Does Louisiana’s Treasury Really Have Your Free Money?
Many people in our state don't have any idea that the Louisiana Treasurer's Office has millions of dollars of our money. The money comes from a variety of sources that we may have forgotten about like old bank accounts, old security deposits for rent, refunds we never knew were coming, and even unclaimed tax refunds.
Louisiana State Treasurer John Schroder has just taken receipt of $5.63 million in tax refunds that were never cashed. And you wonder, how in the world can that happen? It happens all the time, every day. Schroder says that often if people move or accidentally throw away envelopes containing the checks then they don't get cashed. Once a business or agency can't contact you to get your money to you then they turn that money over to the Louisiana Treasurer's Office. Now Treasurer Schroder is trying to get the word out about all of the unclaimed tax refunds and other money that belongs to people in Louisiana.
For years I have been writing about this program, but it was only in the last two years that there was actually a check for me. It was a refund from a business, and I never cashed it, so through a simple process with the state, I looked my name up and made a claim for my money. In about two weeks, a check came to my mailbox. It was only $23, but that paid for lunch. And, it was such an easy process to claim my money.
The money from the unclaimed state income tax refunds is available through the Unclaimed Property program. All you have to do is go to the website LAtreasury.com. You put in your name, and it shows whether or not your name is on the list. You will also be able to see if the amount is under $25, or over $100 for example. While I just checked again, and there is no money for me, there are two members of my family that have money waiting for them.
Treasurer Schroder says,
Every year, we put uncashed income tax refunds into or Unclaimed Property Program. This year, that list includes almost 22,000 Louisiana residents and businesses. If you haven't checked your name in our database in a while, there's no better time than today. In fact, the amounts received in income tax refunds this year range from a few dollars to up to six figures.
That's an amazing thing for someone who has a six-figure return!
If you would prefer, you can call 888-925-4127.