Washington surplus funds claim kit
A free, step-by-step guide to claiming money left over after a Washington property was sold at a tax sale or a foreclosure. You don't need to hire anyone to do this. Read how surplus funds work in Washington for the background.
The most important thing: after a tax sale, the county keeps unclaimed money for good three years after the sale. Don't wait.
Step 1: Work out which kind of sale it was
- A tax sale (also called a tax foreclosure): the county treasurer sold the property because property taxes went unpaid. Follow Part A.
- A mortgage foreclosure: a trustee's sale (the lender foreclosed under a deed of trust, usually without a lawsuit) or a sheriff's sale after a court case. Follow Part B.
Not sure? The county treasurer can tell you whether the property was sold for taxes.
Part A: Tax sales (county treasurer)
Who can claim: the record owner, meaning the person who held title on the date the county issued the certificate of delinquency. If that person has died, their estate usually claims; ask the treasurer what they need.
Deadline: three years from the date of the sale. After that, the money goes into the county's own fund and all claims end.
- Call or email the county treasurer (contacts below). Ask whether excess funds are being held from the sale, how much, the sale date, and for their application form.
- Fill in the application. Most counties ask for a notarized application, copies of photo ID for everyone who signs, and documents supporting your claim. Kitsap County's form, for example, asks for the parcel number, the superior court case, the sale date and the excess amount.
- Mail or deliver it to the treasurer, keeping copies of everything.
- Wait for the treasurer's decision. Recorded water-sewer district liens are paid from the excess before the owner.
Watch out: Washington law says deeds or assignments signed after the certificate of delinquency don't change who gets paid. Anyone asking you to sign over your claim, or to pay a fee up front, can't get the money for you that way.
Part B: Mortgage foreclosures (superior court clerk)
Where the money is: after a trustee's sale, the trustee deposits any surplus with the clerk of the superior court in the county where the sale took place, filed under the borrower's name, and mails a notice of the surplus to the former owner and others.
- Ask the superior court clerk in that county whether surplus funds from the sale were deposited, and the case number. (In King County, call the Superior Court's accounting office at 206-477-0812.)
- File a motion for disbursement in that superior court. The free forms from the Northwest Justice Project are made for this: Motion and Declaration to Disburse Surplus Funds and the proposed Order to Disburse Surplus Funds.
- Give notice of the motion to everyone the trustee notified about the surplus, at least 20 days before the hearing, by personal service or mail.
- Go to the hearing. The court decides who is owed what, in order of priority, and the clerk pays only on the court's order.
After a sheriff's sale in a court foreclosure, any surplus is also held by the court. Ask the superior court clerk; the court decides who is paid.
Fees: Washington makes it a crime to charge more than 5% of the money returned (plus reasonable attorneys' fees a court approves) to locate or recover mortgage foreclosure surplus.
Free legal help
- WashingtonLawHelp.org has free guides and forms.
- The Northwest Justice Project gives free civil legal help to people with low incomes.
County treasurer contacts
For tax sales. Ask for the person who handles tax foreclosure excess funds.
| County | Treasurer's office |
|---|---|
| Adams County | 509-659-3230 |
| Asotin County | 509-243-2010 |
| Benton County | 509-786-2255 |
| Chelan County | 509-667-6405 |
| Clallam County | 360-417-2248 |
| Clark County | 564-397-4452 |
| Columbia County | 509-382-2641 |
| Cowlitz County | 360-577-3059 |
| Douglas County | 509-745-8525 |
| Ferry County | 509-775-5225 |
| Franklin County | 509-545-3518 |
| Garfield County | 509-843-1531 |
| Grant County | 509-754-2011 |
| Grays Harbor County | 360-964-1696 |
| Island County | 360-679-7301 |
| Jefferson County | 360-385-9154 |
| King County | 206-263-2649 (tax foreclosures) |
| Kitsap County | 360-337-7136 |
| Kittitas County | 509-962-7535 |
| Klickitat County | 509-773-4664 |
| Lewis County | 360-740-1110 |
| Lincoln County | 509-215-7938 |
| Mason County | 360-427-9670 |
| Okanogan County | 509-422-7180 |
| Pacific County | 360-875-9420 |
| Pend Oreille County | 509-447-6441 |
| Pierce County | 253-798-7144 |
| San Juan County | 360-378-2171 |
| Skagit County | 360-416-1753 |
| Skamania County | 509-427-3757 |
| Snohomish County | 425-388-3606 (excess funds) |
| Spokane County | 509-477-4786 |
| Stevens County | 509-684-7592 |
| Thurston County | 360-786-5770 |
| Wahkiakum County | 360-795-8005 |
| Walla Walla County | 509-524-2751 |
| Whatcom County | 360-778-5160 |
| Whitman County | 509-397-6230 |
| Yakima County | 509-574-2804 |
Phone numbers from the Washington Association of County Officials directory and the King and Snohomish county websites, checked November 1, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Want help?
If you'd rather not do this alone, call us at 9-SURPLUS-24 and we'll explain where things stand.