Aug 1 – 15: Department Mails Notification Letter
For each item of unclaimed property above $25, the department must send a notification letter to the last known address of the owner. The notification letter must be mailed between August 1st and August 15th. With an abundance of caution, this notification process meets the State of Nebraska's due diligence requirement described in the "Nebraska Unclaimed Property Holder Reporting Handbook."
Use this letter template letter template for both dormancy periods:
- 3 Year - Credit memos
- 5 Year - Other credit items
Notification Letter Requirements
- Use the letter template. Replace text in red with the appropriate information.
- Letters must be dated and mailed between Aug 1 – 15.
- Indicate deadline date for responding. The date is 60 days from the date of the letter.
- If available, include documentation with the letter that substantiates each credit amount.
- Before mailing, retain a copy of the letter and documentation for department records.
Oct 15 – 25: Department Responds to Notification Responses/Nonresponses; Reports to Accounting
The department must maintain all documentation of responses and non-responses in their departmental records.
Respondents – If a customer responds, then the department works with the customer to resolve the issue, e.g., issue a refund check or customer agrees to deduct on next payment, etc. The amount should not be reported to Accounting and won't be sent to the State of Nebraska.
Nonrespondents – If a customer does not respond or the letter is returned as undeliverable, the department must:
- Complete the Abandoned Property Schedule, which is an Excel spreadsheet formatted for uniform reporting of abandoned property to the State of Nebraska. Each credit/transaction must be entered as an individual line on the Schedule. Please don't modify the spreadsheet's formatting in any way as it will disrupt the reporting process.
- No later than October 25th, the department must submit the completed Abandoned Property Schedule to Accounting, accounting@unl.edu.
How to Complete the Abandoned Property Schedule
Column fields marked below with an asterisk (*) are REQUIRED. Column fields that are not marked with an asterisk must be completed ONLY IF known. On the Abandoned Property Schedule spreadsheet, required fields are highlighted yellow.
| Column | Column Description | Enter This Information |
|---|---|---|
| A* | Last Transaction Dt | The date of last contact with owner. This date determines when property is reportable. |
| B* | Property Type | MS04 - Payment for Goods & Services MS05 - Customer Overpayments MS06 - Unidentified Remittances MS07 - Unrefunded Overcharges MS09 - Credit Balances MS11 - Refunds Due MS19 - Credit Memos - 3 Years |
| D* | Cash Reported | Dollar amount of abandoned property |
| J | Account Number | Customer number assigned in your system |
| K | Check Number | Source of payment (check #) received |
| Y* | Owner1 Relationship | UN - Unknown |
| Z* | Owner1 Type | AP - Aggregate Property - This property represents a group of properties that have been aggregated together, usually because of small values OT - All Owners except Aggregate or Unknown - This property represents individual property records that are not reported as aggregate or unknown, and is used when an owner's name is known and included in the report. UN - Unknown Owner (no name available) - This property represents individual property records in which original owner's name is unknown |
| AA | Owner1 Tax ID | Owner's Tax ID |
| AD* | Owner1 Lastname | Owner 1's Last name or entity name |
| AE | Owner1 Firstname | First name of owner or entity name |
| AF | Owner1 Middlename | Middle name of owner |
| AJ | Owner1 Address line 1 | Owner 1's Street Address |
| AM | Owner1 City | City name of owner's address |
| AO | Owner1 State | State of owner's address |
| AS* | Cost Object | Cost Object of the abandoned credit |
Nov 1: Report Due to State of Nebraska
- On November 1, the Bursar sends the Abandoned Property Schedule to State of Nebraska Unclaimed Property Division.
- Accounting makes entries to record the transfer to the State.
- If customers contact the department regarding items reported to the State, the department should direct them to the State of Nebraska Unclaimed Property Division website at NebraskaLostCash.nebraska.gov to claim their property.