Across the nation, more than $20 billion is waiting to be reclaimed by citizens who may not even know they’re owed cash from “unclaimed property,” which can include uncashed paychecks, refunds or deposits.
“It turns out so many people have unclaimed property. You may be in for a very pleasant surprise,” said Deb Goldberg, Massachusetts state treasurer and receiver general.
According to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, one in seven Americans has unclaimed property. Even if you’ve checked in the past and didn’t find any unclaimed property, NAUPA suggests checking for annual updates — you might be surprised by what you’ll find.
Here’s how to check to see if you have unclaimed cash:
– MissingMoney.com is endorsed by both the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators and the National Association of State Treasurers.
– The U.S. Department of the Treasury has also launched Treasury Hunt, a tool for users to search for “matured, uncashed savings bonds.”
– If users are looking for more information on a federal tax refund, they can visit the IRS Refunds page. Users need a Social Security or taxpayer ID number, filing status and the exact refund amount on the return in order to check on the status of the expected refund.
– The U.S. Department of Housing has set up the HUD Refunds program that allows users to check eligibility for a refund from the Department of Housing and Urban Development or Federal Housing Association.
– The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has a program that conducts investigations that often recover back wages owed to employees. You can search the Workers Owed Wages website to see if there is unpaid money in their name. If a user is due wages, they can file a claim through the platform to receive them.