State Tax Departments
Often, people cannot find their intended state tax refunds due to name changes, moves, or failure to update addresses. Check out the website unclaimed.org which provides a way to search by clicking on a state from the map or dropdown list. Be sure to search in every state where you had an address.
Internal Revenue Service
Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed or undistributed income tax refund checks are delivered due to incorrect addresses or incorrect bank account information or due to changes in taxpayers’ addresses. Contact the Internal Revenue Service to track any missing tax refunds or unclaimed funds. If you did not file a tax return for the previous year and you have a refund due, the Internal Revenue Service will not penalize you for the delay in filing.
Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans
Sometimes people forget the small balance in a former employer’s retirement plan. Occasionally, this balance grows over the years. The National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits can help you identify such surprises. This registry is a free resource for tracking down lost or forgotten benefits for former employees. This site can also be useful for distribution executors and business list makers trying to identify unclaimed funds on behalf of a loved one or deceased family member.
Failed Retirement Plans
If you worked for a company whose retirement plan failed, do not assume that all is lost. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) might owe you some money; it may not be the full amount due, but there will be something. Search for your lost treasure on the PBGC website in the section for searching a trusted retirement plan.
Old Bank Accounts
You may have unclaimed funds in old bank accounts, in the form of insurance refund checks, postal or telephone account deposits, dividend payments, trust accounts, or wages due to you from a former employer. Using the unclaimed property government records database, the website missingmoney.com provides a place to search for many of these lost funds all at once. If you had money in a bank that closed between January 1989 and June 1993, you might be able to file a claim with the FDIC, provided your deposits are insured and the bank remains under FDIC supervision. As of June 1993, these funds were transferred to state agencies.
U.S. Department of the Treasury
The Treasury Department has a record of billions of dollars in savings bonds that still bear interest and have not been redeemed by the bondholder. If you still have the bonds, you will want to redeem or reinvest them so their owner can work again. If you think you have such bonds but cannot locate them, the Financial Services Office at the Treasury Department offers a form for claiming lost, stolen, or destroyed items.
Life Insurance Policies
Lifetimes Insurance benefits are often left unclaimed more than you might expect. If you own a life insurance policy from a company that has merged, it may have money or stock owed to it. If you had a deceased close relative, you might have unclaimed life insurance benefits waiting for you. In either case, the starting point for your search is demutualization-claims.com.
Rewards
Credit Cards
If you have credit cards in your wallet that offer rewards on the points you accumulate, you may have some unclaimed cash. Cards like the Citi Double Cash Card and Discover it Cash Back Credit Card provide cash back, which returns a percentage of all purchases made on the card. To find out if you have unclaimed cash, log in to your account and look for the rewards center. In the rewards center, you should see what has been earned. If you’re unable to locate this section, contact the customer service team of your credit card provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you claim money you haven’t claimed before?
Not all types of unclaimed money are recovered in the same way. Check with the relevant state authorities for more information about unclaimed property operations in your area. States do not track all unclaimed property, but they will help you identify several sources, including bank accounts, securities, uncashed checks, insurance benefits, and more. If you find any unclaimed property on the state’s website, you may be able to recover it using a simple online form.
How long do you have to recover your unclaimed money?
States usually set the maximum time frame for collecting unclaimed money, including the status of the unclaimed funds. For instance, in Maryland, there is no time limit for collecting unclaimed property.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/places-to-look-unclaimed-money-2388380
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