Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Shapiro signs into law Ciresi legislation to expand access to simplified unclaimed property claims, further help heirs following the death of a loved one

Shapiro signs into law Ciresi legislation to expand access to simplified unclaimed property claims, further help heirs following the death of a loved one

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    November 25, 2025

HARRISBURG, Nov. 25 – On Monday, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law state Rep. Joe Ciresi’s legislation that will make it easier and less expensive for Pennsylvanians to claim property that is rightfully theirs — and reduce the financial burden following the death of a loved.

Ciresi’s H.B. 1176, now Act 50 of 2025:   

  • Increases the amount of unclaimed property that heirs can claim from the Pennsylvania Treasury using a notarized relationship affidavit from $11,000 up to $20,000.
  • Raises the amount a financial institution may release to a family member of a deceased individual from $10,000 to $20,000 if the family member presents a receipt verifying funeral expenses have been paid.
  • Redirects the estates of decedents who die with no will and no heirs to an endowed community fund near the place of the decedent’s last residence.

“While Pennsylvania’s unclaimed property vault containing more than $4 billion sits there waiting for people to claim what’s rightfully theirs, the process has been too challenging or too expensive for people’s heirs to claim it,” Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said. “That’s because the legislature hadn’t updated the $11,000 limit for simplified heir claims for more than 20 years--since 2002! I am thrilled that my legislation, now law, will help Pennsylvanians access the money that belongs to them with less cost, less paperwork and less delay.”

The new law included language that was amended into Ciresi’s bill from state Rep. Tim Bonner’s H.B. 167 and state Rep. Torren Ecker’s H.B. 1091.  

The new law builds on Ciresi’s previous successful bill, Act 65 of 2024, which expanded who could claim unclaimed property by a notarized sworn affidavit to include grandchildren and their descendants, nieces and nephews and their descendants, and grandparents of the deceased.

“This is the kind of no-nonsense, bipartisan legislation Pennsylvanians want and need,” Ciresi said. “I am grateful for the support from colleagues on both sides of the aisle who saw that and helped to make my legislation law.”