Almost $5.05 million in unclaimed money is sitting in accounts linked to New England addresses, with thousands of locals potentially unaware they are owed anything at all.
As 2026 begins, the NSW Government is urging residents across the region to check the NSW unclaimed money register, where forgotten refunds, uncashed cheques and other payments remain waiting to be claimed.
Across the New England region, 14,411 individual items of unclaimed money are currently held by Revenue NSW. Amounts range from small sums to significant balances, often dating back some years.
Unclaimed money is money people are legally entitled to but have lost track of. It commonly occurs when people move house, change names, lose paperwork, or when estates are unaware that funds exist in the name of a deceased relative. Overpayments, dividends, refunds and unpresented cheques are among the most common sources.
Statewide, almost $300 million is currently listed on the unclaimed money register, spread across more than 800,000 items tied to NSW addresses. While Sydney accounts for the largest share by value, regional areas collectively hold tens of millions of dollars that could be returned to households and families.
The New England figure places the region alongside parts of the Central West and Riverina, each with around $5–6 million unclaimed. By comparison, the Central Coast, Hunter and Lake Macquarie region holds more than $22 million, while Sydney’s city and eastern suburbs alone account for almost $92 million.
In addition to NSW-based addresses, Revenue NSW also holds $394 million for people registered at addresses outside the state.
Last year alone, more than $21 million was returned to rightful owners across NSW, following system upgrades designed to make claims faster and simpler. These changes included better integration with Service NSW to help verify identities and a reduction in the timeframe for businesses to hand over unclaimed funds from six years to two.
Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement Courtney Houssos said the reforms were about getting money back into the hands of families.
“Almost $300 million is sitting unclaimed, and 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.”
Residents can search the unclaimed money register by name and address and, if a match is found, submit a claim with proof of identity and their connection to the funds. Most claims are processed within about a month.
To find out if you have any unclaimed money, you can search the Revenue NSW website at www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/unclaimed-money.
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