How to claim money when dividend amount is transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF).
Any person whose shares, unclaimed dividend, matured deposits, matured debentures, application money due for refund, or interest thereon, sale proceeds of fractional shares, redemption proceeds of preference shares etc., has been transferred to the Fund, may claim the shares under proviso to sub-section (6) of section 124 or apply for refund under clause (a) of sub-section (3) of section 125 or under proviso to sub-section (3) of section 125, as the case may be.
Process of Claiming :
Step-1: Make an application to the Authority by submitting an online application in Form IEPF-5 available on the website www.iepf.gov.in along with fee specified by the Authority from time to time in consultation with the Central Government.
Step-2: After online filing of form the person shall send the following documents to the Nodal Officer of the Company at its registered office in an envelope marked “claim for refund form IEPF Authority” for initiating the verification for claim.
(i) Print out of duly filled claim form with claimant signature.
(ii) Copy of acknowledgement.
(iii) Indemnity Bond (original) with claimant signature.
(iv) Advance Stamped receipt (original).
(v) In case of refund of matured deposit or debenture, original certificate thereto.
(vi) Copy of Aadhaar Card.
(vii) Proof of entitlement (certificate of share/Interest warrant Application No. etc.).
(viii) Cancelled Cheque leaf .
(ix) Copy of Passport, OCI and PI card in case of foreigners and NRI.
(x) Other optional document, (if any).
**Note:
(i) The company shall, within fifteen days from the date of receipt of claim, send a verification report to the Authority in the format specified by the Authority along with all the documents submitted by the claimant.
(ii) Provided that in case of non receipt of documents by the Authority after the expiry of ninety days from the date of filing of Form IEPF-5, the Authority may reject Form IEPF-5, after giving an opportunity to the claimant to furnish response within a period of thirty days (Inserted vide the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (Accounting, Audit, Transfer and Refund) Second Amendment Rules, 2017 dated 13.10.2017.)
Extract of Section 124 and 125 of Companies Act, 2013
Section 124 – Unpaid Dividend Account.
Notified Date of Section: 07/09/2016
124. (1) Where a dividend has been declared by a company but has not been paid or claimed within thirty days from the date of the declaration to any shareholder entitled to the payment of the dividend, the company shall, within seven days from the date of expiry of the said period of thirty days, transfer the total amount of dividend which remains unpaid or unclaimed to a special account to be opened by the company in that behalf in any scheduled bank to be called the Unpaid Dividend Account.
(2) The company shall, within a period of ninety days of making any transfer of an amount under sub-section (1) to the Unpaid Dividend Account, prepare a statement containing the names, their last known addresses and the unpaid dividend to be paid to each person and place it on the web-site of the company, if any, and also on any other web-site approved by the Central Government for this purpose, in such form, manner and other particulars as may be prescribed.
(3) If any default is made in transferring the total amount referred to in sub-section (1) or any part thereof to the Unpaid Dividend Account of the company, it shall pay, from the date of such default, interest on so much of the amount as has not been transferred to the said account, at the rate of twelve per cent per annum and the interest accruing on such amount shall ensure to the benefit of the members of the company in proportion to the amount remaining unpaid to them.
(4) Any person claiming to be entitled to any money transferred under sub-section (1) to the Unpaid Dividend Account of the company may apply to the company for payment of the money claimed.
(5) Any money transferred to the Unpaid Dividend Account of a company in pursuance of this section which remains unpaid or unclaimed for a period of seven years from the date of such transfer shall be transferred by the company along with interest accrued, if any, thereon to the Fund established under sub-section (1) of section 125 and the company shall send a statement in the prescribed form of the details of such transfer to the authority which administers the said Fund and that authority shall issue a receipt to the company as evidence of such transfer.
(6) All shares in respect of which [dividend has not been paid or claimed for seven consecutive years or more shall be] transferred by the company in the name of Investor Education and Protection Fund along with a statement containing such details as may be prescribed:
Provided that any claimant of shares transferred above shall be entitled to claim the transfer of shares from Investor Education and Protection Fund in accordance with such procedure and on submission of such documents as may be prescribed.
[Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that in case any dividend is paid or claimed for any year during the said period of seven consecutive years, the share shall not be transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund.]
