The State of Georgia is holding about $3.3 billion that belongs to people and businesses who lost track of it. In fiscal year 2025 alone, businesses turned more than $314 million over to the state, and the Department of Revenue returned more than $114 million on 79,579 paid claims. With that much money moving through the system, Georgia decided that the companies helping people get it back should answer to the state.
That decision became Senate Bill 103, and it changed how recovery firms work in Georgia. Here is what the law requires, why it matters for families, and what to expect when a registered firm reaches out to you.
Where Georgia's money comes from
Every year, banks, insurers, employers, and other businesses that can't reach an account owner are required to turn the money over to the Department of Revenue. Most of them report by November 1 each year, and insurance companies report by May 1. That means new names are added to Georgia's records all the time, and someone who found nothing a few years ago may have money waiting today.
What Georgia holds covers almost every part of financial life: final paychecks and wages, checking and savings accounts, customer refunds, insurance payments, shares of stock, U.S. savings bonds, escrow funds, and the contents of safe deposit boxes. The state keeps it safe until the rightful owner, or the owner's heirs, can prove their claim.
What the law requires
Senate Bill 103 created Georgia's Claimant Designated Representative program, known as CDR. Since July 1, 2024, every company that offers to locate and recover funds held by the state for a fee must be registered with the Georgia Department of Revenue.
A registration lasts four years and has to be renewed. Registered representatives can submit claims on an owner's behalf and respond directly when the Department asks for more information. The Department also sets limits on how those claims are submitted, so every registered firm works within the same rules.
Why it matters for families
Before the program, anyone could call a family and offer to help with a claim. Now the state knows exactly who is filing on an owner's behalf. Each registered firm carries a unique CDR ID, and its claims go through the Department under that registration.
For families, that means a clear line of accountability. If a company contacts you about money Georgia is holding for you or a relative, you can ask for its registration and know it has agreed to follow the state's rules. It also means the firms still working in Georgia are the ones willing to be accountable for how they handle every claim.
In Georgia, a firm that can't give you its CDR ID shouldn't be filing claims for you.
Your privacy is protected too
The Department of Revenue only discusses a claim with the owner, or with someone the owner has authorized. A registered representative works under that authorization, which is part of why the registration matters: the state knows who is speaking on your behalf, and no one without a legitimate interest in your money can get information about it.
How to check a firm
Before you share any personal information, a few simple checks go a long way:
- Ask for the company's CDR ID and confirm it with the Georgia Department of Revenue
- Look the company up with the Better Business Bureau and read its client reviews
- Call the company's main office line and ask for the person who contacted you
- Make sure you understand the agreement before you sign anything
A legitimate firm will welcome every one of these questions.
Why estate claims in Georgia take extra care
Many of the claims we see in Georgia belong to someone who has passed away. In those cases, the Department asks heirs and executors for a death certificate, proof of each family relationship, and estate documents that show who is entitled to the money.
Those documents have to line up exactly with the state's records. A name spelled differently on two documents, a missing link in the family tree, or an estate that was never formally settled can each send a claim back for more information. When the original owner died decades ago and the money has passed through more than one generation, every heir along the way has to be documented.
Our Georgia registration
Lifetime Financial is a registered Claimant Designated Representative with the Georgia Department of Revenue, CDR ID #202400023. Every Georgia claim we file goes through that registration and follows the Department's rules, from the first records search to the day the funds are released.
Our researchers trace the records, a notary from our nationwide network comes to you, and attorneys in our network step in when an estate needs court work. You can read more on our Georgia page, learn how to verify us, or get in touch with any questions.
