FSCA APIfsca.co.za ↗
Search the FSCA Unclaimed Benefits portal by ID/passport number and surname. Returns matching benefit records, result count, and status messages via one endpoint.
What is the FSCA API?
The FSCA Unclaimed Benefits API exposes 1 endpoint — search_unclaimed_benefits — that queries the Financial Sector Conduct Authority's database for unclaimed financial benefits registered against a South African ID or passport number. A response returns 6 fields including a found boolean, a count of matched records, and a results array containing any benefit records tied to the submitted surname and id_number.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/cd301fcf-f19d-4421-9bf6-0edadb30f62a/search_unclaimed_benefits?surname=Smith&id_number=8001015009087' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Typed, relational, agent-ready
A generated client with real types, enums, and the links between objects — the structure a flat JSON response can't carry. Autocompletes in your editor and reads cleanly to coding agents.
- Fully typed · autocompletes
- Objects link to objects
- Typed errors & pagination
Typed Python client. Set up the SDK in your uv project, then pull this API’s typed client:
uv add parse-sdk uv run parse init uv run parse add --marketplace fsca-co-za-api
uv run parse add --marketplace pulls a pinned snapshot of this canonical API — it won’t change underneath you. To customize it, subscribe and swap to your own copy.
"""FSCA Unclaimed Benefits Search — check for unclaimed benefits by ID and surname."""
from parse_apis.fsca_unclaimed_benefits_search_api import FSCA, InputFormatInvalid
client = FSCA()
# Search for unclaimed benefits using an ID number and surname
result = client.benefitsearchresults.search(id_number="8001015009087", surname="Smith")
print(f"Found: {result.found}, Message: {result.message}")
# Access the results list
if result.found:
print(f"Number of benefits: {result.count}")
for record in result.results:
print(record)
else:
print(f"No benefits for {result.surname} (ID: {result.id_number})")
# Handle invalid input errors
try:
bad = client.benefitsearchresults.search(id_number="", surname="Test")
print(f"Result: {bad.found}")
except InputFormatInvalid as exc:
print(f"Input rejected: {exc}")
print("exercised: benefitsearchresults.search / typed error catch")
Search for unclaimed benefits by ID/passport number and surname on the FSCA portal. Returns whether any matching unclaimed benefits records were found, along with the results if available. A not-found response is a valid successful result indicating no benefits exist for the given details.
| Param | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| surnamerequired | string | Surname of the person to search for. |
| id_numberrequired | string | South African ID number or passport number to search for. |
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"count": "integer - number of results found (only present when found is true)",
"found": "boolean - whether any unclaimed benefits were found for the given details",
"message": "string - status message from the FSCA search system",
"results": "array - list of unclaimed benefit records (empty if not found)",
"surname": "string - the surname that was searched",
"id_number": "string - the ID/passport number that was searched"
},
"sample": {
"data": {
"found": false,
"message": "We could not find any unclaimed benefits matching your search criteria. Please double-check your details and try again.",
"results": [],
"surname": "Smith",
"id_number": "8001015009087"
},
"status": "success"
}
}About the FSCA API
What the API covers
The FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority) maintains a public register of unclaimed benefits — funds from pension funds, retirement annuities, and similar financial products where the rightful beneficiary has not yet claimed their money. This API provides programmatic access to that register, which is otherwise only searchable through the FSCA web portal at fsca.co.za.
The search_unclaimed_benefits endpoint
The single endpoint accepts two required parameters: surname (the person's family name) and id_number (a South African ID number or a passport number for non-citizens). The response always includes a found boolean and a message string reflecting the FSCA system's status. When found is true, the response also includes a count integer and a results array with the matching benefit records. When no records exist, found returns false and results is empty — this is a valid, successful response, not an error condition.
Response fields and behavior
The response echoes back the surname and id_number that were submitted, which is useful for logging and correlating batch lookups. The count field is only present when found is true, so callers should check found before accessing count. The message field reflects the status string returned by the FSCA search system and can be used to distinguish between a clean not-found result and any system-level message.
Coverage notes
The data covers benefits registered in the FSCA's unclaimed benefits database, which is sourced from regulated financial product providers operating in South Africa. Coverage is limited to what those providers have reported to the FSCA; benefits that have not yet been reported, or that fall outside FSCA's regulatory scope, will not appear in search results.
The FSCA API is a managed, monitored endpoint for fsca.co.za — not a raw scraper you maintain. Every endpoint is automatically health-checked on a schedule, and when fsca.co.za changes and a check fails, the API is automatically queued for repair and re-verified. It is built to keep working as the site underneath it changes.
This isn't an official fsca.co.za API — it's an independent, maintained REST wrapper over public data. Where the source has no official API (or only a limited one), Parse gives you a stable contract over a source that never promised one, and keeps it current. Need a new endpoint or field? You can revise it yourself in plain English and the agent rebuilds it against the live site in minutes — contributing the change back to the shared API is free.
Will this API break when the source site changes?+
Is this an official API from the source site?+
Can I fix or extend this API myself if I need a new endpoint or field?+
What happens if I call an endpoint that has an issue?+
- Build a self-service portal where South Africans can check for forgotten retirement or pension fund payouts using their ID number
- Automate bulk lookups against the FSCA register for financial advisory firms managing large client books
- Integrate unclaimed benefits checks into onboarding flows at banks or insurance providers
- Create a beneficiary tracing tool for estate attorneys verifying whether deceased clients had unclaimed funds
- Power a mobile app that alerts users when their
id_numberandsurnamematch a new FSCA record - Generate compliance reports by periodically re-checking a dataset of ID numbers against the FSCA register
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 100 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does the FSCA have an official developer API for unclaimed benefits?+
What does the `results` array contain when a match is found?+
found is true, results is an array of unclaimed benefit records returned by the FSCA system for the given surname and id_number combination. The count field tells you how many records are in that array. When found is false, results is empty and count is not included in the response.Can I search by name only, without an ID or passport number?+
surname and id_number are required parameters. The FSCA search requires both fields to return results. You can fork this API on Parse and revise it to add an alternative lookup endpoint if a future FSCA form supports name-only searches.Does the API return details about the financial product or provider associated with each benefit?+
found, count, message, results, surname, and id_number. Detailed fund or provider information beyond what the FSCA search result includes is not currently part of the response. You can fork this API on Parse and revise it to surface additional fields if the FSCA result pages contain more granular data.How current is the data returned by the API?+
found: false today may return results in the future if a provider reports new unclaimed benefits.