$3.5 Million In Unclaimed Property Taxes Could Be Partly Yours

CAMPBELL, CA —Moolah, greenbacks, dough -- whatever you call it, your name might be called up to claim it on the Santa Clara County Department of Tax and Collections published list of property owners due part of the $3.5 million on deposit.

The list holds about 4,900 taxpayers who may have a stake in the $3.5 million of unclaimed refunds. Check the website at www.sccdtac.org/unclaimedrefunds.

If your name is on the list, the county requires a claim filed by Feb. 28.

As the county’s central collection agency, the tax department issues more than 500,000 property tax bills and collects over $6 billion on an annual basis. Note: Santa Clara County is considered the richest county in California.

The unclaimed property tax monies come from a variety of sources including, but not limited to, reduced assessments that dictates market value, excessive taxes paid and duplicate payments.

“We make every effort to refund the rightful owners of the unclaimed property tax money,” Director of the Department of Tax and Collections Margaret Olaiya said. “We encourage taxpayers to file a claim, if they believe that they may be due a refund based on their published names.”

The department made attempts to contact the due taxpayers by phone and other means to no avail, and many of the banks and companies listed were unable to apply the funds to the accounts because of property ownership changes.

Publishing the list on the county web site is another attempt to reach the rightful owners. This new online search on the department’s website will be ongoing and will provide eligible tax claimants with the tools to search for property tax refunds where applicable.

If taxpayers believe that they may be due a refund based on their published names, they are encouraged to visit the website to submit their claim form electronically online or print a claim form.

For more information, contact the county department's Fiscal Services Division at 408-808-7949 or at tco-acc-help@fin.sccgov.org.

When a claim form is submitted, it requires certain information be provided such as the name, address, amount of claim, and Assessor’s parcel number (APN), along with a copy of valid identification and other supporting documents.

If one misses the February deadline, unclaimed money in the property tax trust fund will be transferred to the county's general fund, which covers the bulk of operating expenses with local jurisdictions.

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