AUSTIN (KXAN) — This holiday season, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts wants Austin-area residents and business owners to check and see whether they have unclaimed property they may be entitled to claim.

The state is currently safeguarding $10.5 billion, and it reports $622.6 million of that property belongs to 5.7 million individuals, families or businesses in the Austin area.

In a statement released on Monday, Comptroller Kelly Hancock said, “Every dollar in our Unclaimed Property program belongs to a Texan, not the government … This time of year, especially, even a small amount can make a meaningful difference for families. I encourage every household in the Austin area to take a moment to search — it’s simple, it’s secure and it just might put a little extra money back in your pocket for the holidays.” 

NewsNation affiliate KXAN spoke with Hancock in a virtual interview for more insight, where he explained the property could be anything from mineral rights to deposits.

“I mean, my son, for example — when it was announced, we just decided to look and my son had a deposit from an apartment he had in Dallas when he was going to school there,” Hancock said.

Anyone can search for unclaimed property on ClaimItTexas.gov.

You can enter your name — or the names of family members, including maiden names or the names of deceased relatives — into the search tool. If property is found, the site provides simple instructions to submit a claim. The service is free, secure and available to all Texans, according to the Comptroller’s office.

“You may have a little time while you’re sitting at home — you know, get on your laptop while you’re watching — or listening to Christmas music,” Hancock said. “This is a time where people have downtime, and so we really would like them to have their money back — and we want to do everything we can to help in that.”