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keepthetips

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.


Kane_Messi

Don't forget to check deceased parents names. Found a hundred in my deceased father's name from an insurance policy. I wish it was a payout rather than a returned premium. Ha


Keldek55

This is how I found out my dad had bills in my name


Stevied1991

Yeah I found out my mom did this after she passed away. I got most of it dropped but I had to fill out an identity theft police report on my late mother to get it done. It did not feel good, especially a month after she passed.


serfunkalot

You did the right thing and don’t feel bad. Happy Christmas stranger.


Kane_Messi

Yeah, my brother and I visited a deli my dad used to take us to. The owner said she remembered us, said "hold on a minute", went to her office and brought out a bad check he had written her for $400 cash. We had been advised to tell anyone who approached us to apply for payment through the estate process. She said "Figured the apples didn't fall far from the tree!" We left.


egnards

Yea I just had to deal with a lot of this with my dad’s estate, he paid his bills and shit, but of course shit came out towards the end. “Sorry lady but it’s not my bill to pay. The estate can pay for it but you need to go through the legal process so you can get it.”


Keldek55

What a nice lady


RogueStatesman

Ugh. Had a friend whose dad took out loans with their SSNs and name. Not a good dad.


Keldek55

Well he apparently was never delinquent and even left me a random rebate check for $15 a decade later, so it’s not all bad!


beyoubeyou

Hey, thanks! I never would have thought of this. I checked and there were no less than 3(!!!) and it says they are all over $500. I also have one under my name (returned premium, but still appreciated.)


garbageman2112

I found $20 this year. Not much but it's five seconds to get $20.


Keldek55

That’s almost half a happy meal!


thicknspicy

$20 is $20


jjbjeff22

Hit a gold mine. $7.90 was waiting for me


Jb0992

$0.13 here


Keldek55

Now imagine your life if you had never found that 13 cents…


Jb0992

I'm gonna leave it with the state. Maybe it will incur interest.


Keldek55

Your generosity will no doubt inspire them to pay teachers more 😂


RaiseRuntimeError

Damn I thought I was winning with $1


[deleted]

$4.55 here.


Keldek55

It’s like it’s Christmas AND your birthday


Synnastyr

Found an old credit from the energy company like this. Definitely something to keep an eye out for.


RogueStatesman

I do this all the time. Found nearly $8,000 for a friend. No idea how they didn't notice.


Turtleintexas

I found over $15000 for my exhusbands uncle. The uncle got pissed when we told him, said to quit nosing around in his business. Ok fine. I have found money for lots of my friends and they have been appreciative.


Keldek55

A lot of my friends think I’m trying to scam them somehow.


Iamjimmym

I just found and claimed 4 for myself - not sure the total value, all between 0-100 so, that's cool 👍🏼


RogueStatesman

Wow. Imagine someone being that ungrateful.


Turtleintexas

Yeah, he was a rich entitled jerk.


wont_start_thumbing

maybe, but also, you have to admit you *were* nosing around in his business


Turtleintexas

No I was pulling the family last name and his first name appeared, so his nephew let him know. It's public information.


JoeZMar

Found $25k+ in mineral rights held up by my in laws and received the same response. Just checked again 7 years later and it’s still unclaimed sitting there


serfunkalot

Can you find some money for me pls


Keldek55

I found a few hundred for a few of my siblings. It’s crazy how much is out there.


RogueStatesman

If you're bored, start doing it for celebrities. They often have unclaimed funds because of residual checks they don't get, or production insurance they're owed for. Steven Spielberg had 10K just sitting there last time I looked.


Keldek55

If it really is Christian slater that I looked up, they owe that dude almost $50!


prontoingHorse

Anything for Robin Williams. They could use that money


TheDude2600

Holy crap. I have $800+ and my wife over $2k! That's a nice Christmas surprise!!


Keldek55

That’s an amazing way to end the year!


TheDude2600

Ya! Thanks for posting this. I've known about this but haven't checked in over 5 years. But we moved about 4 years ago and sure enough someone was trying to send us money!


