How to claim unclaimed dividends through IEPF via Zerodha

From WebNotes, a public knowledge base. Last updated 12 May 2026. Reading time ~13 min. Level: Advanced.

Key facts

Governing law	Companies Act 2013, Sections 124 and 125; Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules 2016
Time required	60–120 days from submission of complete claim (Form IEPF-5)
Cost	Nil; no fee for IEPF claims
Transfer threshold	Dividends unclaimed for 7 consecutive years are transferred to IEPF; corresponding shares are also transferred to IEPF
Claim platform	iepf.gov.in (Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal)

The Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF) is a statutory fund established under Section 125 of the Companies Act 2013. Any dividend that remains unclaimed by investors for seven consecutive years is transferred to the IEPF. More significantly, the corresponding shares (in whose respect those dividends were declared) are also transferred from the investor’s demat account or the company’s physical register to the IEPF Authority’s demat account.

Investors who have missed dividend claims or whose shares have been transferred to IEPF can reclaim both the cash dividends and the shares by filing a claim through the IEPF Authority. This guide explains the complete process, including how your Zerodha demat account is used as the target for returned shares.

Step 1: Check whether your dividends and shares have been transferred to IEPF

IEPF investor search portal: Visit iepf.gov.in and use the investor lookup tool. Enter your PAN or Aadhaar number to search for unclaimed amounts and shares associated with your record. The portal shows:

Company name
Amount of unclaimed dividend
Number of shares (if transferred)
Financial year(s) for which dividends are unclaimed

Company’s annual report or RTA: Listed companies must publish a list of shareholders whose shares have been transferred to IEPF in their annual reports. Check the annual report of the relevant company (available on BSEIndia or the company’s investor relations page).

CDSL / Zerodha Console: If shares have already been debited from your Zerodha demat account to IEPF, they will no longer appear in Console > Holdings. This is a strong indicator that a transfer has occurred.

Step 2: Gather the required documents

Before filing Form IEPF-5, gather the following:

Document	Notes
PAN card	Self-attested copy
Aadhaar card	Self-attested copy
Cancelled cheque	For your bank account where dividend refund should be credited; shows IFSC and account number
CMR (Client Master Report) from Zerodha	Confirms your demat account BO ID and DP details for share restoration; see How to request a CMR / CML from Zerodha
Original share certificates	If shares were held in physical form before IEPF transfer
Proof of entitlement	Annual account statement, contract note, or company communication confirming shareholding
Indemnity bond and advance receipt	Format prescribed in IEPF Rules 2016 Annexure V and VI; must be on appropriate stamp paper
Advance receipt form	Signed undertaking that the claimant will return the amount if the claim is found invalid

Step 3: File Form IEPF-5 on MCA portal

Form IEPF-5 is the official claim form for refund of amounts and shares from IEPF. It is filed electronically on the Ministry of Corporate Affairs portal.

Visit mca.gov.in and log in (or create an account if you are a first-time user).
Navigate to Services > Filing of Investor Claims (IEPF-5).
Select the company whose shares/dividends you are claiming.
Fill in the form with:
- PAN
- Aadhaar
- Demat account details: Your Zerodha CDSL BO ID (16 digits) and DP ID (12081600). This is the account to which restored shares will be credited.
- Bank account details: Account number and IFSC of the bank account to which dividends should be credited (same as the cancelled cheque you are submitting).
- Details of unclaimed dividends: financial year, amount, and company dividend record date.
Upload the required documents.
Submit and download the acknowledgement (SRN – Service Request Number).

Step 4: Submit the physical verification package to the company’s Nodal Officer

Filing on MCA portal alone is not sufficient. You must also send a physical verification package to the company’s designated Nodal Officer.

What to include in the physical package:

Printed copy of the filed Form IEPF-5 (with the SRN/acknowledgement)
Self-attested copy of PAN
Self-attested copy of Aadhaar
Cancelled cheque (original or clear copy)
CMR from Zerodha (not older than 3 months)
Original share certificates (if any)
Indemnity bond (on Rs 100–200 non-judicial stamp paper, format as per Annexure V of IEPF Rules 2016)
Advance receipt (format per Annexure VI of IEPF Rules 2016, signed and notarised)

Nodal Officer address: The Nodal Officer (typically the Company Secretary) is identified in the company’s annual report and on the IEPF portal. Address the package to:

The Nodal Officer – IEPF
[Company Name]
[Registered Office Address]

Use registered post or speed post with acknowledgement due. Retain proof of dispatch.

