Georgia Considers Proactive Unclaimed Property Payouts

Proposed legislation would automatically return unclaimed funds under $500 to taxpayers

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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The Georgia State Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would require the Department of Revenue to automatically match tax records with unclaimed property records and send checks to residents for properties valued under $500, without the property owners having to file requests. The goal is to make the process of retrieving unclaimed funds much easier for Georgians.

Why it matters

Currently, Georgia has over $3.3 billion in unclaimed property, and the proposed legislation aims to streamline the process of returning this money to its rightful owners. This could potentially benefit hundreds of thousands of Georgians who may be unaware that they have unclaimed funds.

The details

The bill, sponsored by State Senator Kay Kirkpatrick, would change state law to require the Department of Revenue to proactively match tax records with unclaimed property records and automatically send checks to people for properties under $500, without the property owners having to file requests or search for the funds themselves. However, the bill also includes a provision that would allow the state to take ownership of any unclaimed money after 25 years, or after just 5 years for amounts under $10.

  • The State Senate passed the bill unanimously in 2026.
  • The bill still needs to pass the Georgia House of Representatives.

The players

Kay Kirkpatrick

A Georgia State Senator who is the sponsor of the bill that would require the Department of Revenue to proactively return unclaimed property to taxpayers.

Brian Kemp

The Governor of Georgia, who supports the proposed legislation.

Ron Lizzi

An unclaimed property watchdog who has been pushing for states to make it easier to return unclaimed funds to their rightful owners.

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What they’re saying

“That's other people's money, not the state's money. So as legislators, we have an obligation to be sure that people get their property back if it's in the state hands.”

— Kay Kirkpatrick, State Senator (wsbtv.com)

“What it's going to do is make it much easier for people to know that they have unclaimed property by matching it with the tax records and making the process much more streamlined and automated and less of a hassle.”

— Kay Kirkpatrick, State Senator (wsbtv.com)

“They should be able to return tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, automatically without making people jump through hoops.”

— Ron Lizzi, Unclaimed Property Watchdog (wsbtv.com)

What’s next

The proposed bill still needs to pass the Georgia House of Representatives before it can become law.

The takeaway

This legislation aims to make it significantly easier for Georgians to reclaim their unclaimed property, potentially benefiting hundreds of thousands of residents. However, the provision allowing the state to take ownership of older unclaimed funds has raised concerns from watchdog groups about potential government overreach.