Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property
Florida · Unclaimed Property
fltreasurehunt.govState Unclaimed Property in Florida
The Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property, holds dormant accounts, uncashed checks, insurance proceeds, and similar assets until the owner or their heirs claim them. Heirs of a deceased owner file a claim with a certified death certificate plus documentation proving entitlement.
Steps to take when someone dies
- •Open estate: clerk-certified estate records, dated within one year of filing, showing the personal representative's authority to act
- •Closed estate: a certified probate court order identifying the beneficiaries and each one's proportional entitlement
- •Property totaling $20,000 or less with no probate pending: Form DFS-UP-1243 (Estate Affidavit) signed by all beneficiaries, plus a copy of the will if the owner died testate
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate: Certified as authentic by the issuing governmental agency.
- Clerk-certified estate records: if the estate is open. Certified by the clerk of court within one year, showing the personal representative's authority.
- Certified probate court order: if the estate is closed. Identifies the beneficiaries and the proportional entitlement of each.
- Copy of the will: on a small estate affidavit claim, if the owner died testate
- Photo identification: for every claimant
- Signed claim form: for every claimant
State Unclaimed Property in Florida: key facts
What Florida says6
- Official search
fltreasurehunt.gov offers a free search and online claim initiation, available at no cost to owners and heirs.1
- Documents for an heir or estate claim
Rule 69G-20.0022 requires a claim for a deceased owner to include a certified copy of the death certificate. For an open estate it adds court records certified by the clerk within one year; for a closed estate, a certified probate court order identifying the beneficiaries and each one's proportional entitlement.2
Under the rule, a will standing alone is never sufficient. Every claimant also submits photo identification and a signed claim form.2
Section 717.1261 requires anyone claiming property by means of a death to file a copy of the decedent's death certificate certified as authentic by the issuing governmental agency.3
- Claiming without a probate order
Section 717.1243 lets beneficiaries claim without a probate court order by filing Form DFS-UP-1243 (Estate Affidavit) signed by all beneficiaries, where all property the Department holds for the owner totals $20,000 or less and no probate proceeding is pending.4
The affidavit states that the beneficiaries have amicably agreed on a division of the estate and that funeral expenses, expenses of the last illness, and other lawful claims have been paid. A copy of the will is filed if the owner died testate, and no partial payments are made.4
- Processing time
Section 717.124 requires the Department to determine a claim within 90 days after receipt of the claim, or after the claimant's response to a request for additional information, whichever is later.5
That period is extended by 60 days for good cause or in specified cases: bankruptcy, a foreign address, a claimant outside the United States, or non-English documents.5
- Deadline to claim
There is no deadline to claim. The Department acts as custodian and never takes legal ownership of the property, and the Division states that citizens have the right to claim their property any time, regardless of the amount.1
- Fees
The Division states that citizens have the right to claim their property at no cost.1
Governing law: Fla. Stat. Chapter 717 (Florida Disposition of Abandoned Personal Property Act); §§ 717.124, 717.1243, 717.1261; Fla. Admin. Code R. 69G-20.0022
Deadlines1
- Response to a Department request for additional documentation
within 60 days1
Not in Florida's published guidance1
- The Division's expected processing time
Florida unclaimed property
Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property
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