TEXAS, USA — Tis' the season to "treat yo' self" with some free money from the the state of Texas.
The Texas Unclaimed Property Division has returned over $4-billion in unclaimed property to Texans so far. It's money sitting in "Claim it Texas" that will just stay there if never claimed.
The dollars come from businesses that have money you paid them and never got back. Businesses have to legally report unclaimed property to the Texas Unclaimed Property Division office each year.
A great example of this would be a deposit. If you paid a deposit that was supposed to be returned to you and it never was, the company has to legally give it to the state.
That's when the money becomes public record and it is associated with your name. The value and all other identifying information, including the location where the money was retrieved, will be on record.
There is generally no statute of limitations for unclaimed property the state holds, which means there’s no time limit for owners to file a claim; they can do so at any time.
Steps to finding your free money
1. Go to claimittexas.gov
2. Press the red button that says "get started"
3. Enter your full name in the appropriate spaces. You can also include your city, property ID or current zip code.
4. Scroll down to see the list that shows your name (if applicable) associated with money owed to you.
5. Click claim and it will lead to you to a page where you will have to identify yourself so the Comptroller can verify you are in fact the rightful owner of that money.
Bryant Clayton the assistant director of the Unclaimed Property Division for the Texas Comptroller's Office said processing claims takes a day or less. It's receiving the claim, which would be in the form of a check, that takes 7 to 10 business days.
Claiming money for a relative might take longer.
" If they're deceased, we're going to need more documentation to prove the relationship," Clayton said.
Documentation is needed for any claim but especially for claims of other people. This is all to ensure the money goes back into the right hands.
Look out for scams
Bryant Clayton the assistant director of the Unclaimed Property Division for the Texas Comptroller's Office said there are people who will try to contact you saying they want to retrieve money for you for a percentage of what you get back.
Clayton added that there are legitimate companies who will help you but they cannot leagally take more than 10% of what you claim.
He also wants to reming everyone that there are people who will try to impersonate the Texas Unclaimed Property site. The dot-gov in their domain is a reminder that it's safe.
How to find money outside of Texas
If you go to the website: Missing Money, you can do the same thing as listed when going to the Texas Comptroller. There you can find money open to claim anywhere in the US.