Does NY owe you money? You can now get your unclaimed funds quicker

New Yorkers will be able to receive their unclaimed funds quicker as legislation proposed by state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli was signed into law last week. For certain unclaimed funds payments of $250 or less, you won't need to submit a claim, if it can be validated. The average claim paid out is between $50-100, according to DiNapoli's office, and the office returns over $1.5 million every day.

"My office holds over $19 billion in unclaimed funds, and we want to make sure that every New Yorker can easily claim their money," DiNapoli said in a written statement. "By simplifying the process, my office will be able to return lost money even faster while still ensuring the funds get back into the hands of their rightful owners."

Here's what to know.

How to file a claim for your unclaimed funds in NY

Over $450 million has been returned to New Yorkers this year as of Nov. 27. Here's how to file a claim for your unclaimed funds:

• Enter your name in the Search for Individual box on the state comptroller's Search for Lost Money page of their website.
• If you're filing a claim online, first choose the item you want to claim, then follow the directions and prompts that appear onscreen.
• If you choose to file your claim by mail, fill out the information requested on the “Mail Claim Form” page that appears after you select a name from the search results or select the “Mail Claim Form” link. Print and sign the form and have your signature notarized by a licensed notary public, attach the required documentation and send to the Office of the State Comptroller, Office of Unclaimed Funds at 110 State Street in Albany, New York 12236.

When you get your check, the state comptroller's office recommends you cash it as soon as possible because if you don't, it will be reported as unclaimed funds again and you'll have to file a new claim. You have until December 31 of the following calendar year to cash it.

How much in unclaimed funds does each region in NY have?

New York County has the highest amount of unclaimed funds in the state at $2,678,545,599. Across upstate New York counties, Erie County has the most with $202,648,726 in unclaimed funds.

Here's a look at the total amount of unclaimed funds in each New York region as of October:

• Adirondacks region (Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Warren and Washington counties): $63,410,370
• Capital-Saratoga region (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties): $198,748,083
• Catskills region (Delaware, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster counties): $80,356,890
• Central New York region (Broome, Chenango, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego and Schoharie counties): $118,436,797
• Chautauqua-Allegany region (Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties): $35,528,546
• Finger Lakes region (Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates counties): $358,675,042
• Hudson Valley region (Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties): $719,234,539
• Long Island region (Nassau and Suffolk counties): $1,015,681,825
• Niagara Frontier region (Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties): $253,193,038
• New York City region (Bronx, Kings, Queens, New York and Richmond counties): $5,302,731,059
• Thousand Islands-Seaway region (Jefferson, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties): $40,055,089

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.