Pennsylvania Unclaimed Property: How to Search and Claim

The Pennsylvania Treasury holds about $5 billion in unclaimed property, and more than 1 in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of it. The average claim is more than $1,000 [8]. Searching is free, claiming is free, and there’s no deadline: Treasury holds the property for its owner indefinitely [1][6].

What counts as unclaimed property

Unclaimed property is money or other property from accounts that went inactive and that a business couldn’t return to you, so it was turned over to the state for safekeeping [2]. Common examples [1]:

• Bank accounts
• Insurance proceeds
• Stocks, bonds and mutual funds
• Safe deposit box contents
• Utility and phone company deposits
• Uncashed checks, such as paychecks, cashier’s checks and money orders
• Customer or patient credits

It does not include real estate or vehicles [1].

For most kinds of property, a business has to report it after 3 years with no activity and no way to reach you. Unpaid wages and commissions are reported after 2 years [2]. To keep your own accounts from ending up there, make a deposit or withdrawal, update your contact details, or contact the bank at least every three years [2].

How to search and claim

1. Search by name. Go to searchandclaimpa.gov and type your last name, or last name and first name, in the search box. If you get too many results, add a city or ZIP code [4]. Search old addresses and maiden names too.
2. Select what’s yours and file. Click Claim on each item that belongs to you, then Continue to File Claim [4]. Enter your current mailing address, since that’s where the check goes, and submit to get a Claim ID [5].
3. Send any documents asked for. Many online claims qualify for online approval and need no claim form. If you’re shown a PDF claim form, sign it and upload it with your documents on the website, or mail them to Bureau of Unclaimed Property, P.O. Box 1837, Harrisburg, PA 17105-1837 [3]. Originals aren’t needed unless Treasury asks [3].
4. Track it. Enter your Claim ID on the site’s claim status page, or call 1-800-222-2046, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday [3][5].

What to have ready

• Proof you’re the owner. Treasury usually checks this through your Social Security number or a past address linked to the property [3]. If you can’t connect yourself to the old address, Treasury may ask for more records or a letter from the company that reported it [3].
• Your Social Security number. Giving it on the secure site can qualify your claim for online approval, which Treasury says means a check in weeks instead of months [3]. Treasury keeps it confidential and doesn’t share it with finders [3].
• Larger claims: forms must be notarized for claims of $5,000 or more, and Treasury asks for photo ID on claims over $5,000 [3][5].
• Claiming for someone else: a personal power of attorney works if it meets Pennsylvania’s power of attorney law, with the notice signed by the owner and the acknowledgment signed by the agent [3].

The search site shows exact amounts only for items over $500. For the value of a smaller item, call Treasury [3].

How long it takes

There’s no fixed processing time. Claims that pass the online approval process are fastest, paid in weeks [3]. Claims that need documents take longer, and Treasury can’t finish one until it has everything it asked for [3].

The law gives you a backstop: if Treasury hasn’t acted on your claim within 90 days, you can file an action in Commonwealth Court within 120 days of filing the claim. If Treasury denies a claim, you have 30 days to appeal to Commonwealth Court [9].

Money Match: money sent without a claim

Under Money Match , Treasury can send property straight to you without a claim when a business’s report names you as the only owner and the amount is under $500 [7][9]. You’ll get a letter first; the check should follow about 45 days later [7]. Treasury returned more than $50 million this way in the program’s first year [8].

Property worth more, owned jointly, or with other complications still needs a regular claim [8]. Treasury recommends searching yourself regularly rather than waiting for a letter [8]. If you think a Money Match check reached you by mistake, email MoneyMatch@patreasury.gov [8].

Finders, fees and scams

You never have to pay to get your money back. Treasury staff help you file free of charge [6]. Some people still hire a finder . Pennsylvania’s rules [6][9]:

• Finders must register with the State Treasurer. Working for a fee without a certificate of registration is illegal. Lawyers are exempt.
• The fee is capped at 15% of the property’s value.
• The agreement must be in writing, signed by you, and state the fee, the type and value of the property, the business that reported it, and the finder’s name, address, phone and registration number. Otherwise it isn’t enforceable.
• Treasury pays you, not the finder. A finder who has payments routed to them can lose their registration.

Before you sign anything, check that the finder is registered by calling 1-800-222-2046 [6]. If a finder breaks these rules, report it to Treasury’s Office of Investigations at 717-787-1606 or finderregistration@patreasury.gov [6].

Claiming for a relative who died

Unclaimed property of someone who has died can be paid to their family or estate. What you need depends on the amount, whether an estate was opened, and how you’re related [3]:

The Relationship Affidavit is for these relatives, in this order of preference: surviving spouse; children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; parents; brothers and sisters and their children; then grandparents [3].

A short certificate comes from the Register of Wills in the county where the person lived. If there was a will, the executor files it there and receives Letters Testamentary. If there was no will, you can ask the Register of Wills to be appointed administrator [3]. If the owner died before Treasury’s check was issued, the executor or administrator should contact Treasury to file [3].