How do I compare share recovery firms?

Compare them on concrete criteria: who does the work (a Company Secretary or CA versus agents), how they charge (success-based versus large upfront), whether they cover your specific RTA and company, transparency about scope and status, realistic timelines, and secure document handling.

Are share recovery services safe and legitimate?

Legitimate firms are safe; recovering shares from the IEPF is a lawful, formal process. Safety depends on who you choose: look for named professionals, a verifiable track record, a written agreement, success-based fees and secure document handling, and avoid anyone demanding large upfront cash or original certificates without a signed scope.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

With SharesRecover there is no upfront fee to review your case, and the professional fee is pay-on-success. Be cautious with any firm asking for a large payment before entitlement is confirmed or any form is filed. Statutory costs such as stamp paper, notarisation and courier are separate and unavoidable.

How long does share recovery take?

A clean, correctly documented IEPF claim usually takes a few months. A claim that draws a deficiency or resubmission letter can extend beyond a year because each objection resets the queue. Most delay traces back to avoidable documentation errors. Be sceptical of anyone guaranteeing a specific fast date.

Can I recover the shares myself instead of hiring anyone?

Yes, it is permitted, but the IEPF-5 e-form, indemnity bond, entitlement proof, KYC reconciliation and dispatch step are complex and a single deficiency can add months. Simple cases can be DIY; transmission, lost certificates, NRI status or higher-value holdings usually benefit from a Company Secretary-led firm.

IEPF & Share Recovery Services in India

How to Compare Them — Fees, Red Flags & What to Check

Thinking of hiring a firm to recover your shares or dividends from the IEPF? Before you hand over your documents, here's exactly what to check on credentials, fees and process — and how to tell a safe provider from a risky one.

See the checklist Free case review

Company Secretary–led

Pay on success

Every major RTA

Independent guide · no upfront fee to review your case

3000+

Investors assisted

₹900 Cr+

Shares value recovered

0

Upfront fee — pay on success

10 Yrs

Specialising in share & IEPF recovery

What to check before you choose a recovery firm

1. Who actually does the work?

IEPF-5 filings and transmission are company-law work — the domain of a Company Secretary. Succession certificates are court matters that need a lawyer. A firm should hold both, in-house — not pass you to an agent.

SharesRecover: founder & team are both CS and legal.

2. How do they charge?

The safest model is success-based — you pay a share of what's actually recovered. Be wary of large upfront fees before anything is filed.

SharesRecover: pay on success, no upfront fee to review.

3. RTA & company coverage

Every company's shares sit with a specific RTA (KFin, Link Intime, etc.). Make sure the firm handles your RTA and company, not just the common ones.

SharesRecover: every major RTA, PAN-India.

4. Transparency & updates

Ask for a written scope and clear status updates. Claims move through deficiency letters; you should always know where yours stands.

SharesRecover: written scope, regular updates.

5. Realistic timelines

A clean IEPF claim takes months; anyone guaranteeing a fixed fast date is overpromising. Good firms set expectations honestly.

SharesRecover: honest, case-specific timelines.

6. Document & data security

You'll share PAN, Aadhaar, bank and share details. Confirm how documents are handled and that originals aren't demanded without a signed agreement.

SharesRecover: secure handling, agreement first.

Specialists — not middlemen

What it actually needs

Two qualifications, under one roof

An IEPF or share-recovery claim is company-law work — IEPF-5, indemnity bonds, RTA coordination and transmission — which is the professional domain of a Company Secretary. The moment inheritance is involved, you also need succession certificates and legal-heir orders, which are court matters that require a lawyer. Done properly, a single case can need both.

What most offer

Intermediaries who pass your case along

A broker, a general Chartered Accountant, a wealth manager, or a lawyer who doesn't specialise in share recovery typically treats this as a side service. They act as middlemen — taking your case and handing it down the line — without hands-on command of RTA processes, IEPF deficiency handling or succession law. Trusting one of them often ends up like filing the claim yourself: avoidable deficiencies, repeated queries, and months of delay and disappointment.

