It's Tax Day, so if you weren't already thinking about money, you are now.
Wouldn't it be great if there were some cash just sitting out there with your name on it? There just might be.
The New York state comptroller's office is currently holding $17.5 billion in everyday people's "lost money" -- and it returns $1.5 million to those who file claims daily. Just $143,580,082 has been returned in 2023, according to the state, so people are missing out on lots of claim filing.
As of March, the comptroller's office had more than $4.6 billion in unclaimed cash owed to more than 24 million accounts in New York City.
Manhattanites have the most unclaimed funds ($2.3 billion), while nearly $1 billion is owed to account holders in Brooklyn and Queens EACH. The numbers are stark on Long Island, too -- like 1.4 million accounts owed more than $869 million (Nassau County wins). Over in Westchester County, 350 million-plus accounts are owed more than $375 million. The list keeps going. You get the point.
Check this unclaimed funds map for a regional breakdown, or look below.
Does any unclaimed cash belong to you? Check here. All you need to do is put in your last name (or a few more details if that yields too many results). Try misspelling your name, just to be sure, if nothing comes up in an initial search.
It's also worth searching names of your relatives, especially those who have passed away. The accounts go back to the 1940s, and officials say you could be entitled to those funds.
New Jersey and Connecticut also have offices that handle unclaimed funds. The monies are usually checks sent to the wrong address that never got cashed. Most of them are in amounts of $50 or $100, but you never know.