Get Your Money Back at www.unclaimedmonies.gov.sg

Have you claimed the monies which you have deposited with the government? From the security deposit for a tender project to a foreign worker bond, many Singaporeans are not claiming money that is rightfully theirs.

And as Mr Raymond Lim, Acting Second Minister for Finance noted at the launch of the e-Government forum on 28 October 2004, "The Government would very much like to return [the monies] to the rightful owners, but have not been able to do so simply because we do not know how to contact them despite repeated attempts to do so."

So, to solve this problem, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has launched www.unclaimedmonies.gov.sg, a central government website that will list non-sensitive unclaimed monies. At this site, individuals and organizations that have unclaimed money, as well as the government department or agency holding the money will be listed there. Individuals and organizations merely need to log onto the site to check if they have money that they have not yet claimed.

While some government departments and agencies already have such a listing, this is a central website and names listed on those government sites will be listed on www.unclaimedmonies.gov.sg as well. This will help make searching for the money easier.

Under this system, checking if we have unclaimed monies held at the government is made easier. This allows the individual to go to the relevant government department or agency with the necessary documentation to get his or her money back in as efficient a manner as possible.

This is a clear example of how the government is trying to use technology to create convenience for Singaporeans. This will allow Singaporeans to enjoy even greater efficiencies when dealing with the government.