Money in your own name? You can claim it yourself, free.

How it works

1. 1

   Search the State's list

   Go to claimit.ca.gov and search your name. Adding a city narrows a common name. Search every version of it: a former or married name, your initials, a misspelling, the name with and without a middle name. Then select Claim beside each property that is yours.

2. 2

   File the claim on the same site

   Choose that you are claiming for yourself, enter your current mailing address (the check goes there), sign electronically, and submit. You get a claim number. There is no paper claim form to find; claims start on the website.

3. 3

   Send documents, if the State asks for them

   Some claims qualify to be filed electronically with no documents at all. To be considered for that, the site asks for your Social Security number. Otherwise the claim form the State emails you lists exactly what to send, and you can upload it through the secure link in that email or mail it.

4. 4

   Track it, then watch the mail

   Check progress with your claim number on the State's claim status page. When the claim is approved, the Controller mails a check to the address on the claim. There is no direct deposit, and no one needs your bank details.

What the State may ask you to send

The State verifies you mainly through your Social Security number. When the company that reported the money left it off, or the claim needs more, the State's owner claim instructions list these, or similar documents:

• The signed claim affirmation the State sends you.
• A current driver's license or state ID card. Without one: a military ID, or a color copy of the first and last pages of a valid passport.
• Proof of your Social Security number, such as the card, or a W-2 or pay stub that shows the full number.
• Proof of your current mailing address, such as a utility, phone or bank statement.
• Proof you received mail at the address on the State's record, such as an old statement or bill sent there.
• If your name has changed since then: the marriage certificate or court papers that link the two names.

The address is where most personal claims slow down. If you have moved since, look for anything old that was mailed to you at the address the State shows.

When you need a notary

The claim affirmation must be notarized for cash claims of $1,000 or more, and for every claim for securities or the contents of a safe deposit box, whatever the value. Below that, a cash claim needs no notary.

How long it takes

The law gives the Controller 180 days to consider a claim after it is filed (CCP §1540), and the State counts from when it has everything it asked for. The State says a simple cash claim from the owner can take as little as 30 to 60 days. There is no deadline on your side: California holds unclaimed property indefinitely, so nothing here is urgent.

If the State asks for more, or says no

A request for more documents is normal, not a refusal. Send exactly what the letter asks for, on the same claim; do not open a second one. Most problems are about proof, not about whether the money is yours.

If a claim is denied and you disagree, the law lets you take it to superior court within 90 days of the denial (CCP §1541). Read the reason in the letter first; often the answer is one more document.

Claiming for someone else

If the owner has died, the site lets you claim as an heir, and the State's heir claim instructions list what proves it. If the owner is living, they claim it themselves: the State generally does not accept a power of attorney in place of the owner's signature. When money is owned jointly, each owner signs the claim or files for their own share.

Free help, from the State

The State Controller's Unclaimed Property line answers questions at no cost: (800) 992-4647, or (916) 323-2827 from outside the United States, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific, except state holidays.

What no one should ask you for

Claiming is free. Anyone who offers to do it for you is limited by law to 10% of what is recovered and cannot be paid until the State pays you (CCP §1582). No one needs money up front, your bank login, or your bank account to get you a State check. If a letter about unclaimed property looks wrong, forward it to the Controller at CSUResearch@sco.ca.gov.

If your business is owed money

That is the part we do. Business claims need proof that ties a company to an old address, an officer with authority to sign, and a notarized signature, which is where they stall. See how we handle a business claim.