Does anyone owe me money

Each individual federal agency maintains its own records. To find out whether any unclaimed funds are being held by the federal government, you need to determine the type of benefit or payment that could be involved, the date on which the payment was expected, and how the payment should have been made. Given this information, the agency responsible for certifying any payment due should be able to assist you in getting the current status of the payment involved.

The titles and addresses for all federal agencies can be found in the United States Government Manual which is available in most public libraries. This association consists of state officials charged with the responsibility of reuniting lost owners with their unclaimed property.

Claiming the money is straightforward. You just need to prove that the money is yours, and your state will cut you a check. Each state has its own rules about how to prove your identity and claim that money, so make sure you read any rules on the site. You should be able to claim this money for free and on your own.

If someone is asking you to pay a fee for it, proceed with caution. In her early 20s, she realized she had no idea how to manage her money.

She set out to change her financial habits, and she did. We'll show you what to do. This story was recently updated. To find out if a state is holding financial assets that you need to claim, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators has links to official websites where you can search for unclaimed property by each state, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Head to Unclaimed. You'll be sent to the state's unclaimed property page. Next, you may need to choose a link like "Search for Unclaimed Property" California or "Get Started" Texas , or the search box may be on the first page you've landed on Utah. Now enter your information.

The page may ask for your first and last name, middle initial and city. Your last name will most likely be required, but you can try using or skipping the suggested fields to narrow or broaden the results. Its layout incorporates advertising in a way that may be confusing, so read carefully. Another site, FindMyFunds , lets you search across 25 states and the District of Columbia at once, with direct links to the official unclaimed property sites for states it doesn't include in its results.

If your search results show that a state is holding money or property of yours, you can submit a claim to get it back. Each state handles claims a little differently. Some will allow you to submit your claim online, while others may require you to mail documentation to support your claim. Among the documents you may need to provide are:.

Note that a state may auction some financial assets. For example, Florida holds auctions on the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes. After the auction, owners may still be able to claim the item's value.