How to Find Unclaimed Monies

Use the internet to find unclaimed funds.

There's nothing better than being notified that money is out there with your name on it. Many times, these notifications, sent out by financial agencies or other business organizations, never reach their intended recipients. Perhaps the contact information the company has is inaccurate, or people move and notification letters become undeliverable due to the lack of a forwarding address. Situations such as these leave the money to remain in a state fund until proper notification of a claim can be made. Finding unclaimed money, however, is not difficult.

Instructions

Finding Unclaimed Funds

1. Many types of funds remain unclaimed every year. These funds include refunds from utility companies for deposits made when residential service was first established, or rebates sent by those companies to their customers. Funds from bank accounts that have been closed at the customer's request are usually sent to the mailing address on file. Insurance companies may send delayed payments to policy holders for claims that were only recently processed. IRS refunds are often dispersed in the form of paper checks mailed to recipients' old addresses.

2. Unclaimed funds can be found by searching a central website designed to help in the distribution of funds. Missingmoney.com is a national database that allows individuals to search by entering personal identifiers such as first and last names. When conducting the search, select the state you currently live in and enter your name in the search fields. A list of possible matches is returned. Search results will show the last known address of the person eligible to receive the funds, the name of the agency reporting the funds and an estimate of the refund amount. Information reported in this database is retrieved from insurance companies, financial institutions, public agencies such as the IRS and various business organizations.

3. Searches in the Missingmoney.com database requires the individual to search by state, as funds are reported by each state. If you have moved, conduct a separate search in each state you have lived. Be sure to remember name changes due to marriage or divorce, and the specific names, including middle initials, you may have used to open different accounts.

4. Once you've found money that belongs to you, you must submit an official claim form to the state reporting agency using the form provided on the website, along with supporting documentation to verify identification. Supporting documents include a copy of your driver's license, identification documents and other information that supports the claim, such as the time frame in which you lived at the address listed.

Tips & Warnings

• Missingmoney.com works in conjunction with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA), a nonprofit organization that works with state governmental offices to help ensure the proper distribution of funds. Further information about this organization or the claim process can be found at http://www.unclaimed.org/about/.

References

• NAUPA: What is Unclaimed Property?
• Missing Money
• IRS: Undeliverable Refunds Looking for Taxpayers
• NAUPA: Other Sources for Unclaimed Property
• Missing Money: State Contact Information