The DIY Claim Kit
$49. Everything you need to file your own claim correctly the first time — the guide, the checklists, the worksheets and the templates.
Last reviewed Written from State Controller, State Controller data Everything here is checkable without asking us.
What You Are Buying
The kit is for people who want to file the claim themselves and want the paperwork explained properly. If you would rather not handle it at all, a consultation costs nothing and we will tell you what your claim looks like before you decide anything.
What It Is For
Most people do not get stuck on what unclaimed property is. They get stuck on what goes in box seven, which documents their exact situation needs, and whether the thing they are holding counts as proof. The kit is that, written down.
What Is in It
- A step-by-step guide covering the whole process, from search to payment
- Document checklists for each claimant type — individual, business, heir, executor or trustee
- Document checklists for each property type
- A name-variant worksheet, so you search the way we would
- A notarization decision flowchart
- Cover letter, chain-of-name and follow-up letter templates
- A pre-submission review checklist and a claim tracker
What It Is Not
It is not legal advice, and it does not include notarization or any review of your packet by us. It is a manual. If your situation is genuinely complicated, a consultation is the better spend.
The Honest Comparison
If your claim is straightforward and modest, the kit will almost always be the right choice over paying a percentage. If it involves securities, a contested estate, or a dissolved company, it probably will not be.
How You Receive It
Payment is taken through a secure checkout — we never see your card details. The moment it clears you get a download link on screen, and the same link by email so you cannot lose it.
Everything is PDF. It reads on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and it prints cleanly if you would rather work on paper. The worksheets and checklists are fillable on screen or printable, whichever suits you.
What Is Included with the Purchase
- The complete kit as a single PDF, plus each worksheet as a separate file
- Free updates for twelve months — State procedures and thresholds change, and you get the revisions
- Email support for problems with the download itself
- A full refund within fourteen days if the kit is not right for your situation — just tell us why
If the Download Does Not Work
Email us and we will send the files directly. Nobody has ever had to fight a download link to get something they have already paid for, and they will not start here.
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.