Stimulus 2023: Washington residents to receive $1.8 billion in total unclaimed money

The Department of Revenue in Washington State has announced that it is holding close to $2 billion in unclaimed cash and property that residents could receive as unclaimed property claims. Joe Gisler, the unclaimed property claims and outreach manager, informed KREM 2 News that the unclaimed property program is meant for consumer protection and prevents businesses from writing off money. Businesses and government entities can send the money to the program to hold until it finds a match with a consumer. Properties can come from a variety of methods including closed bank accounts, uncashed checks, refunds, rebates, credit balances, utility deposits or stocks and dividends. The Department holds about $1.8 billion in unclaimed property and is looking to return it to its residents. The average claim amount is about $131, but claims can range from as low as $5 to over $1 million.

Washington residents can search for their property on ClaimYourCash.org’s property search page, where they can see how much money their claim is worth. However, several of the property claims need documentation proving ownership to be considered. The unclaimed property program launched a match program in January 2023 to reunite individuals with their claims. Currently, about 2,000 checks have been sent to residents upon verification of their property ownership.

Gisler tells residents that, “It’s kind of fun to convince people, ‘Hey, you know, this is not a scam. This is money that’s owed to you.’ And you know, they’re really surprised.”