Wealth · 5 min read · 20 August 2026

How to claim unclaimed shares and dividends from IEPF

Forgotten shares in a dead relative's name may sit in IEPF. Here's the step-by-step process to file a claim and get them transferred back to you.

There’s a good chance the government is sitting on money that belongs to your family. Not in some abstract policy sense — literally holding shares and dividends that were bought in your father’s or grandfather’s name, forgotten over the years, and transferred to a government fund. The Investor Education and Protection Fund, or IEPF, was set up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to hold exactly this kind of unclaimed money.

The numbers are staggering. As of recent disclosures, IEPF holds over ₹7,000 crore in unclaimed dividends and millions of shares transferred from companies whose shareholders simply lost track. If your family ever invested in stocks before the demat era — think the 1980s and 90s when physical share certificates were the norm — there’s a real chance something is sitting unclaimed.

Here’s how to find it and get it back.

First, Check If There’s Anything to Claim

Before you go through the effort of filing paperwork, confirm there’s actually something there.

Go to the IEPF portal: iepf.gov.in. Click on “IEPF Services” and then “Search Unpaid/Unclaimed Amount.” You’ll need either the company name, the investor’s name, or a folio number (the reference number on old physical share certificates).

Say your father bought 500 shares of Infosys in 1995 through a broker and never tracked the dividends. If those dividends went unclaimed for seven consecutive years, the company was legally required to transfer both the unpaid dividend and the shares themselves to IEPF. You can search by his name and the company name to see if anything shows up.

Don’t skip this step assuming nothing will be there. Thousands of families discover genuine claims this way.

The Actual Claim Process (It’s a Form, Not a Mystery)

Once you’ve confirmed there’s something to claim, the process runs through Form IEPF-5, which you file online. This is the only official route — there’s no faster backdoor.

Here’s what the process actually involves:

You download and fill Form IEPF-5 from the MCA portal (mca.gov.in). The form asks for your Aadhaar, PAN, bank account details, and the specific details of the claim — company name, folio number, number of shares, and the years for which dividends are unclaimed.

After submitting the form online, you get an SRN (Service Request Number) — essentially an acknowledgment receipt. You then print the form, attach your physical documents, and send the whole package by post to the Nodal Officer (IEPF) of the concerned company — not to the government, but to the company whose shares are being claimed.

The company verifies your claim and sends its recommendation to IEPF Authority. If everything checks out, the shares are transferred back to your demat account and the dividend amount is credited to your bank account.

The realistic timeline is 60 to 90 days, sometimes longer if documents are missing or the company is slow to verify.

The Documents You Actually Need

This is where most people get stuck. Getting your documents right upfront saves weeks of back-and-forth.

You’ll need: PAN card, Aadhaar card, cancelled cheque (with your name printed on it), a demat account statement (opening a demat with Zerodha or Groww beforehand is a good idea if you don’t have one), the original share certificates if you have them, and proof of entitlement — this could be a succession certificate or a will if you’re claiming on behalf of a deceased person.

The deceased person scenario is common and worth addressing. If your grandfather passed away and left shares behind, you’ll need a legal heirship certificate — and the nominee versus legal heir distinction matters here — or succession certificate issued by a court, along with his death certificate. This adds time and legal cost — expect to spend ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 on a lawyer to get the succession certificate done, depending on your city.

That cost is worth it if the shares are valuable. Say 500 shares of Infosys bought at ₹95 in 1995 are now worth roughly ₹95,000 at today’s prices — plus years of accumulated dividends. The legal fee pays for itself many times over.

One Thing That Trips People Up

Many people assume they can claim unclaimed dividends without claiming the shares, or vice versa. You can’t split them once both have been transferred to IEPF. You file one claim for both the shares and all outstanding dividends together, and IEPF processes them as a package.

Also, don’t use any third-party agents who promise to file this for you for a fee. The form is free, the portal is free, and SEBI has repeatedly warned investors against middlemen in this process. Do it yourself or have a CA help you with the paperwork — not some random recovery agent.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get money back from IEPF?

Typically 60 to 90 days from the date the company receives your physical documents. Delays happen if the company’s nodal officer is slow or if documents are incomplete. Following up directly with the company’s registrar (usually KFin Technologies or Link Intime) can speed things up.

Yes, but it’s harder. You’ll need to submit an indemnity bond and an affidavit stating the certificate is lost. The company may also ask you to get a duplicate share certificate issued before processing the IEPF claim.

Is there a deadline to claim from IEPF?

No. There is no expiry date on IEPF claims. Even if shares were transferred 20 years ago, you can still file a claim today. The money doesn’t get absorbed by the government permanently.

Who is the Nodal Officer I need to send documents to?

Every listed company is required to appoint an IEPF Nodal Officer. You can find the name and address on the company’s website under “Investor Relations”, or by calling their registrar. For large companies like HDFC Bank or TCS, this information is clearly listed online.

What if the company whose shares are stuck has been delisted or merged?

This gets complicated, but it’s not a dead end. If the company merged, you need to trace the surviving entity and file the claim with them. If it’s been wound up, IEPF itself handles the claim directly. Check the MCA21 portal for the company’s current status and contact IEPF’s helpline at 1800-11-4040 for guidance specific to your case.