Guide
Should you use an unclaimed property finder?
We are one. Here is the honest version, including the cases where hiring us would be a waste of your money.
When you should just do it yourself
If all of the following are true, file it yourself and keep the whole amount. It is free, and the state wants to give you your money.
- The record is in your own name, not a relative’s and not a business’s.
- You can produce a document tying you to the address on the record.
- You have photo ID and something showing your Social Security number.
- The owner is alive — specifically, is you.
- The property is cash, not securities.
When a finder genuinely earns the fee
The claims that go unclaimed for decades are not unclaimed because nobody knows. They are unclaimed because someone started, hit a wall, and stopped. These are the walls:
- The owner has died, and the claim now needs a death certificate, probate documents and an heirship chain.
- Several heirs are entitled, and all of them have to sign or waive.
- The property is securities, which routes to a separate unit and takes six to twelve months.
- The owner was a business that has been dissolved, renamed or sold.
- You cannot prove the old address, and have no idea where to start looking.
- You filed once, got a request for more documents, and never went back.
What a fair deal looks like
Whoever you use, the agreement should meet all of these. If it does not, walk away.
- No fee of any kind before you are paid. This is the single brightest line there is.
- A percentage of what is actually recovered, at or below your state’s statutory cap.
- Nothing owed if the claim fails.
- The specific property, its value and the holder named in writing.
- A clear statement that the firm is not a government agency.
- A right to cancel before the state approves payment.
- No request for your bank details — the state pays you directly.
The fee caps are the law, not a negotiation
Every state caps what a recovery firm may charge, and an agreement above the cap is unenforceable to that extent. The caps run from 5% in Washington to 30% in Arizona, Colorado and South Dakota, with most states at 10%.
If someone quotes you a third of the money, they are either operating in one of the high-cap states or counting on you not checking. Check.
Common questions
Are unclaimed property finders a scam?
The legitimate ones are a real, regulated service. The scam version is different and recognisable: it asks for a fee before you have received anything. No legitimate firm does that, ever, for any stated reason.
How much should a finder charge?
At or below your state’s statutory cap, taken only from the recovered amount, after you are paid. Most states cap at 10%. Some allow 20-30%, which is legal but worth shopping around on.
Can I cancel after signing?
A fair agreement lets you cancel in writing at any time before the state approves payment, at no cost. If the contract in front of you does not, that tells you what kind of firm it is.
What if a firm contacted me first?
That is normal and legal — public records are public. But most states void any agreement signed within 24 months of the property reaching the state, so a firm pushing you to sign immediately is either mistaken about the law or not planning to rely on it.
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General information about state unclaimed property law, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and change; the controlling text is always the statute of the state holding the property. Last reviewed September 2026.
Find My Unclaimed is a private company. We are not a government agency and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any state treasurer, controller, or unclaimed property office. You always have the right to file your own claim directly with the state for free.