What Happens to Items Lost at TSA Screening Checkpoints?
At airport security, it’s easy to lose track of something. You’re juggling shoes, electronics, maybe a half-finished water bottle. The bins get whisked away, you’re trying to tie your laces, and before you know it, your watch or earbuds didn’t make it back into your bag. By the time you realize, the plane is boarding.
The Transportation Security Administration reports that between 90,000 and 100,000 items are left behind at security checkpoints every month. Phones, wallets, belts, laptops, and even passports are forgotten daily. With numbers that high, it’s clear there needs to be a system for reuniting travelers with their belongings. Luckily, there is.
The 30-Day Holding Pattern
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Danpaluska
Every item left in a TSA bin or checkpoint area is stored by the Lost and Found office at that airport. The standard retention period is 30 days. This gives travelers time to claim their belongings. If you spot the mistake while you’re still at the airport, the fastest option is to return to the checkpoint and speak with a supervisor.
If you’ve already boarded or left, TSA’s Lost and Found directory is the next stop. Each airport provides a phone number or online claim form. Detailed descriptions are key. TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein notes that including details like brand, color, or case style makes reunions much more likely.
Special Cases: IDs, Electronics, And Weapons
Not all items follow the same rules. Identification documents such as passports and driver’s licenses are destroyed after 30 days if no one claims them. Electronics like laptops and tablets are wiped clean or destroyed to protect personal data. Weapons discovered in carry-on bags are immediately turned over to local police.
Higher-value items, such as expensive jewelry, are often held longer than the 30-day minimum. While there is no strict maximum, TSA offices may keep certain items well past the month mark in hopes of reuniting them with owners.
What Happens When Nobody Claims Your Stuff?
Image via iStockphoto/Jacob Wackerhausen
Unclaimed belongings don’t add to TSA’s budget. Instead, they are sent to state surplus property agencies that decide what to do next. Items may be recycled, donated, destroyed, or sold at auction. If sold, the revenue goes to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and is directed toward the national debt.
Airports abroad handle things differently. At Brussels Airport in 2024, 27,815 items were reported lost. Approximately 24% were successfully returned to passengers, with nearly three-quarters of those cases resolved within just two weeks. Items unclaimed after six months were donated through charity programs.
Clothes supported local welfare organizations, while nearly 200 phones and more than 200 tablets were donated to a nonprofit organization that distributes refurbished devices for social and educational use. Even unopened toiletries, such as shampoo and deodorant, were donated to community centers, totaling more than 26,000 kilograms in donations.
How To Improve Your Odds
There’s no guaranteed way to get back everything left behind, but acting quickly and being specific improves your chances. Use TSA’s online tools as soon as you notice something missing, and check in regularly for updates. For items lost on the plane itself, airlines manage their own systems, with major carriers like Delta, United, and American providing online forms that stay active for about 30 days.
With so many people moving through airports each day, the sheer number of forgotten belongings can feel overwhelming. Still, the easiest way to avoid heartache is also the simplest: always check that bin one last time before heading to your gate.