What is Unclaimed Money in Utah?
Unclaimed property is any financial asset that has been abandoned for a substantial period of time. Some examples of this include:
- Unclaimed wages or commissions, savings and checking accounts
- Stock dividends and shares
- Unclaimed insurance proceeds
- Customer deposits or overpayments
- Certificates of deposit
- Credit balances, refunds and money orders
- Contents of safe deposit boxes
The holder of the money or property takes every effort to contact the owner during the period of dormancy. If none of these attempts yield positive results, the asset is reported to the state where the owner's last known address is located. In Utah, If the property hasn't been used in three years, and the holder can't find the owner, it's considered abandoned and must be reported to the State Treasurer's Office's Unclaimed Property Division. Individuals must maintain account activity by making a deposit or withdrawal, updating home address, or contacting financial institutions at least once every three years to preserve their accounts from becoming unclaimed or abandoned. The process whereby the treasury office acquires the unclaimed property is called escheatment.
Unclaimed property laws in Utah began as a consumer protection program, but they have since extended to safeguard the owners, and also their heirs and estates.
How to Find Unclaimed Money in Utah
The Utah state treasury office maintains an online database where individuals can search for unclaimed money. The database also allows for requesters to make claims on property for which they can prove their ownership, and monitor the status of ongoing claims. Unclaimed money related queries may also be made in-person or via mail to:
Treasurer’s Office
Unclaimed Property Division
168 N 1950 W Suite 102
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
There are also a variety of third-party websites where individuals can search for unclaimed property; some of these sites work in collaboration with state-sponsored sites to gather data and create greater outreach to find people with missing monies. A number of these sites are pay-to-use sites while others are free to use.
How Do I Find Utah Unclaimed Money for Free?
Utah's department of treasury's unclaimed money database is free to use. There are also several federal databases operated by financial agencies that are in charge of collecting unclaimed money from businesses and financial institutions, they include:
Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation (Unclaimed Pension Benefits)
More than 80,000 people in the United States have yet to claim their earned defined benefit pension. With the pension benefit guaranty corporation database users can search by name for unclaimed pension benefits. Requestors may also visit the institution at:
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
1200 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-4026
Phone: (800) 326-5678
Unclaimed Life Insurance Funds For Veterans(Unclaimed Veterans Insurance Fund)
The Veterans' Life Insurance Fund was established by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as a financial safety net for current and former service members, as well as their relatives. If a veteran is disabled, injured, dies, or is unable to work as a result of their service, they will receive regular payments from this fund. These cheques are frequently uncashed, and the VA records them as unclaimed funds. Concerned persons can search for these assets through the VA's unclaimed funds database or by contacting the VA office at:
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
The National Credit Unions Association NCUA (Unclaimed Credit Deposits)
The NCUA's Asset Management and Assistance Center is responsible for settling members' share accounts when a federally insured credit union is liquidated. Certain funds may go unclaimed unexpectedly. Certain cheques are never cashed, and the credit union's postal address list for some people is wrong. Credit union members' unclaimed deposits will be reported to the National Credit Union Administration as unclaimed money. The organization also keeps track of unclaimed credit union deposits in a database that beneficiaries can use to validate and receive payments. Interested persons may also query the union in person or via mail at:
National Credit Union Administration
4807 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 5100
Austin, TX 78759
Phone: (512) 231-7900
Fax: (512) 231-7920
Email: amacmail@ncua.gov
Department Of Housing And Urban Development (Unclaimed Mortgage Refunds)
Homeowners in Utah with FHA-insured mortgages can search and recover monies from canceled premiums and distributive share payments utilizing the Department of Housing and Urban Development's unclaimed fund database.
How to Claim Unclaimed Money in Utah
In Utah, claimants have the option of filing unclaimed property claims online, by mail, or by fax.
To begin the search process online, claimants must navigate to the property search page on Utah's site for the unclaimed property webpage. On the home page, individuals can initiate a search by clicking on the “search unclaimed property page”. In the Name/Business Name section, users can type their name (first name, last name, or both) and click SEARCH. When there are a lot of hits, results can be narrowed down by entering a city or zip code. Once the unclaimed property has been discovered, to begin the claims procedure, check the choose box and click the green "continue to file a claim" button once. Claimants can check the property(ies) they desire to claim before clicking FILE CLAIM and proceeding to the Claimant Info page.
Claimants are then required to provide their current mailing address, as well as specify "Ownership Relationship". If they are the property's owner, they may select "Myself"; if they are an heir to the property's owner, users can choose the applicable option. This information will provide them with the essential information to claim the property. To go to the Preview screen, click NEXT. An additional box will appear, asking users to confirm the address they supplied. This is to guarantee that the cheque is being sent to a genuine address. Clicking on the SUBMIT button will officially create a claim and generates a claim number.
The next step after successfully creating a claim is to supply the correct documentation to be used as evidence to support the claim. A completed and signed claim form, a copy of photo identification, and a social security number are required for each unclaimed property claim. the required conditions are sent by mail to the claimant to show the documents. The claim status report given at the end of the claims process can be used to check the status of the claim at any point during the claims process. Documentation can be submitted via the state secure link or Mailed-in to the following address:
Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 140530
168 N 1950 W Suite 102
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
How Long Does It Take to Get Unclaimed Money in Utah?
Generally, the average time for settling claims in Utah is from 10-60 days. The required processing time is determined by the complexity of a claim. It will take longer if a person claims as an heir or for a business. Complex claims necessitate more time and effort. Some claims can take up to 90 days to process.
Who Can Claim Unclaimed Money From Deceased Relatives in Utah?
Relatives and family members of a deceased person can lay claims to the unclaimed property of their loved ones. To do so, the claimant will be required to provide adequate documentation for their claims such as an obituary report or a document showing a person as legal guardian/representative of the deceased estate. Where there is no will or trust, the state treasurer's office will follow Utah's intestate succession rules. Even if a person dies before claiming unclaimed property from the state, their heirs are entitled to a share. Heirs may receive unclaimed property under Utah's intestacy (no validated will) statutes if the only known owner has been deceased for more than three years and the will has not been probated in district court. The Utah Legislature adopted these rules in the Utah Code. Some relevant information from the code states that:
- If the reported owner is solely survived by a living spouse, that spouse is entitled to 100% of the unclaimed property.
- If the children are the only ones who survive the reported owner, they are entitled to 100% of the unclaimed property, divided evenly among them.
- If only the reported owner's parent(s) remain, the parent(s) receive 100 percent of the unclaimed property.
- If neither the reported owner's spouse, issue, or parents survive him or her, the unclaimed property belongs to (1) the brother(s) and sister(s) or their issue; (2) the grandparents or their issue (in the order mentioned).
What Happens to Utah Unclaimed Money if No One Claims It?
Businesses can hold the unclaimed property for a maximum of three years after which they are required to report it to the state treasurer's office, Items reported as lost to the Unclaimed Property Division are retained indefinitely by the department for the benefit of their rightful owners. Since Unclaimed Property is retained in a custodial capacity until the proper owner or heir can be discovered, persons can claim it at any time.
