About 10,000 Delaware taxpayers will get unclaimed property without filing through MONEY MATCH in October 2026. MONEY MATCH, Delaware's automatic-return program for forgotten funds held by the state, pays you when your most recent state tax return matches eligible property.
State of Delaware News reports the Office of Unclaimed Property is returning over $1.2 million by mailed check this year, in the state's 2026 MONEY MATCH announcement. Recipients receive the money automatically and file no claim form. The check is the payment.
Table of Contents
- How does the automatic payment work?
- Who gets a check without filing?
- What property still needs a claim?
- What should you do now?
How does the automatic payment work?
The state matches its unclaimed-property database against verified name, address, and taxpayer-identification information from state tax filings, according to a JPMorgan account of Delaware's program in the State of Delaware case study. When the match is confirmed, the state mails a check. No application starts the process.
The distribution runs annually beginning the second week of September. Bay to Bay News, reporting the Office of Unclaimed Property's schedule, places the yearly mailing in that early-September window in its account of the distribution effort. That timing makes September-October 2026 the mailbox period.
Who gets a check without filing?
You get an automatic check only if three facts line up. Your most recent Delaware personal income tax return must supply a current name, address, and taxpayer ID. That tax identity must match an eligible cash item in state custody.
Since launching in 2021, Money Match has returned more than $5.6 million to nearly 40,000 Delaware taxpayers without claims paperwork, according to Delaware Online in its guide to finding Delaware unclaimed money. This year's checks continue that annual pattern. Only matched owners are included.
- filed a recent Delaware personal income tax return
- have the same verified name and mailing address on file
- own a simple, matchable cash item held as unclaimed property
What property still needs a claim?
Only simple, matchable cash-type property qualifies for automatic payment. Owners with larger, securities, safe-deposit, multi-owner, or unmatched property must still search and file a formal claim, under Delaware Finance Department guidance described in the Bloomberg Tax summary.
That limit matters for households with older accounts or shared assets. A stock dividend, a safe-deposit box, or an account listing two owners needs identity review. A wrong address on the tax return can also break the match.
What should you do now?
If you filed a Delaware return, watch your mail through October and cash the state check if one arrives. State of Delaware News describes that watch-and-cash step as the only action needed for eligible taxpayers in the state's 2026 MONEY MATCH announcement.
Do not pay a finder for a MONEY MATCH check. If no check arrives, search Delaware's official unclaimed-property site and file online for remaining funds.
- watch mail during September-October
- cash the state check promptly
- moved recently, check whether your tax address was current
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