California · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
California State Controller's Office, Unclaimed Property Division holds money that businesses could not return to its owners. Here is how to search, what proof you need and how long it takes.
Search California's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in CaliforniaSearch your name or business name at claimit.ca.gov. Add a city or ZIP code to narrow the results.
Click CLAIM next to each item that is yours, then Continue to File Claim. Choose "Myself" if you are the owner, or "Heir" if you are claiming for someone who died.
Enter your current mailing address and e-sign to submit. California does not offer blank paper claim forms; claims start online.
Read the email that lists your required documents. Upload them online for faster processing, or mail them to P.O. Box 942850, Sacramento, CA 94250-9873.
Check your claim's status online with your claim ID.
You can claim for a person who died if you are an heir, trustee, or personal representative/executor/administrator. The Controller's deceased-owner filing instructions list the documents you need. For a living owner, a power of attorney cannot sign instead of the owner, except possibly when a medical condition prevents the owner from signing; then a licensed physician's verification is required and the Controller's legal office decides.
An investigator (heir finder) cannot charge more than 10% of the value of the property returned to you. Investigators cannot sign you up while the property is still with the business or listed on a pre-transfer notice. They may contract with you only after the property is sent to the State Controller. The 10% cap does not apply to claims for county probated estates.
Law: Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 1582
Watch out: You do not have to use an investigator. You can claim your property yourself, free, on the Controller's website.
Search every other state where you lived or worked. Some money, like old savings bonds and IRS refunds, is held by federal agencies.
Money that businesses could not return to you and had to hand over to a state, such as old bank accounts and insurance policies. USA.gov says state governments hold most unclaimed money.
Official siteOld paper or electronic U.S. savings bonds that were never cashed, including bonds that have matured and stopped earning interest (EE and I bonds earn interest for up to 30 years), plus lost, stolen or destroyed bonds.
Official siteTax refunds owed to people who never filed a federal tax return for a year, often because they earned little and were not required to file. The IRS says taxpayers usually have three years to file and claim a refund; after that the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury.
Official siteSearch the official database run by the California State Controller's Office, Unclaimed Property Division. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in California.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. An investigator (heir finder) cannot charge more than 10% of the value of the property returned to you. Investigators cannot sign you up while the property is still with the business or listed on a pre-transfer notice. They may contract with you only after the property is sent to the State Controller. The 10% cap does not apply to claims for county probated estates.
You can claim for a person who died if you are an heir, trustee, or personal representative/executor/administrator. The Controller's deceased-owner filing instructions list the documents you need. For a living owner, a power of attorney cannot sign instead of the owner, except possibly when a medical condition prevents the owner from signing; then a licensed physician's verification is required and the Controller's legal office decides.
Simple cash claims by the owner may take as little as 30 to 60 days. Heir, multiple-owner and business claims generally take up to 180 days, which is the time the law allows after a complete claim is received.
Last checked: Oct 2026.