How We Get Paid
On one page, in plain words, because this is the question that decides whether you trust us.
Last reviewed Written from CCP § 1582 Everything here is checkable without asking us.
The Whole Arrangement
- Searching is free. Always, for anyone, whether or not you hire us.
- A phone consultation is free. No card, no deposit, no obligation.
- The DIY kit is $49, paid up front, and includes no work by us.
- Full-service recovery is 10% of what is recovered — the statutory maximum.
- The State Controller pays you directly. We invoice you afterwards.
- If nothing is recovered, you owe us nothing.
Why the Money Goes to You, Not to Us
The Controller pays the claimant directly and we bill after the fact. It keeps us your agent rather than a party to your claim, and it means we can never be holding your money.
What the Statute Requires of Us
A written agreement. A disclosure of the property and its value before you sign. A fee no higher than ten percent. No collection until the Controller has approved and paid. And your right to challenge the agreement as excessive at any time, which does not expire.
How You Are Protected
Our fee is capped at ten per cent of what is recovered by Code of Civil Procedure §1582, and nothing is owed until the State Controller has paid you. If we recover nothing, you owe nothing. Our recovery fee is never asked for up front — it comes out of money the Controller has already paid you. A booking deposit on an in-person appointment is a separate thing, and is credited back against anything you are charged.
California Unclaimed Property Services is a private asset recovery firm. We are not the California State Controller’s Office.
Sources
This page is written from the public record. Read the originals rather than taking our summary of them.
We are a private firm. We are not the State Controller’s office, not affiliated with it, and not endorsed by it.
From the knowledge base
How This Actually Works
- 16 Oct 2026 Unclaimed Property Records: What Holders Must Keep California does not state a fixed retention period in the statute text we rely on, but a holder that cannot produce the…
- 15 Oct 2026 When Your Company’s EIN Changed: Finding Property Under the Old Name When a company is acquired, the State Controller's unclaimed property records stay filed under the legal name reported at the time, not…
- 15 Oct 2026 Why California Requires Notarized Unclaimed Property Claims California requires notarization for any cash claim of $1,000 or more, and for every securities or safe deposit box claim regardless of…
- 14 Oct 2026 The Two-Sided Business Audit for Unclaimed Property A California business can turn up twice in the State's unclaimed property records: once as the rightful owner of old refunds, dividends…
- 14 Oct 2026 Suspended California Corporations and Unclaimed Property A suspended California corporation may still appear on the State Controller's unclaimed property file, but the Controller will not release payment until…
- 13 Oct 2026 Owner of Record vs. Actual Owner: What the Name Really Means Owner of record is the name a company or bank reported when it handed unclaimed property to California, not a verified current…
- 13 Oct 2026 The Unclaimed Property Liability You Inherit in an Acquisition When a company acquires another, it also acquires that company's unclaimed property history: uncashed checks, dormant accounts, and any unreported liability now…
- 12 Oct 2026 California’s Two Unclaimed Property Reporting Calendars California holders follow one of two reporting calendars. Life insurance companies file their notice report before 1 May and remit property between…
- 12 Oct 2026 Table of Heirship: What It Is and When You Need One A Table of Heirship lists each heir's relationship to a deceased owner and their proportional share of an estate. It matters most…
- 11 Oct 2026 What California Does With Your Money While It Waits California does not spend, invest, or time-limit unclaimed property. The State Controller holds it in custody under the property's reported dollar value,…
Find out in About Thirty Seconds
Give us a name and we will check the State Controller’s records under every reasonable variant of it. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.