There’s billions of dollars worth of unclaimed property sitting in accounts across the country, and since Thursday is “National Unclaimed Property Day,” states are encouraging people to check to see if they have some long-lost treasure languishing in a forgotten account.
In Maryland, State Comptroller Brooke Lierman told WTOP that in 2023, the state’s Unclaimed Property Division found $315 million in unclaimed property. By conducting outreach across the state, Lierman said $81 million was returned after the state sorted through and honored 34,470 claims.
Lierman said her office works year round to reunite people with their property.
“We even launched a new website to make it easier to search as well, and to fill out a claim online.”
Owners of safe deposit boxes, insurance benefits, travelers checks and unclaimed refunds are also contacted through the U.S. mail with postcards from her office, Lierman said.
“Our next postcards will hit people’s mailboxes right around Valentine’s Day,” she said.
But there’s no need to hold back.
“You don’t have to wait to receive a postcard. You can log in anytime you have a minute and search for yourself and see if you have any unclaimed property,” said Lierman.
To find out if you have assets that belong to you, visit Maryland’s tax website here.
If you and your long-lost assets are reunited, the Comptroller’s Office is encouraging you to share your unclaimed property stories on social media with the hashtag: #GetYourMoneyMD.
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