Rule 5 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rule 5 tells a company how to pay amounts due to the Investor Education and Protection Fund and how to publish what is unclaimed. It requires a remittance with a Statement in Form IEPF-1 within thirty days, and, every year, a statement of unclaimed and unpaid amounts in Form IEPF-2 uploaded on the company's website and the Authority's. This article is as amended up to G.S.R. 733(E) dated 1 October 2025 (Form IEPF-5); the rule text is per the MCA e-book to G.S.R. 552(E) of 9 September 2024. Later amendments should be checked before you rely on it. For help with the records and statements, see our compliance documentation service.
Amounts required to be credited to the Fund under section 125(2)(a) to (n) are remitted online with a Statement in Form IEPF-1 within thirty days of becoming due. Each year, within sixty days after the AGM (or the date it should have been held), whichever is earlier, the company identifies unclaimed amounts and uploads Form IEPF-2 on its own website and the Authority's, covering each of the previous seven financial years. The company keeps the record, and the Authority may inspect it.
Rule 5(1): remittance with IEPF-1
Any amount required to be credited by companies to the Fund under clauses (a) to (n) of section 125(2) of the Act is remitted online, along with a Statement in Form IEPF-1 containing details of the transfer to the Authority, within thirty days of the amounts becoming due to be credited to the Fund. The Form IEPF-1 reference was substituted in 2024; use the form as currently notified. Our guides on transferring unpaid dividend to the IEPF in IEPF-1 and IEPF-2 and on the IEPF-1 unpaid dividend show the steps.
What was removed
Sub-rules (2) to (4), the earlier route of paying by challan into specified bank branches and filing the statement within thirty days of the challan, were omitted in 2019 when the online route was substituted. Do not follow them. The practical effect is a single online route under sub-rule (1).
Rule 5(4A): the catch-up statement in IEPF-1A
Sub-rule (4A) applied to companies that had transferred amounts under clauses (a) to (d) of section 205C(2) of the Companies Act, 1956 to the earlier Fund or the Central Government but had not filed the statement, or had filed it in a format other than the excel template. They were to submit the details in Form IEPF-1A with an excel template within sixty days of the notification of the amended rules in 2019. It was a one-time catch-up, and the old Act reference is printed as such.
Rule 5(5) to (7): other methods and records
- 5(5). The amount may also be remitted by Electronic Fund Transfer in the manner the Central Government specifies.
- 5(6)(a). On receipt of the statement, the Authority enters the details in a Register, physical or electronic, for each company every year and reconciles the amounts with the designated bank monthly.
- 5(6)(b). Each designated bank gives the Authority an abstract of the month's receipts within seven days after the close of every month.
- 5(6)(c). The company maintains the record filed under sub-rule (1) in the same format, with all supporting documents, and the Authority may inspect it.
- 5(7). The rule applies with the necessary changes to amounts to be credited under clauses (h) to (m) of section 125(2).
Rule 5(8): the IEPF-2 statement
Every company must, within sixty days after the holding of the Annual General Meeting or the date on which it should have been held under section 96, whichever is earlier, and every year thereafter until completion of the seven-year period:
- identify the unclaimed amounts referred to in section 125(2), as on the date of closure of the financial year whose accounts are to be adopted at that AGM under section 137(1); and
- furnish and upload on its own website, and on the Authority's website or any other website the Government specifies, a statement of unclaimed and unpaid amounts separately for each of the previous seven financial years, in Form IEPF-2.
The statement must contain: (a) the names and last known addresses of the persons entitled; (b) the nature of the amount; (c) the amount to which each person is entitled; (d) the due date for transfer into the Fund; and (e) such other information as may be considered necessary.
The two statements compared
| Point | IEPF-1 | IEPF-2 |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Accompanies the remittance of amounts due to the Fund | Publishes unclaimed and unpaid amounts for each of the previous seven years |
| Time limit | Within thirty days of the amount becoming due | Within sixty days after the AGM (or the date it should have been held), whichever is earlier |
| Where | Online, to the Authority | Company website and the Authority's (or another specified) website |
| Content | Details of the transfer | Names and last known addresses, nature of amount, entitlement, due date for transfer, other information |
The nodal officer's appointment and notice also use Form IEPF-2 and sit in rule 7: see our article on rule 7 and the IEPF-5 claim.
A worked example
Gulmohar Textiles Limited has a dividend that remained unpaid and has become due for transfer. It remits the amount online and files the Statement in IEPF-1 within thirty days of that due date. Its AGM is then held. Within sixty days after the AGM, it identifies unclaimed amounts as on the closing date of the financial year being adopted, and uploads Form IEPF-2 on its website and the Authority's, showing the position for each of the previous seven financial years with names, addresses, amounts and due dates for transfer. It keeps all supporting documents for inspection. For the shares side, see rule 6 on transfer of shares after seven years.
The Act's provisions are explained in sections 124 and 125 of the Companies Act, 2013, and the dividend side is covered in rules 1 to 3 of the Dividend Rules.
Need help with IEPF statements?
An IEPF-2 that misses a year, or an IEPF-1 that is late, is easy to avoid with a calendar. Our compliance documentation team can prepare the statements, the supporting records and the website upload for each AGM cycle.
Key takeaways
- Remit amounts under section 125(2)(a) to (n) online with Form IEPF-1 within thirty days of becoming due.
- The challan route in sub-rules (2) to (4) was omitted in 2019.
- File IEPF-2 and upload it within sixty days after the AGM or the date it should have been held, whichever is earlier, for each of the previous seven financial years.
- Keep the supporting records; the Authority may inspect them.
- The nodal officer provisions sit in rule 7.
Read next
- Rule 6: transfer of shares to the IEPF after seven years
- Rules 1-4 of the IEPF Rules: definitions, the Fund and accounts
- IEPF-1 unpaid dividend guide
- IEPF compliance calendar: unpaid dividend transfer and the nodal officer
Disclaimer: Based on the Companies Act, 2013 rules (and the Companies (Auditor's Report) Order, 2020) named above as consolidated in the MCA e-book (consulted on 3 October 2026), with the later notifications the article names. Later amendments, fees, forms and the Companies Act, 2013 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.