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6 Dec, 2013

TSA made half a million dollars last year from loose change – Washington Post

The next time you go through airport security, check those grey and white bins where you unload your pockets. Last year, the Transportation Security Administration collected $531,395.22 in change left behind at checkpoints.

Federal law requires the TSA to report the amount of unclaimed money they keep every year to Congress. The Fiscal Year 2012 report, obtained by the Washington Post, shows the agency collected about $499,000 in U.S. currency, and another $32,000 in foreign currency, at their checkpoints.

TSA outposts at hub airports, like John F. Kennedy International in New York or Dallas-Fort Worth International in Texas, collect cash from smaller regional airports, then forward it on to TSA headquarters in Washington. Passengers entering Miami International Airport left the largest amount of change at security last year, $39,613, while people leaving Las Vegas — perhaps flush with slot machine winnings — forgot $26,900.21.

Read the rest: The TSA made half a million dollars last year because you forgot your change.