CLAIMING PROPERTY:

• Is there a deadline for making a Utah Unclaimed Property claim?
• Is there a charge or fee for this program?
• Can I fax the claim form?
• How do I claim for a deceased person?
• Why do I need an obituary when claiming for a deceased person?
• Utah Unclaimed Property Heirs can claim too!
• I just visited the web site and I’m not sure what to do.
• I submitted a claim online, how do I get the status of my claim?
• Do I need a notary?
• I filed a claim and have not received my money. How long should it take?
• Additional questions?

CLAIMING PROPERTY:

Is there a deadline for making a claim?

No. You can make a claim anytime since Unclaimed Property is kept in a custodial capacity until the rightful owner or heir can be found.

Is there a charge or fee for this program?

No.

Can I fax the claim form?

Yes, but we will still need the original form delivered to our office. We must have your original signature on the form in order to process payment.

How do I claim for a deceased person?

Provide documentation that shows your relationship or right to claim, e.g., an obituary or court documents listing you as the representative of the estate. If there is not a valid will or trust, we will follow Utah’s intestate succession rules. If you’re not sure you can claim, or want to claim just your portion, contact our office for help.

Why do I need an obituary when claiming for a deceased person?

The obituary usually lists surviving heirs. This may help in determining your eligibility to claim.

Heirs can claim too!

Lost items reported to the Unclaimed Property Division are held for the benefit of rightful owners, FOREVER. Even when someone dies before collecting their unclaimed property from the state the heirs can claim their portion.

In cases where the sole reported owner is deceased for more than three years and the will was not probated in district court then heirs may collect unclaimed property via Utah’s intestacy (no validated will) rules. These rules are established by the Utah Legislature in Utah Code*.

Understanding all of these various intestacy provisions can be difficult. Many of them are described like a computer program with many “if/then” statements. However, when you find the applicable “if” statements you can see who gets how much of the money. For example:

• If only a surviving spouse survives the reported owner, that spouse gets 100% of the unclaimed property.
• If only the children survive the reported owner, they get 100% of the unclaimed property, split equally among them.
• If both a spouse and children of the reported owner survive:
• if all the children are also children of the surviving spouse, that surviving spouse gets 100% of the unclaimed property.

OR

• if any of those children are children of a person other than the surviving spouse, the surviving spouse gets half of the unclaimed property; all the children of the reported owner that are not children of the surviving spouse equally split the other half.
• If only the parent(s) of the reported owner survive, the parent(s) get 100% of the unclaimed property.
• If neither spouse, nor issue, nor parents survive the reported owner, the unclaimed property goes (in the order listed) to: (1) brother(s) & sister(s) or their issue; (2) the grandparents or their issue.

As always, we recommend you submit your claim online with any supporting documentation you have to help us validate your right to the money. If we need more information from you we will let you know. Also, if you have any questions feel free to call our office at (801) 715-3300.

* 75-3-107 an elective share of the surviving spouse is not applicable here.

I just visited the web site and I’m not sure what to do.

Search for your name, and if you find it and believe the property belongs to you, follow the instructions for filling out a claim online.

I submitted a claim online, how do I get the status of my claim?

You can enter your claim number on the site’s “Check Your Claim Status” page.

Do I need a notary?

Sometimes yes; it depends on the dollar amount of the claim and the type of item claimed. If your form includes a section asking for a notarized signature then it is needed. You are requested to both upload the executed form and also mail us the original to complete your file. Please contact our office if you have additional questions.

I filed a claim and have not received my money. How long should it take?

It depends on the complexity of your claim for the required processing time. If you are claiming as an heir or for a business it will take longer. More complex claims take more time and work. Some Utah Unclaimed Property claims may take as long as 90 days. If you have not heard back from us within a few weeks, you may want to contact our office to check online to see the current status of your claim.