Last checked: 19 October 2026 · MITRA start page checked live; based on SEBI’s rules on inactive folios and unclaimed amounts
Quick answer: Forgotten mutual fund money comes in two forms: units still sitting in an old folio you stopped tracking, and redemption or dividend payouts that could not reach your bank. To find old folios, use MITRA, the industry-wide search for inactive folios on MF Central. For unpaid payouts, check the fund house’s unclaimed amount search. Searching and claiming are free; you claim through the fund house or its registrar after updating your KYC and bank details.
In this guide (tap to jump to a section)
- Two kinds of forgotten mutual fund money
- Who this guide is for
- Before you start: keep these ready
- Step-by-step: how to find forgotten folios with MITRA
- How to check for unclaimed redemptions and dividends
- After you find your money: claiming it
- If the investor has died
- Common problems and how to fix them
- Watch out for scams
- Frequently asked questions
- Official links
Two kinds of forgotten mutual fund money
- Units in a forgotten folio. You invested years ago, changed your phone, email or address, and stopped getting statements. The units are still invested and still move with the market. A folio counts as inactive when there has been no transaction initiated by the investor for 10 years but units remain.
- Unclaimed payouts. You redeemed units or a dividend (IDCW) was declared, but the money could not be credited, usually because the bank account was closed or the bank details were wrong.
SEBI’s annual report for 2025-26 put unclaimed redemption and dividend amounts at over ₹3,811 crore. That figure does not even include units sitting in forgotten folios.
Who this guide is for
- Investors who bought funds years ago, often through an agent or a bank, and lost track
- People who changed their mobile number, email or bank and stopped receiving statements
- Employees who had a corporate SIP through an old employer
- Nominees and legal heirs of an investor who has died
Before you start: keep these ready
- PAN, or the PEKRN if the investor never had a PAN (a PAN-exempt KYC reference number used for some small investments)
- The investor’s name exactly as it was on the old folio
- Any one of: the old mobile number, email, date of birth or bank account number
- Any one of: the old address, city, PIN code or nominee name
- The fund house or folio number, if you remember it (optional)
- Access to the mobile number or email you will use for the OTP
Step-by-step: how to find forgotten folios with MITRA
MITRA (Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant) was set up under SEBI rules by the two registrars, CAMS and KFintech. It searches inactive and unclaimed folios across all fund houses in one go.
- Open MITRA on MF Central. You can also reach it from the Mutual Funds card on the government’s Unclaimed Assets Portal.
- Enter the PAN or PEKRN and click Proceed.
- On the next screens, enter the investor’s name as on the old folio, at least one primary detail (such as mobile, email, date of birth or bank account number) and at least one secondary detail (such as address, city, PIN code or nominee name).
- Verify with the OTP sent to your mobile or email.
- Note the request ID. If matching folios are found, MITRA shows them with the fund house name, so you know whom to contact.

Also check your PAN-linked folios. If the investment was made with your PAN, log in to MF Central or ask CAMS or KFintech for a Consolidated Account Statement (CAS). It lists every folio linked to that PAN across fund houses, active or not.
How to check for unclaimed redemptions and dividends
- Go to the website of the fund house where you invested and look for Unclaimed redemption / dividend (usually under Investor services or Investor corner).
- Search with the details it asks for, typically PAN or folio number with your date of birth.
- If an amount shows up, note the folio and scheme and follow the claim steps below.
Unclaimed payouts are kept by the fund house in a separate low-risk plan. If you claim within three years, you get the original amount plus everything it earned. If you claim later, you still get the original amount, but earnings stop counting after the third year. So claim early.
After you find your money: claiming it
- Contact the fund house or its registrar (CAMS or KFintech, shown on your statement or in the MITRA result).
- Update your KYC (identity and address proof) if it is old or on hold.
- Give your current bank account with a cancelled cheque or a passbook copy, so the money can be credited.
- For unclaimed payouts, fill in the fund house’s claim form. For units in an old folio, you can keep them invested with updated details, or submit a redemption request.
- Keep copies of everything you submit and the acknowledgement number.
If the investor has died
The units must first be moved to the nominee or legal heir. This is called transmission. The fund house or registrar will ask for the death certificate, the claimant’s KYC and bank details, and the transmission form.
With a nominee, that is usually enough. Without a nominee, legal heirs may need a legal heir certificate or a succession certificate, plus no-objection letters from the other heirs, depending on the amount. See our documents checklist.
Common problems and how to fix them
The old folio has no PAN
Older investments sometimes were not linked to a PAN. Use MITRA with the investor’s name and the other details it asks for, such as old mobile number, address or PIN code.
The old mobile number or email no longer works
Use whichever current contact you can verify with an OTP, and match the folio with the other details. The registrar can then update the contact details after checking your KYC.
The bank account linked to the folio is closed
This is the most common reason payouts go unclaimed. Submit a bank mandate change with a cancelled cheque of your new account to the registrar.
KYC shows ‘on hold’
Redo or update your KYC through a KYC registration agency, your fund house or your broker. Payouts and redemptions cannot be processed until it is valid.
Watch out for scams
Searching and claiming are free. Be wary of callers offering to ‘unlock’ or ‘recover’ your old mutual funds for a fee, or asking you to switch them into a new product. Never share OTPs or your MF Central password. Deal only with the fund house, CAMS, KFintech or MF Central directly. If you are targeted, report it at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930.
What to do next
- Found a folio? Contact the fund house or its registrar, update KYC and bank details, then redeem or keep investing.
- Claiming for a family member who has died? Documents checklist: get these papers first
- They may also have had shares or insurance. Read claiming shares and dividends from IEPF and finding unclaimed insurance money
- Want to check everything at once? Use the “Where could my money be?” finder.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a deadline to claim mutual fund money?
No. Units in a forgotten folio stay invested, and unclaimed payouts can be claimed at any time, though payouts stop earning after three years.
Does MITRA show the value of my old investments?
MITRA tells you where your forgotten folios are. For the current value and to make changes, you deal with the fund house or its registrar.
Will I face a penalty for an inactive folio?
No. There is no penalty for a folio that shows up on MITRA. You only need to update your details to use it again.
Do I need an agent?
No. You can search and claim yourself, free of charge.
Official links
- MITRA (inactive folio search): app.mfcentral.com/links/mitra
- MF Central: mfcentral.com
- Complaints about a fund house or registrar: SEBI SCORES
- Government’s common portal: unclaimedassetsportal.in
- All official portals in one place: Official portals
Last checked: 19 October 2026. Rules and portals change. If something here no longer matches the portal, please tell us.
Related guides
- Documents checklist for claiming a deceased person’s money
- How to claim shares and dividends from IEPF
- How to find and claim unclaimed insurance money
- How to check unclaimed bank deposits on RBI’s UDGAM portal
- See all guides
About this guide: Written by the Unclaimed Now Editorial Team from SEBI’s rules on unclaimed redemption and dividend amounts and on inactive folios, and the MITRA platform. Unclaimed Now is an independent guide, not a government website. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. How we write our guides.