Florida · Unclaimed property · Updated Oct 2026
Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property 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 Florida's official list of unclaimed property by name.
Search in FloridaSearch ClaimYourCashFL.gov using every name you have used, including maiden, married and business names.
Start a claim online and save your claim number. Starting a claim online does not file it.
Print the claim form the system creates for you. It lists the exact documents your claim needs.
Sign the form. If there is more than one claimant, each one must sign and send ID.
Mail the signed form and all documents to the address on the form. Your claim counts as filed only when the Division receives everything.
Check your status online with your claim number. Claims are handled in the order they arrive.
Partly. For claims of $2,000 or less submitted electronically, the Division may confirm your identity with an online identity check instead of a copy of your ID. We found no automatic-payment program on the official site.
Start a claim and mark the owner as deceased. You need a certified death certificate plus probate papers: for an open estate, court records (certified within the last year) showing the personal representative; for a closed estate, a certified court order naming the beneficiaries. If everything the state holds for the person totals $20,000 or less, you can use a copy of the will (if any) and an Estate Affidavit (Form DFS-UP-1243) signed by all beneficiaries.
A finder ("claimant representative") must be a Florida-licensed attorney, CPA, or private investigator registered with the Division. They must use the state's official Abandoned Property Recovery Agreement (or, if they buy your claim, the Abandoned Property Purchase Agreement); any other agreement is void. Total fees and costs are capped at 30% of the claim, and anything above that is paid back to you by the state. A purchase discount above 30% gets the claim denied. Fees can be paid only after the claim is approved. Section 717.135 sets no waiting period.
Law: Fla. Stat. § 717.135
Watch out: The Department will never text you about abandoned property, and searching and claiming are always free; report anyone who says you must act fast or pay to search.
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 Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property. Searching is free. Search every name you have used and every address where you lived in Florida.
No. The state does not charge a fee to claim. A finder ("claimant representative") must be a Florida-licensed attorney, CPA, or private investigator registered with the Division. They must use the state's official Abandoned Property Recovery Agreement (or, if they buy your claim, the Abandoned Property Purchase Agreement); any other agreement is void. Total fees and costs are capped at 30% of the claim, and anything above that is paid back to you by the state. A purchase discount above 30% gets the claim denied. Fees can be paid only after the claim is approved. Section 717.135 sets no waiting period.
Start a claim and mark the owner as deceased. You need a certified death certificate plus probate papers: for an open estate, court records (certified within the last year) showing the personal representative; for a closed estate, a certified court order naming the beneficiaries. If everything the state holds for the person totals $20,000 or less, you can use a copy of the will (if any) and an Estate Affidavit (Form DFS-UP-1243) signed by all beneficiaries.
Claims are processed in the order received, and the Division says it cannot give an exact timeframe. Missing documents are the most common cause of delay.
Last checked: Oct 2026.