COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A website designed to help Ohioans find money they are owed but might have forgotten about has been revamped to make it easier for people to collect their cash.
The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Unclaimed Funds has announced that its new and improved unclaimed funds site is now ready for people to search and retrieve their portion of the $4.8 billion Ohio is keeping safe. According to a news release, the updated system allows individuals to look for missing money, upload necessary paperwork, and track their claim status without leaving the state’s system.
The Division of Unclaimed Funds notes that lost assets include things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, stocks and bonds, utility deposits, or unclaimed wages. In 2024, more than 26,000 claims were filed, returning $149.6 million to rightful owners. The money held by the State never expires and is safeguarded indefinitely until claimed.
One of the key improvements highlighted is the enhanced communication between the people filling a request and the Division. The system makes it easier for the Division to ask claimants for any additional documents needed for review.
“One of our primary goals in implementing this technology is to be more transparent by sharing where claims are in the process,” Division Superintendent Akil Hardy said. “We paid out $149 million last year to Ohioans and look forward to increasing that number with our new system.”
An additional reason for the platform’s overhaul was to increase safety and ward off potential scammers. Claimants stay on the secure .gov URL, which indicates the domain designated for official government sites.
The Division reinforced that Ohioans should be skeptical of “unsolicited calls or messages requesting personal information under the guise of unclaimed funds.” While registered “finders” exist, people offering to help recover lost money can charge a fee of up to 10% of funds collected. If someone is contacted by a person offering to help find missing cash, they should ask for the finder’s registration number and contact the Division to verify they are registered.
How to search for unclaimed funds
The Division of Unclaimed Funds recommends using this three-step process:
- Search for unclaimed funds and generate a claim form by accessing the new system at com.ohio.gov/UnclaimedFunds.
- Review and gather the required documentation.
- Submit the claim form and any documents by mail or upload them directly through the system.
While claims are typically reviewed within 120 days, the Division believes the new system will speed up the process.
“This new system allows us to verify claimants’ information once it’s provided to us and, in some cases, automatically approve some claims, which means that more claimants could see faster payout,” Hardy said. “It’s important to note that claimants will still need to submit their required documentation for us to process claims, and our team will continue to review every document that is sent to our office.”
Business owners or other holders of unclaimed funds also received an enhancement, the ability to create and file reports directly from the system instead of using a separate business site.
