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Unclaimed Money Lookup - Connecticut
Free Connecticut Unclaimed Money Lookup
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We receive referral fees from partners (advertising disclosure)
The information we provide you is free of charge and a result of extensive research by our home warranty experts. We use affiliate links on our site that provide us with referral commissions. While this fact may not influence the information we provide, it may affect the positioning of this information.
Connecticut Unclaimed Money -
The Ultimate Guide 2023
- UPDATED May 2023
Find out all about unclaimed property in Connecticut and how The Nutmeg State lets you claim it as the rightful owner.
Contents
- Find Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
- Types of Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
- Finding Unclaimed Money in Connecticut
- How to Claim Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
- How Long Does the Process Take?
- How Much Unclaimed Property Does Connecticut Have?
- Where Else Can You Look for Unclaimed Money?
- Who Can File for Connecticut Unclaimed Money?
- What Do Finders Do?
- Does Connecticut Look for Owners?
- Is There Any Other Way to File a Claim?
- How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?
- What Documents Will Connecticut Accept?
- Can You Keep the Connecticut Treasurer from Getting Your Property?
- Connecticut and Gift Cards
- Unclaimed Property Laws in Connecticut
Find Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
The Office of the Treasurer in Connecticut is responsible for keeping track of all the unclaimed property and money in the state. That office helped people get back more than $860 million. Though you have the option of visiting the office and filing a claim in person, you may not have this option because you live too far away or no longer reside in the state. Thankfully, the Office of the Treasurer maintains a website that allows you to both search for claims and file them. You can upload any required documents through the site, too.
Unclaimed money can come in handy when you need some extra funds. Do you have a high utility bill or a car repair that you don’t know how you’ll cover? Doing a quick search on the site is an easy way to look for money that someone listed in your name. The holders of that money can range from banks and mortgage services to former employers and utility providers. Our ultimate guide to unclaimed money in Connecticut goes through all the steps of searching for property and claiming any that you find.
Types of Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
As other states do, Connecticut has laws that address the basics of unclaimed property. The database for The Nutmeg State does not include any real estate, but it includes other types of property.
When a holder cannot get in touch with the legal owner, they must contact the state and fill out documents to make the Office of the Treasurer the custodian of the property. Any unclaimed money that the office receives will appear in the database.
Have you ever received a check and put it away until you could cash it but then later realized that you lost it? The money that the check gave to you does not go away when the check expires. You still have the legal right to the money and can use the database to find it. This includes deposits that your telephone and other utility providers returned to you as well as checks that employers sent. Many people also find insurance checks in the unclaimed property database. Insurance checks can include both overpayments that you made as well as benefits awarded to you as a beneficiary on a policy.
You may want to check with Connecticut if you ever had a bank account in the state. Whether you moved from Hartford to another city or just forgot that you had money in a bank account, you can still get your money back. Banks usually move an account to an internal inactive list when the owner doesn’t use it for a year. Dormant accounts are those that owners do not touch for two years. A nice thing about bank accounts is that the bank will add interest earned to the account. When you claim your former account, you get the full amount that was in it on top of the interest it earned.
Finding Unclaimed Money in Connecticut
The CT Biglist is the official name of the database that Connecticut uses to help people find unclaimed money. This site requires that you do just a few things to find your money.
Step 1: Visit the CT Biglist to search for unclaimed property.
Step 2: Look near the bottom of the page for the search box, which allows you to enter your business name or first and last names. We encourage you to use only your last name as this will help you find funds that do not include a first name. If you find too many results, you can add the zip code or city where you lived.
Step 3: Find all of the claims that match your search on the next page, which can take a few seconds to load. Connecticut lists both the name of the holder and the year that it reported the claim along with a general idea of its worth. You will also see the name of the owner of the claim and a co-owner if the claim has one. The database lets you view the address of the owner, too.
Step 4: Click the “Claim” button when you find a claim that matches your information. You can claim multiple accounts as long as you are the listed owner. The bottom of the page features a button that you need to click on to file your claims.
How to Claim Unclaimed Property in Connecticut
Once you complete the above steps, CT Biglist will ask that you review the claim to make sure that it’s correct. You must be the listed owner and have proof that you lived at the address shown on the account. Connecticut also asks that you choose your relationship with the claimant. While you will often choose the option that shows you’re the owner, you might claim on the behalf of someone else. There is a “File Claim” button shown on the top of the page that lets you file online.
