Start Searching For Unclaimed Money From The Comfort Of Your Couch

There’s a ten percent chance you could have unclaimed property just waiting to give your bank account a boost. That’s according to studies that have analyzed how common lost money is.

Why is there so much unclaimed property sitting around? Because many people don’t know such a thing exists. And if they do know it exists, they don’t know how to find it. There’s no need to wonder whether you have lost money waiting to be claimed anymore, as you can make the following moves to end that mystery once and for all.

Tips to Find Lost Money From Bank Accounts, Insurance Policies, Investments, and More

Before we get into how to start looking for unclaimed property, let’s quickly discuss what it is. Sometimes the government, a business, or a person can owe you money.

If they have problems contacting you, that money can go unclaimed after a specific time. To reverse this, someone will first have to search and see if they have any unclaimed property. Then they will have to take steps to show it’s theirs and claim it.

With that out of the way, let’s look at some places where you can start searching for lost money:

1. States

States often take control over unclaimed property, such as old bank accounts or life insurance policies. That’s why many people turn to state websites first to see if they have any lost money waiting to be claimed.

If you’ve moved around in the past, it’s best to search every state you’ve lived or have done business in. You can search multiple states at once by using a free national site like Missing Money. You can also search each state one by one by going here.

Regardless of which path you take, try searching for common misspellings of your name and any nicknames. You can also do searches for family members.

2. IRS

Are you wondering what happened to a past tax refund? There may have been an error mailing it to you. Go here to check its status, as this is a common form of unclaimed money that many people overlook.

3. Banks and Credit Unions

When financial institutions fail, people sometimes forget they have funds sitting in their accounts. You can go here to see if you have any unclaimed money from bank accounts or go here to see the same for credit unions.

4. Investments

Harmed investors may be owed money from a company in some instances where enforcement was required. You can search for this form of unclaimed property here. You or a loved one may also have unclaimed property in the way of bonds or notes, which can be found here.

5. Insurance

You may have unclaimed insurance funds from the VA. Search for them here. You may also have an FHA insurance refund that’s waiting to be claimed from the HUD. Search for it here.