TA K E AWAY
State treasuries, the feds and other agencies are holding billions of dollars in unclaimed funds
from inactive bank accounts, utility deposits, final paychecks, tax refunds and other sources of missing money.
Here’s where to start prospecting:Free Money! Follow the Trail
Tax
Refunds
The IRS has more than
$1.4 billion in refunds
waiting for people who
didn’t file their tax returns.
You have three years to file
and claim your refund; if
you didn’t file in 2015, the
deadline to do so is April 15
to get your cash.Lost
Savings
Bonds
Can’t put your hands on
the U.S. savings bond your
grandmother gave you when
you graduated from high
school? Billions of dollars of
matured savings bonds have
never been redeemed. Fill out
Form 1048, available at
http://www.treasury.gov.Missing
Pensions
Did you work for a company that
went out of business? If you were
a participant in the company’s
p ension program, check the
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.’s
unclaimed pensions database at
http://www.pbgc.gov/search-
unclaimed-pensions.State
coffers
Enter your last name at
MissingMoney.com to launch a
search for unclaimed assets in
40 states and the District of
Columbia. Or use the tool at
CreditKarma.com to search 21
states to find out if an unclaimed
property report matches your profile.
To use the Credit Karma service, you’ll
need to create an account.72 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 05/2019 ILLUSTRATION BY RICHARD FAUST