COLUMBUS, Ohio – Thousands of Ohioans will soon be reunited with missing money thanks to the outreach and educational efforts of the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Unclaimed Funds at the 2025 Ohio State Fair, which concluded earlier this evening.

The Division’s kiosk was again a very popular stop at the agency’s ‘Exploration Commerce’ booth for fairgoers to uncover forgotten money. During the 12-day event, approximately 1,200 visitors initiated claims totaling $633,873.18, with one individual starting a claim for more than $60,000 in funds! During the Fair, the average claim amount for attendees was $527.35, proving that even small discoveries can make a big difference.

Unclaimed funds include money from dormant accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten utility deposits and other sources that businesses and financial institutions report to the Division after years of inactivity.

Akil Hardy, Superintendent of the Division of Unclaimed Funds.

“The Ohio State Fair is more than just an event for us – it’s a real opportunity to help people. Whether it’s a few dollars to thousands, reuniting people with their money is incredibly rewarding. It’s a chance to connect with Ohioans and show them that the process can be simpler and less stressful than they perhaps might think.”

The Division’s presence at the fair has become a tradition, offering visitors the chance to search for unclaimed funds on-site with the guidance of Division staff. Over the past four years, the Division has returned more than $1.6 million to Ohioans during the fair alone.

For the first time at the State Fair, the Division was able to leverage a new system designed to make it easier and potentially faster for Ohioans to search for and recover funds. Last February, the Division launched new website capabilities that feature a number of significant improvements both in efficiency and functionality to help return money back to its rightful owners. Ohioans who want to claim their lost or forgotten money are now able to search for unclaimed funds, upload required documents and track their claims status without having to leave the platform. This new system also offers greater communication with claimants about the status of their claim in the event items are missing that the Division needs to complete its review. The new system is available at com.ohio.gov/UnclaimedFunds.

For those who were not able to stop by the Division’s kiosk at the fair, the search does not end there. Ohioans can check for unclaimed funds year-round by following these steps:

  1. Search for unclaimed funds and generate a claim form by accessing the new system at unclaimedfunds.ohio.gov.
  2. Review and gather the required documentation.
  3. Submit the claim form and any documents by mail or upload them directly through the system.

About the Division of Unclaimed Funds

The Division of Unclaimed Funds is part of the Ohio Department of Commerce. The department is Ohio’s chief regulatory agency, focused on promoting prosperity and protecting what matters most to Ohioans. We ensure businesses follow the laws that help them create jobs and keep Ohioans safe. To learn more about what we do, visit our website at com.ohio.gov.