AS the new year begins, nearly $300 million is sitting in the state’s unclaimed money pool waiting to be returned to its rightful owners.

North-western New South Wales and the New England district has 14,411 items listed totalling $5,047,864.

In total, more than 800,000 items of unclaimed money – ranging from a few dollars to millions of dollars – is sitting with Revenue NSW and registered to a NSW address.

Money typically becomes unclaimed when people forget to update their name or contact details with businesses, have lost paperwork, or when estates are unaware of funds belonging to deceased relatives.

The unclaimed money register, managed by Revenue NSW, includes funds from overpayments, uncashed cheques, dividends, refunds, and other amounts owed to individuals.

Revenue NSW holds an additional $394 million in money for people registered at addresses outside NSW.

To check unclaimed money,  search the Revenue NSW website at Revenue NSW Unclaimed Money.

Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement, Courtney Houssos, said almost $300 million is sitting unclaimed.

“We want to make sure as much of that as possible finds its way back to families,” she said.

“Last financial year, Revenue NSW returned more than $21 million to its rightful owners. With these new reforms, we’re making it faster and easier for people to get what they’re owed.

“While Revenue NSW regularly contacts potential owners, incomplete data means people are sometimes missed. That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to take a few minutes to check online – you might be surprised with what you find.”