How to Search for Unclaimed Property

How to Search for Unclaimed Money

SEARCH ONLINE: Most of the states offer searchable databases online. States regularly exchange property and related information (this is known as "reciprocity"). This is why it is important to check all states for unclaimed money and property which may be owed to you regularly, not just the most recent state you may have resided in. Check all possible variations of your name, including previous maiden or married names, middle names, initials, even nicknames and common misspellings. This is the quickest way to find unclaimed money, and often the source and amount of the money are immediately available. It is important to remember that searching on-line is only a preliminary step - for a thorough search you should contact the appropriate state office and have your potential claim researched by a professional. Remember that the on-line databases only cover a small percentage of the total amount of unclaimed property in the United States (estimated at over $40 billion dollars) . The most complete databases can be found at UnclaimedFunds.org Unclaimed Money Search, this is the site that most professional finders use.

RESEARCH WITH STATE OFFICES: Unfortunately, there is no electronic source of information that can keep current with all of the past and future unclaimed money and abandoned property. On-line databases are often updated infrequently and contain only a fraction of accounts available for claim. Contact each and every one of the state property offices by mail and ask them to research your claim. It's worth the twenty dollars or so in postage - it is estimated that one in four Americans have unclaimed or abandoned money or property. Each state has trained professionals who will research your name ( or your relatives ) and help you in claiming any monies that are uncovered by such a search. Remember, because the unclaimed money in your name may have been last held by a corporation with multiple mailing addresses, a thorough search MUST include all 50 state offices. The mailing addresses of the state offices are listed below. You can generally expect a reply from the state offices in 2-8 weeks after sending your request. Professional finders use tools to create search requests for each of the fifty state, these can be purchased for a nominal fee from Unclaimed Funds

Note: If you would prefer, there is an express service available on the Internet at: Moneysearch Unclaimed Money Search that can help you make the initial contact for you with all of the state offices (for a nominal fee).

CLAIM YOUR MONEY: If the unclaimed money is in your name, this is the easy part. Proof of ownership is required (drivers license or birth certificate is generally fine). The individual state office that you contacted by mail will send you the appropriate forms and details for claiming your money. Additional documentation and Probate court may be required if claiming money for a relative (living or deceased).

Contact Information for Unclaimed Property Offices

Note: Moneysearch.org offers a low cost way to contact all of these offices with your research request. For more information, see their website at: http://www.moneysearch.org.

ALABAMA
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 302520
Montgomery, AL 36130-2520

ALASKA
Department of Revenue
Unclaimed Property Unit
P.O. Box 110420
Juneau, AK 99811-0420

ARIZONA
Department of Revenue
Unclaimed Property Unit
P.O. box 29026, Site Code9026
Phoenix, AZ 85038-9026

ARKANSAS
Auditor of State
Unclaimed Property Division
1400 West 3rd, Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72201-1811

CALIFORNIA
Division of Collections
Bureau of Unclaimed Property
P.O. Box 942850
Sacramento, CA 94250-5873

COLORADO
Unclaimed Property Division
1560 Broadway, Suite 1225
Denver, CO 80202

CONNECTICUT
Unclaimed Property Unit
Office of State Treasurer
55 Elm Street
Hartford, CT 06106

DELAWARE
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 8931
Wilmington, DE 19899-8931

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Office of the Comptroller
Unclaimed Property Unit
810 1st St. NE, Room 401
Washington, DC 20004

FLORIDA
Department of Banking & Finance
Bureau of Unclaimed Property
101 East Gaines Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0350

GEORGIA
Department of Revenue
270 Washington Street, Room 404
Atlanta, GA 30334

HAWAII
Unclaimed Property Section
P.O. Box 150
Honolulu, HI 96810-0150

NEBRASKA
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 94788
Lincoln, NE 68509

NEVADA
Unclaimed Property Division
2501 East Sahara Avenue, Suite 304
Las Vegas, NV 89104

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Unclaimed Property Division
Treasury Department
25 Capitol Street - Room 205
Concord, NH 03301

NEW JERSEY
Department of the Treasury
Unclaimed Property
P.O. Box 214
Trenton, NJ 08646-0214

NEW MEXICO
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 25123
Santa Fe, NM 87504-5123

NEW YORK
Office of Unclaimed Funds
Alfred E. Smith Building, 9th Floor
Albany, NY 12236

NORTH CAROLINA
Department of State Treasurer
Escheat & Unclaimed Property
325 North Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-1385

NORTH DAKOTA
Unclaimed Property Division
State Land Department
P.O. Box 5523
Bismarck, ND 58506-5523

OHIO
Department of Commerce
Division of Unclaimed Funds
77 South High Street - 20th FC
Columbus, OH 43266-0545

OKLAHOMA
Unclaimed Property Division
2501 Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73194-0010

OREGON
Division of State Lands
Unclaimed Property Division
775 Summer Street, NE
Salem, OR 97310

PENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvania State Treasury
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 1837
Harrisburg, PA 17105-1837

RHODE ISLAND
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 1435
Providence, RI 02901-1435

SOUTH CAROLINA
State Treasurers Office
Palmetto Payback Program
P.O. Box 11778
Columbia, SC 29211-1778

SOUTH DAKOTA
State Treasurer's Office
State Capitol, Suite 212
Pierre, SD 57501-5070

TENNESSEE
Unclaimed Property Division
Andrew Jackson Building, 9th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243-0242

TEXAS
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Unclaimed Property Section
P.O. Box 12019
Austin, TX 78711-2019

UTAH
State Treasurer's Office
Unclaimed Property Division
341 South Main Street, 5th Floor
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

VERMONT
Unclaimed Property Division
State Treasurer's Office
133 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633-6200

VIRGINIA
Division of Unclaimed Property
Department of Treasury
P.O. Box 2478
Richmond, VA 23218-2478

WASHINGTON
Unclaimed Property Section
Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 448
Olympia, WA 98507-0448

WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia State Treasurer
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
State Capitol Building 1, Room E-145
Charleston, WV 25305

WISCONSIN
Unclaimed Property Division
State Treasurer's Office
P.O. Box 2114
Madison, WI 53701-2114
(608) 267-7977

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