How to Recover Shares from IEPF: Step-by-Step Overview

Overview

Recovering shares from IEPF is a claim to the IEPF Authority, verified by the company. The core of it is Form IEPF-5, filed online on the MCA portal, together with documents sent to the company's Nodal Officer. The process is common to most cases, but details vary by company and by the type of claimant.

The usual sequence

1. Confirm the holding. Establish the company, folio or demat details and that the shares were transferred to IEPF.
2. Open or choose a demat account. Recovered shares are credited to a demat account in the claimant's name.
3. Prepare details and documents. Identity, bank details, certificates where applicable, and legal-heir documents where the holder has died.
4. File Form IEPF-5. The portal generates an acknowledgement and an SRN.
5. Send required papers to the company. The Nodal Officer verifies your claim against records.
6. Authority processes the claim. Based on the company's verification, the claim is accepted, queried or rejected.
7. Credit. Accepted shares are credited to your demat account; any dividend is paid to the bank account given.

What to watch for

• Make sure details match company records (names, folio, number of shares).
• Keep proof of everything you send, including postal receipts.
• Respond to queries promptly and completely.