Part of our guide to IEPF claims and Form IEPF-5
Form IEPF-5 is the claim form for getting shares and unclaimed dividends back from the Investor Education and Protection Fund. From 6 October 2025, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs replaced it with a revised version, through amendments to the IEPF Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016.
If you are filing now, the form asks for more than it used to. Here is what changed, and what it means in practice.
A separate option to claim only shares
The earlier form offered two claim types: an amount, or an amount and shares together. The revised form adds a separate option to claim shares alone. This removes the confusion for claims involving only shares, such as bonus shares with no dividend to claim.
A question about the entitlement letter
The form now asks you to confirm whether an entitlement letter has been issued by the company or bank. An entitlement letter confirms what the company transferred to IEPF in your name. Whether or not you have one, proof of entitlement, such as the share certificate, still has to be sent to the company after filing.
Filing yourself or through a representative
You now state whether you are filing yourself or through an authorised representative. If a representative files for you, an authority letter must be attached, and the representative gives their own details, including an identification number such as a DIN, PAN or professional membership number.
Demat account details
A frequent cause of rejection under the old form was an incomplete demat account number. The revised form includes a depository field to help claimants enter the full account details correctly. Copy them from your Client Master List rather than from memory.
Identity and verification
Indian claimants give their Aadhaar number; non-resident claimants give a passport, OCI or PIO card number. The form uses OTP verification, so file with a mobile number and email you can access at the time. NRIs can read our guide to claiming IEPF shares from abroad.
What has not changed
The online form is still only the first half of a claim. After filing, you print the form, sign it along with an indemnity bond, and send it with your supporting documents and KYC to the company's Nodal Officer. The company verifies the claim against its records before the IEPF Authority decides.
Most delays and rejections still come from that second half, where your documents are compared with old records. Our guide to why IEPF claims get rejected lists the common problems and their fixes.
Filing the revised form
You can file Form IEPF-5 yourself on the MCA portal free of charge. If you would rather have the documents prepared to match the company's records, we can help with no advance professional fee; statutory costs such as stamp duty on the indemnity bond and notary charges are paid by you at actuals. See our IEPF Form 5 claim process.
Free IEPF claim review
Send us the shareholder's name and the company. We check the IEPF records and tell you what can be claimed, at no charge for the assessment.