If your property sold for more than you owed, the difference is yours.
After a foreclosure or tax sale, the money left over goes to the former owner, not the bank and not the county. Most people are never told it exists. We find it, file the claim, and send you your share. You pay nothing unless we recover it.
- Free case review
- Nothing up front
- Confidential
Not sure it applies to you? Take the one-minute check.
Free case review
Could money be waiting for you?
Tell us about the property. We’ll check the court and county records and tell you within 24–48 hours whether funds are there. Free, with no obligation.
Money waiting right now, county by county
We help former owners in every state. In some counties we also follow the county’s own published list of surplus funds, to show how much is waiting: $65.4 million from tax deed sales in these 19 Florida counties alone.
- Miami-Dade County$22,740,541
- Lee County$11,715,172
- Brevard County$7,731,461
- Polk County$5,399,089
- Sarasota County$2,511,870
- Leon County$2,194,737
- Santa Rosa County$1,914,676
- Highlands County$1,570,293
- Washington County$1,475,223
- Alachua County$1,447,970
- Flagler County$1,377,205
- Pinellas County$1,329,321
- Manatee County$1,296,665
- Jackson County$1,007,059
- Lake County$653,639
- Gilchrist County$415,147
- Seminole County$395,094
- Monroe County$191,014
- Putnam County$52,237
Your county isn’t listed? That only means we don’t publish its figures yet. We’ll check any county, in any state, free.
In some states, the county keeps it
Unclaimed surplus doesn’t always wait for you. In these states the county keeps it for good once a deadline passes:
- Washington: three years after a tax sale.
- Oklahoma: one year after a county resale.
- Texas: two years after a tax sale, then the county, city and school district keep it.
- California: one year after the tax deed is recorded.
- Nevada: one year after the deed is recorded, and the county takes a share first.
Do I qualify?
You may have surplus funds waiting if all of these are true:
- Property sells at auction for
- $180,000
- Mortgage, back taxes and fees owed
- minus $120,000
- Left over, and yours by law
- $60,000
- Your home or property was sold at a foreclosure or tax auction.
- It sold for more than you owed on the mortgage or taxes.
- The sale was within the last one to five years. The deadline depends on your state.
- You have not been paid anything by the court, the county or the trustee.
Not sure? Call us at 9-SURPLUS-24. We will tell you within 24–48 hours whether there are funds, for free. New to this? Read surplus funds, explained.
Check if you’re owed money
Five quick questions give you a first answer. Your answers stay on your device; nothing is sent to us unless you ask for a review.
How it works
Free case review
We look up your property and the sale to confirm whether surplus funds exist. It takes 24–48 hours and costs nothing.
You sign our agreement
If there is money, we send a simple contingency agreement that states our fee in writing. Nothing is due up front.
We file and follow up
We prepare and file the claim with the court, county or trustee, and handle every follow-up until it is decided.
You get paid
Most recoveries finish in 60–120 days, depending on the state. We send your share as soon as the funds are released.
What it costs
Nothing up front, and nothing at all if we don’t recover your money. We work on contingency: our fee is a percentage of what we collect for you, agreed in writing before we file anything.
For that, we do the whole job. We research the court and trustee records, prepare the paperwork, file the claim, and deal with the court or agency until the money is paid out.
We also look after your privacy. A surplus claim is filed with a court or county, and what’s filed usually becomes a public record that anyone can look up. Claims can call for your Social Security number, date of birth, bank details and a copy of your ID, and when you file on your own it’s easy to attach all of it in full. We work to keep that information out of the public file wherever the court or county allows, and to give only what a claim truly requires. Our privacy policy explains how.
The 2023 Supreme Court decision in Tyler v. Hennepin County confirmed that a government cannot keep the surplus from a tax sale. That money belongs to the owner.
How to check we’re legitimate
After a foreclosure, it’s wise to be suspicious of anyone who says money is waiting for you. Here’s how to check us, or anyone else who contacts you.
- Confirm the money yourself
- Ask us for the case number and the court or county office holding the funds, then call that office. They can tell you whether surplus funds are on deposit.
- Never pay anything up front
- We’re paid only from money we recover for you, under a written agreement you can read before you decide. Anyone who asks for a fee first is a red flag.
- You can file on your own
- Claiming your own money doesn’t require us, or anyone. Here’s how to start.
- Look us up
- Bow and Bounty, LLC is a Wyoming company. Search our name on the Wyoming Secretary of State’s business search. Mail reaches us at 30 N Gould St #39494, Sheridan, WY 82801.
Questions people ask
More in surplus funds, explained.
I got a letter or postcard from Bow and Bounty. Is it real?
Yes, if it came from us, and you don’t have to take our word for it. Ask us for the case number and the court or county office holding the money, then call that office yourself. We’re a private company, not a government agency, and we never ask for money up front. You can also look up Bow and Bounty, LLC in the Wyoming Secretary of State’s business search, and reach us at 9-SURPLUS-24.
Do I have to pay anything up front?
No. We work on contingency: our fee is a percentage of what we recover, agreed in writing before we file anything, and you pay nothing if we don’t recover your money.
Can I file the claim myself?
Yes. You never need a company to claim your own money. Our guide explains how. Some people prefer to have it handled, especially when there are liens, heirs or several claimants; that’s what we do.
How long does it take?
We tell you within 24–48 hours whether funds are there. Once a claim is filed, most recoveries finish in 60–120 days, depending on the state and on whether anyone else claims the money.
What if the owner has died?
The money usually belongs to their estate, and the family can claim it. We help families with the probate or heirship paperwork the court or county asks for.
Find out if you’re owed money
Tell us the property address and the owner’s name. We check the court and county records and tell you within 24–48 hours whether funds are there. The review is free, with no obligation.