This brings up a new page on which you can share your information. The database asks for both your first and last names along with your current home address. You do not need to reside in Connecticut to file. You must also click to show that the information you shared is valid and type your name into a box that serves as your digital signature.
On top of the claim itself, Connecticut requires documents that prove you are the listed owner and have a legal right to the unclaimed property. There is a secure link that helps you safely upload your documents, but you also have the option of sending legible copies through the mail. In addition to a copy of your driver’s license or another photo ID, you also need some type of proof of your social security number.
Make sure that you enter the claim ID and the email address that you used to file. You can then add up to five documents to support your claim.
How Long Does the Process Take?
Though it can take as little as a few weeks to get a check from the Connecticut Treasurer, the process can take longer. You should use the status checker if you have any questions. The status checker asks for the claim number and will then bring up the claim. This lets you see if the Treasurer received your claim and where it is in the process. If the office finds that it needs other information from you, you might see that listed before you get a notice from the state.
How Much Unclaimed Property Does Connecticut Have?
The total amount of unclaimed property in Connecticut has a value of around $880 million. Many of the claims that you see have a value of $100 or less such as a check from a store. Other claims are worth $100-250 or more and may have a value equal to thousands of dollars. You should also keep in mind that the CT Biglist may have multiple claims listed for you. The state will release a check for you for each claim that you file.
Where Else Can You Look for Unclaimed Money?
Every state in the country has unclaimed property databases that you can use to find money. These databases make it easy to search for claims if you ever lived there. Several states do not have separate databases but instead use the Missing Money database. You simply enter the name that you want to use in the search box and view all the results found in those states. Missing Money lets you file claims through the site, too.
Another resource that we recommend is the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Also known as the FDIC, this is the organization responsible for keeping track of the banks that operate in the country. If you banked with a financial institution that closed its doors, the FDIC will have records that show where the money went. The National Credit Union Administration is similar except that it keeps track of the funds held by closed credit unions.
Some of the other resources that you may find helpful include:
- Department of Veterans Affairs: Anyone who bought life insurance through the VA will appear in this database. Even if you think the policy expired or that someone else claimed it, you might find it here.
- U.S. Federal Investments: As part of the Treasury Department, this website maintains records of all the bonds bought by people for children. It features steps on how to claim bonds, even if you no longer have them in your possession.
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): This government agency offers different types of help for mortgage holders. You can look for mortgage refunds through the site.
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation: With help from this corporation, you can find pensions that your family members had through their employers. Many heirs find that they inherited pensions that they didn’t know about.
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The IRS helps you find refund checks that never arrived in the mail. You may find that you can request a new version of an old refund check or get the money back the next time that you file.
- U.S. Railroad Retirement Board: Those who worked for the railroad and had a pension will have records held by this board. You can use it to find pensions or other accounts owned by your loved ones.
Who Can File for Connecticut Unclaimed Money?
Though you might assume that you can only file a claim as the listed owner, there are situations where you can file if you don’t appear on the claim. A good example is someone who serves as the legal representative for another person. Do you have power of attorney over an elderly parent who can no longer live on their own? Connecticut lets you file for them and get money owed to them that you can use to cover some of their expenses. You also qualify as a legal representative if you are the guardian of a child. That child may have claims for life insurance policies and other funds that a parent owned. As their guardian, you have the right to file a claim for them.
Connecticut also allows those involved in estates to file claims. When someone dies in Connecticut, you usually need to go through probate. This can take six months or longer. The process ensures that the administrator fulfills the final wishes of the deceased and that any debts they owed get paid. Connecticut also has a small estate process that occurs when the estate is not worth much. As long as you have paperwork from the court that shows you are a representative of the estate, you can file claims listed in the name of the deceased. Connecticut also allows finders to claim money through the CT Biglist.
What Do Finders Do?
