Unclaimed Property MONEY MATCH Program Returns over $364,000 to Delaware Taxpayers

MONEY MATCH is One of Several Ongoing Initiatives to Increase the Return of Unclaimed Property to Owners

The second week of September means it is time for back-to-school, pumpkin spice lattes, football, cool fall weather, and the State of Delaware's annual MONEY MATCH check program.

This week, the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property will return over $364,000 in unclaimed property directly to approximately 2,700 Delaware taxpayers through the annual MONEY MATCH program. Eligible taxpayers will receive a check in the mail for their unclaimed property - without having to file a claim - based on a data match with their most recent personal income tax return.

"MONEY MATCH demonstrates how state government is using technology, not only to operate more efficiently, but to return money directly to thousands of Delaware taxpayers without requiring any action on their part - except to cash the check," said Brenda R. Mayrack, State Escheator and Director of the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property.

This is the fifth iteration of Delaware's MONEY MATCH program, which now occurs annually each September. In total, the MONEY MATCH program has returned over $5 million to over 40,000 Delaware taxpayers.

MONEY MATCH is one of several ongoing initiatives of the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property to increase the return of property to owners:

• In June 2024, Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property returned over $90,000 in unclaimed funds to over thirty-five of Delaware's Public and Charter School Districts.
• In July 2023, the Delaware Office of Unclaimed Property expanded its MONEY MATCH Program to include the state's volunteer fire companies, identifying and returning over $150,000 in unclaimed funds, without requiring paperwork or the filing of a claim, to over fifty of Delaware's volunteer fire companies.
• Every year, on February 1, Delaware participates in National Unclaimed Property Day, a multistate awareness campaign of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) to encourage people to search for their unclaimed property.
• Along with 49 other states, Delaware participates in MissingMoney.com, a free multistate unclaimed property search website sponsored by NAUPA. MissingMoney.com allows individuals to conduct one search across almost all states simultaneously to find their lost property.

Unclaimed property can include money left in old bank accounts, uncashed paychecks, unused balances on gift certificates, unreturned utility deposits, uncollected insurance payments, and forgotten stocks and dividends. Businesses are required to turn over these amounts to States after a certain number of years if contact is lost between the holder of the property and the property owner.

While MONEY MATCH automatically reunites many Delaware taxpayers with their unclaimed property, not all types of property are included. Delawareans are still encouraged to search for unclaimed property held by Delaware at https://unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov/ or at https://missingmoney.com/ to search across forty-nine states at one time.

More information about MONEY MATCH is available at https://unclaimedproperty.delaware.gov/app/claim/money-match.

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Contact: Melissa Marlin, Public Information Officer
(302) 577-8952, [email protected]

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