Virginia's Unclaimed Property Program

The Richmond Times-Dispatch published a piece today on the Virginia Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Program. Manju Ganeriwala, state treasurer, says that one in four people in Virginia have unclaimed property waiting to be retrieved.

It works like this: when an entity you've done business with– like a utility company, bank, employer, court, etc– owes you money but can’t get in touch with you, they turn those funds over to the state to hold for you. If you were the beneficiary of an insurance policy but the company couldn’t get in touch, they also transfer those assets to the state. You can search for unclaimed property through the Virginia system here. It doesn’t cost anything or require you to register to search, and while you have the option of inputting the last 7 digits of your Social Security number, it’s not required.

If it turns out you do have unclaimed property, retrieving it is a little more complicated: after you make a free account through the site, you have to print and fill out a claims form, then mail it in with: a copy of your ID, a copy of document proving your SSN, and some document that proves you live(d) at the address the state has on file.

If you don’t live in Virginia, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators has this tool to direct you to the Unclaimed Property Program relevant to you. It covers all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Kenya.