Do you ever get that feeling that you have money lying around, but you misplaced it? Are you left on hold for hours at the bank? Are you looking under the couch and still ending up with nothing? Don’t crack open your piggy bank just yet, today might be your lucky day. That’s because there may be property like money that is waiting for you to claim.
What is Unclaimed Money?
You’ve probably seen ads or the news talk about unclaimed money that Americans may be able to get across the country. Unclaimed property refers to “abandoned” property that’s from companies or financial institutions. This means the properties or accounts that are considered abandoned have had no activity within a specific timeframe. This timeframe of no activity is known as a dormancy period. After this period, the property becomes unclaimed and must be turned over to the state. In fact, it’s actually a legal requirement that the property is turned over to the state! Many people have property that rightfully belongs to them. In fact, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) 1 person out of every 7 have unclaimed property waiting for them.
What are Different Types of Unclaimed Property?
There are two types of unclaimed property:
- Tangible
- Intangible
Intangible is the most common type of unclaimed property which includes stocks or uncashed paychecks. On the other hand, an example of tangible unclaimed property would include a safety deposit box. There are a bunch of popular types of unclaimed property which includes:
- Annuities
- Certificates of deposit
- Checking accounts
- Savings accounts
- Contents of safety deposit boxes
- Customer overpayments
- Insurance payments or refunds
- Mineral royalty payments
- Refunds
- Stocks
- Traveler’s checks
- Trust distributions
- Uncashed dividends
- Uncashed payroll checks
- Unredeemed money orders or gift certificates (in some states)
- Security deposits for utilities
How to Find Unclaimed Money?
Luckily, it’s easier to find unclaimed property than you may think. Since there are a variety of types of unclaimed property, there are different ways to find some depending on the source. While there is no federal government website that searches across the country for any unclaimed money that you may have, there are other options to consider. There are official state government databases that can help you find unclaimed property that rightfully belongs to you for free! You can check out the NAUPA website to find the right search engine for your state. It’s important to keep in mind that every state is different. That means that they will have their own rules about claiming the funds.
Besides using a state search tool, you can also try some other search methods when searching for money from:
- Employers
- Insurance
- Tax Refunds
- Banking and Investments
- International Sources
Employers
When you want to find money from employers there are a couple ways to go about it. If you are looking for unpaid wages then the United States Department of Labor (DOL) may be able to help. They could be able to recover any back wages that your employer owes you if your employer broke labor laws. If you think you may have back wages then you will want to search the DOL website of workers who have money that needs to be claimed.
On the other hand, if you think you have pension due from former employers there is another website you can check out. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBCG) can help individuals look for pension that rightfully belongs to them if the company went out of business or terminated a defined plan for pension.
Insurance
While there are a variety of sources of unclaimed property that can come from insurance, two common insurance sources are VA Life Insurance and FHA Insurance. You can look for VA Life Insurance unclaimed property by checking out the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) database. However, it’s important to note that the database will not include funds that may be due from Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) or Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) from 1965 to the present.
You may also see that you are due a refund from FHA-insurance. Since the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is a part of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD would be the one to issue the refunds. Individuals can look for these unclaimed refunds through the HUD database.
Tax Refunds
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the place to go if you think you may be due a tax refund. You can check to see what you may be due by going onto their website.
Banking and Investments
There are plenty of examples where you might be due unclaimed money. Four common sources of this type of unclaimed funds is from:
- Bank Failures
- Credit Union Failures
- SEC Claims Funds
- Savings Bonds
When it comes to bank failures, you will be able to see if you have any funds thanks to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). However, for credit union failures you will be able to search for unclaimed funds through the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).
For Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unclaimed funds, there may be enforcement cases where a company (or person) owes investors money. You can see if you are due any through the SEC website. Finally, there may be savings bonds that people could be due. Through the TreasuryHunt.gov website, people can see if there are matured savings bonds that have stopped earning interest.
International Sources
Sometimes, Americans can find themselves with unclaimed money from foreign governments. If that’s the case there is a website that they can go to for their foreign claims! This website is available thanks to the United States Department of Treasury.
In Conclusion
The bottom line is that if you have any financial accounts or properties lying around that have been inactive for a year or more, then the property is turned over to the state. Once it is turned over to the state, it is considered unclaimed money. (Not free money, just abandoned money)
You will find that there are different types of unclaimed properties that you forgot to follow through on. In order to find out whether you have unclaimed money, there are a variety of sources to consider when searching.
Also, this should be a lesson to always stay on top of any money you have. By staying on top of things, you will be able to organize your finances to the best of your ability. This should also be a lesson that you should update your contact information (specifically your address)!