Forgotten refunds, unused gift cards? A state agency offers an easy way to see if you have unclaimed assets.

Maybe you have seen the ads on television or even via email about the state holding money that may belong to you. Yes it is true, the State of Washington is giving away money. But the difference this time is that it is really your money.

Chances are, you are one of more than three million people who have unclaimed money and assets held in trust by the Washington State Department of Revenue.

The agency is encouraging state residents to check http://www.claimyourcash.org to see if you or a family member has a share of the nearly $1 billion in property waiting to be claimed.

“Even if you’ve checked the website or made a claim in the past, everyone should visit the website at least once a year,” said Revenue Director Carol K. Nelson. “The list of names and money we receive grows each year.”

The state agency administers the unclaimed property program on behalf of the state of Washington. All the assets are held until the rightful owner files a claim. There is not acharge or a fee for this service.

Unclaimed property typically includes uncashed paychecks, utility deposits, bank accounts, stocks and bonds, refunds, life insurance proceeds and safe deposit box contents. Usually, these assets have gone untouched by the owner for three or more years, and the holding company is required to report them to the state where the owner last resided.

For the twelve month period ending June 30, 2013, the state returned more than $68 million to 170,800 people.

In that same time period, the agency added 858,000 names and $140 million to the unclaimed property database.

All 50 states operate unclaimed property programs to reunite owners with their assets. To find links to each state’s program, visit http://unclaimed.org/.

Editor’s Note: This website was ‘tested’ by Reporter staff and found themselves and relatives  on the list.