Step 5: Company verification (30 days)

Under Rule 7 of the IEPF Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules 2016, the company’s Nodal Officer must verify the claim within 30 days of receipt and submit a verification report to the IEPF Authority.

The company verifies:

That the claimant is the registered holder (or legal successor)
That the amounts and shares stated are indeed with IEPF
Authenticity of supporting documents

If the company requires additional documents or clarification, they will contact you at the registered address or email.

Step 6: IEPF Authority processes the claim

After receiving the company’s verification report, the IEPF Authority reviews it and processes the refund:

Dividend refund: Credited directly to the bank account specified in Form IEPF-5 via NEFT/RTGS.
Share restoration: CDSL (as the depository of the IEPF Authority’s account) processes a debit from the IEPF Authority’s account and credit to the Zerodha BO ID specified in the form.

The entire process from IEPF Authority receipt to payment typically takes 30–60 business days after the company submits the verification report. Total time from form filing to receiving shares/dividends: 60–120 days.

Status tracking

Track the claim status at:

iepf.gov.in > Claim Status: Enter the SRN and PAN to check the current stage.
Contact Zerodha support to confirm when the share credit is received.
The IEPF Authority’s email is iepf@mca.gov.in for escalation queries.

After the claim: review your holdings for further unclaimed items

Once one claim is processed, review whether you have unclaimed dividends or shares with other companies. The IEPF investor search at iepf.gov.in allows a PAN-level search that shows all companies. Submit separate Form IEPF-5 for each company.

What can go wrong

Incorrect demat BO ID in IEPF-5: If the Zerodha BO ID entered in the form is incorrect, the shares will be credited to the wrong account. Cross-check the BO ID from the CMR before submission.
Indemnity bond not on correct stamp paper: IEPF requires the bond on non-judicial stamp paper; an unstamped or incorrectly stamped bond leads to rejection.
Company Nodal Officer non-responsive: If the company does not respond within 30 days, escalate to the IEPF Authority at iepf@mca.gov.in with the SRN, company name, and date of dispatch of the physical package.
Physical package lost in transit: Use registered post with acknowledgement due. A lost physical package requires resubmission; the MCA portal SRN remains valid and can be referenced in resubmission.
Bank account IFSC updated after filing: If you update your bank account at Zerodha after filing IEPF-5, the dividend will be credited to the account specified in the form. Ensure the bank account details in the form are current and active.
Legal heirs claiming on behalf of deceased holder: Legal heirs must submit additional documents (death certificate, succession certificate or probate, and legal heir certificate) as part of the physical package. The process is more involved and may take longer.

References

Companies Act 2013, Sections 124 (Unpaid Dividend Account) and 125 (Investor Education and Protection Fund).
Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Rules, 2016, Rule 7 (refund from IEPF).
Ministry of Corporate Affairs, IEPF Authority, “Refund of shares / amounts from IEPF”, iepf.gov.in (accessed May 2026).
SEBI Circular SEBI/HO/MIRSD/MIRSD-PoD-1/P/CIR/2022/152, 4 November 2022, Investor-friendly measures for IEPF claims.
Zerodha Support, “How to claim IEPF dividends and shares”, support.zerodha.com (accessed May 2026).

WebNotes Editorial Team prepares factual how-to guides based on publicly available regulatory documents and broker disclosures. WebNotes is not affiliated with Zerodha Broking Limited, the IEPF Authority, or the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Procedures are subject to change; verify current requirements at iepf.gov.in before acting.

Reviewed and published by

WebNotes Editorial Team

The WebNotes Editorial Team covers Indian capital markets, payments infrastructure and retail investor procedures. Every article is fact-checked against primary sources, principally SEBI circulars and master directions, NPCI specifications and the official support documentation published by the intermediary in question. Drafts go through a second-pair-of-eyes review and a separate compliance read before publication, and revisions are tracked against the SEBI and NPCI rule changes referenced in the methodology section.

Last reviewed: 12 May 2026
Conflicts of interest: WebNotes is independent. No relationship with any broker, registrar or bank named in this article.