Billions of lonely Benjamins are waiting to be reunited with their owners -- and it only takes a few minutes to find out if you're one of them.
Nearly 33 million people in the United States – 1 in every 7 – have unclaimed property that they've either forgotten or never knew about, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
Unclaimed property can include uncashed paychecks, dormant bank accounts, stock and bonds, insurance policy payouts, safe deposit box contents and family heirlooms. More than $2.87 billion dollars in unclaimed property was returned to rightful owners around the country in 2023, according to the latest NAUPA Annual Report.
Most unclaimed property owners are individuals, but corporations, municipalities, schools, nonprofits, hospitals and small businesses are also among those that have found money owed to them.
The average value of an approved claim is more than $1,000, according to NAUPA.
Every state has unclaimed property programs that actively and continuously work to find the owners of lost and forgotten assets. When the rightful owner cannot be located after an extended period of time, the property is passed to the state and designated as unclaimed property.
States are required to return unclaimed property to the rightful owner or the owners' heirs, no matter how long it takes. There is never a cost associated with retrieving your unclaimed property and no time limit for rightful owners to do so.
To search for unclaimed property, visit MissingMoney.com -- it's a national database listing abandoned money by state. Searching your name is free and only takes a few minutes. Individuals are encouraged to search their name, a maiden or previous name, or the name of a business or non-profit.
To help protect your money and keep it from becoming unclaimed property in the first place, the Pennsylvania State Treasurer suggests the following steps:
• Inform your financial institutions of any address changes
• Communicate with financial institutions at least once every three years
• Keep up-to-date records of bank accounts, stocks, life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes, and other financial details
• Let a trusted family member or advisor know where you keep your financial records
• Cash all checks as you receive them