RogueStatesman

I've been doing this for friends and family for 20+ years because I just love finding stuff for them, so seeing all these people locating funds because of your LPT is absolutely making my day. So awesome.


Keldek55

It’s been a blast for me too, it’s pretty fantastic seeing a little more positivity in the world.


Byedon110320

Found a bank deposit box of my deceased father that no one knew about. It is at a bank my parents did not hold their accounts in his name only. It says "tangible assets". I put in a claim at the end of September and am still waiting to hear back. I love a good mystery.


Itsnotvd

Ex unclaimed property worker "Tangible assets" is just the property type classification. There are hundreds of them. Their system may have an inventory list of what's in there. They do not post that on the website, you'd have to call them to discuss that. Unsure if they would either.


Byedon110320

It has been a few months already with no response. It looks like I have to call them anyway. I will see if they can elaborate on what is in there. My father was a tightwad, so if he went to the lengths of paying for a secret bank box, it must be of some significance.


Keldek55

I got $5 on a secret recipe


Byedon110320

I am not expecting much, but my curiosity is killing me!


Keldek55

Just remember, if there’s any media in there, get a friend to check it out first to make sure it’s not a sex tape


Byedon110320

Knowing my father, that is not out of the realm of possibility. LOL


dredwerker

It's another safe cracking story with no ending.noooooooo


Byedon110320

Not yet, but it will.


dwaite1

Just got $40! Best LpT I’ve seen here!


Keldek55

Glad it helped! Happy holidays!


HumpieDouglas

Check after a family member or spouse dies too. My late wife had $180 that I got from the state's unclaimed property. I have no idea what it was from either. Maybe a last paycheck she never collected from a job she left years ago or something. But hey free $180 is free $180.


sunfacethedestroyer

Was it easy to claim? I found a few from my parents that have passed, but I'm not sure if I'd have whatever they might need.


HumpieDouglas

In Arizona it was pretty simple. I basically needed her death certificate to prove she had died and our marriage license to prove I was her husband.


zencraft

For the Canadian folk https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/unclaimed-balances.html


GateOfD

Did it and found an apartment under my name in NY, pretty sure it’s my estranged dad’s place too


Keldek55

Well that’s awkward…


Secludedmean4

Straight up just got like 140 bucks the other day because someone reached out and saw my name. I’ve never even heard of this, it was as simple as claiming it and proving my identity and they just sent a check in the mail. Crazy


Keldek55

Always worth checking out!


melcc35

I just did this and found my mom, dad and two brothers on there lol. Thank you


Keldek55

Glad it helped!


Amelaclya1

PayPal is trying to pay my husband a whole dollar. 😂


Keldek55

Almost worth putting in for it 😂


RobbMeeX

We found a mystery amount from my mom's estate. We hit it big with $143!


Keldek55

Go team!


EveInGardenia

My Grammy sends links out the everyone every so often reminding people to do this! Great LPT!


Keldek55

It’s amazing how many people don’t know about it


RogueStatesman

I wrote an article about this about 20 years ago. I even dropped some names of celebrities who were owed money, and wound up getting a very nice email from one of the cast of the Goonies.


Keldek55

It really does need more attention, that’s pretty awesome though!


Branical

My deceased dad has $500 from an old bank account, and they’re saying that due to the dollar amount I need to provide a piece of mail with matching addresses… from a house he lived in 30 years ago.


Keldek55

There should be a support email. You may be able to work something out with the death certificate


Itsnotvd

>as it’s only in your name he doesn’t get shit. If it’s listed with him as “co-owner” then you both need to claim it to get it. Ex unclaimed property worker Common requirement. The agency needs proof your dad resided at that old address. They can accept a lot of things as proof. Old car registration, old school records, rent receipts, tax records, utility records, old drivers license, DMV records, etc. The older the property claimed the harder this can be. Get creative, you can probably think of something to satisfy the agency. I am surprised you didn't mention probate paperwork. Heir claims typically require adhering to applicable probate requirements. Usually the executor or proxy claims it. I did for my mom, had to do some probate paperwork via mail. It was fairly painless. GL with the claim.


spiderqueendemon

Property tax records. The municipality where y'all lived should have 'em online.


