How to Find a Deceased Parent's Unclaimed Money in India: UDGAM and More
Published by Karan Bindal, Founder
₹78,213 crore sat unclaimed in Indian bank accounts at the end of March 2024, according to the RBI Annual Report 2023-24. Much of it belongs to families who never knew the account existed: an old salary account, a forgotten fixed deposit, a savings account in a town the family left years ago.
The money does not vanish. Deposits left unclaimed for 10 years move to RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness Fund, but the rightful claimant can still get them back through the bank.
Start at home
Official portals work far better when you have details to search with. Look for:
- Old passbooks, cheque books and fixed deposit receipts
- Bank SMS and letters
- Income tax returns, which show interest income
- Premium receipts and letters from insurers
- Dividend warrants and share certificates
- Statements from mutual funds
Also ask relatives and the person's old colleagues, and the CA, if there was one.
Bank deposits: UDGAM
UDGAM is RBI's portal for searching unclaimed deposits. You register with a name and mobile number, verify with an OTP, and search.
- It only searches. It does not settle claims. If you find something, it gives you a reference number (UDRN). You then go to that bank and follow its claim process. For a person who has died, this is the normal deceased claim procedure.
- It does not cover everything. It is reported to cover 30 banks and about 90% of unclaimed deposits by value. A blank result does not prove that nothing exists.
All financial assets: the Common Landing Portal
In May 2026 the Department of Financial Services launched a Common Landing Portal for Unclaimed Financial Assets, covering bank deposits, insurance claims, shares, dividends and mutual funds. It is new, so it may not be complete, but it is a sensible place to start.
Life insurance
The regulator's Bima Bharosa Unclaimed Amount page links to each insurer's search. These usually match on any two of policy number, PAN, name and date of birth.
This finds amounts already due and unpaid. A policy the insurer does not know has become payable may not appear, so also contact any insurer you see in old papers. Amounts unclaimed for 10 years move to the Senior Citizens' Welfare Fund, and can still be claimed from the insurer for 25 years after that.
See our life insurance claim guide.
Mutual funds
MF Central lets investors see their holdings. MITRA, SEBI's tracer for inactive folios, is meant to help investors, nominees and legal claimants find folios with no investor transactions for 10 years.
See our mutual funds and shares guide.
Provident fund
If the person ever worked for a salary, there may be PF money with an old employer. Look for a UAN on old salary slips and ask the employer. See our EPF guide.
Be careful
- These government portals are free, and Bima Bharosa says it never asks for payment.
- Be wary of anyone who calls to say they have found your family's money and asks for a fee or a "processing charge".
- Do not share OTPs or bank details with anyone who contacts you first.
The cure is a list
Every one of these searches exists because a list was never made. One page, noting every bank, policy and investment, would have saved the family all of it. Our free family checklist takes ten minutes, and Aakhri Pal keeps your list in one private place for your family.
Last checked: 30 October 2026. Official figures for unclaimed deposits are updated often and reports differ, so we quote the RBI's dated figure. This is general guidance, not financial advice.
Sources: UDGAM · Upstox on the August 2026 government statement · Common Landing Portal · IRDAI Master Circular 2024 (copy)