Customer credits, overpayments and refunds

Updated November 8, 2026

Overpayments, duplicate payments, unapplied credits and refunds sit on a supplier's books as a credit balance in the customer's favour. If the customer never uses or collects it, the supplier reports it.

How it ends up with the state

Paying the same invoice twice, a disputed charge that was later credited, a cancelled order, or a deposit refund that went to an old address.

When the holder cannot reach the owner for the period set by law, it reports the property to the California State Controller, along with the owner's name and last known address. The Controller then holds it until the owner claims it.

The Controller's categories

What helps prove the claim

Account statements showing the credit or the duplicate payment, and the address the account used. On top of that, every business claim needs the signer's photo ID, proof of authority to act for the business and proof of its FEIN. See the document checklist.

How we help

We search every name and address your business has used, match the records, assemble the papers and file. Our fee is 10% of what the state pays, after it pays.

Source: California State Controller unclaimed property file, records of $500 and up, dated November 4, 2026. Open records only (no claim pending or paid), owner address in California, owner = name + ZIP code, business-type names only, government names removed, owners whose records total $10,000 or more. RecoverOwed computation; classifying owners by name pattern is approximate. No individual owner is named on this site. Amounts here count only this kind of property for owners whose total across all kinds is $10,000 or more.