Unclaimed Money in Malaysia: It Is Still Yours After 10 Years, and eGUMIS Claims Are Free

Document pack · portal status checked 27 August 2026

Your eGUMIS claim pack

1. Your identity: MyKad or other official identification matching the eGUMIS record.
2. Your ownership trail: record details plus any confirmation required from the bank, employer, insurer or reporting company.
3. If the owner died: estate documents showing you are the executor, administrator or another legally authorised claimant.
4. Submission route checked 27 August 2026: eGUMIS search remains available, but online applications are paused through 4 September 2026; recheck the official notice or use an official JANM counter.
5. Keep the application reference. JANM searches and claims are free, and no private agent has been appointed.

Why this matters

Malaysia is holding a large pool of money that has lost contact with its owners, not money that has automatically become ownerless. The Star reported on 8 March 2026 that the Accountant General's Department had recorded more than RM13 billion in unclaimed money as at 31 January. About RM7 billion remained in the Unclaimed Money Trust Account, while the rest had been transferred to the Consolidated Revenue Account after remaining unclaimed for 10 years. Crucially, the Accountant General said money transferred to revenue would still be paid when a valid claim was made by the owner or an heir.

The size of the pool has been building over time. Free Malaysia Today reported from a parliamentary written reply in March 2025 that RM12.7 billion was awaiting rightful owners as at 31 January 2025. It also reported that individuals and rightful heirs could apply through eGUMIS or at Accountant General's Department offices, and that counters had been expanded to state and branch offices. These figures are snapshots on different dates, not a promise that a particular person has money waiting.

The scam risk grew with the publicity. On 16 March 2026, the official eGUMIS portal warned that neither the Finance Ministry nor the Registrar had appointed an individual, company or firm as a middleman or agent. JANM said both checking and claiming are free, advised owners to apply directly through the official portal, and warned that personal information given to unauthorised parties could be misused for fraud. That warning changes the safest first step: verify the website before entering an identity number or bank detail.

What the law says

Unclaimed money is a legal category, not simply every debt someone has forgotten. JANM's official guidance lists three main groups. First is money legally payable to an owner but unpaid for at least two years, such as salary, wages, bonuses, dividends, approved insurance claims, matured fixed deposits without automatic renewal and expired bank drafts. Second is money in an account left completely unoperated by the owner for at least seven years, including savings, current and automatically renewed fixed-deposit accounts. Third is money in a trade account that has stayed dormant for at least two years.

The Registrar acts as trustee for money surrendered under the Unclaimed Moneys Act 1965. JANM's explanation of section 13(1) says the Registrar, once satisfied that the claimant owns the money, authorises payment from the Consolidated Trust Account or Revenue Account. The claimant must prove ownership or another legal right to the money. This means an eGUMIS match is the start of verification, not a cash entitlement based only on a similar name or identity number.

There is no time limitation for applying, according to JANM's current official page. The transfer of an old balance from the trust account to the Consolidated Revenue Account after 10 years is an accounting move; it does not erase the owner's ability to claim. The Star's March 2026 report independently records the Accountant General making that same point. You should still act promptly because bank statements, employment records, estate papers and confirmation letters become harder to retrieve with time.

An heir can claim, but 'I am family' is not the whole legal proof. The applicant must establish the original owner's connection to the record and the applicant's authority under the relevant estate documents. The exact checklist depends on the value, the record and whether the applicant is the owner, an heir, an administrator, an executor or another representative. Use the checklist linked by JANM for the claim category and do not upload extra family documents to an unofficial helper.

The process has no JANM claim fee. That does not mean a third party can never charge for unrelated professional work, such as administering a complicated estate, but nobody should represent a private fee as a government charge required to unlock eGUMIS money. The official warning is stronger: the Ministry and Registrar have not appointed claim agents at all. A person who contacts you first, demands a percentage, sends a lookalike link or asks for online-banking credentials is not following the published official process.

How does this impact me?

Start with the official portal address typed directly into the browser: egumis.anm.gov.my. Register or log in there, search the available record and compare the holder, reporting company and type of money. A search result may use an old address, employer name or bank relationship. Do not post the result in a public group to ask whether it is genuine; it may expose enough information for somebody else to impersonate you.

Build evidence around the source of the money. For an old bank account, that may include account records and the bank's confirmation. For salary, dividend, insurance or a deposit, it may include the former employer's or company's confirmation and documents linking you to the payment. JANM publishes forms, examples and a refund brochure because different records require different proof. Follow the checklist shown for your case rather than copying a stranger's document pack.

If the record belongs to a deceased person, pause before using the deceased person's login details or describing yourself as the owner. Apply in the correct representative capacity and gather the death certificate and relevant estate authority. The fact that eGUMIS permits rightful heirs to claim does not settle which relative is legally authorised to receive or administer the asset. A disputed estate or unclear authority may justify advice before submission.

If the portal is inaccessible or the record needs help, use JANM's official state counters or the contact details published on the official portal. Do not move the conversation to a private messenger account advertised as an eGUMIS agent. Keep a copy of the application reference and the exact documents submitted, but store identity and banking records securely. A request for a fee or password is a reason to stop and verify, not a shortcut.

Key lessons

The first lesson is that transfer to government revenue is not confiscation of the underlying claim. Headlines about money moving after 10 years can sound final, but JANM says there is no application time limit and the Accountant General says valid claims are still paid. The owner's problem is proof, not a 10-year expiry clock.

The second lesson is that free government services often attract paid intermediaries precisely because the process looks unfamiliar. Here the official position leaves little room for ambiguity: no agent has been appointed, and the search and claim are free. The safest way to preserve the claim is to protect the identity documents needed to prove it.

The final lesson is that finding a record and proving entitlement are separate stages. A name or identity-number match tells the Registrar where to look. Payment follows only after the claimant proves ownership or lawful authority. Good records, the correct representative capacity and the official checklist matter more than how old or large the entry appears online.

Bottom line

Check eGUMIS because the money may still be claimable no matter how long it has been held, including after transfer to the Consolidated Revenue Account. But use only the official portal or JANM counter, pay no government claim fee, and give no documents to an alleged agent. A valid result is not instant cash: the Registrar must be satisfied that you are the owner or have the legal right to claim for one.