How Do I Claim a Deceased Person's Unclaimed Property in New York?

Heirs can claim without letters from a probate court through the Small Estates Affidavit (S.C.P.A. Section 1310) with a Table of Heirs, for property held for the owner of under $1,000Claims for Deceased Owners and Estates (New York State Office of the State Comptroller)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source. SCPA 1301 defines a small estate as one leaving personal property with a gross value of $50,000 or less, which an SCPA Article 13 voluntary administration coversN.Y. Surrogate's Court Procedure Act 1301Verified Aug 24, 2026View source. The claim on that route includes: A copy of the death certificate; The completed Small Estates Affidavit, sworn before a notary public; The completed Table of Heirs, sworn before a notary public; Proof that the deceased owner had a connection to the address reported with the funds, or to the company that reported themClaims for Deceased Owners and Estates (New York State Office of the State Comptroller)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source.

Claims of $1,000 or more must be completed by a court-appointed representative. For funds under $1,000, an heir may claim using the small-estate forms and must distribute the funds under New York's intestacy lawsClaims for Deceased Owners and Estates (New York State Office of the State Comptroller)Verified Aug 24, 2026View source. With letters from a probate court, the claim is made by the executor, administrator or voluntary administrator the Surrogate's Court appointed, with letters dated within 6 months of the claimClaims for Deceased Owners and Estates (New York State Office of the State Comptroller)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source.

Every state where the person had an address can hold some of the property: the holding company reports it to the state of the owner's last-known address, and to its own home state where it has no address on record. MissingMoney.com searches most states at once. Insurance, savings bonds, pensions, refunds and failed-bank deposits sit in federal and national databases: the Treasury (TreasuryDirect), PBGC, the IRS, the FDIC, the NCUA, the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator and the VA.

A finder, called an abandoned property location service provider, needs a written agreement on the Comptroller's form, signed by the owner and acknowledged before a notary public, and may charge no more than 15 percent of the property recovered. No registration or license is requiredN.Y. Abandoned Property Law § 1416Verified Oct 26, 2026View source. The same property can be claimed directly through the state's own program, which charges no fee.