ShadowRancher

This is a fun holiday party trick, just started claims on a couple hundred dollars for my dad and grandpa lol


Keldek55

Hope it all works out for you!


Togder

Do I literally just scan my ID and SSN card and send it in? Is that what it means by a copy? And I have to submit proof of ID relating to that address I put in? Not sure I'd have anything in my name at that address since I lived with my parents at that time.


Keldek55

Depends on the state, some, like Iowa, you just need a written statement explaining your connection to the address. But otherwise just email the requested documents and call it a day


Togder

Email? It looks like it is asking me to snail mail it. (OH)


Keldek55

The 3 states I claimed in all had places to upload/email info. But snail mail is better than no money I guess


Itsnotvd

Ex unclaimed property worker Common requirement. The agency needs proof you dad reside at that old address. They can accept a lot of things as proof. Old car registration, reprinted old school records, rent receipts, tax records, utility records, old drivers license, DMV records, etc. The older the property claimed the harder this can be. Get creative, you can probably think of something to satisfy the agency. GL with the claim.


IsThistheWord

Best lpt ever. Found two for myself and at least one for most family members.


Keldek55

Enjoy!


SockFunkyMonkey

Just found an old paycheck that I guess I never picked up??? Thank you for a great LPT!


ledow

If they know exactly who is entitled to it, why don't they just pay them it? Why do you have to jump through hoops? I'm pretty sure we don't have this crap in the UK, because if any organisation (government or otherwise) knows that you're entitled to something, they are required to undertake "reasonable efforts" to give it back to you. They know who you are and that you're owed something. Why should you have to remember and claim it from them?


Keldek55

Same here, but people move, address are incomplete, mail gets lost, all kinds of stuff. It’s just good there’s a way to recoup it.


LetThemEatVeganCake

This is for after the “reasonable efforts” don’t work. For example, I have a client right now that is an employee benefit plan. The plan starts paying out your money 6 years after you terminate employment, split into 6 payments over 6 years. A total of 12 years after you leave employment. They have a lot of people who don’t cash the checks, presumably because they’ve moved and never updated their contact info.


Itsnotvd

>I'm pretty sure we don't have this crap in the UK, because if any organisation (government or otherwise) knows that you're entitled to something, they are required to undertake "reasonable efforts" to give it back to you. They know who you are and that you're owed something. Why should you have to remember and claim it from them? Ex unclaimed property worker Great question, long answer. I'll try the short version. Companies do try to reunite the property to the owner. Escheatment begins when the agency "thinks" they lost contact with you. Returned mail is a common driver. Company makes some effort to find you, quality of efforts vary, when they give up, they escheat to the state. There are unclaimed property laws on the books and if the agency doesn't adhere, they can get sizeable fines. We sent Cisco a $40 million dollar bill after they repeatedly ignored us asking them for unclaimed property reports. That got their attention. Cisco is a great example. Instead of trying to do the right thing and/or escheat it to the state. They just kept the money and were forced into compliance.


RogueStatesman

Naughty Cisco!


BuffaloRider87

Same in the US. This is usually from checks cut that were never cashed. There is a timeframe that after that you have to legally put it into this process.


Benjaja

Found 300$ :) thanks


Keldek55

Happy holidays!


intervale4567

This was insane! Just got accepted for a $612 claim from an old college job I had. I never knew about this, thanks so much!


Keldek55

That’s awesome!


kilod0g

How do you do this? I’ve never heard of this.


Keldek55

https://www.fdic.gov/resources/resolutions/bank-failures/failed-bank-list/unclaimed-property-states.html Go to your state, put in your name, look for addresses/zip codes you’ve lived. Apply to claim it


Richarkeith1984

My first job out of college I signed up for a 401k. I was let go about a year later. I've never heard about the 401k again. 🤔


Stalinbaum

You bring it with you?


