Tax-sale and foreclosure surplus funds
When a home or piece of land sells for more than what was owed, the extra money belongs to the former owner. Counties often hold it for months or years because nobody claims it. We tell people about this money, show them how to claim it for free, and handle the paperwork for anyone who would like help.
We currently work in Alaska, Idaho and Mississippi.
You do not need Rightful Recovery, an attorney or anyone else to claim surplus funds. The county, borough or state office holding the money will accept a claim directly from you, and they do not charge for it. Our free guide below links to those offices.
Rightful Recovery is a private company. We are not a government agency, and no county, borough, court or state office has endorsed us. If you want to confirm that money is being held for you, call the office holding it using the phone number on that office's own website.
Plenty of people can file a claim on their own with a little direction, and we're happy to point the way. Others would rather hand it off, especially when an estate, an old address or a close deadline is involved. Either choice is fine with us.
Do it yourself
$0, always
Done for you
10% only if money is recovered
Complex cases are quoted in writing up front.
These are the offices that hold surplus money from tax sales in the states we cover. Each one has its own form and rules, so contact the office for the county or borough where the property was. Rules change, and this page is a general summary, not legal advice. The office holding the money has the final word.
Separate from surplus funds, every state keeps old bank balances, uncashed checks, deposits and insurance payouts that were never claimed. Searching is free.
Statute summaries were checked against public sources in October 2026. Rules and deadlines change, so always confirm with the office holding the funds.
Here's what we can help with. Items marked We can help are part of our full-service recovery. Items marked Free guidance are ones we never charge for: we'll point you to the official place to claim. Not sure which applies? Just ask.
Money left over when a property sells at a tax sale for more than the taxes owed.
Extra money from a foreclosure sale after the lender and costs are paid.
Leftover funds when an association forecloses and the sale brings in more than the debt.
Overage from sheriff's or court-ordered sales, held until the right person claims it.
Unpaid portions of an award when government took property for public use.
Checking, savings and CDs that were turned over to the state after going quiet.
Final paychecks or business payments that were never cashed.
Deposits that were never returned after you moved or closed an account.
Premium refunds, claim payments and life insurance benefits nobody collected.
Shares, dividend checks and fund accounts sent to the state as unclaimed.
Items or proceeds from boxes the bank turned over after the rent went unpaid.
Money held by a court, such as bail or bond refunds and deposits.
Credits and refunds owed by companies that closed or went through bankruptcy.
Funds still held in the name of someone who has passed away.
Gathering the proof an office needs to pay the right family member or estate.
A simpler path than probate in states that allow it for smaller amounts.
Money held for your business, like overpayments, refunds and credits.
Funds held for a company that has since closed, merged or changed names.
Free guidance only, no fee. We point you to the official place to claim.
Some FHA borrowers are owed a refund. Check at HUD.gov.
Contact the settlement administrator named in the notice. Filing is usually free.
Coming soon.
Some services aren't available in every state; we'll tell you up front if your case needs a licensed attorney or investigator.
If you decide you'd like us to handle it, here is what happens. You can stop at any point before you sign, and you have 10 days after signing to cancel at no cost.
We explain what the public record shows, how much is listed and who is likely entitled to it. We also remind you how to claim it yourself. There's no cost or commitment at this stage.
If you want our help, you sign a short written agreement. It shows our fee in dollars, what you keep, and gives you 10 days to cancel at no cost.
We prepare the claim, arrange a notary, collect the documents the county asks for and follow up until it decides. In the states we cover, the county pays you directly. You pay our fee after the money arrives.
10%
of the money actually paid to you, and only if it is paid.
There are no upfront charges, sign-up fees or hidden costs. If the claim doesn't succeed, you owe us nothing. Because the county pays you directly in Alaska, Idaho and Mississippi, we never handle your money. We invoice our share only after the funds have been paid to you.
Complex cases are quoted in writing. Some claims take a lot more work, such as estates, missing or multiple heirs, or cases that need probate or a court filing. For those, we tell you the fee in writing before you sign anything, and you can always decide not to go ahead. You still pay nothing unless money is recovered.
The free guide and any general questions you send us cost nothing, whether or not you hire us.
Using a round example amount. Your amount will be different.
| Surplus paid to you by the county | $20,000 |
| Our fee (10%) | $2,000 |
| You keep | $18,000 |
If you claimed it yourself, you would keep the full $20,000. That's why we tell everyone about the free option first.
When a property is sold at a tax sale or a foreclosure auction, the sale pays off the taxes or debt, plus interest and costs. If the buyer paid more than that, the leftover money is called surplus funds, or sometimes excess proceeds. In most states that money belongs to the former owner, or to their heirs if the owner has died.
In 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Tyler v. Hennepin County that a county can't simply keep the excess from a tax sale. Many owners still never claim it, often because they moved and never got the notice.
Counties and boroughs publish lists of surplus funds waiting to be claimed. Your name, or the name of someone in your family, appeared on one of those public lists. We found a mailing address through public property records or a commercial address-lookup service and sent you a letter.
We may contact owners by mail, phone or email using public records. We do not make automated or robocalls. If you'd like us to stop contacting you, tell us once and we will.
It's a fair question, and you should ask it of anyone who contacts you about money. Here's how to check us, and anyone else:
Please don't email us your Social Security number or copies of ID through this website. If you hire us, we'll set up a secure way to collect documents.
Yes, and some are short. In Alaska, a claim filed more than six months after the tax sale is barred. In Idaho, the county window is 60 days from its notice, then the money moves to the State Treasurer, where you can still claim it. In Mississippi, the money can be claimed during a two-year window that starts once the redemption period ends.
Deadlines differ by state and sometimes by county, and they can change. The free guide has more detail, and the office holding the money can tell you the exact date for your case.
Often, yes. Heirs or the estate's personal representative may be entitled to the money. The county will usually ask for a death certificate and proof of who has authority to act for the estate. These claims take more paperwork, and that's where many families ask us for help. If a court filing is needed, we'll refer you to an attorney you hire directly.
You don't have to, and plenty of people don't. Some people would rather not deal with forms, notaries, phone calls to the county and deadlines, or they're sorting out a relative's estate and have enough on their plate. If that's you, we can take it on. If not, the free guide is yours to use.
Right now, Alaska, Idaho and Mississippi. We may add more states later, working with licensed partners where a state requires it. The free links on this site and on Unclaimed.org work no matter where you live.
No. For federal programs like IRS refunds, savings bonds, FHA refunds and PBGC pensions, we only point you to the official agency, and that help is always free. You claim directly with the agency.
Counties hold a lot of money that belongs to former owners, and many of those owners have no idea it exists. Some lost a home in hard circumstances. Some inherited land they never saw. The notices often go to an old address.
So we do two things. We share what we find openly, including how to claim for free, because people deserve to know about money that's theirs. And for people who want a professional to handle it, we offer full-service recovery on a contingency fee.
We use software, including AI tools, to read public surplus lists and match them to owners. A person reviews every match before we contact anyone, and a person reviews every claim before it's filed.
Ask a question, ask us to check whether a list shows your name, or tell us you'd like help with a claim. A free question doesn't sign you up for anything.
Prefer not to hear from us? Send a note to the email above with "stop" and your name and address, and we'll remove you from our mailing list.