Close

Blog

Find Your Unclaimed Money

On December 22, 2017, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. The information in this article predates the tax reform legislation and may not apply to tax returns starting in the 2018 tax year. You may wish to speak to your tax advisor about the latest tax law. This publication is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice. This publication is protected by copyright.

Find Your Unclaimed Money
Each year literally billions of dollars go unclaimed from federal and state governments, financial institutions and companies no longer generating activity. These can include tax refunds, savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed dividends or payroll checks, traveler's checks, trust distributions, unredeemed money orders or gift certificates (in some states), insurance payments or refunds and life insurance policies, annuities, certificates of deposit, customer overpayments, utility security deposits, mineral royalty payments, and contents of safe deposit boxes.
  • Currently, states, federal agencies and other organizations collectively hold more than $50 billion in unclaimed cash and benefits. CNNMoney 
     
  • About $2 billion in lottery prizes go unclaimed every year. CNNMoney January 12, 2016 
     
  • The IRS has nearly $1 billion in unclaimed tax refunds from 2012 alone. IRS unclaimed refunds 2012 
     
  • You might be eligible to claim the earned income tax credit, or EITC, for that tax year when you finally send in the return. For 2012, the credit is worth as much as $5,891. IRS 2012 data 
     
  • The State of California is currently in possession of more than $8 billion in Unclaimed Property belonging to approximately 32.5 million individuals and organizations. California State Controller Office 8/02/2016 
Start Your Search for Your Unclaimed Property at USA.gov.

(Click the image to increase size)

Have a Question About This Topic?

I confirm this is a service inquiry and not an advertising message or solicitation. By clicking “Submit”, I acknowledge and agree to the creation of an account and to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Share this article...

NEVER MISS A STORY.

Sign up for our newsletters and get our articles delivered right to your inbox.

Back to Article List