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How to claim foreclosure surplus funds in Pennsylvania

After a Pennsylvania mortgage foreclosure sheriff's sale, the sheriff files a schedule showing who gets the sale money, and anything left after liens and costs belongs to you as the former owner. Anyone who disagrees has 10 days after the schedule is filed to file exceptions. Call the county sheriff's real estate office to ask whether there is a surplus, and claim it in writing.

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Reviewed against Pennsylvania law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

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How to claim surplus funds in Pennsylvania

  1. The sheriff's schedule of distribution

    Within 30 days after the sale

    The sheriff prepares a schedule showing how the sale money will be paid: costs, then liens in order of priority, then any balance to the former owner. Exceptions to the schedule must be filed within 10 days after it is filed.

    Pa.R.C.P. 3136

  2. Ask the sheriff whether money is left

    After the schedule is filed

    Contact the sheriff's real estate office in your county with your case number and ask for the schedule of distribution. If a junior lienholder is listed ahead of you and you dispute its claim, file exceptions within the 10-day window.

    Pa.R.C.P. 3136

  3. Philadelphia: the Sheriff's H.A.R.T. unit

    After the sale settles and liens are paid

    In Philadelphia, the owner of record when the court ordered the sale can claim excess funds through the Sheriff's Home Asset Recovery Team. Claim forms come from the Sheriff's Real Estate Division at 100 S. Broad St., 5th Floor, or by calling 215-686-3532 or 215-686-3565.

  4. Unclaimed money goes to the State Treasury

    After 3 years unclaimed

    Money held for you by a court or public officer, such as a sheriff, and unclaimed for more than three years is presumed abandoned and turned over to the Pennsylvania Treasury. You can claim it from Treasury's unclaimed property program for free.

    72 P.S. § 1301.9

  5. Limits on finder fees

    Before you sign any agreement

    For money already reported as unclaimed property, a finder must be registered with Treasury, and the agreement must be in writing, signed by you, and charge no more than 15% of the value. We did not find a cap for surplus still held by a sheriff, so check with the sheriff yourself before signing.

    72 P.S. §§ 1301.11(g), 1301.11a

  6. Surplus after a tax sale

    Within 3 years of a tax claim bureau sale

    If your home was sold for unpaid property taxes, the surplus is paid by the county Tax Claim Bureau, not the sheriff, and must be claimed within three years. See the Pennsylvania property tax foreclosure page for the steps.

    72 P.S. § 5860.205(f)

What Pennsylvania law says about leftover sale money

Surplus after a mortgage foreclosure sale

Within 30 days after the sale the sheriff files a schedule of proposed distribution showing who gets the sale money. Liens and costs are paid in order, and anything left belongs to the former owner. Anyone who disagrees must file exceptions within 10 days after the schedule is filed. Call the county sheriff's real estate office to ask whether your sale produced extra money and how to claim it.

Pa.R.C.P. 3136

Common questions in Pennsylvania

Is there a fee to get my surplus from the Philadelphia Sheriff?

The Sheriff's Office says its H.A.R.T. team identifies eligible former owners and returns excess funds, and you can ask for a claim form by phone or email at sheriffhart@phila.gov. Its flyer does not list a fee. Not every sale produces excess money, so call to confirm before going in person.

Can the county's demolition fee come out of my surplus?

No. Counties that adopt the county demolition and rehabilitation fund fee, up to $250, collect it from the buyer at a tax sale or mortgage foreclosure sheriff's sale as a condition of getting the deed. It is charged in addition to the purchase price.

What if I find out about my Pennsylvania surplus years later?

Check the Pennsylvania Treasury's unclaimed property search, since sheriff-held money unclaimed for three years is turned over there. Treasury claims can be filed by you directly, without a finder.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Pennsylvania

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What is happening and how much time there is.

Weigh your options

What can stop it, and what happens if it goes ahead.

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Who to call, and what to do when a sale is scheduled.

Also in Pennsylvania

Property tax foreclosure Claim surplus funds (this page)

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Sources for this page

  1. Real Estate Tax Sale Law, Act 542 of 1947 (official PDF)
  2. Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law, Act 153 of 1923 (official PDF)
  3. The Fiscal Code, Act 176 of 1929, Article XIII.1 Unclaimed Property (official PDF)
  4. City of Philadelphia: Owner-occupied Real Estate Tax Payment Agreement (OOPA)
  5. Philadelphia Sheriff's Office: H.A.R.T. unit returns excess Sheriff Sale funds
  6. Philadelphia Sheriff's Office H.A.R.T. flyer
  7. Pennsylvania Treasury: Unclaimed Property
  8. Act 6 of 1974 (Loan Interest and Protection Law), Article IV, sections 403 to 406
  9. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8103, Deficiency judgments
  10. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3129.2, Notice of sale
  11. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3132, Setting aside sale
  12. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3135, Sheriff's deed
  13. 231 Pa. Code Rule 3136, Distribution of proceeds
  14. PHFA: HEMAP, Act 91
  15. Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund
  16. Philadelphia Courts: Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program
  17. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1026, Time for filing; notice to plead
  18. 231 Pa. Code Rule 1141, Mortgage foreclosure; conformity to civil action