Unclaimed royalties in Texas
Does the state hold your royalties?
Family names count. Search them all.
UNCLAIMED ROYALTIES · FOUR NUMBERS
3years
Unclaimed after it became payable, and Texas presumes the proceeds abandoned.
60days
Notice the operator must send before it hands over an amount over $250, if it has your address.
0deadline
No time limit to claim it from the state. The funds are held until the rightful owner takes them.
$0to search
Searching and claiming are free. A finder may charge 10 percent at most.
Check your family's names too.
How it happens
How a royalty becomes unclaimed property
Month 0
Oil or gas is sold
The royalty becomes payable 60 days after the sales month for oil and 90 days for gas, unless your lease sets another time. NRC §91.402Payable, unpaid
It goes unclaimed
The check is never cashed, the owner cannot be found, or the payment is held. The clock counts from when it became payable, not from the sale.After 3 years
Presumed abandoned
The proceeds, the owner's right to receive them, and later proceeds under the same right are all presumed abandoned. Prop. Code §75.101By July 1
Reported and delivered
A holder that has it on March 1 reports it and delivers it to the Comptroller by July 1. Over $250, it must first mail or email you notice, at least 60 days before, if it has an address. Prop. Code §74.101 Prop. Code §74.1011Then
The state holds it for you
The Comptroller sends notice to reported owners the following year and holds the money with no statute of limitations. You claim it when you find it. ClaimItTexas FAQ
Check the period before you count it
Step by step
How to search and claim on ClaimItTexas
Step 1: Open the search page
Go to ClaimItTexas and choose Search for Unclaimed Property.
Step 2: Search by name
Type the last or business name and the first name. If you get too many results, add a city. If you have an owner notice in the mail, type the Property ID instead.
Step 3: Add the property and start the claim
Choose Claim next to each match that is yours, then Continue to File Claim. There is no blank form to download. The site builds your claim form from your search.
Step 4: Sign, attach and send
Sign the form and add your papers. Upload them to the site as PDF, TIF, PNG or JPG files under 10 MB, or mail them. ClaimItTexas documents
Step 5: Track it
Use your Claim ID to see progress. An approved claim is paid by paper check, mailed by the U.S. Postal Service. How to claim
NAMES TO SEARCH
- Your name as it prints on your stubs, and any earlier name
- Parents and grandparents whose minerals you inherited
- A family trust, LLC or estate that holds the minerals
- Different spellings, and with or without a middle initial
- A married and a maiden name
One search per name. It is quick.
What you need
Papers for a claim
BEFORE YOU FILE
The claim form
Signed. ClaimItTexas generates it after you search, so there is no blank form to download.
A photo ID
A copy of your photo ID.
The attachment sheet
The claim form lists any extra papers your situation needs. Follow that list.
Papers for an inherited claim
The will, probate order, letters, heirship order or affidavit from the table below.
Upload as PDF, TIF, PNG or JPG, under 10 MB a file, or mail to Comptroller of Public Accounts, Unclaimed Property Claims Section, P.O. Box 12046, Austin, TX 78711-2046.
Who can claim, and what they send
This follows the list of who the Comptroller may pay. Prop. Code §74.501 The claim form's attachment sheet names the exact papers, so treat this as the map and the sheet as the rule.
| You are | The Comptroller may pay | You send |
|---|---|---|
| You are the owner named in the search result | The reported owner | Signed claim form and photo ID |
| The owner died and left a will that went through probate | Beneficiaries under the will, or an executor with current letters testamentary | The will and probate order, or the letters, with the claim form |
| The owner died and left a will that was never probated, and the claim is under $10,000 | The will's beneficiaries, if they are the same people who would inherit with no will | The will, plus an affidavit of heirship on the Comptroller's form |
| The owner died with no will | The legal heirs under Estates Code sections 201.001 to 201.003, or a court-appointed administrator | Proof of who the heirs are, or the administrator's court papers |
| A court has already decided who the heirs are | The heirs named in a determination of heirship order signed by a probate or county judge | A copy of the order |
| The owner is a business | The president or board chair, or anyone with legal authority to act for it | Proof of your authority, as the claim form lists |
The affidavit of heirship for claims of $10,000 or less is on the Comptroller's forms page. ClaimItTexas forms
Protect it
Fees, finders and keeping it from happening again
Finders and fees
- You do not need one. The search and the claim are free.
