SALISBURY — Rowan County residents can check NCCash.com, a free website run by the North Carolina State Treasurer’s office, to see if they have any unclaimed money. In total, there is over $16.5 million of unclaimed money owed to Rowan County residents alone.

“When a financial institution cannot find where to mail something to, it gets sent back to them and then has to be sent to the treasurer’s office,” explained North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell.

By visiting the website, residents can enter their last name to see if there is any money they are owed. They can also type in the name of any of their relatives or people close to them. In truth, you can type in anyone’s name. Businesses, nonprofits, churches and other entities can also type their name in the search bar and see if there is any money waiting in the state’s coffers.

“Look up parents, grandparents, maiden names, grandkids, churches, Little League baseball teams, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, nonprofits and governmental entities and for-profit companies as well,” Folwell said. “You’re gonna be shocked what you find.”

If you see your name or your businesses’ name on the search list, all you have to do is click “Claim” and the site will ask for your personal information and other documents to verify it is you. It takes approximately 90 days to get your cash back.

Here are a few things residents should know about the process of claiming their cash:

The first is that the money stays there forever, so don’t worry if you have forgotten about it or are too busy. The second is there is no charge to make a claim and no charge to search your name on the website. Last, every state has the equivalent of NCCash, in case you think you have unclaimed money elsewhere.

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, the state treasurer’s office returned over $100 million to North Carolinians.

Folwell warned of property finders who will send people letters saying they will retrieve unclaimed money for them for a certain fee. He said there is no need to hire property finders because people can claim their money themselves for free using NCCash.

“In this time when it’s costing more to heat and more to drive and more to eat, being able to return people’s money back to the rightful owner is very important to us,” Folwell said.