Nearly a billion dollars left unclaimed
ATLANTA – State Representative Jill Chambers (R-Atlanta) issued the following release today making Georgians aware of an important page on the Georgia Department of Revenue website which allows users to search for unclaimed property held in their name in the state of Georgia.
“The Department of Revenue is taking a proactive step by putting this information on the web to allow Georgia citizens and government entities, including state agencies, to search for unclaimed property or funds they may not even know exists,” said Representative Chambers. “I hope to bring attention to this useful tool because every dime is going to make a difference in these difficult economic times for families and the state alike.”
According to the Unclaimed Property Act, when a person holds property that belongs to someone else but has lost contact with the owner for a specified period, that holder must remit the property to the State.
“If state agencies have unclaimed funds, we need to account for this money in the state budget now,” added Representative Chambers. “According to DOR, $985 million dollars is left unclaimed by various state agencies and Georgia taxpayers.”
The State then serves as the custodian for any property remitted under the Act allowing the owners or their heirs an opportunity to claim their property in the future. All unclaimed property will be returned to the owner at no charge.
In order to search for unclaimed property please go to https://etax.dor.ga.gov/unclaimedproperty/ or click here.
# # #
Representative Jill Chambers represents the citizens of District 81, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected into the House of Representatives in 2002, and is currently the Chairman of the MARTOC Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations, Governmental Affairs, and Rules Committees.