- A finder's fee is capped at 10 percent, must be in a written agreement, and for mineral proceeds cannot include a share of the minerals or an override. Prop. Code §74.507
- Heir finders must be licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Bureau. ClaimItTexas FAQ
- The Comptroller generally cannot pay a creditor, an assignee, or someone holding a power of attorney. Prop. Code §74.501
Keep it from happening again
- Update your address with every company that pays you. ClaimItTexas names the ones that issue mineral interest checks.
- After a claim is paid, write to the operator and ask what it needs to pay you directly. Later proceeds under the same right are presumed abandoned too. Prop. Code §75.101
- After a death, send the operator the papers that show who owns the interest now.
- Cash your checks. Money left unclaimed for three years is presumed abandoned.
Related
Related
- HelpRoyalty checks stoppedSeven reasons checks stop, and what to do about each.
- HelpInherited mineral rightsWhat to do, in order, after a family member's death.
- Texas dataTexas lease lookupFind your lease by name, RRC number or county.
- HelpTexas division ordersWhat you may sign, what you may refuse, what to check.
- GuideTexas late royalty payment interestThe 60 and 90 day deadlines and the interest rate.
- ToolMineral rights valueLast-year income and a value range for your interest.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How do I find out if I have unclaimed royalties in Texas?
Search your name, and your family's, on ClaimItTexas, the Comptroller's unclaimed property site. Enter the last or business name and the first name, and add a city if you get too many results. If the operator mailed you an owner notice, you can search with the Property ID printed on it.
How long before royalties become unclaimed property in Texas?
Mineral proceeds that have remained unclaimed for longer than three years after they became payable are presumed abandoned, along with the owner's right to receive them. This rule is in Property Code section 75.101. The reporting and claim procedures are in Property Code chapter 74.
Is there a deadline to claim money the state is holding?
No. ClaimItTexas states that there is no statute of limitations for unclaimed property and that reported funds remain with the Comptroller indefinitely until they are returned to the rightful owner.
Does it cost anything to search or claim?
No. The search and the claim are free, and you do not need a private company. If you choose to hire an heir finder or asset recovery company, it must be licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Bureau, and its fees cannot be more than 10 percent of the value recovered, including all expenses. For mineral proceeds the fee cannot include a share of the minerals themselves.
Can I claim royalties owed to a parent who died?
Yes, if you are entitled to them. The Comptroller may pay the beneficiaries under a will that has been probated, an executor holding current letters testamentary, the legal heirs when there was no will, or the heirs named in a determination of heirship order. For a claim under $10,000 on a will that was never probated, an affidavit of heirship can be used when the will's beneficiaries are the same people who would inherit with no will.
The operator says it sent my royalties to the state. What now?
Search ClaimItTexas and add the property to a claim. Then write to the operator, give it your current address, and ask what it needs to pay future royalties to you. Later proceeds under the same right are presumed abandoned too, so they can follow the first payment to the Comptroller if the operator still cannot reach you.
Is interest still owed once the money is with the state?
Interest on a late royalty payment under Natural Resources Code section 91.403 stops running when the payor delivers the money to the Comptroller.
Can someone else claim it for me with a power of attorney?
Generally not. The Comptroller may not pay a claim to a creditor, a judgment creditor, a lienholder or an assignee of the owner or the owner's heirs, or to a person holding a power of attorney. The exceptions include a durable power of attorney for a person who is medically incapacitated.
Search the state's list for your name.
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. If you find something, the steps above take you the rest of the way.
Sources
Primary sources, opened on 29 September 2026. Statute text is the current version on statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
- Texas Property Code §75.101, presumption of abandonment for mineral proceeds
- Texas Property Code §75.001, what counts as mineral proceeds
- Texas Property Code §74.101, holder reports due July 1
- Texas Property Code §74.1011, notice the holder must give before delivery
- Texas Property Code §74.501, who may claim and what the Comptroller may require
- Texas Property Code §74.507, the 10 percent limit on finder fees
- ClaimItTexas, search for unclaimed property
- ClaimItTexas, how to claim property
- ClaimItTexas, submitting claim documentation
- ClaimItTexas, frequently asked questions
- ClaimItTexas, forms and resources (affidavit of heirship for claims of $10,000 or less)
- Texas Natural Resources Code §91.402, time for payment of proceeds and division orders
- Texas Natural Resources Code §91.403, interest on late payments