Asia-Pacific
Unclaimed assets in India
Estimated unclaimed
₹1,07,000 crore+
≈ $13B · INR
Who holds it
Four separate bodies
RBI (deposits), IEPF (shares and dividends), EPFO (provident fund), insurers under IRDAI.
Where to search
Free, on four portals
No fee is ever required. Processing typically takes one to six months.
Overview
India's unclaimed money is not in one place. Dormant bank deposits go to the RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness Fund and are searchable on UDGAM. Unclaimed shares and dividends transfer to the Investor Education and Protection Fund. Old provident fund balances sit with the EPFO. Matured-but-unclaimed insurance stays with the insurer under IRDAI rules. As of 30 June 2026, ₹86,917 crore of unclaimed bank deposits sat with the RBI's DEA Fund, per a Ministry of Finance reply in Parliament — SBI alone accounted for ₹20,040 crore. Life insurers separately held ₹20,062 crore in unclaimed amounts at the end of FY24, per IRDAI's annual report.
How to search
- 1
Bank deposits — RBI's UDGAM portal
UDGAM stands for Unclaimed Deposits — Gateway to Access inforMation. It searches across 30 participating banks covering roughly 90% of DEA Fund value, in one place, free.
- Register at udgam.rbi.org.in with your name and mobile number.
- Search by the account holder's full name plus one identifier — PAN, Voter ID, Passport, Driving Licence or a registered address.
- If a match is found, the portal shows the bank, the branch and a UDRN reference number.
- Take that reference to the bank branch and complete its own claim process.
The portal finds the money; it does not pay it. The claim is always settled by the bank. A deposit becomes unclaimed after ten years of inactivity, and it never becomes the property of the bank or the RBI.
- 2
Shares and dividends — IEPF
When dividends go unclaimed for seven consecutive years, the underlying shares are transferred to the Investor Education and Protection Fund, administered by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. They remain claimable.
- Search the IEPF portal by company, folio number or name to confirm a transfer.
- File form IEPF-5 online, then send the signed physical copy with your documents to the company's nodal officer.
- The company verifies and sends a verification report to the IEPF Authority, which then releases the shares or amount.
IEPF-5 requires both an online submission and a physical set of documents — missing the physical step is the most common reason a claim stalls.
- 3
Provident fund — EPFO
Old EPF accounts from previous employers are the quietest loss of all, because nobody is sent a reminder. If someone changed jobs more than twice, there is usually a balance somewhere.
- Log in to the EPFO member portal with the UAN, or trace the UAN if it is not known.
- Consolidate old member IDs into the current UAN so the balances appear together.
- For a deceased member, the nominee files the death claim through the employer or directly with the regional EPFO office.
- 4
Insurance — the insurer's own portal
There is no single national portal for unclaimed insurance. Under IRDAI rules, every insurer must publish an unclaimed-amounts search on its own website, so you search each insurer separately.
- Go to the insurer's website and find its unclaimed amounts search, usually under Customer Service or Policyholder Services.
- Search by policy number, PAN, date of birth or name.
- File the insurer's claim form with the death certificate and proof of entitlement.
If you do not know which insurer, start with the employer's group policies and any bank that sold the policyholder investments.
Asset types held
Documents you'll typically need
- PAN card of the claimant, and of the account holder where available
- Aadhaar or another photo ID and address proof
- Account, folio or policy number wherever it is known
- For IEPF: the completed IEPF-5 form, an indemnity bond, an advance receipt, and the original share certificate if one exists
- If the holder has died: a death certificate, plus proof of your entitlement — a registered nomination, succession certificate, legal heir certificate or grant of probate
Common mistakes
- • Not knowing assets move to different bodies — RBI, IEPF and the insurer are three separate processes
- • Missing the physical submission step for IEPF-5 after filing online
- • Ignoring old EPF accounts from past employers
- • Searching under only one spelling of a name, or forgetting a maiden name
- • Paying an agent a percentage to do what these free portals already do
Success tips
- • Search UDGAM first — it covers 30 banks at once
- • Check IEPF for both the person and their relatives, since folios are often held jointly
- • Consolidate old EPF accounts through the member portal using the UAN
- • Order several certified copies of the death certificate at the start; every institution keeps one
- • Keep a written log of which institution, which reference number, and who you spoke to
Frequently asked questions
Keep your own assets findable
LifeWyn records what you own and who should inherit it — so your family never has to hunt through India's registries.