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How money can become an unclaimed balance

Sometimes people are awarded a settlement as the result of a court case but don’t know they are entitled to any money. Also, someone might lose contact with the Court Funds Office or be unaware that any money was paid into court of their behalf. The Court Funds Office will always try and contact anyone who has unclaimed money of £400 or more.

If the money has remained untouched in an account for 10 years or more it is called an unclaimed balance. It can also be called an unclaimed balance before 10 years if the Court Funds Office is unable to trace the rightful owner.

What to do if you think you have an unclaimed balance

If you think an unclaimed balance belongs to you or someone you are responsible for, phone the Court Funds Office helpline on 0845 223 8500. You wil not be given information over the telephone unless you are able to prove that you are the person entitled to the money.

You can also apply in writing to the Court Funds Office and they will perform a search on your behalf:

Court Funds Office
Glasgow
G58 1AB

You can also search for an unclaimed balance on the internet. You will need to know the account number or the name of the person the Court Funds Office was holding the money for.

• Search the Unclaimed Balances Index - Court Funds Office Opens new window

Information you need to provide to search for an unclaimed balance

To search for an unclaimed balance, the Court Funds Office needs as much information as you can provide about the account and your claim to it. For example:

• the title of the court proceedings
• the name of the court
• the name of the person who was entitled to the money
• the name(s) of the person(s) who paid the money into court
• relevant dates, such as when the court proceedings were
• evidence of the link between you and any of the above, also called evidence of ‘beneficial interest’

The Court Funds Office will also require proof of your identification. Do not send any original documents such as certificates of birth, marriage or death when you are requesting a search. The Court Funds Office will accept copies of these documents.

Court Fund Office records are confidential. They will not be shown to you if you can't produce evidence of ‘beneficial interest’.

What happens if your claim is successful

If your search for an unclaimed balance is successful and you can prove your claim, you can apply to be paid the money. You can do this by writing to the court where the case was originally heard.

You should make sure you include all the information you learned as a result of the search.

You may have to pay a court fee for your application to be processed by the court. You should contact the court who made the original court order to check if there is a fee and how much it will be.

The court fees involved could be more than the money you will receive from the account. You should consider this when making a claim.

If your claim is successful, the court will inform the Court Funds Office, who will then arrange for you to be paid. This process could take as long as three months from the time you first make an application for an unclaimed balance to receiving the money.

Not all claims on Court Funds Office accounts are successful. You will be told if your claim has been turned down.

What happens if the original court can't deal with your application

Sometimes the court that made the original order can't deal with an application for an unclaimed balance. This can be because the court no longer has any paperwork about the case. You can write to the Senior Master of the Queen's Bench Division if the court can't help you with your application.

You should write a letter that includes all the details you have that are relevant to your application and the original court case. You should send this letter to the following address:

Royal Courts of Justice
Judgement Orders Section (Unclaimed Balances)
Room E19
Queen's Bench Division
Strand
London
WC2A 2LL

You will also need to include a completed witness statement. You can download the witness statement using the link below.

• Witness statement (PDF, 39K) Opens new window

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