UnKlaimed Search your name
$11B+
held by California — one of the largest unclaimed-property funds in the nation
1 in 7
Americans has unclaimed property waiting to be claimed
$0
upfront — you only pay if we recover your money, capped at 10%

How it works in California

Your part takes about ten minutes. The State’s part takes about three months. Here is the whole thing, including the bits most services don’t mention until you’re already in.

1

Search & match · 1 minute

Type your name. We check it against the State Controller’s published records and show what may be yours — holder, amount, and the year it was reported.

2

Enter your details · same day

Verify your identity with a photo of your ID, sign the investigator agreement, and upload the documents California asks for. About ten minutes on your phone.

3

We check it, then file · ~24 hours

A person reviews every claim before it goes in. A claim with one mistake gets rejected and starts over, so we check every line against the State’s requirements first. Then we file, and the State Controller issues your claim number.

4

Sign the State’s own form · a few weeks later

California issues its own numbered claim form once the claim is open, and that is the document that must carry your signature. You’ll sign it on your phone. For claims of $1,000 or more the State requires a notary — we connect you to one online, free, no appointment and no trip.

5

Get paid · 2–6 months

The State Controller approves the claim and mails your check. You are never charged by us — California pays our 10% fee separately, as its own payment, so nothing comes out of your pocket at any point.

One California rule worth knowing up front

California law (Code of Civil Procedure §1582) bars a paid recovery service from contracting with you on property the State has held for less than 24 months. If what we find for you is newer than that, we will tell you so, show you how to claim it free from the State yourself right now, and offer to set a reminder for when we’re allowed to help. We would rather lose the claim than quietly sign you up for something the law makes void.

What to know about California's unclaimed property

Common property types

  • Bank accounts & uncashed checks
  • Wages, payroll & final paychecks
  • Life-insurance & annuity proceeds
  • Stocks, dividends & mutual-fund shares
  • Safe-deposit-box contents
  • Utility & rental deposits, refunds

California highlights

  • Administered by the State Controller’s Office (not a Treasury)
  • Generally a 3-year inactivity period before property escheats (1 year for payroll)
  • Huge volume from California’s banking, technology, and entertainment sectors
  • Claims of $1,000+ require a notarized affidavit — handled online with us
  • No deadline for you: California holds it indefinitely and you can claim it any time
  • But a paid recovery service can't contract on property held under 24 months (§1582)

Administered by the California State Controller’s Office (SCO), Unclaimed Property Division. You can also search the official California database directly at claimit.ca.gov — most claims, though, involve documentation, ID verification, or estate paperwork that goes faster with help.

Cities with the most unclaimed property in California

  • Los Angeles
  • San Diego
  • San Jose
  • San Francisco
  • Fresno
  • Sacramento

Is this safe?

Bank-grade partners

Identity verification and payments run on Stripe; required notarizations use BlueNotary, an approved online-notary provider. Your full SSN is encrypted and never stored in the clear.

You're always in control

You can search and claim for free directly with the California State Controller’s Office (SCO), Unclaimed Property Division. UnKlaimed is a private recovery service — not a government agency — and we only earn if you do.

Don’t take our word for it

UnKlaimed, LLC is registered with the California State Controller’s Office as an unclaimed property investigator, operating under its Standard Investigator Agreement. California doesn’t issue investigators a public licence number, and it publishes no searchable registry — so there is no ID for us to print here, and anyone who quotes you one is quoting a number that doesn’t exist. Here is what you can actually check instead.

1. Check the money, not us

Search your own name at claimit.ca.gov, the State Controller’s own site. If the property we showed you is listed there, it’s real. If it isn’t, walk away — from us or from anyone else. This takes about a minute and needs no account.

2. Check the rules against the State’s own page

The SCO publishes a page for consumers about investigators. It confirms the two things that matter: the fee cap is 10%, and searching and claiming through the State is always free. Both match what we tell you. If a finder’s terms don’t match that page, that’s your answer.

3. Ask us, or ask the State

Email inquiries@getunklaimed.com and we’ll send you the State Controller’s written confirmation of our registration. Or call us on (801) 413-7893. Or skip us entirely and call the SCO’s Unclaimed Property Call Center on (800) 992-4647, 8am–5pm Pacific, weekdays.

Questions

How much does it cost to recover unclaimed money in California?

Searching is free. If we recover your property, our fee is 10% of the amount recovered — never more than California law allows. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.

In California you are never charged by us at all, and we never ask you for a card. The State Controller pays our fee directly, as a separate payment made at the same time it pays you your share.

Can't I just claim it myself in California?

Yes — you can file free directly with the California State Controller’s Office (SCO), Unclaimed Property Division. People use UnKlaimed because we do the tedious part: matching records, verifying identity, preparing and filing the exact forms, arranging notarization when required, and tracking the claim to payment — all from your phone, with nothing out of pocket.

How long does a California claim take?

A straightforward cash claim can be paid in 30 to 60 days. But California law allows the State Controller up to 180 days from the date it receives a complete claim package, and heir, multi-owner, business and securities claims generally do take that long. The SCO is currently reporting higher-than-expected claim volumes, so plan for the longer end and treat anything faster as a bonus.

A few weeks in, the State issues its own numbered claim form carrying your claim number, and you'll sign that on your phone as well. That second signature is a normal part of California's process, not a sign that something went wrong — we'll email you when it's ready. We keep you updated at every step.

Can UnKlaimed file on property that was reported recently?

Not immediately. Under California Code of Civil Procedure §1582, an agreement with a paid recovery service is void if it's entered into within 24 months of the property being delivered to the State Controller.

So if the money we find for you was reported less than two years ago, we can't take it on yet. We'll tell you that plainly, point you to claimit.ca.gov where you can file for it free yourself today, and offer to remind you when the 24 months are up. You never lose the property — California holds it indefinitely.

Where is the official California unclaimed property search?

The official database is run by the California State Controller’s Office (SCO), Unclaimed Property Division (claimit.ca.gov). UnKlaimed is an independent service that searches those records and files the claim for you; you can always search and claim for free directly with the state.

Is there a deadline to claim unclaimed property in California?

No. California holds unclaimed property in trust indefinitely — there is generally no deadline and no statute of limitations to claim what's yours. The only timing rule is the other way round: a paid recovery service like us has to wait until the State has held it for 24 months (§1582). You can claim it yourself at claimit.ca.gov at any time, including today.