If you want to start the new year with some extra cash in your pocket, Kansas may have some for you.
That’s because the state Treasurer’s Office is responsible for returning more than $681 million in unclaimed property, and 1 in 7 Kansans has some property to return.
Unclaimed property includes financial assets that have not been claimed or that have had no recent activity by the owner. It often comes in the form of unpaid wages, dormant bank accounts, life insurance policies, etc.
“This is real dollars, some of which will never be claimed, but we can find a lot of homes with that money,” Kansas Treasurer Steven Johnson told the Wichita Eagle.
Taking Sedgwick County specifically as an example, county residents, businesses and organizations have $98,067,326.14 in unclaimed property. The state has returned just over $229,000 to county residents this year, according to the treasurer’s office.
While Johnson said the office will contact property owners, it relies heavily on individuals doing their own inspections.
“Now, the first effort we do is when we acquire property, we do outreach to these people and send out a letter,” Johnson said. “One of the problems is a lot of our address data is old, which is why it’s unclaimed property. So I would say everybody gets [the letter]but the reality is that they don’t. “
That’s why the Unclaimed Property website allows the state of Kansas to find it on its own. Here’s how you can check to see if you have money to claim.
How do I claim unclaimed property in Kansas?
Anyone can see if they have unclaimed property by searching their name or business name on the Unclaimed Property website. From there, if you see any items that belong to you, you can click “Claim.”
After submitting your claim, you will receive a confirmation email, which may include a request for additional information from the office to process your claim.
“They should check their email inbox the next day for content that matches your claims [has been] Processed, or look for another email that will provide you with next steps. So they have access to both options,” Johnson said.
You can also check the status of your claim.
“It’s a good practice to capture a claim ID number, which will be displayed once you complete your claim,” Johnson said.
Additionally, you can claim property for relatives, but the process is a bit complicated, Johnson said.
“It can take up to 90 days, but I would say most of the time, people expect to receive their money in about a month or about four weeks,” Johnson said.
In July 2023, Sedgwick County opened a kiosk at the tag office in Douglas. There, you can search for unclaimed property on the state website in person while another monitor scrolls through Sedgwick County unclaimed property cases.
Unclaimed property will be returned to its owner via mail. The average claim amount is $630, and there is no fee to file a claim online.
In 2025, the Finance Office has returned nearly $21 million.
