IEPF Form 5: Filing Online, Download and the 2025 Rule Change
Form IEPF-5 is the single application you file to get shares and dividends back from the Investor Education and Protection Fund. It is filed on the MCA portal, not on the IEPF website most people land on first — and since 6 October 2025 it asks for a document that did not exist on the older form. Getting either of those wrong is the most common reason a claim stalls before it is even looked at.
This page covers where the form actually lives, how to download it, how to fill each part, what to attach, and what happens after you submit. If you would rather not work out what you are owed yourself, send us your name and details and we will send back a complete report — the exact number of shares held in your name today and what they are worth.
Key Takeaways
- Form IEPF-5 is filed at mca.gov.in → MCA Services → Investor Services → Form IEPF-5. It is not filed at iepfa.gov.in, which only searches records.
- Shares move to the IEPF after dividends stay unclaimed for seven consecutive years under Section 124(6) of the Companies Act 2013.
- Since the 6 October 2025 amendment, an entitlement letter from the company is mandatory. Claims filed without it are the most common failure we see.
- After you file, the company must send its e-verification report within 30 days, with a late fee for each day it slips.
- One Form IEPF-5 covers one company. Five companies means five separate filings.
What’s on this page
Rule change — 6 October 2025. The IEPF Authority substituted Form IEPF-5. The entitlement letter issued by the company is now a mandatory attachment, a separate authority letter is required where a representative files on your behalf, share-only claims are accommodated, and demat account validation is stricter. A form filled from an older guide will be missing fields.
What Form IEPF-5 is and when you need it
Under Section 124 of the Companies Act 2013, a dividend that stays unpaid for 30 days moves into an Unpaid Dividend Account within 7 days. If it is still unclaimed seven consecutive years later, Section 124(6) sends the underlying shares to the IEPF along with the money. The shares are transferred into the IEPF Authority’s demat account. They are not sold and they are not lost.
Form IEPF-5 is how you ask for them back. You file it if any of the following is true:
- Dividends on a holding stopped reaching you and seven years or more have passed
- You hold physical share certificates for a company and have had no correspondence for years
- A relative has died and their shareholding was never claimed
- You changed address or bank account and never updated the registrar
One form covers one company. If your father held shares in four companies, that is four separate applications, four sets of documents, and four entitlement letters.
Where to file it — the three websites people confuse
This is where most time is lost. Three government websites carry the letters IEPF and they do different things.
| Website | What it is for |
|---|---|
| mca.gov.in | Where Form IEPF-5 is actually filed. MCA Services → Investor Services → Form IEPF-5 |
| iepfa.gov.in | Search only — check whether shares or dividends are lying in your name. No filing here. |
| iepf.gov.in | Rules, refund information and notices. Reference only. |
If you are searching for www iepf gov in form 5 and landing on a page with no form on it, this is why. The form sits on the MCA portal.
One practical note for families abroad: iepfa.gov.in often will not load from outside India. If the search page times out for you overseas, that is the site, not your connection.
Form IEPF-5 download and PDF
Form IEPF-5 is a web form, not a PDF you fill offline and email. You complete it in the browser on the MCA portal while logged in, and the portal generates the acknowledgement.
What you can download is the completed form after submission — you will need that copy, because a signed print of it has to be sent physically to the company’s nodal officer along with your documents. People searching for iepf form 5 pdf download are usually looking for one of two things: a blank form to see the fields in advance, or their own filed copy. The second is the one that matters, and it comes from your MCA account after filing.
Registration and login
You need an MCA V3 account to file. Registration is free. Register as a Business User or Registered User with your PAN, email and mobile — the email and mobile are both verified by OTP, so use ones you can access, not an old office address.
Two things worth knowing before you start:
- The PAN on your MCA login should match the PAN of the claimant. Filing from a family member’s account creates a mismatch you will have to explain later.
- Where somebody files on your behalf, the October 2025 amendment requires a separate authority letter. This is new.
Filing online, part by part
The form runs in sections. Fill them in this order and keep the documents open beside you.
- Claimant details — name exactly as it appears on the share certificate or registrar’s record, not as it appears on your PAN if the two differ. A mismatch here is handled later by an affidavit, but it must be declared, not hidden.
- Company details — the company’s CIN. If the company has changed its name or merged, use the current entity’s CIN, not the name printed on your certificate.
- Details of shares claimed — folio number, certificate numbers, distinctive numbers, number of shares. These come off the certificate itself or the registrar’s statement.
- Dividend claimed — the years and amounts, where you are claiming money as well as shares. Share-only claims are now explicitly accommodated.
- Demat account — the shares can only be returned in electronic form. Client ID and DP ID are validated against the depository, and validation is stricter since October 2025. A dormant or closed account will fail.
- Aadhaar and bank details — for the dividend component, with the bank account linked to the same claimant.
- Attachments — see the next section.
