Finding Unclaimed Money in NC

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Find the Unclaimed Money in NC the Easy Way

The U.S. Treasury Department holds billions of dollars of unclaimed money collected from the states. The North Carolina State Treasurer Office receives these funds from various sources, like unclaimed insurance checks or dormant bank accounts, when relevant institutions cannot locate rightful owners.

Many people are not aware of the money they are entitled to, and that is how it ends up unclaimed. If you suspect that a deceased relative left you money or you have unclaimed insurance, we can help you find and claim it.

Don’t let your cash or other property go to waste in the North Carolina treasury—claim it fast with DoNotPay!

What Is Unclaimed Money?

Unclaimed money or property refers to the assets collected by the government in case the rightful owner fails to claim them. You may wonder who leaves their money uncollected, but it happens more than often due to various reasons.

The money can go missing in cases when:

  • Someone dies, and the executor cannot locate the next of kin
  • A person fails to claim a refund
  • A rightful owner forgets about the safety deposit box
  • Paychecks get lost in the mail
  • A person moves away and fails to inform the bank
  • Banks close and customers fail to collect the money beforehand or aren’t aware of the circumstances

The dormancy period refers to the time between the last known contact with the owner and the moment the holder has to turn it over to the state. The general rule is that it lasts for five years, but it can vary from state to state. In North Carolina, the dormancy period is not the same for all types of property.

Check the following table to see how it can differ:

Type of PropertyDormancy Period
Wages, payroll, or salaryOne year
Checking and savings accountsFive years
Money ordersSeven years
Safe deposit boxesTwo years
DividendsThree years
Traveler’s checks15 years
Utility deposits and refundsOne year
Certificates of deposit10 years
Life insurance maturedThree years

If the owner doesn’t collect assets during the dormancy period, they will be treated as abandoned and transferred into the state’s custody.

Types of Unclaimed Property in North Carolina

Keep in mind that some assets do not become unclaimed property, no matter how long they are unsupervised. Vehicles and real estate are some of these assets. If you found out that you have unclaimed property in your name, it most certainly isn’t a car or house. There is a variety of other assets that you can claim:

  • Stocks
  • Refunds
  • Annuities
  • Unpaid wages
  • Traveler’s checks
  • Savings accounts
  • Checking accounts
  • Life insurance payouts
  • Safety deposit box contents

North Carolina Unclaimed Property and Cash—How To Find Them on Your Own

Finding unclaimed money can be a tricky process, and the federal government does not go out of its way to help. There is no centralized database that you could use to narrow down your search. One thing you can do is try to conduct your search using the official unclaimed property database for North Carolina.

Here is how to search for and get your money from the North Carolina treasurer:

  1. Go to the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer website
  2. Click on Search for Property
  3. Type in your last name or the name of your business
  4. Enter the city or zip code to narrow down your search
  5. Press Search
  6. Click on View Claimed Properties
  7. Select Claim Document Upload and submit the required documentation if you found your property
  8. Enter additional information
  9. Click Submit

You can monitor the status of your claim in the Claim Status section of the website.

The process can seem a bit complicated, and if you wondered how else you could find unclaimed money, take a look at the following table:

Methods of Finding Unclaimed MoneyYes/No
North Carolina Treasurer WebsiteYes
EmailNo
PhoneNo
LetterNo
DoNotPayYes

Use DoNotPay To Find Unclaimed Money in North Carolina

If you have grounds for thinking that you have unclaimed assets, DoNotPay is here to help you claim them!

With our practical Missing Money product, you can search various federal and state databases in the U.S., and we will do all the tedious work for you.

Start claiming your money immediately by accessing DoNotPay from your preferred and following these steps:

  1. Open the Missing Money product
  2. Enter personal information—such as your middle name and previous addresses—to help us find all the forgotten assets
  3. Select Claim My Property feature if you found the assets you are entitled to

Do not worry about giving out your Social Security number—it is not necessary with our service. We will do the grunt work and file a property claim on your behalf. Your job is to collect the money and spend it!

Unclaimed Money Scams—Here’s How To Avoid Them

Scammers act quickly whenever there’s money involved. It is best to learn how to avoid them right away—better safe than sorry!

With unclaimed property, they usually work in two ways:

  • Phone call schemes—They send you an email stating you have unclaimed property and giving you a phone number to call and claim the said property. They try to make the phone call as long as possible, as it charges you by minute
  • Property fee and identity theft—They lead you to believe you have unclaimed money and then ask for your personal information, social security number, and a small fee

It’s hard not to throw caution to the wind when someone offers you money. Keep in mind that if it is too good to be true, it probably is. If you receive this type of email, the safest course of action is not to think much of it and ignore it completely.

Stay clear of such con artists and use only reliable methods for finding unclaimed money, such as DoNotPay and the North Carolina Treasury Department.

Deal With Day-to-Day Tasks Quickly With DoNotPay

You moved away and lost track of your funds? Worry no more since DoNotPay can help. Our Missing Money product can help you search for unclaimed property in any of the 50 states, whether you currently live there or not. Use DoNotPay to search for unclaimed funds in Rhode Island, Oregon, Utah, or Alaska.

Don’t worry if you have unclaimed money on PayPal or your old bank accounts—you can now claim it with no fuss.

If you want to learn how to claim inheritance or leftover money from home insurance, open DoNotPay in any and find your money fast.

Aside from finding money and other property, see how we can help you with:

Want your issue solved now?