How to Get Money Back From an Uncashed Money Order

To get money back from an uncashed money order, you file a refund or replacement request with the company that issued it, pay a processing fee, and wait for the issuer to confirm the money order was never cashed. The steps differ between USPS, Western Union, and MoneyGram, but each issuer needs the same core proof: that you’re the original purchaser. Move quickly, because a money order left unclaimed for several years can be turned over to your state as abandoned property, which turns a simple refund into a separate claim against a state treasurer.

Check Whether the Money Order Was Already Cashed

Before you file anything, confirm the money order hasn’t already been paid. If it has, there is no refund to request. Each issuer has its own lookup:

USPS: use the online status tool at tools.usps.com or call 1-866-974-2733. You’ll need the serial number, post office number, and dollar amount.
Western Union: call 1-800-999-9660 with your serial number and purchase details.
MoneyGram: check the status at moneygram.com, which will tell you right away whether the money order is eligible for replacement.

If it has already been cashed, the issuer won’t cancel or refund it. Your remaining option is to resolve the situation with whoever cashed it. If you suspect theft and fraudulent cashing, USPS can provide a photocopy of the paid money order for up to two years after payment, which you can use to file a police report or pursue a claim.

What You Need Before You File

The receipt matters more than anything else. That small stub carries the serial number, dollar amount, and the location where you bought the money order. If you still have the uncashed money order itself, the same information is printed on its face.

Every issuer also requires a valid government-issued photo ID matching the purchaser’s name.¹ Without a receipt, recovery is harder and often slower. You’ll need to give the issuer an approximate purchase date and the store or post office address so they can search records manually. Some retailers and post offices can also look up the transaction using your ID and approximate purchase date, though this isn’t guaranteed.

Requesting a Refund From USPS

USPS handles refunds through PS Form 6401, the Money Order Inquiry. You file it at any post office.²

Complete Section A of PS Form 6401 in black ink. Use one form per money order.
Bring your receipt and photo ID to the post office window. The clerk verifies the serial number, date, post office number, and amount against what you’ve written.
Pay the $21.00 processing fee at the counter.³

The post office mails the form to the USPS Accounting Service Center in St. Louis. You can check status by calling 1-866-974-2733. USPS will either issue a refund, if the money order hasn’t been cashed, or send you a photocopy of the cashed one.²

Postal money orders never expire.⁴ An old one found in a drawer can still be deposited or refunded, as long as the funds haven’t already been turned over to your state.

Requesting a Refund From Western Union

Western Union takes refund requests through an online Money Order Request Form.¹ You enter your name exactly as it appears on your government ID, along with the serial number and purchase details.

Fees are tiered to the face value:⁵

$5.00 or less: no fee
Above $5.00 and under $100: $5.00
$100 or more: $15.00

One catch trips people up. Western Union’s terms say the company isn’t required to stop payment on a lost or stolen money order unless you filled in the payee information on the face at the time of purchase, reported the loss in writing immediately, and provided a copy of your receipt.⁵ If you left the “pay to” line blank and the money order was stolen, your claim is weaker.

Requesting a Replacement From MoneyGram

MoneyGram handles replacement requests only online. Mailed requests aren’t accepted.⁶ Start by checking status on moneygram.com. If the money order is eligible, complete the online replacement form.⁷

Fees are the steepest of the three major issuers:⁶

$6.00 to $49.99 face value: 50% of the face value
$50.00 and above: $25.00 flat

Money orders under $6.00 aren’t eligible for replacement. The fee is non-refundable, so you’ll lose it even if MoneyGram determines the money order was already cashed. Once accepted, processing takes about 7 to 10 business days.⁷

Whether the Fee Is Worth Paying

Fees vary enough that they’re worth looking at side by side, especially for small amounts:

USPS: $21.00 flat regardless of face value³
Western Union: $0 to $15.00 depending on face value⁵
MoneyGram: 50% of face value under $50, or $25.00 flat at $50 and above⁶

On a $30 MoneyGram money order, the replacement fee is $15, and you recover $15. On a $25 USPS money order, the $21 fee eats almost all of it. Run the math before you file.

How Long the Refund Takes

USPS is the slowest. The Postal Service won’t issue a refund until at least 60 days after the original issue date, giving it time to confirm the instrument hasn’t been paid somewhere in the system. Confirming a loss or theft can take up to 30 days on its own, and investigating the money order’s status can take up to 60 days.³

MoneyGram is much faster, processing replacements in 7 to 10 business days once the request is accepted.⁷ Western Union doesn’t publish a specific timeline. A missing receipt almost always adds weeks, because the issuer has to search transaction records manually.

If Your Claim Is Denied

Issuers deny claims for a handful of reasons: the money order was already cashed, the application was incomplete, or the purchaser couldn’t provide enough identifying information. Call the issuer’s customer service line first. Sometimes the fix is a resubmission with the missing piece of information.

If you think the denial was wrong and the issuer won’t reconsider, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. The CFPB accepts complaints about money services, including money orders.⁸ Include dates, amounts, and copies of any communications with the issuer. Companies generally respond within 15 days.

Note that Western Union’s terms include a binding arbitration clause, meaning formal disputes go to arbitration rather than court unless you opted out within 30 days of the original purchase.⁵ Most purchasers learn about the window after it has closed.

When the Funds Go to the State

If a money order sits uncashed long enough, the issuer must eventually turn the funds over to a state government as unclaimed property. Under federal law, the state where the money order was purchased has the first right to claim those funds. If the issuer’s records don’t show the purchase state, the funds go to the state where the issuer is headquartered.⁹

The waiting period before this happens, called the dormancy period, varies by state. Most states require issuers to hold the funds for around seven years, though some use shorter windows. Once the money has been escheated, you can no longer get it back from the issuer. You’d file an unclaimed property claim with the state treasurer’s office instead.

There’s no single national database. Search each state where you may have bought money orders. The federal resource at usa.gov/unclaimed-money links to every state’s unclaimed property office.¹⁰ State claims carry no filing fee, and the funds don’t expire once the state holds them.

1
Western Union. Money Order Refund Request Form
2
United States Postal Service. PS Form 6401 – Money Order Inquiry
3
USPS. Money Orders
4
USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
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Western Union. Retail Money Order Terms and Conditions
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MoneyGram. Help for MoneyGram Money Orders
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MoneyGram. MoneyGram Money Orders Replacement
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint About a Financial Product or Service
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 12 USC Chapter 26 – Disposition of Abandoned Money Orders and Travelers Checks
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USAGov. How to Find Unclaimed Money From the Government