Thousands of West Australians struggling to make ends meet don\u2019t know they\u2019re owed money that\u2019s sitting in a government pot that has swelled to $190 million.<\/p>\n
The West Australian can reveal that the amount held in Treasury\u2019s register of unclaimed money has grown 26 per cent since 2023, spurring a renewed push to find the rightful owners.<\/p>\n
It includes more than 1.3 million records, for amounts as low as a few dollars or much, much larger.<\/p>\n
A deceased estate worth about $916,000 sat unclaimed for almost 30 years.<\/p>\n
One person enjoyed a $314,000 pay day last financial year, as one of more than 3,500 successful claims.<\/p>\n
A total of $2.7 million was paid out in 2024-25, but a lot more was paid into the account.<\/p>\n
The register also includes rental bond refunds, dividend payments, vehicle licence or education provider refunds and overpayments of utility bills, but it doesn\u2019t include refunds owed as a result of Synergy\u2019s overpayment scandal.<\/p>\n
It was revealed in October that almost 174,000 customers had been overcharged to the tune of about $40 million, triggering a compliance enforcement notice and a public apology from the State-owned energy retailer.<\/p>\n
On Monday, a Synergy spokesperson said it has returned $5.5 million in overpayments so far, to 14,033 impacted customers, and has paid out $591,000 in goodwill payments.<\/p>\n
Treasury\u2019s register includes cheques that can be lost as a result of a change of name or address.<\/p>\n
The money is deemed unclaimed after six years of no contact with the account owner.<\/p>\n
But it can\u2019t be spent by the Government.<\/p>\n
The funds are held indefinitely until they are claimed, and there\u2019s no fee to claim it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Western Australian Government strongly encourages anyone who believes they may have unclaimed money to check the register on the Department of Treasury and Finance website,\u201d a Government spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n