Finding money in a coat pocket is always a nice surprise, but what if you found that you could search the internet to locate lost assets? Most states have an unclaimed property website that allows you to search your name to determine whether you may have property that the state is holding for you. Illinois is currently holding $3.5 billion in abandoned assets that are unclaimed by its residents.
It is a good practice to check every year or two with your state to see if you may have unclaimed property in the state where you currently or previously lived. Many times when you move, checks are sent to your old address. If the payor is not aware that you moved, the funds are eventually deposited with the state as unclaimed property.
You may also find assets that may have been held by loved ones who have passed away. This is one of the most common reasons for unclaimed property to go to the state when someone dies and accounts are abandoned. As estate planning attorneys, we perform a search frequently for estates that we have handled to make sure we did not miss anything when administering an estate.
What is unclaimed property?
Common types of unclaimed property include: checking and savings accounts, uncashed wage and payroll checks, uncashed stock dividends, and stock certificates, insurance payments, utility deposits, customer deposits, accounts payable, credit balances, refund checks, money orders, traveler’s checks, mineral proceeds, court deposits, uncashed death benefit checks, and life insurance proceeds.
In most states, you can file a claim form to reclaim your property. The claim form will tell you which documents you will need to provide to make a claim.
The following are a few websites for unclaimed property if you live or have lived in these states.
If you have any questions about tax and estate planning, please feel free to contact Trostin, Kantor & Esposito LLC at 224-529-0500.
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