Holder
A holder is the bank, insurer, employer, retailer or agency that holds money owed to someone else and must report it to the state if it goes unclaimed.
Also called: unclaimed property holder, holder of unclaimed property
A holder is the bank, insurer, employer, retailer or agency that holds money owed to someone else and must report it to the state if it goes unclaimed.
What it means
In unclaimed property law, a holder is any person or organization that owes or holds property for someone else. Washington's statute defines it as a person obligated to hold property for the owner, or to deliver or pay it to the owner. Banks, insurers, employers, utilities, retailers, brokerages and government agencies can all be holders.
Holders review their records and report property that has sat untouched for the state's dormancy period. Under Washington's law, a holder must mail the owner a notice 60 to 180 days before reporting property worth $50 or more, if it has a usable address. Other states set their own timing and dollar limits.
The property generally goes to the state of the owner's last known address. If the holder has no address for the owner, it generally goes to the holder's home state. After that, the holder no longer has the money, and you claim it from the state.
What it means for you
If you get a letter or email saying a company is about to turn your money over to the state, that company is the holder. Do not ignore the notice. Contacting the holder can restart the clock, and it may simply pay you. Confirm the notice is real by finding the company's contact details yourself instead of using the ones in the message. If the holder has already sent the money to the state, ask it for the date and amount, then search the state's official unclaimed property site. A state program does not charge you to claim your property.
Example
Say an online retailer owes you a $60 credit from a canceled order and has only your old address. After the dormancy period passes, the retailer mails a notice there. No reply comes, so it reports the credit and sends the $60 to the state where you last lived. The retailer is the holder. You find the credit on that state's official site and file your claim with the state, not the retailer.
FAQ
It is whichever company or agency owes you the money, such as a bank, insurer, employer or retailer. Once the holder reports the property and sends it to the state, the state keeps it for you and you claim it from the state.
In many states, yes. Washington requires a mailed notice 60 to 180 days before the report for property worth $50 or more when the holder has a usable address. Dollar amounts and timing vary by state.
Related terms
- Washington RCW chapter 63.30, Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (Washington Legislature)
- NAUPA, Claiming vs. reporting
Updated Oct 18, 2026. Plain-English definitions for general information — not legal or tax advice.