To find out if a money order has been cashed, look up its status through the issuer that sold it to you: USPS, Western Union, and MoneyGram each offer a free online or phone status check using the serial number and dollar amount from your receipt stub. If you need proof of who cashed it, or a copy of the endorsed document, you file a formal inquiry with that same issuer and pay a fee.
What You Need From Your Receipt
Every method starts with the stub you got at purchase. The serial number is the key piece: a unique string of digits printed at the top or center of the stub. You also need the exact dollar amount. For USPS money orders, you need the Post Office number where you bought it as well.1USPS. Money Orders – USPS Tracking
The purchase date helps narrow a formal inquiry if a quick status check isn’t enough. Keep the stub somewhere safe from the moment you buy the money order. Without it, tracking gets harder and more expensive, though not impossible.
Checking a USPS Money Order
The fastest route is the online tracking tool at USPS.com. Enter the serial number, Post Office number, and issued amount, and you get a near real-time status. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.2USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
If a status line isn’t enough — for instance, you want a copy of the cashed money order showing who endorsed it — file PS Form 6401 (Money Order Inquiry) at any Post Office. Bring the receipt stub and a valid photo ID; a postal employee verifies your information before processing the form. You fill out a separate form and pay a separate fee for each money order.3United States Postal Service. PS Form 6401 – Money Order Inquiry
Results on domestic inquiries typically arrive within 15 days. If the money order was cashed, USPS sends you a copy of the front and back. If it was not cashed, USPS issues a refund 60 days or later from the original issue date. To check on the status of an inquiry you already filed, call 1-866-974-2733.2USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
Checking a Western Union Money Order
Western Union lets you check status through its website or automated phone system. You need the 11-digit serial number and the exact dollar amount from your receipt. If it has been cashed, you can request a photocopy of the processed document through the same system.
A formal research request takes six to eight weeks. The results will tell you whether the item was cashed, uncashed, or could not be located.4Western Union Financial Services, Inc. Money Order Research Request
Checking a MoneyGram Money Order
MoneyGram works the same way through its website. Enter the serial number and purchase amount to check status. If you need a photocopy of a cashed money order, MoneyGram charges an $18 processing fee.5MoneyGram. MoneyGram Money Order Frequently Asked Questions
If You Lost the Receipt
You can still try, but you’ll owe the issuer more details from memory: the exact or approximate purchase date, the dollar amount, the store or location where you bought it, and the name of the payee.
For USPS, you still file PS Form 6401, but you mail it to the St. Louis Accounting Service Center rather than handling it at a local Post Office. USPS then decides whether it can locate and reissue the money order based on what you provided.2USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
For Western Union, complete a Money Order Research Request form and include a $30 non-refundable fee. The form asks for your personal information, the purchase location, approximate date and time, whether you filled in a payee name, and any supporting documents such as a store cash register receipt. If the money order was stolen, include a copy of the police report. This research also takes six to eight weeks.4Western Union Financial Services, Inc. Money Order Research Request
Reading the Result
An inquiry comes back one of two ways. Outstanding means the money order has not been cashed and the funds are still held by the issuer. Cashed or cleared means the issuer can send you a photocopy of the front and back of the document. The back matters most: it shows the endorsement signature, meaning the name of the person or business that deposited or cashed it.6eCFR. 39 CFR 762.29 – Endorsement of Disbursement Postal Money Orders by Payees
That endorsement copy is your proof of who received the funds. It’s what you’ll use to resolve a dispute with a landlord, utility, or other payee who claims your payment never arrived.
If the money order comes back uncashed and you want your funds back, USPS does not offer stop payments. Confirming a lost or stolen postal money order can take up to 30 days, and a full investigation up to 60 days; once confirmed uncashed, USPS issues a replacement money order rather than a cash refund. A spoiled or damaged money order can be swapped at a Post Office immediately at no charge if you still have both the original and the receipt.2USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
If the Endorsement Shows the Wrong Person
When the back of the cashed money order carries a signature you don’t recognize, someone other than your intended payee may have cashed it. Get the endorsement copy through the inquiry process first, since you need it as evidence.
For USPS money orders, report suspected fraud to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-800-372-8347. The Postal Inspection Service investigates mail fraud, including forged endorsements on postal money orders.7USPS Home. Protect Against Money Order Fraud For Western Union or MoneyGram, contact the issuer’s customer service to report the unauthorized cashing and ask about the claims process.
File a police report either way if you believe the money order was stolen. A copy of that report strengthens your claim with the issuer and may be required before they process a replacement or refund.
What Happens to a Money Order You Never Cash
A money order doesn’t sit with the issuer forever. If it goes uncashed for a prolonged period, the issuer is eventually required to turn the funds over to a state unclaimed property office. The dormancy period varies by state, typically running about three to seven years. After that, the funds sit with the state rather than the issuer, and you’d file a claim through the state’s unclaimed property program to recover them.
If you have an old money order in a drawer, cash it, request a refund, or contact the issuer to confirm it’s still valid before the dormancy clock runs out.