How do I search Texas unclaimed property after a death?

How can a family search Texas unclaimed property after a death?

A family prepares a short list of names and places, searches on the Comptroller's own site, and keeps a note of every result. The steps below work on a phone or a laptop.

The June's Help unclaimed property checklist

1. Write the person's full name as it appears on a driver license or a tax paper, and every other spelling the family can think of: a middle name, a maiden name, a nickname, a name with a hyphen.
2. Write down the cities and addresses where the person lived or worked. Old addresses on statements and tax papers are the best clues.
3. Open the ClaimItTexas search page, the Texas Comptroller's official unclaimed property site.
4. Search the full name. Then search each other spelling, one at a time.
5. For every result that looks like the person, write down what the site shows: the owner's name, the address, the kind of property and who reported it.
6. Open the site's page on how to claim, and read what it says a claim asks for. Write down what it lists.
7. In June's Help, set the search to Searched. If a claim is filed on the official site, set Claim filed.
8. Repeat the search from time to time, because the list changes.

• Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Search for Unclaimed Property (ClaimItTexas) The Comptroller's official search for unclaimed property held in Texas., official page, opens in a new tab
• Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts How to Claim (ClaimItTexas) The Comptroller's page on how to claim, including what it asks to see., official page, opens in a new tab

See also: How do I find a life insurance policy after a death?, What goes on a checklist for settling an estate?

What is Texas unclaimed property?

It is money or property held by the state for an owner who could not be reached, and the Texas Comptroller runs the official site where a name can be searched. A family looking for unclaimed money in a loved one's name starts there, on the state's own site, rather than with a company that writes to families.

A search is a look at a list. It is not a claim, and a result is only a lead until the Comptroller's pages say more.

See also: Where to find official help after a death in Texas

Where does the site say what a claim asks for?

On the Comptroller's claim pages, which the family reads for the person's case. The site's How to Claim page and its frequently asked questions say what a claim asks for, and the office decides.

This guide states none of it. A lawyer can tell the family what applies, and the family can write down what the site asks for before talking to one.

How long does an unclaimed property claim take?

The Comptroller's office is the one to say how long a claim takes. It changes, so this guide gives no time. A family notes the date a claim was sent and checks back.

With the assistant plan, a due date that a letter from the state prints gets a reminder email, three days before unless the person who signed up picks other days, and a weekly check-in email lists the next due dates.

See also: How do I protect a loved one's identity after death?

Where else can a family look for money in the person's name?

Unclaimed property is one place among several. Mail, bank statements and the phone's email often name an insurer, a pension plan or an old employer, and each is a lead. The guide on life insurance policies goes through them, and the estate settlement checklist shows where the other steps sit.

For someone who lived alone, the first pile of mail is the best map. Photograph the letters, write down the senders, and add the ones that look official to June's Help.

See also: How do I find a life insurance policy after a death?, How do I protect a loved one's identity after death?

What does June's Help do for this search?

June's Help lists official places to look for money, such as the Texas unclaimed property search, with a link to each. The person who signed up sets each one to Searched, and to Claim filed once a claim is filed on the official site. June does not search or file anything for the family.

A letter that turns up is added by photo, and June reads a letter from a bank, a life insurance company, a pension plan or Social Security in plain words, shows the dates printed on it and suggests questions to ask the sender. The person who signed up can invite a sister or a niece who lives in Texas to a family seat, an extra on top of the assistant plan, to read the letters June has read.