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One in seven people have money from an uncashed check, unused gift certificate or forgotten safety deposit box waiting for them to claim. The Washington State Department of Revenue asks: Are you one of them?
On Feb. 1, the Department of Revenue is once again partnering with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) for National Unclaimed Property Day. This event raises awareness of unclaimed property nationwide and encourages people to search for and claim their lost money, the department said in a news release.
“We want to get your money back into your pocket,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said. “Every Washingtonian should visit the unclaimed property program’s website to see if they have funds waiting to be claimed.”
Washington’s Unclaimed Property program is a free public service. Last year, the Department of Revenue processed 389,759 claims and returned $182 million to individuals, businesses and organizations. An estimated 33 million people in the U.S. have unclaimed property: bank accounts, insurance proceeds, stocks and bonds, customer credits, uncashed checks, safe deposit box contents and more.
When a business or organization is unable to contact the owner of certain assets for an extended period of time, those assets are considered abandoned and are turned over to the state to be held until they can be returned to the owner or heirs. Those holders reported a record $503 million in unclaimed property in fiscal year 2025, up more than $137.7 million from the prior year.
“While many people say, ‘I know where my money is,’ you would be surprised how many times they search their name and find they have money owed to them,” said Liz Black, the department’s unclaimed property administrator. “Searching your name is free and only takes a few minutes at Claimyourcash.org.”
To see if you have unclaimed property, visit Washington’s unclaimed property website, claimyourcash.org. You may also visit Unclaimed.org/search to search for unclaimed property in other states.
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