Unclaimed Money UK: How to Find Benefits, Lost Accounts and Prizes You Are Owed

Unclaimed money is money that was always yours: a benefit nobody told you to claim, a forgotten account, a tax refund HMRC cannot pay until you ask. This guide is part of our Make Money hub.

Want one personal total instead of checking pot by pot? Our free Found Money Finder asks 7 questions and adds the routes on this page together with bank switch bonuses, idle savings and cashback into one personal range, with a fix list biggest first. This guide stays the step by step how to for each unclaimed pot; the Finder is the quick checker. Your answers stay in your browser.

Unclaimed money UK at a glance

Unclaimed benefits UK: the biggest pot of all

Forgotten bank accounts make the headlines, but unclaimed benefits are worth far more. Policy in Practice, the analysts behind one of the calculators listed on GOV.UK, estimate that £24.1 billion in income-related benefits and social tariffs will go unclaimed across Great Britain in 2025/26, with over 7 million households missing out (Missing Out 2025 report). The largest amounts are Universal Credit, Council Tax Support and Carer’s Allowance. People assume working, owning a home or having savings rules them out. Often it does not.

Where to check: GOV.UK lists three free, independent benefits calculators (entitledto, Turn2us and Policy in Practice). The check is anonymous. See our government funding guides too.

Pension Credit: up to 910,000 families are missing out

Pension Credit tops up the income of people over State Pension age. DWP take-up statistics (financial year ending 2024) estimate up to 910,000 families entitled to it did not claim, leaving up to £2.5 billion unclaimed, an average of around £2,600 a year per family.

You can qualify even if you own your home or have savings. It also unlocks other help: the Winter Fuel Payment, Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit, NHS costs help and a free TV licence for over-75s. Claims can usually be backdated by three months, so delay costs money.

Where to check: the Pension Credit calculator and claim service on GOV.UK, or the claim line on 0800 99 1234.

Council Tax Reduction and the 25% single person discount

Two Council Tax pots go unclaimed. First, Council Tax Reduction (called Council Tax Support in many areas) cuts the bill for people on low incomes. Policy in Practice estimates around 2.7 million households miss out on support worth about £2.9 billion a year. Both pension-age and working-age households can qualify.

Second, the single person discount. A full bill assumes at least two adults live in a home, so the only adult there is entitled to 25% off. Some adults do not count at all (full-time students, people who are severely mentally impaired), so homes can qualify with several residents.

Where to check: a benefits calculator flags likely Council Tax Reduction, then apply through your council for both.

Child Trust Funds: is there £2,200 with your name on it?

The government opened a Child Trust Fund, with money paid in, for every child born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011. HMRC says more than 750,000 matured accounts are still unclaimed, worth £2,200 on average and over £1.6 billion in total.

Where to check: the free Find a Child Trust Fund tool on GOV.UK. You need your National Insurance number; at 18 or over you can withdraw it or move it into an ISA.

Lost bank accounts: search free with My Lost Account

Old current, savings and building society accounts do not disappear when you move house or switch banks. The money stays yours. My Lost Account, run by UK Finance, the Building Societies Association and NS&I, searches banks, building societies and NS&I products in one form, including accounts in previous names and at old addresses. The provider contacts you if it finds a match.

Where to check: mylostaccount.org.uk. Banks also pay new customers: see the best bank switch offers, worth up to £300.

Unclaimed Premium Bond prizes: £126.8 million waiting

Prizes go unclaimed when NS&I cannot reach the winner, usually after a move. NS&I confirmed in September 2026 that 2,851,753 prizes worth £126,787,100 are still unclaimed. A prize counts as unclaimed after 18 months uncashed, but there is no claim deadline, however old it is.

Where to check: enter your holder’s number into the NS&I prize checker or app. No holder’s number? Use the NS&I tracing service or My Lost Account.

Marriage Allowance: £252 a year, and you can backdate it

Married couples and civil partners qualify if one earns less than the £12,570 personal allowance and the other pays basic rate tax: the lower earner transfers £1,260 of allowance to their partner. HMRC values this at up to £252 a year, and you can backdate a claim by up to four tax years, so a first claim can be worth up to £1,260. The lower earner must apply, and claims for past years are allowed even if your partner has since died.

Where to check: apply free on GOV.UK. Beware copycat sites; see the warning below.

Tax relief on work expenses: uniforms, tools and subscriptions

If your employer has not reimbursed costs you must pay for your job, you may be able to claim tax relief from HMRC: washing, repairing or replacing a uniform, tools and specialist clothing, and professional fees and subscriptions are common claims. Many jobs have an agreed flat rate, so you often do not need receipts. Amounts are modest but real: MoneySavingExpert gives a £60 uniform flat rate, worth £12 a year to a basic rate taxpayer, and you can claim for the current tax year plus the previous four.

Where to check: claim free through the HMRC tax relief service or by post on form P87. Do not use a claims company.

Help to Save: a 50% bonus if you get Universal Credit

Help to Save is a government savings account for people on low incomes, now permanent and open to new applicants (HMRC, September 2026). You can open one if you live in the UK, receive Universal Credit and earned at least £1 in your last monthly assessment period. HMRC figures show 656,700 accounts opened by April 2026 and over £300 million paid in bonuses.

Save £1 to £50 a month. Bonuses of 50% of your highest balance arrive after two and four years: up to £1,200 in total on maximum savings. Withdrawals can reduce them.

Where to check: Help to Save on GOV.UK or the HMRC app.

Warning: never pay a company to claim what is free

Every claim here is free through GOV.UK, your council, NS&I or My Lost Account, yet a whole industry charges to do it for you:

• Claims companies advertise tax refunds, Marriage Allowance and uniform relief, then take a cut of your refund. MoneySavingExpert warns some take half or more once fees are added.
• Copycat websites copy GOV.UK branding and charge for free applications, so check the address bar says gov.uk.
• No official body charges to check entitlement or to release money that is yours.

Already paid a firm for a claim you could have made free? Complain to the firm first, then to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Unclaimed money FAQs

How do I find out if I have unclaimed money in the UK?

Run four free checks: a GOV.UK benefits calculator, My Lost Account for old accounts, the Child Trust Fund tool if born 2002 to 2011, and the NS&I prize checker if you have held Premium Bonds.

Is there a time limit for claiming unclaimed money?

Lost accounts and Premium Bond prizes have no deadline. Tax relief and Marriage Allowance can be backdated four tax years. Pension Credit can usually only be backdated three months, so claim that first.

Holding Premium Bonds today, or thinking of buying them? Our guide to whether Premium Bonds are worth it shows what the typical holder actually wins each year, and when the tax free prizes beat a savings account.

Can I claim unclaimed benefits if I am working?

Yes. Many people in work qualify for Universal Credit, Council Tax Reduction, Help to Save and tax relief on work expenses.

Do I pay tax on money I claim back?

Generally no. Premium Bond prizes are tax free, Pension Credit is not taxed, and a tax refund is your own overpaid tax coming back.

A company has offered to claim for me for a fee. Should I use it?

No. Every claim here is free through official channels. Citizens Advice and Age UK help with forms free.

Figures checked against official sources: 2 October 2026 (Policy in Practice, DWP, HMRC, NS&I, UK Finance, GOV.UK). Confirm your own position with the official service before claiming.