Payroll, wage and commission checks

Updated November 8, 2026

Wage, salary and commission checks are usually owed to individuals, but some are payable to a business, for example a company paid for a person's services or an agency owed commissions.

How it ends up with the state

A final payment after a contract ended, a commission check sent to a former address, or a payment to a company that has since changed its name.

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

The contract, statements of commissions or payments, and proof of the address 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.