The state of Montana is holding millions of dollars in trust for many Montanans and they don't even know about it.

Every year, the state of Montana collects wheelbarrow-loads of cash that go unspoken for. Kathy Fitzgerald of the Montana Department of Revenue gives an example of the amount of money being collected and held in just the past year.

"This year, we had over eight million dollars turned into us and we were only able to locate owners for less than four million of those dollars," Fitzgerald said. "So there is a lot of cash out there waiting for people to claim it."

Of course, 2013 isn't the only year that funds have gone unclaimed. Needless to say, the backlog is extensive.

The cash flows into the state's coffers through a variety of ways.

"A lot of times they are forgotten savings accounts or maybe a check that someone sent you, but they didn't have the correct address, because maybe you've moved, Fitzgerald said. "A lot of the claims that we get are insurance proceeds. So when you look you should look for an older or deceased relatives that may have forgotten about an insurance policy."

To find out if one of those missing checks is yours, go to the Department of Revenue website and use the "Click for Cash" button. After that, you will be asked to put in some personal data in order to use the "taxpayer access point" or TAP service.

Questions and comments on the service can be sent via email to unclaimedproperty@mt.gov or over the phone at 1-866-859-2254.

Kathy Fitzgerald:

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