How to Find a State Income Tax Owed to Me

While many people who are owed money by the state, either through their tax returns or from unclaimed property, will be able to keep track of those funds and claim them, others may lose track of the funds they are owed. Sometimes people will lose track of tax rebates they are owed when they move out of a state. Other times the tax refund checks a state sends out may be returned uncashed because the taxpayer has moved and failed to list a forwarding address. If you think you may be in this situation, it is important to check for any money you may be owed.

Things You'll Need

• Tax returns
• Computer
• Internet access

Instructions

1. Find copies of your state tax returns for the past several years. It is always a good practice to keep copies of all of your tax records--not only the return that goes to the Internal Revenue Service but your state and local tax returns as well. If you use a tax preparer to do your taxes, ask that individual for copies of your returns.

2. Log on to the Internet and look for the unclaimed property department run by your state government. The unclaimed property department is often a part of the state's revenue department. A good way to find the unclaimed property division of your state is to do a search for "unclaimed property" and limit your results to sites with a ".gov" extension.

3. Search the unclaimed property website for your name to find any tax refunds and other property owed to you. These unclaimed property sites generally list not only unclaimed tax refunds but old bank accounts, inheritances and other property as well.

References

• Pennsylvania Treasury Department: Unclaimed Property