(7) If a company fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section, the company shall be punishable with fine which shall not be less than five lakh rupees but which may extend to twenty-five lakh rupees and every officer of the company who is in default shall be punishable with fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to five lakh rupees.
Section 125- Investor Education and Protection Fund.
Notified Date of Section: 13/01/2016
125. (1) The Central Government shall establish a Fund to be called the Investor Education and Protection Fund (herein referred to as the Fund).
(2) There shall be credited to the Fund—
(a) the amount given by the Central Government by way of grants after due appropriation made by Parliament by law in this behalf for being utilised for the purposes of the Fund;
(b) donations given to the Fund by the Central Government, State Governments, companies or any other institution for the purposes of the Fund;
(c) the amount in the Unpaid Dividend Account of companies transferred to the Fund under sub-section (5) of section 124;
(d) the amount in the general revenue account of the Central Government which had been transferred to that account under sub-section (5) of section 205A of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), as it stood immediately before the commencement of the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1999 (21 of 1999), and remaining unpaid or unclaimed on the commencement of this Act;
(e) the amount lying in the Investor Education and Protection Fund under section 205C of the Companies Act, 1956;
(f) the interest or other income received out of investments made from the Fund;
(g) the amount received under sub-section (4) of section 38;
(h) the application money received by companies for allotment of any securities and due for refund;
(i) matured deposits with companies other than banking companies;
(j) matured debentures with companies;
(k) interest accrued on the amounts referred to in clauses (h) to (j);
(l) sale proceeds of fractional shares arising out of issuance of bonus shares, merger and amalgamation for seven or more years;
(m) redemption amount of preference shares remaining unpaid or unclaimed for seven or more years; and
(n) such other amount as may be prescribed:
Provided that no such amount referred to in clauses (h) to (j) shall form part of the Fund unless such amount has remained unclaimed and unpaid for a period of seven years from the date it became due for payment.
(3) The Fund shall be utilised for—
(a) the refund in respect of unclaimed dividends, matured deposits, matured debentures, the application money due for refund and interest thereon;
(b) promotion of investors’ education, awareness and protection;
(c) distribution of any disgorged amount among eligible and identifiable applicants for shares or debentures, shareholders, debenture-holders or depositors who have suffered losses due to wrong actions by any person, in accordance with the orders made by the Court which had ordered disgorgement;
(d) reimbursement of legal expenses incurred in pursuing class action suits under sections 37 and 245 by members, debenture-holders or depositors as may be sanctioned by the Tribunal; and
(e) any other purpose incidental thereto,
in accordance with such rules as may be prescribed:
Provided that the person whose amounts referred to in clauses (a) to (d) of sub-section (2) of section 205C transferred to Investor Education and Protection Fund, after the expiry of the period of seven years as per provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), shall be entitled to get refund out of the fund in respect of such claims in accordance with rules made under this section.
Explanation.—The disgorged amount refers to the amount received through disgorgement or disposal of securities.
(4) Any person claiming to be entitled to the amount referred in sub-section (2) may apply to the authority constituted under sub-section (5) for the payment of the money claimed.
(5) The Central Government shall constitute, by notification, an authority for administration of the Fund consisting of a chairperson and such other members, not exceeding seven and a chief executive officer, as the Central Government may appoint.
(6) The manner of administration of the Fund, appointment of chairperson, members and chief executive officer, holding of meetings of the authority shall be in accordance with such rules as may be prescribed.
Note : Sub-Section (6) is Notified – except with respect to the manner of administration of the Investor Education and Protection Fund..
Note : Manner of administration of the Investor Education and Protection Fund has been notified on 7th September, 2016
(7) The Central Government may provide to the authority such offices, officers, employees and other resources in accordance with such rules as may be prescribed.
(8) The authority shall administer the Fund and maintain separate accounts and other relevant records in relation to the Fund in such form as may be prescribed after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.
(9) It shall be competent for the authority constituted under sub-section (5) to spend money out of the Fund for carrying out the objects specified in sub-section (3).
(10) The accounts of the Fund shall be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India at such intervals as may be specified by him and such audited accounts together with the audit report thereon shall be forwarded annually by the authority to the Central Government.
(11) The authority shall prepare in such form and at such time for each financial year as may be prescribed its annual report giving a full account of its activities during the financial year and forward a copy thereof to the Central Government and the Central Government shall cause the annual report and the audit report given by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India to be laid before each House of Parliament.
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