It is very common for shareholders to lose touch with the companies they invest in. More than150,000 small investors have forgotten about $451 million worth of shares. Australia has $1.1billion dollars of unclaimed money.
If this is your situation, these guidelines may help you in tracing your lost shares and dividends.
- Contact the relevant company
- 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 bythe department.
- IMPORTANT – if you discover you have lost shares, make sure you contact thecompany’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: [email protected] |
| 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: [email protected] |
| Boardroom Ltd |
| www.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: [email protected] |
Federal Government Contacts
How to locate lost shareholdings through the ASIC website
Search for lost shareholdings and unclaimed money through the Australian Government websitemoneysmart.gov.au.The ASIC website contains details of how to claim your money. Theunclaimed 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.
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 andyou have not been paid for those shares, then the monies may be held by the AustralianSecurities and Investments Commission. You can search for unclaimed monies on the ASICwebsite. 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
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 [email protected] |
| 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 [email protected] |
| QUEENSLAND: Public Trustee |
| Unclaimed monies in Queensland are held by the Public Trustee. Search for unclaimed money here. |
| Website: www.pt.qld.gov.au |
| Phone: 1300 360 044 (within Australia) or 07 3213 9429 |
| Email: [email protected] |
| 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: [email protected] |
| 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: [email protected] |
| 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: [email protected] |
| 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: [email protected] |
| Post Administrator, Unclaimed Money, Department of Treasury, Locked Bag 11, Cloisters Square, PERTH WA 6000 |
| 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: [email protected] |
