Kansas has $579M belonging to residents and businesses. How to check if some is yours
Thursday is National Unclaimed Property Day, and you can celebrate by using Kansas’ tools to find out if you’re owed any money.
Unclaimed property usually takes the form of money — like wages, refunds, over payments, missing checking and savings accounts and more — that does not make it to its rightful owner, usually due to address changes. The money is then held by the state treasurer, which is responsible for returning the funds to the owners.
As of Dec. 31, the state is holding more than $579 million in unclaimed property statewide, a Kansas State Treasurer spokesperson told The Wichita Eagle in an email.
Last year, 6,475 reports of unclaimed property were sent to the department totaling more than $50 million. The division returned a total of $17,344,938.86 across about 46,000 claims. In 2021, the department returned $26 million of the $56 million it received that year.
“It is estimated that one in seven people nationwide has unclaimed property — so it’s worth checking regularly to see if you, your family or friends have funds available to claim,” Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson said in a Feb. 1 press release.
Looking at just Sedgwick County, the treasurer’s office returned $3,854,903.67 last year. During that same calendar period, the office received more than $8 million in new unclaimed properties, for a total unclaimed pot of $96,092,788.05 being held.
Treasurer spokesperson Clint Blaes said outside of National Unclaimed Property Day, the office does outreach events across the state, including the Kansas State Fair. The office also partners with county treasurers and other leaders to reach out to residents owed money.
“Treasurer Johnson also promotes unclaimed property searches whenever he speaks to groups,” Blaes said via email.
How can you check to see if you’re owed any money, and how can you collect it? Here’s a quick guide to unclaimed property in Kansas.
How to search for unclaimed property in Kansas
There are two ways you can search for unclaimed property in Kansas.
To claim online, visit the Kansas Treasurer’s unclaimed property page. There, you’ll be asked to enter your last or business name, first name, city and ZIP code. If you have a property identification number, you can enter that.
Once you’ve entered all required fields, you’ll then be redirected to a page with all the unclaimed property matching your search. If you see one under your name, you can “add to cart” and claim it online.
If you’ve lived at multiple Kansas addresses, it is wise to check all your previous ZIP codes.
In July, Sedgwick County added an in-person kiosk at the 2525 W. Douglas tag office so residents can search for possible unclaimed property. The kiosk uses the treasurer’s online search tool while computer monitors also scroll through the names of residents with unclaimed property.
The average claim in Kansas last year was worth $370.94.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 1:02 PM.
