I helped a listener find $25,000: And I didn’t even get a cut. Maybe you can discover money, too. Find the link for your state’s treasury website with the National Association of Unclaimed Property online. If you have a frequently misspelled name or variations, search for those, too. And don’t forget former names or nicknames!
Claim lost money: How to find benefits, old accounts, deposits, wages owed
I’ll never forget helping Robert from Virginia find $24,578 sitting in a bank account he didn’t know existed. He heard me talk about how to find hidden money on my national radio show.
Nowadays, almost everything seems like a scam. But money might be yours, just waiting to be claimed. You need to know the legitimate places to look.
Why is all this unclaimed money sitting around? You have to do some work to get it. Here’s how.
Don’t hire a service for this
Helping citizens claim lost money is one of the duties of the U.S. Treasury Department. You are entitled to any of your or a deceased relative’s old bank accounts, safe deposit box contents, uncashed checks, insurance policies, CDs, trust funds, utility deposits, stocks and bonds, wages and escrow accounts.
You don’t need to hire a dubious service or spend money to make money. If anyone asks for payment to help you find unclaimed property, ditch them. You can easily do it yourself.
Start in your home state
Your search begins where you live. Each state has an independent treasury website with a special search function for unpaid dues.
Skip Google since there are scammers on searches like this. To find the link for your state’s treasury website, visit the National Association of Unclaimed Property site. Select your state or province.
Each state’s site is a little different, but follow the step-by-step instructions, enter your information and the database will do the rest. Often, the paperwork you need to complete to claim your money can be printed on these pages.
You will also need to prove your identity and likely have signatures notarized. The time to collect depends on each government agency; it can take weeks or months, but it works.
Pro tip: If you have a frequently misspelled name or have variations that are often confused, search for those misspellings on the unclaimed funds’ sites. Search for any former names or nicknames, too.
Free money: How to find lost cash and accounts you're owed
About this time every year, I like to remind people to visit a few websites and get what’s rightfully theirs. Recently, Robert from Virginia called my national radio show to thank me for suggesting he search for lost money. He found out his deceased mother had $24,578 sitting in a bank account. He received the check in three weeks after proving he was heir to her estate.