most 1 in 7 citizenry have unclaimed immediate payment being contain by their state , for a whopping aggregate of $ 70 billion in the nation ’s unclaimed monetary resource .

I don’t know about you but I love free money. However, it’s astonishingly hard to come by, which is why I’ve decided to write this PSA.

If you live in the US, your state has an “unclaimed property” portal.Unclaimed propertyis money that you’re owed by a business or government that you never collected.

This could be things like a deposit to the water company you never got back after you moved, or an overpayment you accidentally sent to your phone company on the last month of your service.

If, for whatever reason, you don’t cash in the money you’re owed (even if it’s because you simply don’t know about it), that money is held by your state’s unclaimed property office.

Your state’s unclaimed property office also has a portal where you can easily search your name and see if you have any random money owed to you.

I can’t speak for all states because I’ve only had unclaimed property in a few, but it’s a really simple, straightforward process where you just confirm you’re actually you with your birthdate and SSN and if you recognize the address associated with the money. Then, the state sends you a check in the mail when you’ve claimed it.

Sometimes it can be pocket change, like a 10-cent overcharge for something.

Other times it can be a shockingly helpful amount of money, like a couple of years ago I found $305 a utility company owed to me.

It’s actually kind of fun to stop by and search your name from time to time. I was able to find a $27 check owed to me of tips from an old job I had. It bought pizza that night.

Just now while making this post, I searched and found a total of ~$15 of mine I made a claim for.

Anyway, it’s free and easy, and it’s just sitting there if it’s yours. You can search your name at your state’s unclaimed property website, or the government’s officialunclaimed property website below. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to treasure hunting.

OK, good luck! Love you! Bye!

Two scenes from "Parks and Recreation" show Mona-Lisa Saperstein (top image) and Mona-Lisa with Ben Wyatt (bottom image). Text reads: "Money pleeeeease."

A person is opening the door to a large safe with stacks of money inside, near a scenic outdoor location by the water

A person in a plaid shirt putting a $20 bill into a brown leather wallet

Mr. Krabs from SpongeBob SquarePants exclaims, "I'M A HUGE FAN OF MONEY," while alarm rings sound in the background

A form labeled "Unclaimed Property Search" with fields for last name, first name, city, and buttons to search or clear

Bluey, an animated blue heeler puppy, stands excitedly beside Bingo, her orange heeler puppy sister, while an adult figure reads a book in the background

Person reaching under furniture to pick up a small coin from a wooden floor, face blurred and not fully visible in the background

Close-up view of a U.S. Treasury check featuring a detailed image of the Statue of Liberty and routing numbers on the right

A person with braided hair, facing left, with the words "Google me." in white text. "#DragRace SEASON FINALE VH1" is also on the image

A spreadsheet image showing multiple rows of data entries with the name Audrey, a reported status, descriptions, and a cost value of $0.29. Other details are redacted

Search for unclaimed property page, with fields for Last/Business Name, First Name, City, and State/Province, plus a search button and privacy notice