I once discovered $81.13 of free money online.
It took me 30 seconds to find and three minutes to claim.
OK, OK: Technically, it wasnt free money.
Robin Hartill, senior editor and certified financial planner at The Penny Hoarder, recently searched her name on the state of Florida’s unclaimed property website, where she found out she had $81.13 in unclaimed money from a deposit she made for her water bill. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
At some point in my life, I earned it.
That is, until a Sunday afternoon in 2020 when I was bored and contemplatingways to make extra money.
On a whim, I searched my name on the state of Floridasunclaimed property website.
I filled out a form that asked for a few identifying details, then clicked the submit button.
Less than two weeks later, the check arrived via snail mail.
The official Robin C. Hartillnet worthclimbed $81.13 thanks to three minutes worth of work.
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In case youre wondering, NAUPA is a group of state treasurer associations.
Its mission is simply to return unclaimed property to its rightful owner.
Each state maintains a database of property thats waiting to be claimed.
you might find your states database by visiting NAUPAs website,unclaimed.org, and clicking on your state.
If you want to look beyond your state, visitMissingMoney.comto do a nationwide search.
Did you know?
Simply search your name and claim any accounts that belong to you.
So what kind of unclaimed money could be waiting for you?
It isnt just deposits that wind up in state hands.
Another big source of unclaimed money:forgotten life insurance policies.
One Rhode Island woman searched her states website on behalf of family members.
She discovered her late brothers policy.
Two weeks later, she received a $50,000 check.
Why Would I Have Missing Money?
Usually the money ends up in state hands because whoever owed you money couldnt find you.
But then there are usType Bs theChaos Muppetsof the world.
Occasionally we forget to leave forwarding addresses.
We let our mail pile up and dont read emails.
Sometimes, we leave behind trails of unclaimed property in the process.
Im in the latter camp.
Ill confess that this wasnt even my first unclaimed property rodeo.
I even found a $900 apartment security deposit owed to my then-boyfriend.
We went on vacation to Costa Rica with our newly found loot.
Sounds like a win, right?
Well, not exactly.
All that money earns exactly 0% while it sits in state coffers.
But were all human.
Taking 30 seconds to search your name is time well spent.
You get bonus points if you search on behalf of a punch in B in your life.
Just dont forget to thank me when you discover an $81.13 windfall of your own.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder.
She writes the Dear Penny personal finance advice column.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
