What Is IEPF and Form 5?

 

The investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) in India is managed by the government.. Its primary duty is to protect investors' interests, particularly when businesses overlook their legal duties regarding dividends, debenture interest, application funds, or matured deposits. After a particular waiting period, not claimed or unpaid amounts are transferred to the IEPF.

To claim funds transferred to IEPF as a result of unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, or comparable funds, individuals (including legal heirs or claimants) use IEPF Form 5. Form 5 functions as your official claim form if you have money that has been transferred to IEPF but is still not claimed with a business or banking company.

2. Who Needs to Use Form 5?

Form 5 must be filed if:

You are a bondholder or shareholder who has interest or dividends that have not been paid or claimed.

A lost person's money has been transferred to you as their legal heir.

You have rightful claims over money held by the IEPF as a transferee, claimant, or both.

If you are the business that transferred the money and are helping the proper claimant, you might also be included in this.

3. When to Use Form 5: After seven years of no activity, funds typically move to the IEPF.

if income for the seven prior years has not been posted.

For fixed deposits or loans that have matured, they are non-claimable for seven years after maturity.

Many times, individual investors don't until much later. Form 5 must be submitted in order to recover these sums after they have been identified. Claims are accepted at any point following transfer; there is no deadlineIn order to recover money that was moved to IEPF due to unclaimed dividends matured deposits, or similar funds,

4. Checklist of Documents

In most cases, you'll need the following:

PAN, address, email, and phone number of the claimant.

Company name, folio or information, transfer date, dividend/maturity period, and amount are all examples of fund details.

Proof of identity and address can be provided by a driver's license, passport, voter ID, PAN card, or Aadhar card.

A copy of your bank passbook or a cancelled cheque in your name serve as proof of bank status.

digital statements or original share certificates (for actual ownership).

legal heirs' indemnity bond or certificate, as well as succession documents (such as a will, succession certificate, or probate).

NOC issued by the company, if applicable.

5. Full Directions for Completing Form 5 A: Download and Print

The form can be found under "Forms" on the official IEPF website. Please print a clean, white, A4-sized copy; duplicates are not allowed.

B. Complete Section I: Claimant/Transferor Information, including full name, PAN, address, and phone number.

Section II: Funds and Company Details: Provide a list of every company along with the relevant folio, demat, certificate numbers, transfer date, and amount.

Section III: Document Specifics Sent in: For every document that is submitted, tick the boxes; include indemnities or NOCs as attachments.

Section IV: Notice Carefully read the statement, then sign and date it.

C. Include Documents

Verify authenticity and clarity in accordance with the checklist. Although they don't have to be mailed, originals are regularly needed for verification.

D. Attestation of Forms

Obtain the documents and form attested by:

A public notary, or

A chartered accountant in practice with membership number stamp

6. What Takes Place Following Submission?

The idea

A note of receipt with a special reference number will be provided by the registrar or business.

Confirmation

Documents and forms are validated. You can ask for more information.

IEPF Authority approval

The claim is sent to the Central Government/IEPF Authority following verification.

money came back by using the company

Following approval, the authority issues a release order. The company then sends the party seeking the money via direct transfer or cheque.

Timetable

usually takes four to six months, but there may be delays, particularly in cases involving succession documents and legal heirs.

7. Common Errors to Avoid Missing or incorrect PAN: always necessary.

Names or folio information that doesn't match the company's records exactly.

Unstamped indemnity bond and missing signatures are examples of incomplete documents.

Avoid rejection by not attesting documents.

Untracked submission: always maintain the tracking information.

8. Advice for an Easy Claim

Start by visiting the company's website.

Verify your or folio accounts; a lot of businesses offer IEPF status services.

Obtain the List of Certified Documents

Keep a checklist and use a spreadsheet to record the date, amount, claim status, and folio number.

Scan and Store Copies

Forms and documents should always be saved as scanned PDFs before mailing.

Monitor Awareness

Follow up with the Registrar or, if available, the IEPF website using the reference number.

Lawful Heirs Be Ready

Start early because things like succession certificates and probate can take time.

9. Can Businesses Also Use Form 5?

Indeed. A business must do the following if it discovers not claimed dividends or matured deposits after seven years:

Send money to the IEPF.

Keep internal documents up to date.

Owners and the public at large should be notified and referred to IEPF Form 5.

10. Current Information & Legal Foundation

The new forms, including Form 5, are described in the 2017 Corporate Law (IEPF) second revision Rules.

MCA notifications provide e-filing options, a list of acceptable attestators, and updated documentation.

The MCA portal is currently used for e-filing for certain phases of the digital claim management process that IEPF expanded in 2020.

🧾 Completed the Quick Checklist Task? ✔ ️ Get the official Form 5.

Carefully fill out each section.

Obtain proof of identity and bank account.

Attach documents to share or deposit.

Create legal documents for their succession.

Obtain attested documents.

By registered mail

Maintain the confirmation number.

Regularly check the status.

In Conclusion

You may recover unaccounted-for funds that were transferred to IEPF by finishing IEPF Form 5.

Be precise, patient, and keep all records in order.

With complete documents and proper filing, your claim can be processed within months—promising, if not overdue, financial benefit.

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