Check to see if you are owed money on National Unclaimed Property Day

(WAND) - Sunday, February 1, is National Unclaimed Property Day, and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is encouraging people to visit the ICash missing money website to see if they have any money or property waiting on them.

“This Sunday, February 1, is National Unclaimed Property Day, and I hope people will celebrate by checking our ICash website to see if they or any loved ones have missing money to claim,” Treasurer Frerichs said. “If you want to celebrate early, that’s OK, too. The ICash site is available anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

An estimated one-in-four adults who check ICash find out they have missing money or other unclaimed property. Frerichs recommends checking the website at least a couple of times a year.

“It’s a good idea to check the names of family members and friends, as well as your own name, because you might find some unexpected treasures. If you find something for your relatives or neighbors, you can use our website’s Family and Friends ‘share’ feature to let them know,” he said.

“We work hard to return missing money and unclaimed property to the rightful owners. The proof is in our record-breaking numbers over the years,” he added. “Putting money back in your warm hands is better than keeping it in our cold bank vaults.”

Since Frerichs began serving as State Treasurer in 2015, he has returned more than $2.4 billion in unclaimed property.

During 2025, Frerichs helped almost 545,000 people get back nearly $294 million in missing money. The average claim was $539.

Unclaimed property includes forgotten or overlooked bank accounts, uncashed rebate checks, unpaid life insurance claims, and the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes. When companies and banks cannot return these items to the rightful owners, by law they are turned over to the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office. The State Treasurer is legally required to return unclaimed property to its owners or their heirs, no matter how long it takes.

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