Claiming as an Individual

What the State Needs from You

Two things, essentially: proof that you are who you say you are, and proof that you are the person named on the record. The second is where most claims stall, because the record was created from an address you may not have lived at for twenty years.

The Usual Document Set

• Government-issued photo identification
• Proof of your Social Security number, if the record shows one
• Proof you lived at the address on the record — an old utility bill, tax return, bank statement or DMV record
• A completed claim affirmation, notarized if the claim is $1,000 or more in cash

What Makes a Claim in Your Own Name Straightforward

You are the person on the record, you are alive to sign, and no court needs to appoint anyone. Most of these are decided in thirty to sixty days once the file is complete, and simple cash claims filed electronically have been paid in an average of ten days.

Start by Checking Every Version of Your Name

The record was typed by whoever held the account, from whatever they had on file. It may not be the name you would search for. Before concluding you have nothing, try:

• A maiden name, and any former married name
• Your first initial with your surname, which is how many older bank records were keyed
• A middle name used as a first name
• Common misspellings, and hyphens present or absent
• An anglicised or shortened form you used at the time
• Your name as a business would have written it, surname first

The Address Is the Sticking Point

Proving identity is easy. Proving you were the person at the address on the record is where claims stall. The address is likely one you left decades ago, and the more time has passed the harder the evidence is to find. Old tax returns, a title policy, a voter registration record from the county registrar, an insurance policy, a DMV address history — any of these will do, and it is worth looking before you need to.

What You Will Need

• Current government photo identification
• Proof of your Social Security number, where one was reported with the property
• Evidence linking you to the address on the record
• Proof of any name change, where the record is in a former name
• A notarized affirmation for cash of $1,000 or more, for any securities, and for any safe deposit box

If There Is More Than One Owner

Joint accounts are reported with every owner named. The Controller generally expects all living owners to claim together, or the ones not claiming to say in writing that they are not. Where a joint owner has died, the claim becomes an estate matter for their share.

When It Is Not Worth Hiring Anyone

If the amount is modest, the property is straightforward cash, the name matches, and you still have something with your old address on it, this is a form and a notary. The Controller’s own portal is free and works. We would rather tell you that on a call than take ten percent of something you could have collected in an afternoon.