The extra money

The sale brought more than the tax. The extra money is yours — if you claim it in time.

When a tax sale brings more than the tax debt, the difference is called the surplus or excess proceeds — the extra money, whatever the sale brought above the tax you owed. A county office holds it. Claiming it is free and you do it yourself. Not claiming it in time is how counties keep it.

Count my claim deadline

The claim, in four moves

What claiming actually looks like

The Pung rule, plainly: the surplus is the sale price minus the debt — not your home's market value. Anyone who tells you the county owes you 'what your house was worth' is selling you a lawsuit, not a claim. Tyler and Pung, explained

Included in the $49 TaxSaleDecoded Kit

  • The surplus claim pack: how to prove the house was yours (deed records, address history, ID), the claim-form path in your state, and what to do when the county says it has no record of your money
  • The redemption playbook: your state's window and cost formula worked step by step, who to pay, how to prove you paid, and the traps in the payoff figure (added fees and interest)
  • The heirs page: the house was a parent's — what changes, which papers prove you are an heir, and the point where it stops being simple
  • The scam shield: how surplus-recovery companies work, the fee caps your state sets for them, and the assignment papers you should never sign
  • The lookback module: what Tyler won, what Pung limited (the extra money is the sale price minus the debt — not your home's value), and the dated state lookbacks, including Illinois claims that die in July 2028

Get the TaxSaleDecoded Kit — $49

One payment of $49. No subscription. The kit is a web page you can return to and print — the claim pack, the redemption playbook, the heirs page, and the scam shield.

Surplus questions

How do I know if there is a surplus from my sale?

Compare the sale price with the tax debt. If the property sold for more than the taxes, penalties, interest, and sale costs, the difference is the surplus. The county that ran the sale keeps the record — ask the office named on your state page, in writing, whether a surplus exists for your parcel. Counties are not required to hunt you down in most states.

Who holds the money?

It varies by state and is the single most-missed fact: a clerk of court (Florida, Virginia judicial sales), a county treasurer (California counties hold it through the tax collector's process; Washington, Missouri), a court registry (Texas district clerk), or a state agency (New Mexico's Taxation & Revenue Department). Your state page names the office.

What proof do they ask for?

Proof you owned the property at the sale (the deed chain), government ID, and proof connecting you to the address history — and for heirs, a death certificate plus heir proof. The kit's claim pack is the full chain, including what to do when the county says it has no record.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

In most states the money is forfeited to the county or the taxing units — permanently. In a minority of states it moves to the state unclaimed-property fund, where it stays claimable. Your state page tells you which ending your state has; the checker routes you to the live door.

Is the surplus my home's full value minus the tax?

No — and this is the most expensive misunderstanding in this field. After Pung v. Isabella County (June 2026), for a fairly conducted sale the measure is the sale price minus the debt. If the county sold cheap, the surplus is small even if the house was worth much more. Tyler gave you the sale's extra money, not a re-appraisal.

Claim the surplus, step by step · Before you sign with any recovery company