Why SharesRecover is different

Our founder and core team hold both qualifications — Company Secretary and legal — and we've spent 10 years doing only this, never routing your case through an agent. As one of the oldest dedicated share-recovery firms in India, we've reclaimed shares and dividends for clients across the country and around the world, including NRIs. Wherever you're based — any state in India or overseas — we can put you in touch with investors from your own region for a reference, so you can hear about the experience first-hand before you commit. Holding old paper certificates? Our physical shares to demat service takes them through the registrar to your demat account.

Red flags to avoid

If a provider does any of these, walk away — it usually means slow, risky or costly.

Large upfront fees demanded before any form is filed or your entitlement is even confirmed.

No CS/CA oversight — the actual filing is handled by untrained agents.

Guaranteed fast timelines — nobody can promise the IEPF Authority's schedule.

No written scope or agreement — unclear what you're paying for or who owns the documents.

Asking for original certificates to be handed over with no signed agreement in place.

No verifiable track record — no reviews, no named professionals, no office.

Frequently asked questions

There's no single fixed rate. Most reputable firms work on a success-based fee — a percentage of the value actually recovered — which aligns their interest with yours. The exact percentage varies with the size and complexity of the claim. Some firms charge fixed or part-upfront fees; a large upfront payment before anything is filed is a common warning sign. Whatever the model, get the fee in writing before you start.

Compare them on a few concrete criteria rather than marketing claims: who actually does the work (a Company Secretary/CA vs. agents), how they charge (success-based vs. large upfront), whether they cover your specific RTA and company, how transparent they are about scope and status, whether their timelines are realistic, and how they handle your documents. A firm that scores well on those is far more likely to clear your claim in one pass.

The legitimate ones are — recovering shares from the IEPF is a lawful, formal process, and a professional firm simply prepares and files it correctly on your behalf. Safety comes down to who you choose: look for named professionals (CS/CA), a verifiable track record, a written agreement, success-based fees, and secure document handling. Avoid anyone demanding large upfront cash or your original certificates without a signed scope.

Judge any provider on proof you can verify, not marketing claims: named, qualified professionals, a genuine track record, and references you can actually check. SharesRecover is one of the oldest dedicated share and dividend recovery firms in India, with clients across the country and around the world, including NRIs. Wherever you're based — any state in India or overseas — we can share references from investors in your own region, so you can hear about the experience first-hand before you commit. And every case is reviewed free, so you risk nothing to start.

With SharesRecover, no — there's no upfront fee to review your case, and we work on a pay-on-success basis. More generally, be cautious with any firm that asks for a large payment before your entitlement is confirmed or any form is filed. Out-of-pocket statutory costs (stamp paper, notarisation, courier) are separate and unavoidable, but the professional fee itself should be success-linked.

A clean, correctly documented IEPF claim is usually a matter of months. A claim that draws a deficiency or resubmission letter can stretch beyond a year, because each objection resets the queue. Most delay traces back to avoidable documentation errors — which is exactly why who prepares your claim matters. Be sceptical of anyone guaranteeing a specific fast date; the IEPF Authority's timeline isn't in any firm's control.

You're allowed to. But the IEPF-5 e-form, indemnity bond, entitlement proof, KYC reconciliation and dispatch step are complex and unforgiving — a single deficiency can add months. If your case is simple and you have time to learn the process, DIY is possible. If it involves transmission, lost certificates, NRI status or higher-value holdings, a Company Secretary–led firm usually pays for itself by getting it right the first time.

It depends on the task — and a full case often needs more than one. IEPF-5 filings, indemnity bonds and transmission are company-law work, which is the professional domain of a Company Secretary. Where a death and inheritance are involved, succession certificates and legal-heir orders are court matters that require a lawyer. A general Chartered Accountant, broker or wealth manager usually isn't qualified for either and simply acts as an intermediary — which is where delays creep in. SharesRecover's founder and team hold both qualifications and have specialised in this for 10 years, so your case is handled directly rather than passed along.

Get an honest read on your case — free

Tell us the situation and we'll confirm your entitlement, flag the pitfalls, and give you a clear, no-obligation plan. Company Secretary–led, pay on success, every major RTA.

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