.

Is there a national database of inheritances?

No. There is no single national database of who is owed what. You check the probate court, the state unclaimed property programs, and the life insurance locator separately.

What if the person had no will?

State intestacy law decides who inherits, based on relationship. You check with the probate court whether a case has been opened and assert your claim as an heir.

Do I need a lawyer to search?

No. The searches are free and you can run them yourself. A lawyer becomes useful later, if a claim is disputed or the estate is large.

How long do I have to claim?

It depends on what kind of money it is. State unclaimed property is generally held indefinitely and can be claimed years later. A probate estate has its own timeline set by the court, so it is better to ask early than to wait.

What is the difference between unclaimed property and an inheritance?

Unclaimed property is money a company or bank turned over to the state because it could not reach the owner. An inheritance is what passes to heirs through a will or state law. They overlap, which is why you check both.

Next step

Make the first call today: the probate court in the county where the person lived, to ask whether a case has been opened. That one answer tells you whether to look for a will or to assert a claim as an heir, and it points you toward everything else on this page.

Then run the state unclaimed property search and the life insurance locator the same afternoon. Log each search and its result on the free Unclaimed Money Search Checklist so nothing gets searched twice.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. We are not a law firm. Probate procedures, intestacy rules, and unclaimed property laws differ by state and change over time — please confirm details with the relevant court or agency and talk with a licensed attorney about your situation.