How to find lost dividends and shares

It is very common for shareholders to lose touch with the companies they invest in. More than 150,000 small investors have forgotten about $451 million worth of shares. Australia has $1.1 billion dollars of unclaimed money.

If this your situation, these guidelines may help you in tracing your lost shares and dividends.

  1. Contact the relevant company
  2. Contact the responsible state government department as the unclaimed monies may be either registered with that department or depending on the time that has lapsed, held by the department.
  3. IMPORTANT - if you discover you have lost shares, make sure you contact the company's share registry and provide your new details.

Company contacts

If you think you may be a shareholder in a company, contact that company directly or its share registry. There are three main Australian Share Registries.

Computershare

www.computershare.com.au
Phone 1300 850 505 (in Australia) or 03 9415 4000
Fax 03 9473 2500
Post GPO Box 2975 Melbourne VIC 3000
Email web.queries@computershare.com.au

Link Market Services

www.linkmarketservices.com.au
Phone 1300 554 474 (in Australia) or 02 8280 7100
Fax 02 9287 0303
Post Locked Bag A14 Sydney South, NSW 1235
Email registrars@linkmarketservices.com.au

Boardroom Ltd

boardroomlimited.com.au
Phone 1300 737 760 (in Australia) or 02 9290 9600
Fax 1300 653 459
Post GPO Box 3993 Sydney NSW 2011
Email enquiries@boardroomlimited.com.au 

Federal Government Contacts

How to locate lost shareholdings through the ASIC website

Search for lost shareholdings and unclaimed money through the Australian Government website moneysmart.gov.au. The ASIC website contains details of how to claim your money. The unclaimed money form will step you through all the information you need to provide to ASIC. The company will be contacted by ASIC once you have submitted your form.

Find unclaimed money

How to find lost/unclaimed Takeover Payments through the ASIC website

If you think you held shares in a company which has been taken over by another company and you have not been paid for those shares, then the monies may be held by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. You can search for unclaimed monies on the ASIC website. You can also search for money from a specific source:

  • Banking - banks, credit unions and building societies
  • Company - compulsory acquisition of shares resulting from takeovers
  • Life - policies held with life insurance companies and friendly societies

Search for unclaimed money

deListed: lost shares/lost money service

For a small administration fee, deListed can help you trace lost shares, lost dividends, missing takeover consideration payments and demutualisation payouts.

Delisted also conduct searches for superannuation funds.

deListed lost shares and money service

State Government Contacts

NEW SOUTH WALES: Office of State Revenue

Check online to see if NSW Office of State Revenue holds any lost monies for you. You can only make a claim in NSW for unclaimed monies in excess of $100.

Website www.revenue.nsw.gov.au
Phone 1300 366 016 (within Australia) or 02 9689 6200
Post GPO Box 4042 Sydney NSW 2001
Email unclaimedmoney@revenue.nsw.gov.au

VICTORIA: State Revenue Office

Companies in Victoria are required to transfer monies that are unclaimed after 12 months. You can only make a claim in Victoria for unclaimed monies in excess of $20.00.

Website www.sro.vic.gov.au/
Phone 13 21 61 (within Australia) or 03 9628 0000
Email unclaimedmoneys@sro.vic.gov.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY: Department of Treasury and Finance

Search for lost shareholder monies for businesses in the Northern Territory government website.

Website http://www.treasury.nt.gov.au
Phone 1300 305 353 (within Australia or 08 8999 7406
Email Enquiries.DTF@nt.gov.au
Post GPO Box 1974, Darwin, NT 0801

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Department of Treasury and Finance

Search for unclaimed monies on the South Australian Government website.

Website www.treasury.sa.gov.au
Phone 08 8226 9500
Post GPO Box 1045 Adelaide, SA, 5001
Email commservices@sa.gov.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Department of Treasury

You can search for unclaimed monies held by Western Australian businesses on the website of the Department of Treasury and Finance.

Website www.treasury.wa.gov.au
Phone 08 6551 2600
Email unclaimed.money@treasury.wa.gov.au
Post Administrator, Unclaimed Money, Department of Treasury, Locked Bag 11, Cloisters Square, PERTH WA 6000

QUEENSLAND: Public Trustee

Unclaimed monies in Queensland are held by the Public Trustee. You can search for unclaimed money here.

Website www.pt.qld.gov.au
Phone 1300 360 044 (within Australia) or 07 3213 9429
Email unclaimedmoney@pt.qld.gov.au

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY: Public Trustee & Guardian

Search for unclaimed monies for businesses in the ACT on the Public Trustee website.

Website www.ptg.act.gov.au
Phone 02 6207 9800
Post Public Trustee and Guardian, PO Box 221, Civic Square, ACT 2608
Email publictrustee@act.gov.au

TASMANIA: Public Trustee

The Public Trustee holds unclaimed monies in Tasmania. You can finds forms on the Tasmanian Government website.

Website www.treasury.tas.gov.au
Phone 03 6166 4188
Post Government Finance and Accounting Branch, Department of Treasury and Finance, GPO Box 147, HOBART TAS 7001
Email unclaimed.money@treasury.tas.gov.au