Just search for “’your state’ unclaimed property” and make sure it’s a .gov site (usually comes up first).

Search by your name (it could be last name and just the first initial), check the boxes, and claim the money.

You will get an email with instructions on what to include – it is usually the claim form itself with your signature, a picture of your driver’s license, and your social security number (often just the last four digits).

Occasionally, they will ask for proof of an old address. If that happens, and you don’t have one – check your credit report from https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ (it is a legitimate government site despite the .com domain, and you can get a free credit report from every agency one a year). Your old address should be listed there.

I just got myself a little under $1,000 in unclaimed funds. Some refund from my old college in one state, and unclaimed shares I forgot about in another. Even my teenage son had $350 sitting there as an old insurance/hospital refund – so check your kids and spouses, too!

This is true. I had a remaining positive balance on a closed account that became unclaimed property. It wasn’t a lot, but it did belong to me.

While it may be true for a few, the site promoted here is untrustworthy.

I got my $0.09 back from Colorado. Woohoo!

Which site?

I guess all my property is claimed, didn’t find anything for me 😔

If it says you have won a free motorboat then it's a trap. There is no boat.

what about a spoon or cake

Is there at least a motor?

This guy doesn't pay child support.

I think I got $60 and my friend had almost $90

Dang, i got almost 1k waiting for me. Just got to mail some forms.
Thanks OP!

Often in this case means almost never.

The only site mentioned specifically in the OP is annualcreditreport.com which is a legit site. So WTF are you talking about, Jesse?

If you don't mind me asking, why you got money waiting for you? I'm not from US, so I don't underestand this concept

I have $35 that I've tried to get a couple of times. Hope it works out for you folks but they never sent mine. 🙅

Yeah they do not return lost money anymore this is not the 90s.

They literally do, I will be happy to post the check once it gets here.

I have gotten money from them several times now. Mostly gift cards I forgot about, but this time it ended up being something big. I’m not sure why they never sent you your $35. Colorado is really good about it.

I was in real estate. We collected earnest money from a particular buyer, and held it in an escrow account. The deal fell through, and we were required to return the money. However, the buyer ghosted us. We couldn't reach them to return it.

Our escrow account is audited by the state. We have to account for every transaction to or from that account. If we don't have paperwork to justify the transfer, we could get fined or have our licenses revoked. We didn't have paperwork for this buyer, so we had no legal authority to do anything with this money.

Any account with any business can potentially have the same problem: a legal obligation to transfer money to a known person, but no way of actually completing the transfer.

The solution is to transfer the money to the state's "unclaimed funds" division. When the state audits our account, we can show that these funds are the state's problem, not ours.

The funds I've found were from a couple class action suits where I was apparently a member of the class. It amounted to tens of dollars. They were apparently filed long after I had moved, but I had never updated my address with the defendants.

Well that would all depend on the state. But the trust is dead. Used to be the IRS would correct you and give you more money than you claimed on your tax form now if you make a mistake they'll take it, they'll try to cheat you out of what your owed.

Anyway my state I tried to claim some money that I had years ago and I never got it so there.

I see. Thanks for the explanation.