Star Thing WindAsk us to check

Star Thing Wind › States › Pennsylvania

Northeast

Surplus funds in Pennsylvania.

When a property in Pennsylvania sells at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra can belong to the former owner. Here is who holds it, the law behind it, and every county office linked so you can check for yourself, free.

Star Thing Wind is a private company, not the Clerk or any government office.

Foreclosure sales here

Judicial, through the courts.

Our fee here

We don't offer paid help in Pennsylvania. You can claim surplus here yourself, free; see below.

Tax sale surplus

Upset and judicial tax sales are run by the county tax claim bureau under the Real Estate Tax Sale Law. The bureau first keeps a 5% commission and the interest on the money, then pays, in order: Commonwealth tax liens, the taxing districts, municipal claims, mortgages and other liens of record, and fifth, the owner. Before paying, the bureau asks the court of common pleas to confirm a schedule of distribution. If the owner does not claim the balance within three years of the sale, it goes to the taxing districts (72 P.S. § 5860.205). Philadelphia and some other municipalities sell under the Municipal Claims and Tax Liens Act instead.

Foreclosure surplus

Foreclosure type
Judicial
Who holds the surplus

The county sheriff who conducted the sheriff's sale holds the proceeds and distributes them under a court-supervised schedule of distribution. The court may order the money paid into court (the prothonotary) or invested while disputes are pending.

Mortgage and HOA/condo lien foreclosures in Pennsylvania go through court and end in a sheriff's sale. Within 30 days after the sale the sheriff files a proposed schedule of distribution with the prothonotary, and the sheriff pays according to it unless written exceptions are filed within 10 days after it is filed; the court then decides any exceptions (Pa.R.C.P. 3136). After costs, the mortgage and other liens are paid in priority under the schedule, and any balance goes to the former owner. Ask the sheriff's office how it pays out a balance; if there is a dispute, the court decides it on exceptions to the schedule (Pa.R.C.P. 3136(d)–(f)). Money held by a court or public officer that stays unclaimed for more than three years after it became payable is presumed abandoned and goes to the State Treasury's unclaimed property program, where it can still be claimed (72 P.S. § 1301.9).

Fees and assignments. No statute found that caps fees for recovering surplus while the sheriff or court still holds it. Once surplus is reported to the State Treasury as unclaimed property, 72 P.S. § 1301.11(g) makes a recovery agreement enforceable only if written, acknowledged, and capped at 15%. Separately, finders other than licensed attorneys need a Treasury registration certificate before locating abandoned or unclaimed property, whether or not it has been reported yet, and the agreement must show the finder's registration number (72 P.S. § 1301.11a); money held by a court or public officer is presumed abandoned three years after it becomes payable (72 P.S. § 1301.9).

Published surplus lists

These official Pennsylvania pages publish lists or lookups of unclaimed surplus or excess proceeds. If your name or parcel appears, the office that runs the list can tell you how to claim, free.

Lists change often and may be out of date. Checked October 2026.

Claiming it yourself

We don't offer paid help in Pennsylvania. You can claim surplus here yourself, free.

See the free self-filing steps →

Every Pennsylvania county office(67)

Surplus is public record. Call the office that held the sale with the parcel or case number; in most places it will confirm whether a surplus exists, how much, and the deadline. Self-filing is free. Each entry links the county's tax office and court clerk where the directory lists them, plus the full set of county offices.

Each dot is a county below. Pick one from the list to see it up close.© OpenStreetMap contributors

Check this yourself

This page is plain-language orientation, not legal advice. Statutes were checked against official sources in October 2026, and county links come from the NETR public-records directory, an independent resource. Laws and county procedures change, so confirm with the office before you rely on any of it. You can always file a claim yourself with no recovery fee (a court or notary may charge a small fee).