Millions of properties totaling more than $4 billion are currently sitting in the PA Treasury as unclaimed property. For relatives who discover that a deceased family member has unclaimed property in their name, the process of claiming what’s rightfully theirs can sometimes become a burden, especially if it involves the substantial effort and expense of having to open or re-open the decedent’s estate.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania allows certain close relatives to file a claim for smaller unclaimed properties using a notarized sworn relationship affidavit, significantly simplifying the process for them and saving them both time and money. While we recently expanded the list of relatives eligible to use this simpler process as part of Act 65 of 2024, it remains limited to claims under $11,000 – a limit that has not been updated since 2002.

My legislation would allow eligible heirs to use the notarized affidavit for filing claims for properties worth up to $20,000, making an important adjustment to reflect inflation and bringing it more in line with thresholds for small estates and simplified unclaimed property claims used in other states. Expanding eligibility for this simpler process would allow more Pennsylvanians to use it and receive money that’s rightfully theirs with less cost, less paperwork, and less delay.

This legislation is supported by the PA Treasury.

Please join me in making it easier for Pennsylvanians to claim what’s rightfully theirs by making this necessary and meaningful update to our unclaimed property process.