Charlotte Foster
Money & Banking

Aussies urged to claim their share of millions of unclaimed cash

Aussies are being urged to claim their share of $577 million which is sitting unclaimed with Revenue NSW, with about $234 million of that designated as belonging to residents who have yet to claim it.

During the last financial year, NSW Government returned more than $21.8 million in unclaimed funds to Aussies, setting a record in the process. 

The unclaimed funds are comprised of payments, refunds, unpresented cheques, dividends and other money that organisations cannot transfer to its rightful owners, sometimes due to something as simple as changed addresses or bank accounts.

While $234 million is being held by the government for NSW residents who are known, the further $343 million is designated to those who live outside New South Wales or are currently unknown. 

For Sydney residents alone, approximately $85.4 million is currently waiting to be claimed by rightful owners. 

The average amount of unclaimed money owed on the register is $391, and more than $154 million has been claimed back from the government in the past decade.

“Despite doing our best to give unclaimed money back to the people it’s owed to, we’re still seeing more money referred to us than people are claiming,” Chief Commissioner of State Revenue Scott Johnston said.

“We want to make sure everyone knows about the unclaimed money register, so they can jump online, find out if any money is owed to them and undertake the process to get it back."

“That way we can ensure more money is being returned to those it belongs to, rather than sitting with us for extended periods of time after enterprises and organisations pass it on.”

You can find more information about the unclaimed funds, and search the register for your share on Revenue NSW’s website.

Image credits: Shutterstock 

Tags:
money & banking, unclaimed, cash, Revenue NSW