Believe it or not, almost $450,000,000 in Social Security benefit checks go uncashed each year. According to the Social Security Administration  these uncashed checks can be recovered,  but there is a 3 year time limit from the date of the original check. Of course, this doesn’t include hundreds of millions more in benefits that are never even claimed by their rightful recipients. How does this happen? Many are surviving spouses or heirs of deceased individuals who are entitled to receive continued benefits. A widow or widower, children and even parents of the deceased may be eligible to receive benefits. In addition, many are not aware of the one-time lump sum death benefit which could be payable to either the surviving spouse or minor children.

The Social Security Administration maintains a huge database containing vital information for more than 70 million people whose deaths were reported. Deaths included in this (about 98%) are from 1962 forward (when the SSA went from paper to computer records), although some data is from as early as 1937. Incredibly, many of the earlier records have never been added to this computerized database.

Also included in the millions of records are approximately 400,000 railroad retirement records from the early 1930s for those who are entitled to receive pension benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1934. If you have a relative that was a railroad worker, there may very well be a fortune in unclaimed benefits waiting to be found!