If you received a due diligence letter from BDO, you respond by completing the BDO unclaimed property due diligence form online at bdo.com/unclaimed-property-due-diligence-form before the deadline printed on your letter. The form takes one session to finish, requires you to upload a copy of the letter, and lets you choose whether the funds come to you as a new check, stay as a credit, or apply to an outstanding invoice. Miss the deadline and the money goes to your state’s unclaimed-property office instead.
Why BDO Sent You a Letter
BDO performs required outreach on behalf of companies (called “holders”) that owe you money or property that has gone unclaimed long enough to trigger a state reporting obligation. The letter names the holder, describes the property, and gives you a deadline. If you do not respond, the holder reports the property to the unclaimed-property division of your state of residence and the funds leave the holder’s books.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Keep the letter in front of you. You will need:
- The Property ID Number printed on the letter.
- The Client Name (the holder that owes you the money), also on the letter.
- Your full legal name as it appeared in the holder’s records.
- Your current mailing address: street, city, state, ZIP.
- Your phone number and email address.
- A digital copy of the complete notice letter to upload.
No government photo ID is required to submit the form itself, though the holder may follow up for additional verification depending on the amount or type of property.
Filling Out the Form
Property and Claimant Details
Enter the Property ID Number exactly as it appears on the letter. This number ties your response to the property record in the holder’s system. Type the Client Name as printed on the letter, then enter your own name as the Claimant Name, followed by your current street address, city, state, and ZIP.
If your address has changed since the holder last had it on file, the form includes a prompt for that. Mark “Yes” and enter the new address so any follow-up reaches you.
Choose What Happens to the Property
The form gives you four options. Pick the one that fits:
- Amount is not owed, if you believe the property is not yours or the debt was already settled.
- Send me a new check, if you want payment reissued to you.
- Keep as a credit on my account, if you have an ongoing relationship with the holder and want the funds applied for future use.
- Use credit toward an outstanding invoice, if the holder has billed you for something and you want the funds applied to that balance.
Contact, Signature, and Upload
Enter the name, phone number, and email of the person submitting the claim. If you are filing on someone else’s behalf, use the submitter’s details. Check the electronic-signature box to confirm the information is accurate and that you accept BDO’s terms.
Then upload a full copy of the notice letter. The form will not process without it, so scan or photograph every page clearly enough that all text and reference numbers are legible.
Submitting Before the Deadline
Click submit once the fields are complete and the letter is attached. BDO also accepts a completed hard copy mailed back by the response date, following the return instructions printed on the letter.
The deadline on your letter is the point that matters. If neither the online form nor a mailed hard copy reaches BDO by that date, the holder is required to report your property to your state’s unclaimed-property program.
After You Submit
BDO states that claims are generally processed within 180 days of submission, and the holder will reissue any payment due within 180 days after the response date listed on the notice letter. A new check arrives at the address you provided. If you chose account credit or invoice application, the holder updates your balance internally and the adjustment shows on your next statement. You are not charged a fee; the holder pays for BDO’s services.
If You Miss the Deadline
You do not lose the money permanently. The holder transfers the property to the unclaimed-property office in your state of residence. Every state maintains a searchable database, and most allow you to file a claim at any time; there is generally no statute of limitations on recovering your own assets from the state.
Claiming from a state agency is slower and involves more paperwork than responding to BDO’s form. You will typically need to prove your identity and your connection to the original property, which can mean providing a government-issued ID, proof of address, and documentation linking you to the holder. Responding before the deadline avoids that.
Making Sure the Letter Is Legitimate
Unclaimed-property scams exist, so some skepticism is reasonable. A legitimate BDO due diligence letter references a specific holder and a Property ID Number. It will not ask you to wire money, pay a fee, or provide your Social Security number in the letter itself. If something feels wrong, contact BDO through the phone number on its official website rather than a number printed in the letter.
You can also cross-check by searching your name on your state’s unclaimed-property website. If the property already appears there, the holder has reported it. If it does not appear yet, the due diligence window is still open, which is consistent with receiving BDO’s letter.