David Woodsome
Every year, the Treasurer announces how much money has been added to the state’s unclaimed property rolls and does a media push to help Mainers learn about the list. They ask legislators to help out because one of the reasons unclaimed property exists is because it’s easy to lose track of people if they move, change their name, or have an unlisted phone number. So, any outreach to get people to search the list helps people to reconnect with their money.
Unclaimed property consists of money and other personal assets that are considered lost or abandoned when an owner cannot be located after a specified period of time. It includes checking accounts, certificates of deposit, over payments, gift certificates, paid-up life insurance policies, unpaid wages, commissions, uncashed checks, death benefits, dividends, insurance payments, money orders, refunds, savings accounts, stocks and contents of safe deposit boxes. Unclaimed Property does not include real estate, animals or vehicles.
Searching for yourself or your family members is very easy and can have a big payoff. There are over 150,000 names on the list, and it is free both to search and to make your claim. This is, quite literally, free money. It’s like when you find a twenty dollar bill in the pocket of your jeans – except this time you’re getting it back from the government.
To see if you or anyone you know is on the list, visit www.maine.gov/upsearch and follow the instructions – essentially just entering in your name and town. If you have property, the website will then direct you as to how to make a claim. You can also call the State Treasurer’s Office at 624-7470 to find out if you have property and to make a claim. In the towns I serve in the Legislature – Cornish, Limerick, Newfield, Parsonsfield, Sanford, Shapleigh, and Waterboro – there are over 1,000 people on the list. About 30 have over $1,000 waiting to be returned! The few minutes it takes to boot up your computer and type in your name could definitely be worth it.
On another money-related topic, the deadline for filing federal and state income taxes is less than two months away. Across York County, you can find assistance in filing your taxes through the CA$H Coalition. The volunteers who provide the tax filing assistance are IRS-certified and use encrypted software. If you or your household made less than $54,000 in 2015 you are eligible to have your taxes prepared for free by the CA$H Coalition. For more information or to set up an appointment, call 324-5762 ext. 2718 or 1-800-965-5762 ext. 2718.
If your individual or combined household income is up to $62,000, you can use their “Do-it-Yourself” option, and file your federal and state income taxes for free at http:// www.myfreetaxes.com/maine.
If you have questions about the unclaimed property program, filing your taxes with CA$H, or a question about any legislative issue please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to be trying to wrap up the bulk of work in legislative committees and you’ll start hearing more about debates and votes in the house and senate. I’m happy to discuss any of the issues that come up at the State House with you.
— Sen. David Woodsome represents Senate District 33, which includes Cornish, Limerick, Newfield, Parsonsfield, Sanford, Shapleigh and Waterboro.
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