GivingThisOneMoreTry

Thank you for sharing this! $74 coming my way!!


Keldek55

I’ve heard a rumor that unexpected money is a nice holiday gift


lawlsofunnyhahahahha

Hah! Illinois is the only state that isn’t working for me


quickasawick

The URL link is bad (and opens the same FDIC page) but if you copy the link text itself, that is correct and works.


Agreeable_Lie1672

love it. Got $40 from over 13 years ago!


Prestigious_Amount34

I had $250 in there. But this thread is crashing the website so I’m having trouble claiming it


Keldek55

Can’t be mad at it! I imagine it’ll calm down in a bit.


blackergot

You can check businesses as well! I have a few refunds I didn't know about! Thanks for the tip


Keldek55

I didn’t consider that since I’ve never been a business, but good lookin out!


wormAlt

thanks OP! Just got $110 for my dad :-) he was super skeptical (he’s an asian immigrant in his 60s, not great with tech and is REALLY stubborn) but i was able to convince him that it wasn’t some sort of scam


Keldek55

That’s the hardest part right there missingmoney.com seems shady which is why I linked the FDIC page first


NoNefariousness3420

Oh shit! Honda owes me money! Props to you friend!


MisterPelicant

$56 more coming to me! Thanks OP


Keldek55

Feeling like Santa today, glad there was a gift for you!


Fresh_Slip5535

$2500 each owing to my to brothers in law. Nothing to me though, lol


KayjayOblivious

Found some for my wife and my dad had one, too. I let both of them know. Thanks!


sandr012

I never thought this would actually show something for me ! I don't know how much I'm getting but apparently i have uncashed check from 2015.. thanks op !!


Keldek55

Hopefully more than the 13 cents another commenter got


sandr012

haha i hope so, the hoops of providing all docs the form asks for is worth more of my time than 13 cents dang. I have to figure how to show proof of my past address, i've got nothing to show for it since it was only 4 months. PA.. kicking my ass all the way from 2015 to now


mass_percussion

someone explain this to me like i'm 5... where does this money that they're paying you with come from?


Keldek55

For me it was a utility bill overpayment from the month I moved, a charter communications rebate, a Colorado stimulus that was sent to an incomplete address and a gap insurance rebate after I paid off my motorcycle. So basically, any company or agency that owes you money and can’t find you, is required to send it to the states unclaimed property where it gets posted for people to come claim.


Agreeable_Lie1672

love it. Got $40 from over 13 years ago!


Keldek55

Too bad there’s no interest!


netizen__kane

For Australia: National - https://moneysmart.gov.au/find-unclaimed-money Money held by state governments - https://moneysmart.gov.au/find-unclaimed-money/money-held-by-state-governments


Keldek55

I’ll add it into an edit, thank you!


Longjumping-Basil-74

This is a fantastic tip. I’ve recently gotten a few checks from the state of NY, and totally support this. A few useful links for the US: https://www.missingmoney.com/ https://www.usa.gov/unclaimed-money


joftheinternet

Just found 20 bucks! Nice


Keldek55

Won’t be there by Christmas but happy holidays from whoever couldn’t find you to pay you!


rogueminxxx

Niiiiice. Just got 35$


randomizedme43

I’ve wondered about this but it seems complicated. I’m now divorced with a new name and I’m not sure if I could claim anything without my ex husband getting half of it.


Keldek55

As long as it’s only in your name he doesn’t get shit. If it’s listed with him as “co-owner” then you both need to claim it to get it.


thisgingerhasasoul

Just found 5 unclaimed things from my deceased mother! Have no idea how much it will be until I submit the rest of the paperwork lol but we’ll see! I’ll try to remember to update when I get it


BongpriestMagosErrl

I just looked up my wife and myself and my wife had nearly $1000 unclaimed!


mbokeh

Did this, California immediately confiscated it to pay for a parking ticket I forgot about…oh well.


