Does Wisconsin Have Your Money? Search Unclaimed Fund Database

The State of Wisconsin is holding on to millions of dollars worth of unclaimed property and some of it might be yours.

The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has managed the state's unclaimed property program since 2013 and has returned more than $119 million in unclaimed property as of early 2017.

In March alone, the Department of Revenue returned $2 million to unclaimed property owners. In 2015, the state agency began using state tax data to locate owners of unclaimed property.

Do You Have Unclaimed Money? Find out using the Department of Revenue's searchable database.

Generally, unclaimed property is any financial asset that hasn't had owner activity for a period of one year or more and the holder of the asset is not able to contact the owner. This includes:

• Savings accounts
• Checking accounts
• Uncashed dividends
• Stocks and mutual funds
• Customer deposits or overpayments
• Certificates of deposit
• Credit balances
• Refunds
• Matured life insurance policies
• Uncashed death benefit checks

The unclaimed property law also requires that utility deposits, unclaimed wages and property resulting from a business closure, be reported as unclaimed property after one year of inactivity. The law does not include real estate.

Property becomes unclaimed or abandoned when there isn't owner activity on the account for a period of one to five years (depending upon the type of property) and is reportable to the Department of Revenue (DOR) if the holder of the asset does not make contact with the owner as a result of due diligence. A holder may include a bank, savings institution, credit union, securities brokerage firm, mutual fund company, insurance company, business or utility company.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
PO Box 8982
Madison, WI 53708-8982
Phone: (608) 264-4594
Email: DORUnclaimedProperty@wisconsin.gov

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