Government Code Section 50050, et.seq. provides that unclaimed monies, which remain in the treasury or in the custody of the officers of a local agency for three (3) years, become the property of the agency. At the end of the three-year period, those items in excess of $15 must be published as notification that the money will become the property of the agency after a designated date if it is left unclaimed; items under $15 need not be published. Escheatment to the general fund occurs if a verified claim is not filed by the designated date forty-five days after the date of first publication. After this date, money left unclaimed will become the property of the county and can no longer be claimed.


CLAIM PROCESS


The County of San Diego Treasurer-Tax Collector is currently in possession of Unclaimed Monies belonging to individuals and organizations doing business with or receiving services from the County. Unclaimed monies consist of warrants/checks that remain uncashed for a period of more than six months, usually resulting from warrants/checks that are returned as undeliverable by the postal service. Often the payee has moved and does not leave a forwarding address or the forwarding order has expired. In addition, warrants/checks may remain uncashed for any number of other reasons including lost or destroyed. The most common types of unclaimed monies include, but are not limited to, supplier payments for goods or services.

Review the following link to locate unclaimed monies that might be owed to yourself or your business:

•  Unclaimed Monies List

If after reviewing the Unclaimed Monies Listing, you have determined that the County may have funds belonging to yourself or business, print the Request for Unclaimed Monies Form and follow the Filing Instructions provided below.

The County of San Diego has a duty to release funds only to the rightful payee. In this regards, we ask the payees to provide documentation to validate their claims to ensure that no one but the rightful payee can receive Unclaimed Monies. Payees may claim their monies directly from the County of San Diego without any service charges or fees.

Filing Instructions:

Click here for the Unclaimed Monies Request Form.

On the request for unclaimed monies form the following fields must be filled in completely in order to process your claim:

• Warrant/Check No
• Amount
• Payee Full Name/Business Name
• Social Security No./Taxpayor I.D.
• Street Address
• City
• State
• Zip
• Country
• Daytime Phone
• Claimant or Authorized Agent Signature
• Date
• Address of Residence previous 3 years

Also, if you are filing a claim for which there are multiple payees on the warrant/check, please note that each payee must sign the claim form and submit the required documentation.

In addition, your signature WILL need to be notarized if your claim exceeds $500.00.

You must also provide the following documentation to our office when filing your claim:

Individuals

• A copy of current photo identification for each claimant
• Verification of address, if mailing address if different from original mailing address or photo identification

Business

• Copy of current photo identification for the authorized agent signing the form
• Letter of Authorization on Company letterhead with the names of officers or officials with authority to sign and claim on behalf of the business
• If your company merged with another company, a copy of the merger agreement;
• If your company was dissolved, a copy of the articles of dissolution;

Mail the completed claim form and documents to the following address:

County of San Diego
Treasurer-Tax Collector

Attn: Escheatment Processing
1600 Pacific Highway, Rm 152
San Diego, CA 92101

When our office receives your completed claim form, we review it carefully. If the evidence is not adequate to prove your ownership or a subsequent payment has been processed, our office will contact you or return all documents submitted, with a letter stating why the claim is incomplete or being denied. Please allow 4-6 weeks processing time.

Questions regarding unclaimed funds should be directed to the accounting division of the Treasurer's office at 619-531-4743.