The state Office of Unclaimed Property returns hundreds of thousands of dollars to taxpayers this month.
The state rolled out its new MONEY MATCH program earlier this year. It matches unclaimed property— like uncashed paychecks or abandoned bank accounts—to rightful owners via their most recent state tax filing.
Usually, owners of unclaimed property must file a claim and supporting documentation. But the Money Match system does that automatically, so owners just get a check in the mail.
“Because we’re pretty confident in our ability to verify the owner's information based on the tax filings, we’re able to just mail the check without actually asking them to submit a claim and identification information,” said Brenda Mayrack, who directs the state Office of Unclaimed Property.
The state’s first time running the program—in February of this year—matched over $3 million to more than 19,000 taxpayers. The latest round this month will return $900,000.
Mayrack says her office plans to run the program yearly. The unclaimed property able to be returned to taxpayers through Money Match is a small portion of the office’s overall property intake.
Mayrack says people should reach out to her office if they have any questions.
“When people get a check in the mail unsolicited, I think absolutely appropriate in this day and age, they ask, is this a scam? Is this for real?” she said. “It absolutely is. The check is an official State of Delaware check, with the state seal, signed by Treasurer Colleen Davis, and it’s accompanied by a letter from me.”
Mayrack encourages all Delawareans to search the state’s unclaimed property database to see if any of it belongs to them.
