How to Find (and Claim) Unclaimed Money in California
California is holding about $15 billion in unclaimed property for its owners (UnGovR, 2025 figure), and some of it may be yours: a final paycheck, a forgotten savings account, a refund check that never reached you.
Here's what unclaimed property is, how it ends up with the state, and how to search for it in minutes and claim it for free.
What unclaimed property is
Unclaimed property is money or assets that belong to you but that a business lost touch with you about. It isn't a government benefit or a giveaway; it was always yours.
When a bank, employer, insurer or other company can't reach the owner for a set number of years, California law requires it to turn the asset over to the State Controller's Office. The state then holds it for you indefinitely, with no deadline to claim it and no fee to get it back.
The law exists to protect consumers. It stops businesses from keeping forgotten money as income, and it gives you one place to check for property reported by companies across the country.
What counts, and how it reaches the state
Most unclaimed property is financial: an account or payment that went inactive and lost contact with its owner, usually for three years. Real estate is not covered, and unused gift certificates generally aren't either (CA.gov SCO FAQ).
The most common types the State Controller's Office (SCO) holds:
- Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
- Stocks, mutual funds, bonds and dividends
- Uncashed cashier's checks and money orders
- Certificates of deposit
- Matured or terminated insurance policies
- Estates
- Mineral interests and royalty payments
- Trust funds and escrow accounts
It usually happens because the owner forgot the account, moved without a forwarding address, or died without heirs knowing about it. Businesses (called "holders") must review their records every year and send dormant property to the SCO.
How long an account must sit inactive before it's sent depends on the type:
Property type | Inactive period before reporting |
|---|---|
Checking and savings accounts | 3 years |
Certificates of deposit | 3 years after maturity |
Cashier's checks | 3 years |
Wages, payroll, commissions | 1 year |
Money orders | 7 years |
Traveler's checks | 15 years |
Most other property | 3 years |
Dormancy periods from UnGovR's California summary, citing Code of Civil Procedure § 1513. Before sending property worth $50 or more, the business must first try to notify you, so a letter about "dormant" funds is often your last chance to claim directly from the business.
How to search
Searching is free and takes a few minutes at ClaimIt.ca.gov, the State Controller's official database. Type the address yourself rather than clicking ads, since look-alike paid sites exist.
- Go to ClaimIt.ca.gov and open the property search.
- Enter your last name and first name. Leave the other fields blank at first; extra filters can hide matches.
- Review the results. Each listing shows the owner name, the address on file, the type of property, the business that reported it and, in many cases, the amount.
- Look for addresses you've lived at, even long ago. A match on an old address is a strong sign the property is yours.
- Repeat the search with variations: maiden or married names, nicknames, middle names, misspellings and initials.
- Search for family members, especially anyone who has died, and for any business you own or used to own.
The database also shows property that a business has reported but not yet delivered to the state. New names are added continually, so a search that turns up nothing today can find something later (CA.gov).
How to file a claim
Filing is free, there is no deadline, and many claims can be filed entirely online. The SCO's claim filing instructions list the exact documents for each type of claimant.
- In your search results, select each property that's yours and add it to your claim. You can bundle several properties under one claim.
- Choose who you are: the owner, an heir of a deceased owner, or someone representing a business or government agency.
- Enter your contact details and the information the form asks for, including your Social Security number, which is used to match you to the property.
- Follow the path the site gives you. Eligible claims can be filed electronically; others get instructions to print, sign and mail a Claim Affirmation Form.
- Attach the required documents. These typically prove your identity and connect you to the name and address on the listing, such as an ID plus a record showing that old address.
- Submit, and keep your Claim ID. Mailed claims go to: Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 942850, Sacramento, CA 94250-5873.
- Check your status online with the Claim ID.
Once a complete claim is received, the SCO allows up to 180 days to process it (claim form). For mailed claims, allow about 60 days just for the package to be entered into the system, and claims involving stocks or other securities take extra time to pay out after approval (SCO contact page). Questions go to the claims line at 800-992-4647.
Special cases
A relative who died. Heirs, trustees and executors can claim a deceased owner's property. Expect to provide more paperwork than an owner would, such as a death certificate and documents showing your right to the estate, like a will, trust or court appointment. The SCO has separate filing instructions for heirs on its claim filing page.
A business. Search under the business's legal name and any former names. An authorized officer or owner must sign the claim.
Other states. California's database only holds property reported to California. If you've lived or banked elsewhere, check those states too. MissingMoney.com, run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, searches many states at once, and unclaimed.org links to each state's program.
Stocks and other securities. The state may sell some property as the law requires; in that case you receive the sale proceeds rather than the shares.
Avoiding scams and fees
You never need to pay anyone to search for or claim your property; the state does it for free. Watch for these:
- Upfront fees. A text, call or email asking for a fee or your bank login before releasing "your funds" is a scam. The SCO doesn't charge.
- Look-alike websites. Real state sites end in .ca.gov. Use ClaimIt.ca.gov or sco.ca.gov directly.
- Finders (heir locators). These are legal businesses that find owners and file for them for a cut. In California, their fee can't exceed 10% of what's recovered, and they can only solicit you after your property is published in the database or a year after it's turned over to the state (UnGovR, citing CCP § 1582). Since you can file yourself in minutes, read any agreement carefully before signing.
Keeping it from happening again
- Cash dividend, refund and payroll checks promptly.
- Log into or use every account at least once a year.
- Update your address with banks, brokers, insurers and employers when you move.
- Add a beneficiary or secondary contact to accounts.
- Respond to letters warning that an account is going dormant.
- Re-search ClaimIt.ca.gov once or twice a year, since new property is added all the time.
These steps follow the SCO's own prevention advice (CA.gov).
The bottom line
Searching takes a couple of minutes, filing costs nothing, and there's no deadline. Look up your own name at ClaimIt.ca.gov today, then check your parents, grandparents and any business you've run. Set a reminder to search again next year.