A finder is an individual who serves as a representative for another person. They use state resources and the databases available from other organizations to find claims that belong to others. Finders will then contact the legal owners and offer to file claims for them. The fees that they charge can be quite high, especially if your claim requires notarized documents. Though Connecticut allows finders to search the CT Biglist, it only allows them to file claims if they have a written contract with the owner. In most cases, you’ll find that you can easily complete all of the steps to file an unclaimed property claim without their help.
Connecticut also allows for something called holder reimbursement. This is when the holder has a piece of property that belongs to someone else and notifies the state but doesn’t turn over the property. The holder has the legal right to file a claim through the system as long as they agree to return the property to the original owner. Let’s say that your grandfather had a safe deposit box with a local bank that he didn’t tell you about. The bank may notify the state when he stopped making payments but maintain ownership of the box and its contents. When the bank files a claim through the system, you have the right to pay the amount due to retrieve the contents of the box.
Does Connecticut Look for Owners?
The Connecticut Treasurer has many tasks on his plate and doesn’t have time to track down individual owners. A law in the state requires that the office release a new electronic record every time that it adds new names to the CT Biglist. You’ll see this record on the official website. Though the state will not send a notice to your home that you have property in the database, it will put your name on the CT Biglist and the new electronic record.
Is There Any Other Way to File a Claim?
When you live in a rural area, you may not have a strong internet connection. If your internet is spotty and keeps going out, you have the right to file a claim without using the web. Connecticut lets you contact the Treasurer at (800) 833-7318 between the hours of 8:30 am and 5 pm as long as you are the owner of a claim or the heir of the listed owner. This allows you to request a claim packet and have it sent to your home. Once you complete all the forms in the packet, you can make copies of all the required documents and mail the packet back to the Treasurer.
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim?
A common misconception is that you only have a limited amount of time to file a claim. Some think that if they don’t file within three to five years, the state will take ownership of their money and use it. Connecticut does not have a statute of limitations on how long you can file. As long as the claim is still on the CT Biglist, you can file for it. Unlike some states, Connecticut will act as the custodian for your property until you come forward.
What Documents Will Connecticut Accept?
You need to submit both your social security number and a photo ID when filing a claim in Connecticut. The CT Biglist does not let you simply enter your social security though because it requires physical proof such as a copy of your card. You also need proof that you own the property such as a copy of an old bank account statement. If you need to show that you lived at the address listed on the claim, you can present an old utility bill or a piece of mail. Connecticut will also let you submit a short statement in which you explain why you no longer have documents to prove that you lived there.
Can You Keep the Connecticut Treasurer from Getting Your Property?
The Connecticut Treasurer only becomes the custodian of a property when the holder notifies the office. This only happens if the holder tries to find you and notify you but doesn’t get a response. As long as you keep track of your accounts, you can prevent the Treasurer from taking over your property. It’s helpful to check your accounts every year and make sure that the contact information listed is correct. You should also open any mail that you receive and respond when needed as well as the cash the checks sent to you.
You need those documents and others to file for another person. If you are in the middle of a probate, you can request documents from the court that list you as the administrator. This helps you pay any bills that the deceased had and make changes to their home. You can also use the document to show that you have the legal right to file a claim for the deceased. Connecticut will let you submit those documents through the online system or through the mail.
Connecticut and Gift Cards
Connecticut was one of the first states to issue laws relating to gift cards. Since 2003, the state prohibited the issuers of gift cards from taking money away from the balance if the owner did not use the card. Those who issue gift cards must now turn over the card if the owner does not use it for a period of three years. They cannot take money away from the balance or cancel the card before getting in touch with the Connecticut Treasurer. If you have a gift card that you lost or didn’t use and the card listed you as the official owner, you should see it in the database.
Unclaimed Property Laws in Connecticut
There are many laws in Connecticut that relate to both owners and holders. To find out more about those laws, check out this report. Available as a PDF, the document goes over what holders need to do to track down owners and when they can turn over accounts to the Connecticut Treasurer. You’ll also find out more about filing claims for property that you own and those owned by others.
Conclusion
Why spend time dreaming about what you would do with some extra cash when you can find that money today? The CT Biglist makes it easy for current and former residents of Connecticut to track down the money that belongs to them from anywhere in the world. Our ultimate guide to unclaimed money and property in Connecticut provides you with all the information that you need to find your money.
Quickly Search For Unclaimed Money
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