Do you have money out there waiting for you? The truth is there are millions of people out there who are owed billions of dollars in unclaimed property and money. You may be one of them.
Last year millions of Americans left billions in tax refunds unclaimed. There are time limits on claiming tax refund money. Read CNBC’s article, Taxpayers are leaving $1.4 billion in tax refunds on the table for more details on these time limits.
But tax refunds are not the only money going unclaimed. There are also people with unclaimed money from dormant financial accounts, insurance and other businesses. And some people have unclaimed property too. These are items like jewelry, watches and other personal possessions that may have been left in safe deposit box.
Why? Because businesses have a statute of limitations they must follow, which gives them a specific period of time to turn these items over to the state. And in many cases, it’s not chump change. In Florida, the “Chief Financial Officer holds unclaimed property claimable accounts valued at $2 billion.” That takes into account the $323 million dollars they paid out in claims last year. And they still estimate there’s a 1 in 5 probability that you have unclaimed property.
How to Find Unclaimed Property & Money
In just a few seconds, you could find out if you have any unclaimed property or cash. You should be able to search for free in any state (please note I haven’t checked them all).
Go to your state’s unclaimed property website and search the database using your name. To do this, locate any state you have lived in website, type something like “unclaimed money <state name>” into your favorite search engine. Be sure to verify the website is maintained and fully supported by the state. Sometimes the names can make them seem a little sketchy like the state of Florida’s website “fltreasurehunt.gov.” Treasure hunt, really? Really. 😀
You can also call the state attorney’s office to get the phone number for the unclaimed property department. Click here to find your state’s attorney general.
Process Your Claim
Each state has it’s own process for claiming your money or property. They usually have a paper or online form for you to fill out to make your request. For example, an online claim request may require you to provide your demographic information (Social Security Number, birthdate) and physical address (drivers license) for validation. They must verify this information to ensure it’s actually you claiming the money or property. Once you have completed their verification process, they may send you a check or the goods.
Find out how one young man was able to find over $10,000 in assets -> There Are Billions in Unclaimed Assets Out There. Some Could Be Yours.
