How it works

Updated November 8, 2026

Six steps, most of them ours. You sign twice (once online, once in ink in front of a notary) and upload a few documents. We do the searching, the forms, the filing and the follow-up.

1. Find

   We search the Controller's unclaimed property file for your business under its current and former names, DBAs and past addresses, and list each record with its value, property type and the company that reported it.

2. Sign online

   You review a one-page agreement that lists each property, its value, and the fact that the Controller holds it, then sign electronically. California does not require the agreement to be notarized.

3. Upload papers

   You upload the officer's photo ID, proof of authority to act for the business, an IRS letter confirming the FEIN, and proof the business used the reported address. We send a checklist built for your claim.

4. Notary step

   We pre-fill the Controller's claim form. An authorized person signs it in wet ink in front of a notary when the cash total is $1,000 or more, or when securities are involved. We help arrange a mobile notary; the notary fee is paid to the notary.

5. We file

   You send the signed original to us by tracked mail. We assemble the full package and deliver it to the Controller by mail or courier; the Controller does not accept new claims by email or fax.

6. Track

   We follow the claim through review, answer any request for more documents, and keep you posted at each stage until the Controller pays. The Controller decides within 180 days of a complete package.

What you will need

• The business's legal name, former names and DBAs, and addresses it has used.
• Photo ID of the person signing.
• Proof that person can act for the business (for example, a corporate resolution or a letter on company letterhead signed by an officer; we pre-fill a template).
• An IRS document showing the business's FEIN.
• Something showing the business at the address the holder reported: an old invoice, lease, bank statement or tax filing.

Dissolved, merged or renamed companies need a few more papers; see dissolved, merged and renamed companies.

How payment works

When the Controller approves the claim it mails one warrant to your business for your share and a second warrant to us for our 10%. There is no invoice and no collection. If the claim is not paid, there is no fee.

What we will not do

• Ask for any fee before the state pays.
• Ask for a Social Security number or card number by phone.
• Sign anything on your behalf. The Controller requires the claimant's own signature.