Help and FAQ

What is surplus?

When a property sells at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra, after any liens are paid, can belong to the former owner. There is no single federal definition. Federal law sets the floor through the Supreme Court, and each state defines it in its own statute, often under another name.

Federal

• Tyler v. Hennepin County (2023): a government that sells property for unpaid taxes can’t keep more than the debt owed.
• Pung v. Isabella County (2026): after a fair sale, the surplus is measured by the sale price, not the property’s market value.

Examples of state law

• Florida, F.S. §197.582: “surplus” from tax deed sales; the Clerk holds it, and claims are due within 120 days of the notice.
• Texas, Tax Code §34.04: “excess proceeds” from tax sales, claimed by petition to the court.
• California, Rev. & Tax. Code §4675: “excess proceeds” from tax-defaulted property sales, claimed from the county.
• Ohio, R.C. 5721.20: the “residue” or “excess” from tax foreclosure sales, demanded from the county treasurer.
• Georgia, O.C.G.A. §48-4-5: “excess funds” from tax sales, held up to 5 years, then sent to the Department of Revenue.
• Tennessee, Tenn. Code §67-5-2702: “excess sale proceeds,” claimed by motion in the court that ordered the sale.

Every state’s rule, with links to its own law: the state-by-state list.

How it works

1. 1

   There's money here that's yours

   When your property sold at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra didn't go to the county or the lender to keep. After any liens are paid, it belongs to you as the former owner, as long as you claim it in time (in some states the government keeps surplus nobody claims by the deadline). Since Tyler v. Hennepin County (2023), a government that sells property for unpaid taxes can't keep the surplus from a fair sale; how you claim it depends on your state. In Florida, tax deed surplus runs under F.S. §197.582 and foreclosure surplus under F.S. §45.032.

2. 2

   It's being held safely in your name, for now

   The county or court (in Florida the Clerk of Court, elsewhere the treasurer, tax collector or court) holds the surplus and notifies the people who may be owed. Money is paid out in a set order: any lienholders first by priority, then you as the former owner. It's sitting there waiting; the catch is the clock is running.

3. 3

   You claim it, and this is where we come in

   A documented claim goes to the county or court, and the window is strict. For Florida tax deed surplus it's generally 120 days from the Clerk's notice; other states and sale types range from months to years, and some require a court petition. In many states, missing it can cost you the right or send the money to the state. Some counties and courts only accept claims prepared or filed by an attorney; there, the attorney you hire handles them. You stay the legal claimant. You sign the county's claim form; we send the signed form at your direction. If a court filing is needed, the attorney you hire files it. We tell the Clerk we're assisting you and show our agreement if asked. We track the deadline, and we're paid only after you are.

4. 4

   If no one claims it in time, it goes elsewhere

   If the window closes unclaimed, in many states the money goes to the state's unclaimed-property program: in Florida, the Department of Financial Services, Division of Unclaimed Property, under Chapter 717. There you can still claim it yourself, free, and we don't offer paid help for it, but it's a slower, separate process. In some states the county or taxing units keep it for good (see your state's page), which is why acting at step 3 matters.

5. 5

   If the State holds it, you can still get it back

   You can always claim State-held funds yourself, free, and we don't offer paid help for money already with a state unclaimed-property program. If you want paid help at that point, many states restrict who can be paid and cap the fee. Florida requires a Florida-licensed attorney, Florida CPA or Class C licensed private investigator who is also registered with DFS (F.S. §717.1400) and caps the fee (F.S. §717.135). We point you to the free state process; if you want paid help, you hire a permitted representative directly, under that state's rules.

While the county or court holds it

Steps 1 to 3. You stay the claimant; where a filing needs an attorney, you hire one directly and that attorney represents you. You owe nothing unless you're paid.

After it goes to the State

Steps 4 and 5. That's a different law, often with its own licensing rules and fee caps. We don't offer paid help for money already with a state program, and we point you to the free state process; if you want paid help, you hire a permitted representative directly, under that state's rules.

Money and fees

See What we charge on the home page, including the state-by-state fee rules.

Your agreement

Do I stay in control of my own claim?

Yes. You remain the legal claimant the entire time, and we never take ownership of your claim. Wherever the county permits, you are the named payee on the disbursement; where a court or an attorney trust account handles the payout instead, funds are released only under your own signed written direction. You sign the county's claim form; we send the signed form at your direction. If a court filing is needed, the attorney you hire files it. We tell the Clerk we're assisting you and show our agreement if asked. We never take title to your claim or your funds. In states that restrict who may represent a claimant, the attorney handles the filing directly.

How are your fees set and disclosed?

Our fee is a percentage of what we recover, fixed and disclosed in writing before you sign, and invoiced no earlier than 7 business days after the recovered funds reach you; payment is due within 10 business days of the invoice. You owe nothing, in fees or costs, if we recover nothing. To be straight about the law: Florida's tax deed surplus statute (F.S. §197.582) sets the claim process and the 120-day deadline but does not itself cap a recovery agent's fee while the money is held by the county clerk. A statutory fee cap of 30% applies under the Florida Disposition of Abandoned Personal Property Act (F.S. §717.135) only once funds have gone to the State. At that stage paid help must come from a Florida-licensed attorney, Florida CPA or Class C licensed private investigator who is also registered with DFS (F.S. §717.1400). We don't offer paid help for money already with the State, and you can always file directly with the state for free. Other states set their own caps and rules, and where a cap applies, it controls. Either way, you always have the option to file the claim yourself for free.

What does the county actually require?

