Understanding IEPF Form IEPF-5: Your Key to Share Recovery
Unclaimed shares and dividends are more common than many investors realise. Over time, thousands of shareholders lose track of their investments due to an address change, the death of the shareholder, or inactive trading accounts. To address this, the Indian government established the Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF). The key tool for reclaiming these lost investments is IEPF Form IEPF-5. In this blog, we’ll break down what IEPF-5 is, who should file it, and how it helps in recovering IEPF Unclaimed Shares and dividends. What Is IEPF and Why Does It Matter? The Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) was set up under the Companies Act, 2013 and managed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA). It collects unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, debentures, and shares that remain unclaimed for seven consecutive years. If a shareholder does not claim dividends for this period, the corresponding shares are transferred to the IEPF Authority. However, shareholders or th...