Money The State Is Holding
S.C. Code 27-18-30 and S.C. Code 27-18-250 — presumed abandoned after five years, and a claim decided within ninety days
Five years. Intangible property held or owed in the ordinary course of a business, with its income and less lawful charges, that has gone unclaimed by its owner for more than five years after it became payable is presumed abandoned, unless the chapter says otherwise for that kind of property.
Property presumed abandoned is paid or delivered to the state's administrator. A person claiming an interest in it files a claim on the administrator's form, verified by the claimant.
Ninety days to decide. The administrator considers each claim within ninety days after it is filed, and gives written notice if it is denied in whole or in part. An allowed claim is paid the property or the amount received, or the net proceeds if it was sold.
Property that was earning interest for the owner keeps earning it in the administrator's hands for up to ten years. Shorter periods apply to some kinds of property under their own sections. The program is run by the State Treasurer.
Sources for this section (2)
- S.C. Code 27-18-30 — Property presumed abandoned
- S.C. Code 27-18-250 — Claims to property paid or delivered to administrator
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed South Carolina attorney.