Florida Is Holding $3 Billion in Unclaimed Money. Here's How Jacksonville and St. Augustine Residents Can Search for Free

The State of Florida is holding more than $3 billion that belongs to people who lost track of it: forgotten bank accounts, final paychecks that were never cashed, utility deposits, insurance payments, refunds and stock dividends.

About 1 in 5 Floridians has money waiting, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services. In September alone, the state returned more than $66 million, including about $5 million to people in its Jacksonville region.

Searching takes about a minute, and it's free. Here's how to do it, what you'll need to claim your money, and the scams to watch out for.

The website has a new name

If you've searched before, you may remember FLTreasureHunt.gov, the name the program used for about 20 years. In September, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia renamed it Claim Your Cash Florida. The new address is:

ClaimYourCashFL.gov

It's the same state program, run by the Department of Financial Services' Division of Unclaimed Property, with the same database. The state now calls it "abandoned property," but it's the same thing most people know as unclaimed money.

What kind of money is it?

It isn't land, houses or abandoned buildings. It's money and financial assets that businesses couldn't return to their owners, such as:

• uncashed paychecks
• refund checks
• utility deposits
• dormant bank accounts
• insurance payments
• stocks and dividends
• credit balances
• trust distributions
• the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes

It happens to ordinary people all the time. The state says you may have money waiting if you've ever:

• moved
• changed jobs
• changed your name
• switched banks
• closed a business
• left a utility deposit behind
• inherited from a loved one

How money ends up with the state

A business that's holding money it owes you, such as a bank, an employer or a utility, has to try to reach you first. Florida law requires it to mail notices to your last known address.

If you don't respond after a certain amount of inactivity, often around five years depending on the type of account, the business has to send the money to the state. Businesses file those reports every year by April 30.

The state doesn't keep your money. It holds it as a custodian until you claim it. While it waits, the money goes into the State School Fund, which supports public schools, but you can still claim the full amount at any time.

How to search, step by step

1. Go to ClaimYourCashFL.gov and click "Search."

2. Search every name you've ever used. The state recommends searching:

• your current name
• previous and maiden names
• married names
• common variations and misspellings (William and Bill, for example)
• any business names
• the names of family members who have died

3. Look closely at the results. Many people share the same name. Check the address, city and the company that reported the money, and look for one that matches a place you lived, worked or banked.

4. Start a claim. If something looks like yours, follow the site's instructions. You'll get a claim number. Write it down; you'll need it to check your status.

5. Send in your signed claim form and documents. This is the step people miss. Starting a claim online doesn't finish it. Your claim isn't filed until the state receives the signed claim form and the required documents at the address on the form.

6. Check your status online using your claim number. Claims are processed in the order they're received.

What documents you'll need

Most claims require:

• a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport or military ID
• proof of your current mailing address
• something that connects you to the money, such as a document showing an old address, employer, bank or account number

Your claim form tells you exactly what's needed for your claim.

Why isn't a driver's license enough? Because many people share the same name, the state has to confirm the money is really yours. It may ask for old addresses, employment records, account statements or Social Security verification.

What won't work: handwritten letters, business cards, letterhead, and printouts from the internet or phone directories.

If more than one person owns the account, each claimant has to send ID and sign the form.

How long does it take?

The state doesn't give a set timeframe. Claims are handled in the order they come in, and at any time the division may be working through tens of thousands of claims.

The most common reason for delays is missing paperwork. Send everything the form asks for the first time.

Claiming money for a relative who died

You can claim money that belonged to a parent, spouse or other relative who has died, if you're legally entitled to it.

• Search the database using your relative's name, and check the addresses and companies against what you know about them.
• When you start the claim, say the owner has died. The system creates a form with instructions for heirs and estates.
• You'll usually need a certified death certificate, plus ID and signed forms from all heirs, or from the personal representative if the estate is still open. Probate records or other documents may also be required.

Is there a deadline?

No. Florida has no deadline to claim unclaimed property. Money reported to the state decades ago can still be claimed by the owner or the owner's heirs.

One catch: the state doesn't pay interest. You'll get the amount that was reported, not more.

What about safe deposit boxes?

When rent on a safe deposit box goes unpaid for about three years, the bank sends the contents to the state. If no one claims the items within two years after that, the state can sell them at a public auction.

The state doesn't keep the money from the sale. It goes into the owner's account, and the owner or heirs can still claim the cash. If you know your property is about to be auctioned, you can file a claim and get the item back before the sale.

Watch out for scams and fees

Searching and claiming are always free. The state never charges a fee.

Private companies may contact you. Florida allows certain licensed attorneys, CPAs and private investigators to help people file claims for a fee. Here's what to know:

• You don't need them. You can file the same claim yourself for free.
• Their fees are capped at 30% of the money recovered.
• They have to use Florida's official recovery agreement. If someone asks you to sign a different contract, contact the Division of Unclaimed Property.
• Never pay someone just to search. The database is public and free.
• Nobody can make you rush. If someone says you'll lose your money unless you act quickly, that's false. There's no deadline.

The state will never text you about unclaimed property. A text claiming to be from the state about your money is a scam. Look for the official Florida Department of Financial Services seal on the website.

Lived in another state? Check there too

If you've lived, worked or banked outside Florida, you may have money waiting in another state. Two free, official places to search:

• MissingMoney.com, run by the National Association of State Treasurers, searches many states at once.
• Unclaimed.org, from the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, links to every state's official program.

How much is coming back?

Florida has been setting records this year:

• $88 million returned in February
• $92 million in March, a new record
• $57 million in July
• $66 million in September

The state reports returns by region. Its Jacksonville region got back $5.9 million in March and $5 million in September.

Search now

It takes about a minute: ClaimYourCashFL.gov. While you're there, search your parents', grandparents' and spouse's names too.

Did you find money you didn't know about? We'd like to hear about it. Email [email protected].