Please note that Missouri law does not provide a category entitled “unclaimed surplus” or “excess proceeds” with regard to the tax sale. All overbid funds are held in trust for the party that will eventually be legally entitled to them. During the redemption period, the overbid will be refunded to the investor if interest in the certificate of purchase is lost. For 90 days following the claim of a Collector’s deed, parties having a recorded interest in the property at the time of sale, or homeowners ONLY may apply for the funds. Funds MUST be paid out to lienholders in order of priority, then to the homeowner ONLY. If more than one party applies for surplus, and no settlement can be reached, the office of Collector will interplead the funds into the Clay County Circuit Court where the disputing parties may litigate the matter at their own expense. 91 days after a timely claim of a Collector’s deed, surplus escheats to the school fund of the county, and may no longer be claimed by anyone without order of a court.

Any party that is legally entitled to surplus funds should contact our office to get very simple paperwork. We can answer your questions and we are committed to paying the surplus to the legally entitled person. There is no need for a homeowner claiming surplus to use an outside entity or hire an attorney to claim their surplus. To protect our homeowners, we will not assist third parties that are attempting to claim surplus on behalf of someone that is already legally entitled to it. We also do not maintain an “unclaimed surplus” list of any kind.