How to Claim Unclaimed Property

Have you ever forgotten about money in a bank account or overpaid a bill, but never cashed or received the refund check? If so, then you should check to see if you have unclaimed property.  Unclaimed property is cash, stock, checks, refunds, or other financial instruments that revert back to the state’s unclaimed property fund after some period of going unclaimed by their owners. Every state has its own unclaimed property portal and the process is usually fairly straightforward.

How to find unclaimed property

To start your search either go to your state’s unclaimed property website or search on Missingmoney.com which is the official website of the National Association of State Treasurers and allows you to search across all states. Sometimes when you search for your state’s website on Google, third party sites that will seek to charge you may pop up. To avoid this, you can use the list of state unclaimed property websites located here. If your name is very common such as John Smith or Miguel Hernandez there will likely be a huge number of people across the USA with the same name, so you should probably just look at your state. If you have lived in multiple states, you can start your search on Missingmoney.com and then also search in each state where you previously resided.

Process overview

The process of actually claiming the property varies by state. California shows the dollar value of the claim and the company where the property originated. In California some claims can be completed online, while others require you to print out and sign a document attesting that it is your property. For larger claims above $1,000 you usually need to notarize the attestation. In other states like NJ the website is not as user friendly and does not list the dollar value of the claim, which means you may fill it out and find out the ultimate amount is a few bucks or less.

Here is California’s process, but most states will be similar:

To check:

1. Visit https://claimit.ca.gov/
2. Enter your legal last and first name, look for your address or previous addresses. Use your last rather than your first and last names because there could be misspellings of your name on some properties that will result in you missing them if you use your first and last name.
3. Click claim next to your name
4. Follow the instructions provided by the State of California
   1. Fill in the claimant relationship, usually it will be “myself” but it could be a company or “heir” if you are an heir. See the claimant relationship descriptions for more details.
   2. Fill in your personal information, then click next
   3. Sign the claim by typing in your name in each field

Finders

There are people who will serve as “finders” that will let you know where you have unclaimed property for a fee. Given all the information is free and searchable in every state, there is never a reason to pay a third party to get unclaimed property. As previously mentioned, you may need to pay a notary to verify your signature for higher value claims, but you otherwise should not have to pay a single cent to get your unclaimed property back.

Help a friend

A great gift to friends and relatives is to look up their names on unclaimed property sites and let them know they have unclaimed money. I have done this and have had friends get hundreds or in a few cases more than one thousand dollars back. It is a great surprise “gift” and usually makes the recipient very happy. Similarly, if you had a relative or family member pass away recently it may be worth checking under their name as there may be more substantial unclaimed property you didn’t know about that you or your family could be entitled to.

Doing Good

I recently started searching last names in nearby cities for people that are owed at least a few hundred dollars. I then mail them the letters below letting them know they have unclaimed property. I don’t put any contact information on the letter, but I give the recipient enough information to make the claim. I will never know if they receive the claim or not, but I think of it as potentially doing a lot of good for someone at very little cost. I always write these articles 100% without AI, but both of the letters below were mostly drafted by AI. If the Spanish is terrible, please let me know.

Email/Letter: English version

Dear XYZ,

I am writing to let you know that records publicly available through the State of California indicate that you may have unclaimed property being held in your name in the amount of $XXX.XX. I have attached a clipped screenshot showing the amount you may be able to claim.

This is not a solicitation, and I am not requesting payment or compensation of any kind. I am also not affiliated with the government or State of California. I am simply providing this information in the hope that it is helpful to you.

You can search for and claim any property directly through the official California State Controller’s Office website at no cost using the site below:

https://claimit.ca.gov

To check:

1. Visit the website above
2. Enter your last and first name
3. On the next page in the top right fill in the box property id with:  XXX
4. Click claim next to your name
5. Follow the instructions provided by the State of California

If you are not comfortable typing in this website then:

1. Google California unclaimed property
2. Click the link that looks like this

• Type your last and first name in the two boxes

4. On the next page in the top right fill in the box property id with:  XXX
5. Click claim next to your name
6. Follow the instructions provided by the State of California

The State may request documentation to verify your identity before releasing any property.

For your protection:

• Do not provide personal or financial information to unsolicited callers or emails
• You should verify all information directly through the official State website
• You do not need to pay anyone to file a claim yourself

Again, I am not charging a fee, requesting compensation, or acting on behalf of the State of California. I am trying to be a good person and help people so I thought you would want to know just in case property belongs to you or a relative that may need your help.

Sincerely,

XYZ

PUT IMAGE OF CLAIM HERE

Email/Letter: Spanish version

Estimado XYZ,

Le escribo para informarle que los registros disponibles públicamente a través del Estado de California indican que podría tener bienes no reclamados retenidos a su nombre por un monto de $XXX.XX. En la página 2 adjunto una captura de pantalla recortada que muestra el monto que podría reclamar.

Esto no es una solicitud y no estoy solicitando ningún pago ni compensación de ningún tipo. Tampoco estoy afiliado al gobierno ni al Estado de California. Simplemente proporciono esta información con la esperanza de que le sea útil.

Puede buscar y reclamar cualquier propiedad directamente a través del sitio web oficial de la Oficina del Contralor del Estado de California sin costo alguno utilizando el siguiente sitio:

https://claimit.ca.gov/

Para verificar:

1. Visite el sitio web indicado arriba
2. Ingrese su apellido y nombre
3. En la siguiente página, en la esquina superior derecha, complete el campo “Property ID” con: XXX
4. Haga clic en “Claim” junto a su nombre
5. Siga las instrucciones proporcionadas por el Estado de California

Si no se siente cómodo escribiendo esta dirección web:

1. Busque en Google “California unclaimed property”
2. Haga clic en el enlace que se vea así

3. Escriba su apellido y nombre en las dos casillas
4. En la siguiente página, en la esquina superior derecha, complete el campo “Property ID” con: XXX
5. Haga clic en “Claim” junto a su nombre
6. Siga las instrucciones proporcionadas por el Estado de California

El Estado puede solicitar documentación para verificar su identidad antes de liberar cualquier propiedad.

Para su protección:

• No proporcione información personal o financiera a llamadas o correos electrónicos no solicitados
• Verifique toda la información directamente a través del sitio web oficial del Estado
• No necesita pagarle a nadie para presentar un reclamo por su cuenta

Nuevamente, no estoy cobrando ninguna tarifa, solicitando compensación ni actuando en nombre del Estado de California. Estoy tratando de ayudar a las personas y pensé que le gustaría saberlo por si esta propiedad le pertenece a usted o a algún familiar que pudiera necesitar ayuda. Si la persona mencionada anteriormente ya no vive en la dirección indicada, pero usted tiene información de contacto, por favor comuníquese con ella para informarle sobre su propiedad no reclamada.

Atentamente,

XXXX

PUT IMAGE OF CLAIM HERE

Unclaimed Property Sites

All states combined search: https://missingmoney.com/

List of all individual state unclaimed property sites: https://missingmoney.com/app/state-index

CA: https://ucpi.sco.ca.gov/en/Property/SearchIndex

NJ: https://unclaimedfunds.nj.gov/app/claim-search

NY: https://www.osc.ny.gov/unclaimed-funds