On submission the portal issues an SRN. Keep it. Every status check from that point uses the SRN.
Documents to attach
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Entitlement letter | Issued by the company. Mandatory since 6 October 2025. Request it from the registrar before you start the form. |
| Indemnity bond | On stamp paper, value varies by state. See our guide to the IEPF indemnity bond and stamp duty. |
| Advance receipt | Signed, with revenue stamp where applicable. |
| Original share certificates | Where the holding is physical. If lost, a duplicate must be issued first. |
| Aadhaar and PAN | Self-attested. |
| Client master list | From your DP, proving the demat account is active and in the claimant’s name. |
| Cancelled cheque | Name printed, matching the claimant. |
| Death certificate and succession proof | Where the holder has died — see below. |
After you file: SRN, e-verification and timelines
Filing the form is the start, not the end. The sequence is:
- You submit online and receive the SRN.
- You send the signed printout with original documents to the company’s nodal officer.
- The company verifies and files its e-verification report with the IEPF Authority within 30 days of receiving your claim. A late fee applies for each day beyond that.
- The Authority reviews. If it wants more from you, you have 15 days to supply it.
- On approval, shares are credited to your demat account and the dividend to your bank.
The 30 days and the 15 days are different clocks belonging to different parties, and they are routinely mixed up. The 15-day duty is the company’s. The 15-day window is yours.
Why claims come back
- No entitlement letter — the single most common failure since October 2025.
- Name mismatch between the certificate, PAN, Aadhaar and bank record. Common where a woman’s surname changed on marriage, or where a certificate carries initials.
- Demat account rejected — closed, dormant, or in a different name from the claimant.
- Signature mismatch against the registrar’s specimen, recorded decades ago.
- Wrong company — the certificate names a company that has since merged, and the claim is filed against the old CIN.
- Deceased holder without transmission completed first. Transmission comes before the IEPF claim, not after.
Don’t work out the numbers yourself
If the company merged, split its stock or issued bonus shares — and most old Indian holdings did all three — the number on your certificate is not the number you own today. Each step multiplies the last, and one wrong ratio makes the final figure wrong by several times.
Send us your name and details and we will send back a complete report — the exact holding in your name today, the current value, and whether it is sitting with the company or with the IEPF.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I file Form IEPF-5?
On the MCA portal at mca.gov.in, under MCA Services → Investor Services → Form IEPF-5. It is not filed on iepfa.gov.in, which only searches records.
Is Form IEPF-5 a PDF I can download and fill?
No. It is a web form completed in the browser on the MCA portal. You download your completed copy after submission, and that signed printout is what you post to the company’s nodal officer.
What changed in Form IEPF-5 in October 2025?
The IEPF Authority substituted the form with effect from 6 October 2025. An entitlement letter from the company became a mandatory attachment, a separate authority letter is required where a representative files, share-only claims are accommodated, and demat validation is stricter.
How long does an IEPF claim take?
Under Rule 7(3) the company must file its verification report within 15 days of receiving your claim, and the Authority must dispose of the claim within 60 days of receiving a complete report. Total time depends on how quickly the company acts and whether the Authority asks for more documents, in which case you have 15 days to respond.
Can I file one form for shares in several companies?
No. One Form IEPF-5 covers one company. Each company needs its own form, its own entitlement letter and its own document set.
Do I need a demat account to claim from the IEPF?
Yes. Shares are returned only in electronic form, and the demat account must be active and in the claimant’s name. Client ID and DP ID are validated against the depository.
What if the shareholder has died?
Transmission to the legal heir has to be completed before the IEPF claim is filed, with the death certificate and succession documents. Filing the claim first is a common and costly ordering mistake.
What if I have lost the original share certificate?
A duplicate certificate must be issued by the company before the claim can proceed. That is a separate process with its own indemnity bond and, usually, a newspaper advertisement.
How do I check the status of my IEPF claim?
Through your MCA account using the SRN issued when you submitted the form. Keep the SRN — every status check depends on it.
Is there a deadline to file Form IEPF-5?
No. There is no time limit on claiming shares or dividends back from the IEPF. The seven-year clock in Section 124(6) governs when they go in, not how long you have to claim them.
How Does Shares Recover Help With Form IEPF-5?
We handle the whole application: tracing the holding across name changes and mergers, obtaining the entitlement letter from the registrar, preparing the indemnity bond and affidavits at the correct stamp value for your state, filing the form, and following the company’s nodal officer until the e-verification report is filed.
We work on zero upfront — you pay only on success. Nothing is payable until the shares reach your demat account. If the claim does not succeed, you pay nothing.
Start with a free report on what is held in your name.
Holding old share certificates? Confirm exactly where they stand.
Send us the names and folio numbers on your certificates. We will confirm whether the shares are still in your name, whether they have moved to the IEPF, and what they are worth today.
Zero advance — you pay only once the shares are credited to your demat account.
