New, Sensible Approach Uses Technology to Identify Unclaimed Property Owners Based on Recent Tax Filings
The State’s new MONEY MATCH program will automatically return lost money to Delaware taxpayers without the usual need to file a claim or gather paperwork, Delaware State Escheator, Brenda Mayrack announced today. Delaware is mailing checks to more than 19,000 people, returning over $3 million back to its rightful owners.
“We’re continuing to look for ways to create better and more efficient services for Delawareans across state government,” said Governor John Carney. “This program is a commonsense solution to get money back to the appropriate owners. Thank you to the Department of Finance and the Office of Unclaimed Property for improving this process.”
“We developed MONEY MATCH to make it as easy as possible for many Delaware taxpayers to get their missing money back in their pockets where it belongs,” said Brenda Mayrack. “Many families struggle to meet their expenses each month. This money can help them buy groceries, put gas in their car, or be saved in a ‘rainy day’ fund.”
MONEY MATCH matches the state’s unclaimed property database with verified address and taxpayer information so that money can be returned it its rightful owners automatically and without requiring the filing of a claim and supporting documentation. Delaware becomes the 7th state to implement a similar system. In many cases, individuals might not be aware they were missing unclaimed property until the check arrives in the mail.
More information about MONEY MATCH is available at https://unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov/app/claim/money-match.
Unclaimed property can include money left in old bank accounts and safe deposit boxes, uncashed paychecks, unused balances on gift certificates, unreturned utility deposits, uncollected insurance payments, and forgotten stocks and dividends. Businesses are required to turn over these amounts to States after a certain number of years if contact is lost between the holder of the property and the property owner.
While MONEY MATCH automatically reunites many Delaware taxpayers with their unclaimed property, all Delawareans are still encouraged to visit unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov to see if the State is holding their unclaimed property.
###