You could be owed money: WA has $2.5B in unclaimed property
Aug 7, 2025, 8:31 AM
A graphic to bring Washington residents to the Department of Revenue's website to claim their funds or property. (Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Revenue)
(Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Revenue)
The Washington Department of Revenue (DOR) is in possession of cash and property estimated to be valued at $2.5 billion, and is currently seeking those who own shares of it.
The funds typically come from unclaimed stock dividends, rebate checks from retailers, and funds left in closed bank accounts. According to KING 5, most of the cash is a result of someone moving and a bank not having the proper forwarding address. DOR encourages people to visit the department’s website to see if the state has any of their possessions or money owed to them.
DOR has employees, called “locators,” who seek out residents with the highest amounts owed to them to clear their books of the funds or property.
“One of the items I saw was a pirate treasure from the 1700s from a shipwreck off of Spain,” Liz Black, DOR’s unclaimed property administrator, told KING 5.
The available funds never expire. The interest earned on these funds goes to the general state fund.
A national database of unclaimed property in other states is available here.
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