It varies by state and by sale type. For Florida tax deed surplus, under F.S. §197.582, the clerk holds the surplus and mails a notice; lienholders must file within 120 days of that notice or are barred; the former owner can still claim after that, until the funds are sent to the State. Elsewhere the window ranges from months to years, some states route claims through a court petition, and some counties only accept claims from the owner or the owner's attorney. We track those deadlines, and independent attorneys, whom you engage directly where required, handle the legal filings where the law requires a lawyer.

If I hire you, am I locked in?

No, you keep every exit. You can cancel within 3 business days for any reason (longer where your state's law gives you more time; to cancel, email [email protected] or call or text (917) 920-5868), file the claim yourself for free at any time, or hire your own attorney. If you file yourself, you owe us nothing, even if you use what we found. The one thing the agreement asks: for 12 months, don't hand our research file to a competing recovery firm to close the same claim; if that happens, you reimburse only our documented out-of-pocket costs, never the fee. It is not a non-compete, and it never limits self-filing, hiring your own lawyer, or joining a class action.

Cancelling

You can cancel within 3 business days for any reason, or longer where your state's law gives you more time. How to cancel.

Calls, texts and email

When do you call or text?

Only after you've asked us to or ticked the consent box. We email and text first where we can. We call or text only between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. your local time (noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays), with no more than 3 call attempts a day. We honor the National Do Not Call Registry and state do-not-call lists, and one opt-out covers every Star Thing LLC brand. Every Star Thing LLC brand uses the same phone and text number, (917) 920-5868.

How do I make it stop?

Text STOP to any text, reply UNSUBSCRIBE to any email, or just tell us on a call. We honor every opt-out within 10 business days at the latest, usually the same day, and add you to our internal do-not-contact list. We also respect the National Do Not Call Registry.

How do you handle email?

Commercial emails follow the federal CAN-SPAM Act: honest subject and sender, our real mailing address, and a working opt-out we honor within 10 business days. We never sell or rent your email address.

Privacy

What information do you collect, and why?

When you use our form, we collect your name, county, phone and email, and, if you tick the box, your consent to calls and texts with its exact wording and time. Our server also records your IP address, browser type, the page you came from and the time, to stop spam and keep a tamper-evident record of consent. To file a claim, we also collect the documents the clerk or court requires. If you cancel online, we keep your name, contact details and the time you sent it as a record of your cancellation. If you sign up for county surplus alerts, we keep your email and county until you unsubscribe, and use them only to send those alerts. We use public county and court records to find surpluses. Calls may be recorded; we tell you at the start of the call and stop recording if you ask. We do not sell your personal information.

Who do you share it with?

The county, clerk, court or state office handling your claim; the independent attorney you hire, if your claim needs one; and the providers that run our website and email under contract: Cloudflare (hosting, security, visit counts and our lead database), Resend (email delivery), Google Workspace (our email inbox) and our phone and text provider. State pages load maps from OpenStreetMap, which receives your IP address when a map loads. We share when the law requires it, and we never sell or rent your data. We don't share mobile numbers or text-message consent with third parties or affiliates for their marketing.

What privacy rights do I have?

Most state privacy laws, including Florida's Digital Bill of Rights and California's CCPA, apply only to much larger companies. You can still email [email protected] to see, correct or delete what we hold.

How long do you keep my data?

We keep IP address and browser details for 12 months, inquiries that don't become clients for 24 months, and client files for 5 years after the claim closes, then delete them, except records the law requires us to keep, such as proof of your consent, any request to stop contacting you, and records of our calls, which we keep for 5 years. Records of online cancellations are kept for up to 5 years from the date you sent them. Copies in our email inbox are deleted on the same schedule. If you ask us to delete your data sooner, we erase your name, county, email and browser details and mark the record as deleted. We keep only your phone number, the proof of your consent and of any request to stop contacting you, and any cancellation record, for up to 5 years, because the law requires it; this also keeps our tamper-evident consent log intact. We also keep a copy of each version of this page and its consent wording for 5 years. We protect data with reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, and we follow the data-breach notification law of the state where you live.

What about cookies and tracking?

This site sets no cookies. Cloudflare Web Analytics counts visits without cookies or cross-site tracking. We also keep our own anonymous totals for each page and day: views, how far down people scroll, roughly how long the page stays open, and which links and buttons are clicked. They are stored only as counts, with no IP address, no cookie, no ID and nothing you type, and kept for about 13 months. If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, we don't count your visit.

Full privacy policy.

Who we are

Who is Star Thing Wind?

Star Thing Wind is the surplus recovery brand of Star Thing LLC, a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida and operating nationwide. Star Thing LLC is a technology company that builds and publishes its own apps and software, and sells consumer goods online. Mailing address: 7901 4th St N #30711, St. Petersburg, FL 33702. We are a recovery service acting under a written agreement with you. Star Thing itself is not a law firm, and we are not the government. Where a state or county requires attorney filing or representation, you engage the attorney directly and that attorney represents you, not us; unless and until you do, no attorney-client relationship is formed, and Star Thing does not give legal advice. Star Thing LLC is registered and active with the Florida Division of Corporations (Doc. No. M26000006267).

How does your team work?

Our team works remotely from around the world and is made up of members and contractors. Where a court requires an attorney, you hire one licensed in your state.

Are you affiliated with the county or the state?

No. We are a private company. The county (clerk, treasurer or tax collector, depending on the state), the court, and your state's unclaimed-property program hold and pay out surplus and unclaimed funds, and you can always file a claim yourself directly with them at no cost. We offer to do the work for you under a disclosed, contingent fee, your choice.

For law firms, Clerks, counties and counsel

The statutes we operate under are cited throughout. Entity records are on Sunbiz (Star Thing LLC, Doc. No. M26000006267); verification documents and a W-9 are available on request.

Accessibility

Accessibility statement.

Questions or complaints

Email [email protected] or call or text (917) 920-5868.