In the USA, there are a good number of online sources where you can go to look for unclaimed money. There are billions of dollars, sitting in unclaimed accounts held in trust by states and various government-owned agencies. If you are on the lookout for places where you can find unclaimed money that belongs to you, we at Geniuz Media have compiled a list of the 10 best websites for looking for unclaimed money.
1. IRS.gov
Topping our listicle is irs.gov. This website can be used by US citizens to get tax refunds that were unclaimed. The irs.gov website can be used to search for unclaimed tax money. This site can be trusted because it is the only official website for unclaimed tax money. When you perform a search on this website, you will get to know how much the IRS owes you.
2. Unclaimed.org
Unclaimed.org is the official website for unclaimed state taxes, and other properties that you own. This website provides users with an easy way to find unclaimed state tax refunds, travelers checks, savings accounts and stocks. This website is maintained by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA).
This association is available in every state in the US, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and other Canadian provinces. It is important to note that this website does not provide any search functionality of its own.
However, it acts as a clearinghouse for persons that are looking for unclaimed property sites administered by individual state governments in the US. All you need to do is to click on each state, territory, or province where you reside and then get redirected to an unclaimed property search for that area.
3. MissingMoney.Com
Another interesting online platform that can be used to access unclaimed money is Missingmoney.com. The Missingmoney.com website cannot help you find unclaimed money records of its own. However, this online platform has the capacity to find unclaimed money through a variety of sources.
It is important to note that missingmoney.com is endorsed by NAUPA, so it is a legal site for looking for unclaimed money. In order to make use of Missingmoney.com, all you need is your name, and the state where you reside, or have lived in the past.
Missingmoney.com then goes through its databases to tell you if it finds any unclaimed money. Some interesting financial assets that you can find with Missingmoney.com include; safe deposit boxes, stocks, insurance policies, utility deposits, bank accounts, etc.
4. CreditKarma.Com/Unclaimed-Money/
Credit Karma is not a conventional source for unclaimed money. However, they allow the search functionality for unclaimed money as a bonus. It is not an official US government source, but they can go through government databases in search of unclaimed money.
It is important to note that unlike most unclaimed money sites, Credit Karma needs the user to have an account with them first off. They are conventionally known as credit-monitoring services in the USA.
5. Webapps.Dol.Gov/Wow/
This is a government-operated site that was incentivised to help workers that are owed wages by the government or other employers of Labor. It is important to note that Webapps.Dol.Gov is operated by the Wages and Hours Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.
This website allows users to search for the names of employers and check if they are owed wages. If you suspect that your previous employer was owing you can go to this site to recover what you are owed. The only downside of this site is that it is not useful if your past employers did not owe you any wages.
6. ClosedBanks.FDIC.gov/Funds/
When you lose money due to a bank failure, it is the job of the FDIC to help you recover your money. Closedbanks.FDIC.gov/funds, is an official way to search for unclaimed money due to closure of a financial institution.
It is important to note that to be able to recover your unclaimed money here, you need to know the name of the closed bank, and the city that it is located. For instance, having a check is not enough, as you would need the check number and the name of the failed bank. This website for recovering unclaimed money is maintained by the FDIC.
7. NCUA.gov/Support-Services/Unclaimed-Deposits/
This website is similar to the site that is maintained by the FDIC. However, the NCUA official government site is for recovering unclaimed money in the event of liquidation of a credit union. For the FDIC, it is for helping people with unclaimed money if a bank is liquidated.
The NCUA does not offer an automated search, but rather, provides a list of names and accounts. If you find your name on the list, it implies that you have some unclaimed money lurking around, waiting for you to claim it.
8. TreasureDirect.gov
Do you have lost, unclaimed, or stolen savings bonds? Then Treasuredirect.gov should be your first stop for your search. This site is maintained by the Department of Treasury. If you think you have a bond that was lost, or is unclaimed, this site offers a method of getting it back.
The only downside of this site is that they don’t offer any value for a person who did not lose any savings bond.
9. Pbgc.gov/Search-Unclaimed-Pensions/
Do you have unpaid pension funds, and it was insured? The Pension Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), is a government agency that is set out to help you recover your unclaimed pension money. Although the full value of the pension might not be given to you, it’s worth checking. The only downside of this government-owned site is that it can only be used to recover unclaimed pensions.
10. Sec.gov/Divisions/Enforce/Claims.htm
Are you an investor in the USA with harmed funds? The job of the SEC (securities and exchange commission), is to help you, as a harmed investor, recover unclaimed funds. If you own funds from class-action suits, or a broker-dealer that is going out of business, this government-based website can help you.