ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many Kansans and other U.S. citizens have unclaimed property, and the Kansas Treasurer’s office is working hard to get it to its rightful owners.
One method of doing that, according to Kansas Treasurer Steven Johnson, is through Unclaimed Property Day, which took place Feb. 1.
“National Unclaimed Property Day took place Feb. 1, and it's a day dedicated to raising awareness about billions of dollars in unclaimed property being held by state governments across the country,” Johnson said. “Whether it is an abandoned bank account, an uncashed check, or forgotten insurance proceeds, unclaimed property can be found in nearly every community. Every year on that day, I encourage everyone to take a few moments to see if there are funds out there waiting to be claimed, and it's a reminder that reuniting people with their money is a priority for this office. We want everyone to know that even small amounts can make a big difference. Unclaimed property typically includes assets from dormant bank accounts, unpaid wages, life insurance policies, utility refunds, safe deposit box contents and more. Kansas holds more than $605 million in unclaimed property, and the office returned over $21 million in 2024, with the average claim being $630.41, meaning there's plenty more to be returned to people and businesses. We're pretty much in line on the amount of money returned, and the number continues to go up. We bring in, on average, a little more than $50 million per year and return between $20 and $21 million, so this was a pretty normal year for us.”
In fact, Johnson said, the top 10 businesses in Seward County that are owed money are: Liberal Plaza LLC ($19,860.10), Red Bell Cleaners LLC ($14,641.57), Liberal Development ($11,648.54), Sensitive Home Care LLC ($10,159.76), Panhandle Supply Co., Inc ($6,900.73), Fincher Jones LLC ($2,928.41), Rocky Mountain Holdings LLC ($2,873.51), Hamm Roofing LLC ($2,660), Gore Nitrogen LLC ($2,404.38), and Southwest Medical Center ($1,929.25).
Johnson said the work done with unclaimed property is very important for his office and Kansans.
“This unclaimed property belongs to the people, and we want to help ensure people get what they're owed and so they’re aware of that process of checking,” Johnson said. “What happens with unclaimed property is, when an entity cannot find someone, to balance their books, they are required to eventually remit that to the state. An example might be if you went to college and rented an apartment and paid some deposits, but later moved away, since those utility companies couldn't find you and return your deposit, they had to remit that to the state. Another example is, if someone passes away with a bank account their heirs don't know to find, after five years, that account will be remitted to the state and those heirs have that to claim. Since unclaimed property is reported to the state by businesses and financial institutions, the amounts held can range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Many people and businesses are surprised to discover they have missing or forgotten funds, so checking regularly is a good idea. One of the most common unclaimed property is uncashed checks, which happens for whatever reason, and a lot of people also don't get their last paycheck, again for whatever reason. We spread the word through social media and sending out press releases to our media partners throughout the state. WIBW in Topeka consistently works with us to get this information out to people, and last year, we also talked to KAKE and KSN in Wichita to spread the word even more, and that ended up going really well. We also visit civic groups and service clubs and talk to those people, and we're willing to talk about this to anyone and everyone possible.”
For those who think they have unclaimed property, Johnson said the process is fairly straightforward.
“The first step for people is to visit unclaimedproperty.ks.gov, which is the official Web site by the Kansas Treasurer's Office and allows you to search for unclaimed property,” Johnson said. “Then, you provide your basic information, and the searches only require minimal information such as your name and county of residence. Then, you submit a claim if a match is found, and there are instructions for providing proof of ownership and identification. If you have a common name, there might be a few other details you'll have to add to make sure you're actually searching for yourself. If a person has filed a claim, that will give them a specific contact, and that is who will be mostly responsible for handling everything. If anyone has any questions, they can contact the Treasurer's Office at (785) 296-2565, and we will be more than happy to help and talk them through the process and how everything works.”
While the most recent Unclaimed Property Day is over, Johnson said the work is not done.
“We'll continue reaching out to civic groups and various media outlets throughout the state, and we'll continue sharing any pertinent information on our social media so people can know what's going on,” Johnson said. “We'll also do some traveling throughout the state and talking about this every so often. In August is National Non-Profit Day, so we'll be partnering with non-profit entities throughout the state and helping them find any potential unclaimed property, and we actually found several last year that was very beneficial. We appreciate everyone who has been able to actually claim their property, and we're extremely grateful to everyone who has helped us spread the word about this going on. If anyone has any questions, they are more than welcome to visit our Web site or give us a call, and we'll be happy to help however we can.”