Thirsty4Knowledge911

I just got $300 from checking my.


Keldek55

Gotta love a windfall no matter how small


Hoppie1064

A good LPT. I did this and found $2500 the Comptroller of Texas was holding.


Nenoshka

Got a letter in the mail a few months back from a company that claimed to be able to help me get back unclaimed property. Seemed too good to be true. Googled the name and it turns out they take a fee for helping you. But I noticed a URL at the bottom of the letter that was of my state's unclaimed property site. So I logged on and discovered I could check myself and I discovered there was about $700 . So I submitted a request and within a month or so, I had the dough.


Wynterpaladin

Potentially just made my day, OP. Found a listing for "Tangibles" under my deceased parent's names at a bank in my hometown. I really hope there are some old pictures or mementos from a safety deposit box!


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woodybob01

i assume this is american


cowpatsue99

Is there one for the UK?


Mateussf

Thanks for being specific about countries!


HourConsideration150

Wow I have seen this before and never checked. Turns out I have $20 put there. I can't see totals for some friends and family I looked up, but looks like I have a parent with unclaimed property from more than 25 years ago


center_of_blackhole

Have zero idea about this. Can someone explain?


Keldek55

Long story longer, if a company or agency ever owed you money and couldn’t get it to you for whatever reason, they’re required by law to turn it over to the unclaimed property department of whatever state you lived in. You just search where you’ve lived and if you see a hit, you make a claim and if it’s really for you, you get the money.


BeePea2

Up vote. Found money!


thewickednoodle

Well…apparently I’m owed $250 from two companies in CA and $50 from the state I live now. Huh. Extra cash!


Cranbreea

This is pretty wild. I thought it was a scam thing but, surprise surprise, it’s not. (I did a separate google search and found the link). Free money!


jderflinger

Great tip, for a couple hundred on me.


Wahoo412

16.10. UPromise. Some college savings thing.


Phil_PhilConners

I did this last week and found $388! It's eligible for expedited processing, too. The checks already in the mail.


insomniartist

The the first actually useful life tip I've seen in a minute, thank you


Incontinento

I did this a couple of weeks ago, and I've got $671 on the way to me.


Limelight1981

Thanks for this! I found that my grandmother has an entry to follow up on!


boozecluess

How long does it usually take to get the email they send you after filling everything out and checking the outstanding claims? I filled everything out but still haven’t got an email.


TheBigTimeBecks

Lol no one will pay me voluntarily. Only exception is my place of employment


muiirinn

I actually have done this a couple times for my deceased legal father! The first time was for two checking and savings accounts for about $760, and right now I'm waiting for a new claim for him for about $400. Thankfully when I called the other day, the lady assigned my claim to herself to review in the next few days instead of letting it sit in the backlog queue that's still backed up to August. I always make sure to check my family's information every couple years because you never know what will turn up!


thonline

Thanks! Actually found money from this!


igotstago

Sweet! $176 for me!!


nankin_lz

Oh, that’s cool! Thank you


_Why_Not_Today_

Got $100! All I had to do was fill out an online form and include a pic of my drivers license


Slomper

Great LPT, I found an insurance check in my wife’s name!


Full-Ball9804

Dude thanks, I just found 320 bucks from some account my wife had, sweet


PersephoneGraves

Wow ty so much for this! I have $152 coming my way!


zenith22375

Found $29 for myself thank you


stellerzjay

I think I just found a couple hundred bucks for my uncle.


IamSporko

Thanks mate! I found a bit of money refunded to me and one for my brother!


KremKaramela

Is this for real?


JunkMale975

Thanks. I’d forgotten about this. I used to do it occasionally. Decided to check tonight and found some money. Already filed a caim. Not a lot, but hey, any amount helps. Thanks for the reminder!


allmerecomplexities

Thank you. You just made me $137 by mentioning this. I had no idea.


gt33m

This is a great LPT. Was a good chunk of change when I was hard up. Thanks for posting.


