How Do You Return a Money Order? USPS, Western Union, and MoneyGram

To return a money order, take the uncashed money order and your original purchase receipt to the issuer that sold it — USPS, Western Union, or MoneyGram — fill out that issuer’s refund or inquiry form, and pay the processing fee. You can do this in person at many retail locations or by mail to the issuer’s processing center. How much it costs and how long it takes depends on which company issued the money order and whether you still have the receipt.

What You Need Before You Start

Every issuer asks for roughly the same things:

The original money order, uncashed and undamaged.
The purchase receipt — the detachable stub from the time of sale. For USPS money orders, the receipt carries the serial number, Post Office number, and dollar amount, all of which are required to check status or file a claim.¹
The right form. USPS uses PS Form 6401 (Money Order Inquiry), completed in black ink with the serial number, purchase date, and exact dollar amount. Western Union uses a Money Order Refund Request form. MoneyGram has its own refund form on its website.²³⁴
Valid photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, to confirm you were the purchaser.

Lost your receipt? You can still get a refund, but the process is slower and more expensive. USPS asks you to mail the money order with a completed PS Form 6401 to its accounting center.¹ Western Union and MoneyGram charge higher research fees when they have to locate the transaction without a serial number.

Returning a USPS Money Order

If you have the money order and the receipt, walk into any Post Office. A retail associate will help you complete PS Form 6401, confirm the money order has not been cashed, and process the return. A spoiled or damaged money order — say one made out to the wrong name — can be reissued at no charge on the spot when you bring both the instrument and the receipt.¹

Two limits to know before you go. Post Office locations only give cash refunds up to $35. Above that, the clerk will either issue a no-fee replacement money order or forward the request to the administrative Post Office for processing.⁵ And even for smaller amounts, the clerk needs cash on hand — refunds depend on what the location has in the drawer that day.¹

If you have to mail your request in — most often when you no longer have the receipt — send the money order and completed PS Form 6401 to:

St. Louis Accounting Service Center
General Accounting Branch
PO Box 80453
St. Louis, MO 63180-0453¹

Use certified mail with return receipt, and photocopy both sides of the money order and the receipt before you send anything. If the package is lost or the issuer says it never arrived, those copies are your backup.

Returning a Western Union or MoneyGram Money Order

Some retail locations that sell Western Union or MoneyGram money orders will process a return on the spot; others send you to the issuer. Ask the store where you bought it first.

If you have to go directly to the issuer, Western Union accepts refund requests online or by mail using its Money Order Refund Request form when you have the receipt.³ MoneyGram takes requests through its website or by mail with the applicable fee.⁴ Same rule as with USPS: send certified, keep copies.

If the Money Order Is Lost or Stolen

Losing the money order does not mean losing the money. It does mean waiting longer and paying more, because the issuer has to check whether someone else has already cashed it before it can refund or replace it.

USPS

Bring your purchase receipt to any Post Office and ask a retail associate to open a Money Order Inquiry on PS Form 6401. The fee is $21.00. If the money order has not been cashed, USPS will replace it. The investigation can take up to 60 days.⁶ USPS does not offer stop payments on postal money orders — the inquiry is your only route.¹ You can check the status of an inquiry at 1-866-974-2733.²

Western Union

If both the money order and the receipt are gone, you file a Money Order Research Request with a $30.00 non-refundable administrative fee, paid by check or money order. The form asks for the exact purchase amount, date, time, and store location. If the money order was stolen, include a copy of the police report. Processing takes six to eight weeks. If the money order has not been cashed, you may receive a refund of the face amount.⁷

MoneyGram

Without a serial number, MoneyGram requires a search form and a $40.00 non-refundable fee. You provide the exact purchase amount, exact date, payee name, and the store name and address. Signing the form authorizes MoneyGram to stop payment and holds it harmless for related expenses. The search takes up to 60 days. If the money order has not been cashed, MoneyGram sends the refund to any MoneyGram location for pickup.⁸

If the Money Order Has Already Been Cashed

Once a money order has been cashed, the face value is gone. What you can still get is a photocopy of the cashed instrument, showing who endorsed and deposited it. USPS keeps these copies available for two years from the date the money order was paid, and you still pay the inquiry fee to request one.¹

That copy can matter if you suspect fraud. It shows whether the money order was forged or improperly endorsed, which is the kind of evidence a police report or civil claim needs. For USPS money orders, no claim for improper payment is allowed more than one year after the money order was paid.¹

Fees and How Long It Takes

The cost and wait time depend on the issuer and on whether you have your receipt.

USPS

The processing fee for a lost or stolen money order inquiry is $21.00.⁶ A spoiled or damaged money order returned with the original receipt is replaced free.¹ Investigations run up to 60 days, and USPS issues a refund 60 days or more from the money order’s issue date if it has not been cashed.²

Western Union

With a receipt, Western Union’s refund fee is tiered by face value: no fee up to $5, $5 for money orders from $5.01 to $99.99, and $15 for money orders of $100 or more. The fee comes out of the refund.³ Without a receipt, the research request is $30.00 upfront and takes six to eight weeks.⁷

MoneyGram

MoneyGram deducts a processing fee from the refund. Standard refund requests with a receipt take about seven business days.⁴ A search request without the serial number costs $40.00 non-refundable and takes up to 60 days.⁸

Don’t Wait Too Long

USPS domestic money orders never expire and never accrue interest, so nothing on the instrument itself sets a return deadline.⁶ Western Union and MoneyGram may treat older instruments differently, so check with the issuer if yours has been sitting for a while.

State unclaimed property law is the real timer. Every state requires financial institutions to turn abandoned assets, uncashed money orders included, over to the state after a dormancy period that typically runs one to five years depending on the state and the property type. Once the funds are transferred to the state treasury, the issuer can no longer refund you. You would then have to file an unclaimed property claim with that state. Most states let you claim indefinitely, but you have to prove ownership through the state’s program.⁹ If you have been holding an uncashed money order for years, start the refund now rather than adding a state claim to the process.

1
USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
2
USPS. PS Form 6401 – Money Order Inquiry
3
Western Union. Money Order Refund Request
4
MoneyGram. Refund
5
About USPS. Handbook F-101 Revision: Increased Cash Refund Limit
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USPS. Money Orders
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Western Union Financial Services, Inc. Money Order Research Request
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MoneyGram. Money Order Search Form
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Investor.gov. Escheatment