$7B worth of property and money is waiting to be claimed in Texas. Is some of it yours?

Dalia Faheid
·2 min read
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The state of Texas is currently holding more than $7 billion in unclaimed property, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Businesses turn property over to the unclaimed property program after it has been considered dormant for one to five years. Texans can find out if they have any unclaimed property by visiting the Comptroller’s unclaimed property website at ClaimItTexas.gov or calling 800-321-2274 (CASH). Searching for your name on the website is free.

What is most commonly left unclaimed in Texas?

  • Forgotten utility deposits or other refunds

  • Insurance proceeds

  • Payroll checks

  • Cashier’s checks

  • Dividends

  • Mineral royalties

  • Dormant bank accounts

  • Abandoned safe-deposit box contents

The Texas Comptroller’s approved and paid out $309M in 2022

The Texas Comptroller’s office approved and paid out a record $309 million in unclaimed property during fiscal year 2022, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced in September, representing more than 160,000 claims. This was only the third time the office has returned $300 million or more in unclaimed property for a fiscal year. In fiscal 2019, the office returned a then-record $308 million to property owners and in fiscal 2020 $300 million.

Texas House Bill 1514 in 2021 allowed the office to implement a new way to quickly return unclaimed property to owners — sending them a check without requiring them to file a claim. It’s limited to unclaimed properties under $5,000 that the agency “reasonably believes” it can link to the correct owner.

Since Texas’ unclaimed property program began in 1962, the office has returned more than $4 billion in unclaimed property to its owners. There is no statute of limitations for unclaimed property the state holds, so there’s no time limit for owners to file a claim — they can do so at any time.