New York Is Holding Onto Residents’ Money

New York State has approximately $20 billion in unclaimed funds. You might be owed. Here's how to claim your share, and it doesn't take much time at all. My friend just got a notice about unclaimed funds from his previous mortgage company. Apparently, he never cashed the check, so he ended up with some extra cash. The New York State Comptroller's Office holds onto lost and unclaimed funds if the rightful owners don't reply to notices. Every day, the state returns $2 million per business day to people who file claims. So far this year $430,580,397 has been returned to New Yorkers.

The New York State Comptroller's Office unclaimed funds branch will be live onsite at an event this month and next:

August 20 - September 1, 2025
10:00 am - 9:00 pm
The Great New York State Fair (New York State Fairgrounds)
581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY

September 6, 2025
9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Olive Day 2025 (Davis Park)
Watson Hollow Rd, West Shokan, NY

September 6, 2025
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Peekskill Farmers Market (Bank St.)
Peekskill, NY

September 9, 2025
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Women Who Served Stand Up Event (Former St. Rose Campus)
420 Western Ave, Albany, NY

September 13, 2025
12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Blues on the Bridge (S. Washington St. Bridge & Memorial Bridge)
Riverside Drive, Binghamton, NY

September 20, 2025
11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Cream Cheese Festival Historic (Downtown Lowville)
Lowville, NY

September 21, 2025
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Special Needs & Disability Expo (Albany Marriott)
189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY

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Does New York State Owe You Money?

The state collects funds from entities that owe New Yorkers, who, for one reason or another, have not claimed their money. Unless the money owed to you is $250 or less, it's up to you to file a claim so that New York State doesn't keep your money.

Lost or unclaimed money gets turned over by organizations required to report dormant accounts to the New York State Office of the State Comptroller. This money includes things like forgotten savings accounts, lost paychecks, and stocks or bonds.

During the State Fiscal Year 2024-25 $ $633 million was paid out to New Yorkers, and almost 700,000 claims were processed.

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The payout may not be huge, as 54 percent of claims provide less than $100, but if the money belongs to you, it should be in your hands. You can file a claim for free to collect any money owed to you. There is NO FEE to claim your funds.

We pay interest on items that were originally interest bearing such as bank accounts, utility refunds and certain court funds. Interest is paid for a period of five years from the date we receive the property. The interest rate is set by the New York State Department of Tax and Finance and is updated quarterly.

Here's a breakdown of where the funds came from during SFY 2024-25:

Utilities - 1%
Dealers/Brokers - 2%
Court Funds - 2%
Other - 12%
Corporations - 29%
Insurance Companies - 17%
Banks - 37%

New York State warns about scammers trying to pose as state officials to defraud people with unclaimed money schemes.

Beware of people who pretend to be the government and offer to send you unclaimed money in exchange for a fee or the exchange of confidential personal information. This practice is called phishing – a criminal activity using various techniques to trick you into providing personal or financial information through an email request or through a link to a fraudulent Web site.

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