According to officials with the Louisiana Treasurer's Office, thousands of people in our state are owed money, and they likely don't even know about it. Finding lost money is the dream of most people. Imagine that there is money sitting around in a bank account that the state owns, and it really is your money.

Where Does The Money Come From?

According to State Treasurer John Fleming, a little over 29,000 people have lost track of their state income tax returns. As State Treasurer, Fleming is mandated by law to find the rightful owners of the money and return it to them.

The new money in the state coffers belongs to people in our state—$8.7 million! Some 29,441 people are entitled to a portion of the money.

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How Does Money Get Lost And End Up With The State?

Even if you have filed your taxes, you may not have received your income check if you perhaps moved from where you were living when you filed the return. The check could have become lost, and the state has all the names on record of the people owed this money.

It's your money, and you should have it.

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Is It Easy To Find Out If I Have Money?

It's very easy to search the state's website for unclaimed property. You can search by your name. If you have one of the uncashed state income tax checks, you follow the prompts on the scene to claim your money. Typically, the check is sent in a few weeks.

Even if you don't remember whether you received a check previously, especially if you can't remember, you should check the website.

In addition to the uncased tax checks, all other unclaimed property in the state is also on this website, so if you have anything in your name, you are entitled to that property. The following are the kinds of things that are turned over to the state because a business couldn't find you:

  • Rebates from Utilities
  • Deposits from Utilities, Apartments, etc.
  • Abandoned Savings Accounts
  • Abandoned Checking Accounts
  • Unpaid Wages (Old Paycheck)
  • Securities
  • Life Insurance Payouts
  • Proceeds of Safety Deposit Boxes
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Photo courtesy of Vitaly Taranov, OCrPJce6GPk, via Unsplash
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Here's How To Get Your Money:

LaCashClaim.org

Download the LaWallet app

Call 888-925-4127

LOOK: States with the most people earning $1 million or more

Stacker examined Internal Revenue Service tax return data to see which states had the highest share of people who earned $1 million or more in 2019.

Gallery Credit: Elisa Fernández-Arias

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