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

In Pennsylvania, a deceased owner's unclaimed property is claimed from the Pennsylvania Treasury, Bureau of Unclaimed Property.

State Where the Person Lived

Where the Estate Stands

Letters have been issuedA small estate affidavitNothing has been filed

Property Held in This State

Pennsylvania names 2 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Pennsylvania Treasury, Bureau of Unclaimed Property

Phone: 1-800-222-2046
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Email: tupmail@patreasury.gov
Website: Search and claim →
Mail: Bureau of Unclaimed Property P.O. Box 1837 Harrisburg, PA 17105-1837

Search is free at unclaimedproperty.patreasury.gov, which also takes claims online.

Short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the county Register of Wills

For: The executor or administrator appointed for the estate
Conditions: This route applies where the estate is open, a personal representative was appointed less than five years ago, the property is worth more than $20,000, or the claimant is not one of the relatives the affidavit route allows.
The short certificate comes from the Register of Wills in the county where the owner was domiciled at death.
Original documents are not required unless the Bureau asks for them.
Documents: The short certificate from the Register of Wills
The signed claim form, where the claim is not approved online
A photo identification, where the claim is greater than $5,000

Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e))

For: The surviving spouse, or else a child, grandchild or great-grandchild, parent, brother or sister or their child, or grandparent, in that order of preference
Limit: Property held for the owner of $20,000 or less
Conditions: The owner died a resident of Pennsylvania.
No personal representative was appointed, or five years have passed since one was appointed.
The claimant has the strongest claim to the property among the relatives the statute names.
Documents: A certified death certificate of the owner
The sworn affidavit stating the claimant's relationship to the owner, whether a personal representative was appointed, and anyone else who could claim
Any other information the State Treasurer requires to pay the right person
A photo identification, where the claim is greater than $5,000

Notarization and finders

Notarization: The claim form must be notarized where the claim is $5,000 or more.
Finders: A finder must hold a certificate of registration from the State Treasurer; lawyers are exempt. A finder agreement must be in writing, signed and acknowledged by the owner, state the fee, which may not exceed 15 percent of the property's value, and give the finder's registration number.

Federal and national databases

MissingMoney.com: The national database endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators searches the participating states at once for free and links to each one's official program. Most states participate; a state that does not is searched on its own official site.
The Treasury (TreasuryDirect): Unredeemed savings bonds; claims are made on FS Form 1048, as the Treasury Hunt search was withdrawn
PBGC: Unclaimed pensions from terminated plans, searched at pbgc.gov
The IRS: Undelivered tax refunds
The FDIC: Unclaimed deposits and checks from failed banks, searched by name, business name or check number
The NCUA: Unclaimed share accounts at liquidated federally insured credit unions, listed by last name and first initialamacmail@ncua.gov
The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator: A deceased person's life insurance and annuities; a participating insurer contacts the beneficiary if it finds onehelp@naic.org
The VA: Unclaimed VA life insurance

Governing law: 72 P.S. 1301.1 et seq. (Disposition of Abandoned and Unclaimed Property Act); 20 Pa.C.S. 3101(e) (heir claims without letters)

General information about claiming a deceased person's unclaimed property, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions. Data verified Aug 24, 2026

File the claim with the Pennsylvania Treasury, Bureau of Unclaimed Property. The search and the claim start at the office's site. A short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the Register of Wills is required when an estate is open, when a personal representative was appointed within the last five years, or when the property is worth more than $20,000.

Heirs can claim without letters from a probate court through the Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e)), for property held for the owner of $20,000 or less. 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e) lets the State Treasurer pay a deceased Pennsylvania resident's unclaimed property directly to family, on a Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit, when the property is worth $20,000 or less. The claim on that route includes: A certified death certificate of the owner; The sworn affidavit stating the claimant's relationship to the owner, whether a personal representative was appointed, and anyone else who could claim; Any other information the State Treasurer requires to pay the right person; A photo identification, where the claim is greater than $5,000.

Under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e), eligible claimants in preference order are the surviving spouse, then the decedent's issue (child, grandchild, great-grandchild), parents, siblings and their issue (nieces and nephews), and grandparents. With letters from a probate court, the claim is made by the executor or administrator appointed for the estate.

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 must hold a certificate of registration from the State Treasurer; lawyers are exempt. A finder agreement must be in writing, signed and acknowledged by the owner, state the fee, which may not exceed 15 percent of the property's value, and give the finder's registration number. The same property can be claimed directly through the state's own program, which charges no fee.

Claiming Unclaimed Property in Pennsylvania

Property goes to the state of the owner's last-known address in the holding company's records. Where the records show no address, it goes to the state where the company is organized, so a deceased person's property can sit in any state they once lived in or where a company that owed them is based. A search for a deceased Pennsylvania resident therefore covers Pennsylvania and every other state where the person lived, worked or held an account.

Pennsylvania names 2 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property. With letters from a probate court, the claim is made by the executor or administrator appointed for the estate. Without letters, heirs claim through the Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e)), for property held for the owner of $20,000 or less.

Whether the claim form needs a notary is the program's own rule: The claim form must be notarized where the claim is $5,000 or more.

Pennsylvania holds the property until a valid claim is paid. 72 P.S. § 1301.19(a) lets any person claiming an interest in property delivered to the Commonwealth file a claim to it, or to the proceeds from its sale, on the State Treasurer's form, with no limitation period.

Searching and claiming are free through a state's official unclaimed property program or missingmoney.com. Third-party finders or locators charge a fee, usually a percentage of the amount recovered, and the same property can always be claimed directly at no cost.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated October 26, 2026

Legal Sources

Data sourced from Pennsylvania statutes and official state code. How we research.

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

Pennsylvania names 2 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the county Register of WillsClaiming Property FAQs (Pennsylvania Treasury, Search and Claim PA)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e))20 Pa.C.S. 3101(e) (heir claims without letters)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Notarization and finders

Federal and national databases

Is this your situation?

Named as Executor

Death of a Parent

Inheritance

Forms for Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania

Petition for Probate and Letters

Notice to Creditors

Renunciation of Executor

Affidavit of Heirship

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Estate Closing

IRS Form 1310

Letter of Instruction

Tools for Settling an Estate in Pennsylvania

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How Do I Get Letters Testamentary?

What Are the Creditor Claim Deadlines?

What Happens When an Estate Is Insolvent?

How Do I Open an Estate Account When Someone Dies?

What Social Security Survivor Benefits Can I Get?

Hire a Pennsylvania Probate Attorney

Your kids shouldn't have to do this.

Pennsylvania Estate Settlement Resources

Pennsylvania names 2 routes for a deceased owner's unclaimed property.

Where to search and file

Short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the county Register of WillsClaiming Property FAQs (Pennsylvania Treasury, Search and Claim PA)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e))20 Pa.C.S. 3101(e) (heir claims without letters)Verified Oct 26, 2026View source

Notarization and finders

Federal and national databases

Short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the county Register of Wills

Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e))

Short certificate (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) from the county Register of Wills

Relationship by Entitlement to Decedent Owner Affidavit (the Relationship Affidavit under 20 Pa.C.S. § 3101(e))