How to find lost shares and unclaimed dividends in Australia

Shareholdings are easier to lose track of than most people expect. A move without updating the share registry, a name change, a parcel inherited years ago, shares from an old employee plan, float or demutualisation – over time the statements stop arriving and the holding quietly slips off the radar. The good news: shares do not disappear. The record of your holding sits with a share registry, and there are free, official ways to track it down – and if you would rather not do the legwork, our team can handle the entire process for you.

First, understand how your shares are held

Australian shares are held in one of two ways. Issuer-sponsored holdings are managed by the company’s share registry and identified by a Shareholder Reference Number (SRN), which begins with the letter “I”. Broker-sponsored holdings sit on the CHESS system under a Holder Identification Number (HIN), which begins with the letter “X”, and are managed through a stockbroker. Old or inherited parcels are very commonly issuer-sponsored, which means the company’s registry – not a broker – holds the record.

Where to search

1. The share registries. Most ASX-listed companies use one of a small number of registries – Computershare, MUFG Corporate Markets (formerly Link Market Services), Automic or BoardRoom. If you know (or can guess) which companies you may hold, the registry for each company can confirm holdings registered in your name once you verify your identity, and can reissue holding statements showing your SRN. Any old holding statement, dividend statement or even a dividend cheque butt will name the registry.

2. ASIC’s unclaimed money register. When money owed to shareholders goes unclaimed for long enough – including some unpaid dividends and the proceeds of certain company buybacks and takeovers – it can be transferred to ASIC. You can search the register by name on the Australian Government’s Moneysmart website. The search is free, and money held by ASIC remains claimable by the rightful owner indefinitely – you never need to pay a third-party “money finder” to check for you.

3. State unclaimed money registers. Each state and territory also keeps its own register of unclaimed money, which is worth checking alongside ASIC’s.

4. A broker-lodged SRN search (the “A12”). If you know the company but have no paperwork at all, a full-service broker can lodge an A12 search through the ASX’s CHESS system – a request for the share registry to locate the holding and confirm its SRN using just the name the shares are registered in, the registered address and the company. Discount and online brokers have been scaling this service back; iInvest’s administration team lodges these searches routinely – read more in our guide to the A12 search.

Unclaimed dividends

Dividends that never reached you – because a cheque was never banked or bank details were out of date – are typically held by the company’s share registry in the first instance. Contact the registry for the company concerned; once your identity and current details are verified, unpresented payments can usually be reissued. Older amounts may have been transferred to ASIC, which is where the Moneysmart search comes in.

Shares belonging to someone who has passed away

Executors and administrators can ask the registries to search for holdings in the deceased person’s name, supported by the death certificate and grant of probate or letters of administration. Locating every holding is often the first step in finalising an estate. Our Deceased Estates service works with solicitors and executors through exactly this process.

Found shares and want to sell them?

If your search turns up a parcel of shares you would like to sell, you do not need to open an ongoing trading account or a broker-sponsored (HIN) account to do it. Our One-Off Sale of Shares service handles single-parcel sales for clients and non-clients alike – typically sold within a trading day once the documentation is complete.

Prefer to hand the whole thing over?

You do not have to do any of this yourself. iInvest can take care of the entire process on your behalf – searching the registries and unclaimed money registers, gathering the statements and identification paperwork, and arranging the sale of any parcels you decide to sell. One point of contact from “I think there might be shares somewhere” through to funds in your account.

Get started with iInvest Trading & Advisory

Send us an enquiry and we will take it from there.

The information on this page is general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether it is appropriate for your circumstances before acting on it. iInvest Trading & Advisory is a Corporate Authorised Representative (CAR 431611) of Zodiac Securities Pty Ltd (AFSL 398350).