Texas Unclaimed Money Finder

You can charge up to 10% as a Texas unclaimed money finder.

However you must be a licensed private investigator to search for unclaimed money in Texas.

Here is an excerpt from the Texas unclaimed money finder site regarding finders:

“Locator, finder, tracer, heirfinder, collector, investigator, researcher, broker, etc., — regardless of the name you choose to identify your business — you must be licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Bureau if you are going to charge a fee for locating missing owners in Texas.”

You can get more information on becoming licensed at the Texas Department of Public Safety here: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RSD/PSB/FAQs/licensingFAQs.htm .

Besides being licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, you also need to have a current sales tax permit.

Regarding the fee for finder:

“Section 74.507 of the Texas Property Code states that one may not contract for or receive from the claimant, an amount (including all expenses incurred) in excess of 10% of the value of the abandoned property recovered.”

Finders need to request a claim form from the Comptroller’s Office. The claim form will be mailed directly to the claimant and must be signed by the claimant.

Finders also need a Limited Power of Attorney  form to facilitate to processing of the claim.  A separate authorization form must be submitted with each claim.

All documentation requested on the claim instructions must be provided to prove ownership and should be mailed to the address shown on the claim form.

Texas does provide a list for finders.  That list is available for download at http://texastransparency.org/Data_Center/Search_Datasets.php 

There are several lists available based on the year.

For more information on unclaimed money in Texas please go to the Texas Unclaimed Property Code:

Please click here is you would like to learn more about becoming and unclaimed money finder.