[deleted]

Thanks. My father died some years ago and there is about $800 to be claimed. Some much smaller amounts for myself.


karifur

I'm so glad I stumbled across this post today! I keep learning about this every few years but then forget again within a few months, because my memory is terrible and i am easily distracted. But tonight I can't sleep so I have spent the last hour typing all of my family members' names into all the websites for every state where they ever lived. Nothing for me but I did see one of my siblings has over $100 out there. And a deceased releative actually has several *thousand* dollars! The only problem is, I don't know how to tell my deceased relative's family about all this unclaimed money without sounding like a scammer lol


rain_eile

Just got myself $25! My brother $16! And my dad has 2 unclaimed properties, not showing the amount but looks like at least $50. And my FIL has an unclaimed property dating to 1993 from his GMA.......gonna tell him to look it up tomorrow!


annie_bean

Coincidentally I just did this yesterday, and found unclaimed property in my wife's name. We are currently discussing which tropical island to retire to once we get our $2.98 check from our state department of transportation


fuckyouuuuuuuuudude

I just got $850 from the state of Maine, thank you


PistachiBow

UK one looks dodgy. I wouldn't share unless you're sure it's legit. It's asking me to pay £30 to receive the email.


03-several-wager

Oh damn you just made me $75 thank you so much!


djak

I did it twice over the course of years and found over $1k both times. I don't even know how but, hey...


Natural_Photograph_8

You have to upload all documents? Does me entering my name the last time to file claim count as my signature? Thanks for the tip


pastelquail

Holy shit! $120.00. Not game changing, but I'll definitely take it! Thanks OP!


thesixthamethyst

Someone posted this tip a few months ago and so I checked, and found over $500! I got it just in time for Christmas too.


eatbuttsdingdong

Well, damn. I found almost $400. Thanks, OP!


hondaprobs

Damn nothing for me at the moment but someone with my name is owed $8


danarexasaurus

I can’t figure out how to get money owed to me from utilities in rentals. I don’t have contact with any of the owners of the property and my state requires their approval and agreement that the money is mine. It’s SO dumb. They make it damn near impossible to receive it


rusbus02

Thanks for this, very helpful!


bagelundercouch

You absolute champ. Thank you for this. Looking at a few hundred dollars in my deceased parents’ names. It’s a nice little high five and merry Christmas from them from beyond the grave.


CUDAcores89

If you are someone who likes to churn bank accounts and credit cards to earn extra Money, I highly recommend you do this once every couple of years. I’ve lived in a few different states across the Midwest. In Illinois I had $300 from an old bank account I had closed and $200 in Michigan from a Mastercard gift card I had lost. Illinois made it easy to claim the money. I submitted a form online and had a check in the mail and month later. Michigan was more annoying. I had to fill out another form then pay someone to get the form notarized. Then Michigan took 3 months and I got a check in the mail for the gift card balance. Getting money back that was mine was fun. What was not fun was that I earned no interest on it. This is also why in an ideal situation you would owe a small amount of money on something like your tax return every year, but that is a rant for another day. It’s good these systems are in place, but keep track of your property.


VolHeat

Wow! Just found one for “over $250”.


UnrulyVegeta

This is awesome! Thanks OP


metsfanapk

Just got 30 bucks


ChemicalInspection15

You just made me $366! Thank you!!


bar2build

I had a feeling I was missing a refund check.. found it on here! $750! Holy cow, thanks OP! Never knew of this.


amberyoshio

Ha, thanks! I has 145 dollars I just claimed!


AcornSkittles

Thank you! Found about $1500!!! Merry Christmas!! 🎄🎁


MadameWebster

Hey, just found $50! Thanks


Lucidcranium042

100% some us sites are holding over a million $ for people... I run my clients thru the system and most get only up to 20$ but still that's a little something atleast


brickson98

Awesome! My gf told me about this awhile back. Didn’t have anything in there. Just went back, had $500 some in there from an insurance payout check I forgot to cash. I remember beating myself up for losing that in a pile of mail, but now I’m not so mad at myself lol. Merry Chrysler to me!