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Unclaimed Property Program

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Millions of dollars are transferred to the Unclaimed Property Program each year by companies that cannot locate the owners. Individuals, estates, businesses and even churches and charities can have unclaimed property. It only takes a minute to find out if we are holding money for you.

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If you think that a government agency has money, property, or another asset that belongs to you, you need to have this information to claim it:

• what specific money, property, or asset you want to claim
• the date on which you expected to get it
• how you expected to get it
• which government agency has it

Each agency keeps its own records. There is no governmentwide, centralized source for unclaimed money or other assets.

If you know the agency, contact them

The agency should be able to help you figure out the current status of a payment. (For example, the IRS has a link on its website to help you find out about a refund you expected.)

You can find contact information for all federal agencies at www.usa.gov/federal-agencies.

We return unused funds to the agencies

We, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, issue payments on behalf of many federal agencies. (For example, if you get a veteran's benefit check every month, the VA tells us to pay it and we issue the payment.)

When the Treasury center that issued the payment learns that the payment can't be delivered or isn't cashed in the allotted time or is returned for another reason, we cancel the payment and return the money to the relevant agency.

If you are missing a payment, you must go to the agency to have them tell us to issue it again.

If you are not sure about unclaimed money

You may search in these databases for unclaimed money that might be owed to you:

• Treasury Hunt: Unclaimed U.S. securities and payments
• HUD/FHA mortgage insurance refunds
• Credit Union unclaimed shares
• U.S. Courts: Unclaimed funds in bankruptcy

Also look at www.unclaimed.org

www.unclaimed.org is the website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. This is a legitimate site created by state officials to help people search for funds that may belong to you or your relatives. Searches are free.

If you get a letter saying that a company can help you if you pay them

Some companies (also called "locator services") are in the business of helping people get unclaimed money. They charge a fee for their service.

Here's how they help: They use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get information on checks that government agencies (federal, state, and local) issue that have not been cashed. If they can match a check in the list they get through FOIA to you, they try to find you and offer to try to collect the money from the agency for you. You pay them a "finder's fee" for helping you.

Related web pages

Unpaid foreign claims – If you suffered certain, specific types of loss in a foreign country, you may be able to claim money from the U.S. government.

Reports of unclaimed money – This page has lists of unclaimed money in different categories.

Report of receivables from unclaimed money – This page, which is mainly for government agencies, includes a table of how much unclaimed money different federal agencies report.

As millions of Americans are financially drained from the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, now is a good time to scour for any extra cash. 

We're not talking about searching the couch cushions for loose coins or hoping you'll get lucky and find $20 in your coat pocket. There are ways you can find money you forgot about by looking online. Chances are there's a chunk of change with your name on it.

In fact, 1 in 10 Americans have unclaimed property or money floating around somewhere, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). This money comes from funds found in banks, financial institutions or companies that haven't had contact with the owner for over a year and have been turned over to the state. Most often it's a forgotten checking or savings account, uncashed paycheck, stocks, security deposits, customer overpayments, unredeemed gift cards or tax refunds from the IRS.

Below, Select takes a deeper look at how to find this lost money owed to you and how to cash in on money you've earned but may have forgotten about.

How to find lost money

A forgotten savings account or a lost paycheck can be a lifeline for many people during this time. Luckily, there are credible websites that can help you search for these windfalls of cash.

To start, visit NAUPA's website Unclaimed.org, a national network collecting records from all 50 states. From there, you can find links to each state's official unclaimed property program. These are all vetted government resources, so it's important you go through NAUPA-provided websites versus a general search engine.

When you click on a state, you will be directed to its official website. To search for your unclaimed money, use both your current and maiden name if you legally changed your last name. You may want to try different search inquires as well, such as using the first initial of your first name plus your full last name.

Because unclaimed property is reported to the state where the company or organization is located, it's common to have lost money in more than one place, especially if you have moved between states. To search multiple states at once, NAUPA recommends using MissingMoney.com, a free website they endorse. Make sure to check every state where you have lived and done business.

How to claim unclaimed money: Each state has its own process when you're ready to claim your lost money, but it should be pretty straightforward. You need to be prepared to show proof of ownership of whatever you are claiming such as a pay stub, utility bill or your Social Security number. You will also need to have proof of identity, like a copy of your driver's license or passport. Processing times vary by state but some can take less than 30 days, the NAUPA website says.

Some other government sources with searchable databases include:

• The IRS website for any undeliverable tax refunds
• The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for unclaimed pension money
• The U.S. Treasury Hunt for unclaimed savings bonds, registered Treasury notes or registered Treasury bonds

How to cash in forgotten money

While you might not have lost money sitting in a forgotten bank account, chances are you are sitting on some funds that you could cash in right now.

First up is your credit card rewards. If you have a cash-back credit card sitting in your wallet, and you use it regularly, don't forget that's money you earned that could come in handy.

For example, with the Citi® Double Cash Card, which offers 2% cash back: 1% on all eligible purchases and an additional 1% after you pay your credit card bill, cardholders can redeem cash back for checks or statement credits once they've earned $25. Assuming cardholders maximize their rewards potential, Select found that the average consumer can earn an estimated $437 in cash back after just one year and $2,185 after five years. 

But it's not just cash-back cards that come in handy right now. With travel arguably on hold for quite some time, you can redeem your travel credit card rewards for non-travel options like cash back or merchandise. (Note the redemption rate may be likely lower than using the rewards for travel.) For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you can use your Ultimate Rewards® points for purchases on Amazon.com or as cash back in the form of a statement credit or a direct deposit into your checking or savings account.

And as Americans have changed their spending habits during the pandemic, keep in mind that credit card issuers have kept up by adapting their rewards programs, including travel credit changes, through the end of the year. Users of the Citi Prestige® Card can spend their annual $250 travel credit on eligible purchases at supermarkets and restaurants.

Another place to tap for forgotten funds are money transfer apps like Venmo and PayPal. These apps are great for sharing payments and splitting the bill for takeout, but it's good to transfer that money into your bank account. While quarantined at home, it's perfect timing to do some financial "spring cleaning" and make sure any of your banking apps don't have money sitting in them.

And, finally, don't forget about all those unused gift cards filling your wallet. Using estimates from Mercator Advisory Group, CBS News reported earlier this year that as much as $3 billion in gift cards will go unredeemed this year alone. If you're sitting on an old gift card because you don't like the store or you just forgot about it, consider trading it in for cash. Card exchange websites like Cardpool.com allow you to exchange or sell both physical and electronic gift cards for up to 88% of their original value.

Bottom line

As the economy struggles to rebound, every dollar matters to the average consumer.

Whether you feel low on cash right now or you are worried about more financial strain in the coming months, spend some time searching for any unclaimed money on websites like Unclaimed.org and MissingMoney.com. And don't forget about what's already in your wallet, like your credit cards. You earned the rewards and now is a good time to cash them in.

Information about the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected independently by CNBC and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

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