Louisiana Residents, Don’t Toss That Envelope You Don’t Recognize

Louisiana officials say you should check your mailbox after Friday, May 30, to see if they have sent you a check.

If you receive a check in your mailbox, it is part of $34 million being sent back to the rightful owners in our state as part of the Unclaimed Property Program.

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What Kind Of Money Could Be Waiting For You In Unclaimed Property?

A Louisiana law mandates that the Louisiana Department of Revenue return money to its rightful owners if it has been turned over to the state.

If a business has a refund for you, or you own a piece of property that was willed to you, but you have no idea, the state of Louisiana is constitutionally mandated to track you down and give it to you.

According to officials with the Louisiana State Treasurer's Office, on Friday, May 30, they will begin sending checks to around 143,000 people across the state.

According to their press release,

Each year, businesses turn over millions of dollars in unclaimed cash, stocks, bonds, securities, and insurance proceeds to the Louisiana State Treasurer's Office.

You should check your mailbox on the 30th to see if you have a check. Here is what the check will look like:

READ MORE: LOUISIANA SENDING OUT $5.1 MILLION IN UNCLAIMED PROPERTY CHECKS.

Why The Louisiana Treasurer Says, "Cash That Check."

Fleming says there is one big reason he wants people to see the example of what the checks look like: many people think it's not real. He says,

I want to stress to all of the recipients that these are real checks from the Louisiana Department of the Treasury, so please cash them. Every year, some of the checks we mail out are not cashed. This is due to people changing addresses and others not believing the checks are real.

When you receive a check from State Treasurer John Fleming's Office, it will have the following address in the left-hand corner:

What If I Don't Get A Check?

According to State Treasurer John Fleming's Office, not everyone owed money will get a check, but you can check out their website anytime.

Without a doubt, thousands of people in each parish are owed money. It may be a small security deposit or even property! Either way, you should check out the website.

If you own a business or have previously owned one, you should also search for that name.

In Lafayette Parish, 5,600 people are owed money from the state for things like the following:

• Old Bank Accounts
• Royalties
• Utility Deposits
• Interest Payments
• Stock Certificates
• Life Insurance Proceeds
• Payroll Checks

In Lafayette Parish, the amount of money the state holds for those 5,600 people totals $1,451,000.

You should check, as one in six people in the state is owed something. Some people might prefer to call instead of visiting the website, and you can do that by dialing 1-888-925-4127.

Should I Check Other Unclaimed Property Sites?

After checking Louisiana's Unclaimed Property registry, you should also check out the national database, which is a conglomerate of all the state treasurers' offices around the country, especially if you live in another state.

Missingmoney.com is the official Unclaimed Property website of the National Association of State Treasurers. This is their website, https://missingmoney.com/.

State-by-State Unclaimed Property Search is available, and you should review this site as well to see if another state might be holding money for you. The website is https://unclaimed.org/.