What is the IEPF, and why are my shares there?
The short answer
The Investor Education and Protection Fund is a government fund that holds shares and dividends nobody has claimed. When dividends on a holding stay unclaimed for seven consecutive years, the shares themselves are transferred to it.
This is automatic and it is not a penalty. The holding still belongs to the shareholder or their heirs — what changes is who you claim it from and what the claim involves.
Which of these is you?
The route changes depending on your situation. Open the one that matches — you can ignore the rest.
Why a holding ends up there Almost always neglect rather than intent.
An address changed and the company kept writing to the old one. A bank account closed and electronic dividend credits started failing. The shareholder died and the family never knew the holding existed.
In each case the dividends went uncollected, and after seven consecutive years the shares followed them into the fund.
What it means for you A different claim, not a lost one.
Entitlement does not lapse and the fund does not keep the shares. What changes is the process: an IEPF claim runs through the company's nodal officer and the authority rather than the registrar alone, and it needs more supporting documentation than an ordinary transfer.
How to find out whether it applies to you It is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Not every dormant holding has gone to the IEPF, and claiming through the wrong route wastes months. We check whether a transfer has actually happened before anything is prepared.
See also
How we can help
Work out which applies to you
Documents you may need
Free check
Still not sure what applies to you?
Answer three short questions and we will tell you which route fits your situation, what it needs, and what it costs.
- We check registrar and IEPF records against the details you give us.
- You’ll get the route, what it needs and what it costs before deciding.
- We never ask for payment to run a check.