Your Home State May Owe You Hundreds: How to Check

American citizens across the nation may be owed hundreds of dollars by their home state, and we have the details on how you can check to see if you are one of them. As first reported by C-Net, nearly every state in the U.S. has millions of dollars in unclaimed money and property. Whenever a business or department of some kind does not know how to get in touch with someone who is owed money or property, they often send the information to state “unclaimed” offices.

Most Americans don’t even know they may be owed money or property, but there are ways you can find out. The first is to check out Unclaimed.org. Here, you can select your state and follow the process to see if you are owed any money. You will likely be required to provide your name, and possibly other minor details, but this is a great tool for determining whether or not you have funds to claim. Another site to try is Missing Money, which will search 39 of the 50 states at once. The 11 states not available here are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Oregon, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wyoming.

If you happen to be eligible for some unclaimed funds, C-Net notes that will want to have a few things ready before you can claim your money. First, you will need a copy of your photo ID, and a copy of your Social Security card or a tax identification number. Next, you will need to be able to provide verification of your current address. Finally, you will need “documentation relating to the type of property, such as banking records, a cashier’s check or a stock certificate.”

While it is possible that you might be owed something, it may be some time before you receive it. C-Net reporters that New York State Comptroller office stated it can take as long as three months for a claim to be processed. Additionally, the California State Controller office stated that the turnaround time on property return can be as much as six months.