HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Last year the Treasury returned more than $135 million in unclaimed money to Pennsylvania residents. There’s still more than $4 billion in unclaimed property in Pennsylvania.
Money comes to the Pennsylvania Treasury as unclaimed property in accordance with the state’s unclaimed property law, which requires companies to send property to Treasury after a specified amount of time, usually three years. Unclaimed property can include things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, insurance policies, tangible property like the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes, and more.
“Searching for unclaimed property is like the ultimate Easter egg hunt,” state treasurer Stacy Garrity said earlier this year. “It is so simple to search for money that’s owed to you, a loved one, or a friend. With about one in ten Pennsylvanians owed unclaimed property, chances are pretty good that you’ll find something — and whether it’s a little extra cash or a long-lost family heirloom, we want to get it back to you.”
Tangible property may be auctioned after approximately three years, but any proceeds from a sale will be kept in perpetuity until an owner is found. Military decorations and memorabilia are never auctioned, and Treasury works diligently to find veterans and their families to reunite them with these priceless symbols of service.
One in ten Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth $1,500.
Search the Treasury’s unclaimed property database to see if you have property waiting to be claimed at patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.