There’s a good chance the government has taken possession of some of your property without your knowledge. The process is called escheat and it happens more often than you think.
Consider the following scenarios:
- You open a savings account with a $1000 starting balance and then just leave it alone for several years.
- You leave a job and forget to collect and deposit your final wages.
- Your insurance sends you a check to reimburse you for a claim you made, but you forget to cash it and the check eventually gets lost.
- You’re entitled to receive a share of a settlement from a class-action lawsuit but the check is sent to your old address.
You may be surprised to find out that in all these cases your money is turned over to the state as unclaimed property. Unclaimed property may include dormant bank accounts, unclaimed wages, stock dividends, credit balances, and generally any type of outstanding checks. Banks and other institutions have a legal obligation to turn such unclaimed property over to the state. They can’t just keep it for themselves.
Of course, while the state takes possession of your property, that does not mean it’s also taking ownership of it. It’s your responsibility to reclaim it though. Most states won’t come looking for you because it costs money to do so.
These days, however, it is relatively easy to find your unclaimed property. State governments have set up special websites where you can check if they have any of your property. In most cases, you can search their database using just your name. Since it’s so easy to do, it’s a good idea to check for unclaimed property in every state you have resided. In fact, you can even do this for your friends and family. Imagine how grateful they will be when you tell them you found some extra money for them.
Here’s a listing of the state websites you can use to search for unclaimed property. Just click on the name of the state to be taken to the respective website. For your convenience, I also added the names and the phone numbers of the state offices in charge of unclaimed property.
| Alabama Office of State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (334) 242-9614 |
Alaska State of Alaska Tax Division Phone: (907) 465-3726 |
Arizona Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Unit Phone: (602) 364-0380 |
| Arkansas Unclaimed Property Division Auditor of State Phone: (501) 682-6000 |
California Division of Collections Bureau of Unclaimed Property Phone: (916) 323-2827 |
Colorado Colorado Department of the Treasury Phone: (303) 866-6070 |
| Connecticut Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Toll Free: (800) 833-7318 |
Delaware Department of Finance, Division of Revenue State Escheator Phone: (302) 577-8220 |
District of Columbia DC Office of Finance and Treasury Unclaimed Property Unit Phone: (202) 442-8181 |
| Florida Florida Department of Financial Services Unclaimed Property Bureau Phone: 850-413-5555 Toll Free: 888-258-2253 |
Georgia Georgia Department of Revenue Local Government Services- Unclaimed Property Phone: (404) 968-0490 |
Guam Treasurer of Guam PO Box 884 Agana, GU 96910 |
| Hawaii Department of Budget and Finance Unclaimed Property Program |
Idaho State Tax Commission Unclaimed Property Program Phone: (208) 334-7627 |
Illinois Office of State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (217) 785-6992 |
| Indiana Office of the Attorney General Unclaimed Property Division Toll Free: 1.866.462.5246 |
Iowa Great Iowa Treasure Hunt Phone: 515-281-5367 |
Kansas Kansas State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (785) 296-4165 |
| Kentucky Kentucky State Treasury Unclaimed Property Division Phone: 1-800-465-4722 |
Louisiana Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: 225-219-9400 |
Maine Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (207) 624-7470 |
| Maryland Comptroller of Maryland Unclaimed Property Unit Phone: 410-767-1700 |
Massachusetts Department of the State Treasurer Abandoned Property Division Phone: 617-367-0400 |
Michigan Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (517) 636-5320 |
| Minnesota Minnesota Department of Commerce Unclaimed Property Program Phone: 651-296-2568 |
Mississippi Mississippi Treasury Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (601) 359-3600 |
Missouri State Treasurer’s Office Unclaimed Property Section Phone: (573) 751-0840 |
| Montana Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Phone: (406) 444-6900 |
Nebraska Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (402) 471-2455 |
Nevada Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (702) 486-4140 |
| New Hampshire Treasury Department Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (603) 271-2619 NH Residents (800) 791-0920 |
New Jersey Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Phone: (609) 292-9200 |
New Mexico Taxation & Revenue Department Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (505) 476-1774 |
| New York Office of the State Comptroller Office of Unclaimed Funds Phone: 1-518-270-2200 |
North Carolina Department of State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Program Phone: (919) 508-1000 |
North Dakota State Land Department Unclaimed Property Division Phone: 701.328.2800 |
| Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds Phone: (614) 466-4433 |
Oklahoma Oklahoma State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (405) 521-4273 |
Oregon Division of State Lands Trust Property Section Phone: (503) 378-3805 |
| Pennsylvania Treasury Department Bureau of Unclaimed Property Toll Free: 1-800-222-2046 |
Puerto Rico Office of the Commissioner of Financial Inst. Phone: (787) 723-3131 |
Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (401) 222-6505 |
| South Carolina Unclaimed Property Program State Treasurer’s Office Phone: (803) 737-4771 |
South Dakota Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (605) 773-3379 |
Tennessee Treasury Department - Unclaimed Property Division Nashville, TN 37243-0242 Phone: (615) 741-6499 |
| Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Unclaimed Property Division Toll Free: 1-800-654-FIND (3463) |
Utah State Treasurer’s Office Unclaimed Property Division Phone: (801) 320-5360 Toll Free: 1-888-217-1203 |
Vermont Vermont State Treasurer Abandoned Property Division Phone: 802-828-2407 |
| Virgin Islands Office of the Lieutenant Governor Division of Banking 18 Kongens Gade St. Thomas, VI 00802 |
Virginia Virginia Department of the Treasury Division of Unclaimed Property Phone: (804) 225-2393 |
Washington Department of Revenue Unclaimed Property Section Phone: (360) 705-6706 |
| West Virginia Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Division Phone: 304-558-2937 |
Wisconsin State Treasurer’s Office Unclaimed Property Unit Phone: (608) 267-7977 |
Wyoming Office of the State Treasurer Unclaimed Property Phone: 307-777 |
Photo Credit: Refracted Moments
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