Owed Money?

California could be holding some of your money. According to State Controller Betty Yee, California is sitting on unclaimed properties valued at $9.3 billion! But there’s great news – you can get it back. I encourage you to visit claimit.ca.gov to see if any of these unclaimed funds belong to you.

How did this huge pot accumulate? Under California’s Unclaimed Property Law, businesses like banks and insurance companies are required to transfer property to the Controller’s office if it goes unclaimed for a specified period of time, usually three years. Common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts, stocks, bonds, uncashed checks, insurance benefits, wages, and the contents of safe deposit boxes. Funds are held for as long as it takes to reunite the property with its rightful owner, which explains why the pot keeps growing.

Checking to see if you have unclaimed funds is easy. Once you access the website, simply type in your name and see if you’re listed. If it looks like you have some funds coming to you, you can file a claim immediately if the value is less than $5,000. Higher amounts require you to mail a form and takes longer to process. Also, please remember that there is no charge to retrieve your property from the State Controller – so watch out for scams that try to charge for this free service.

Just this February, 33,000 people received their unclaimed properties, valued at over $23 million. You could have been one of them. Don’t let the state keep funds that may legitimately belong to you – visit the Controller’s website today!

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact the Controller’s Unclaimed Property Division at (800) 992-4647.