The State of California is currently in possession of more than $5.1 billion in Unclaimed Property belonging to approximately 8.2 million individuals and organizations.

The State acquires unclaimed property through California's Unclaimed Property Law, which requires "holders" such as corporations, business associations, financial institutions, and insurance companies to annually report and deliver property to the Controller's Office after there has been no customer contact for three years. Often the owner forgets that the account exists, or moves and does not leave a forwarding address or the forwarding order expires. In some cases, the owner dies and the heirs have no knowledge of the property.

The most common types of Unclaimed Property are:

• Bank accounts and safe deposit box contents
• Stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and dividends
• Uncashed cashier's checks or money orders
• Certificates of deposit
• Matured or terminated insurance policies
• Estates
• Mineral interests and royalty payments, trust funds, and escrow accounts

California Unclaimed Property Law does NOT include real estate property.

To find out if any of this money belongs to you, search our Unclaimed Property Database.

The Unclaimed Property law was enacted to prevent holders of Unclaimed Property from using your money and taking it into their business income. This law gives the State an opportunity to return your money and provides California citizens with a single source, the State Controller's Office, to check for Unclaimed Property that may be reported by holders from around the nation.

Businesses and financial institutions (holders) are required to send a notice to your last known address, informing you that your account will be transferred to the State Controller for safekeeping if you do not notify the institution of your intent to maintain your account. If the institution is unable to contact you, or if you fail to contact the institution, your account is remitted to the State. The State Controller's Office will send a notice informing you of your Unclaimed Property, provided it is able to find a more current address by matching your reported Social Security number with the Franchise Tax Board's records. The State Controller publishes a notice in newspapers of general circulation in each county annually to inform California residents that they may have unclaimed property.

Owners or heirs may claim their property directly from the State Controller without any service charges or fees. However, if you are represented by an heir finder (also known as an investigator or asset locator), he or she may charge you a fee not to exceed 10% of the value of the property, per Section 1582 of California's Unclaimed Property Law.

When printing a claim form from our Web site, follow the instructions provided. These filing instructions include a checklist of documentation you will need to provide our office when filing your claim. All claim types generally require information such as:

• A copy of current photo identification for each claimant
• A copy of a Social Security card or a tax identification number for each claimant
• Verification of reported address if different from current address
• Specific documentation relating to the type of property, such as original passbook, cashier's check, stock certificate, etc.

Mail the completed claim form and documents to the following address:

Unclaimed Property Division
P.O. Box 942850
Sacramento, CA 94250-5873

When our office receives your completed claim form, we review it carefully. If the evidence is not adequate to prove your ownership, our office will contact you or return all documents submitted, with a letter stating why the claim is incomplete. Our office is required by law to make a payment determination of all claims within 180 days from the date a package with all supporting documents is received.