Treasurer Stacy Garrity: Luzerne County Registration Fee Refunds Will be Processed Automatically
Harrisburg, PA - Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced today that the Pennsylvania Treasury Department will automatically process approximately 31,000 refunds for Luzerne County residents who are owed money due to the county eliminating its $5 annual vehicle registration fee.
“I want to make the process of returning this money as simple as possible for everyone in Luzerne County who’s owed a refund. This situation isn’t their fault, and they shouldn’t have to fill out a form to get their money back. I’m very happy to work with Luzerne County officials to refund this money as quickly as possible.”
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity
Luzerne County sent $221,200 to the Pennsylvania Treasury Department’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property in February. County officials are working with Treasury to submit a claim on behalf of all 31,253 residents owed a refund. Treasury will process the claim and send a payment to every address on record. Most refunds will be for $5, but some recipients are owed $10, $15 or $20.
The refunds are due to residents who paid for two-year vehicle registration renewals to cover 2021 and 2022. However, the last year the county collected the $5 local fee was 2021, which caused the overpayments. Treasury expects the refund process to be completed by May.
Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, insurance policies, contents of forgotten safe deposit boxes and more. State law requires businesses to report unclaimed property to Treasury after three years of dormancy.
Anyone can search for unclaimed property online at patreasury.gov/unclaimed-property.
