As per the latest announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, up to 75% of PF money can be withdrawn by PF subscribers or three months of salary, whichever is lower, to face the financial troubles caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown until April 14. This decision will help all those EPF subscribers who may face a pay cut, or run short of money amid nationwide lockdown due to corona. PF withdrawal requests can now be submitted online by subscribers. For online application, it is important that your PF account should be interlinked with your Aadhaar and bank account. Once the linking is done, you can easily go through the claim process and get the funds in your linked bank accounts. 

Steps to Withdrawal EPF Online Due to Corona:

Step 1: Visit the official website of EPF and sign in with your UAN and password

Step 2: From the top menu bar, click on the ‘Online Services’ and select ‘Claim (Form-31, 19 & 10C)’ from the drop-down menu

Step 3: Member Details will be displayed on the screen. Enter the last 4 digits of your bank account and click on ‘Verify‘

Step 4: Click on ‘Yes’ to sign the certificate of the undertaking and proceed further

Step 5: Click on the ‘Proceed for Online Claim’ option

Step 6: Select ‘PF Advance (Form 31)’ to withdraw your funds online

Step 7: A fresh section of the form will open, wherein you have to select the ‘Purpose for which advance is required’, the amount required and the employee’s address

Step 8: Tick on the certification and submit your application

Step 9: You may have to submit scanned documents depending on the purpose for which you have filled the form

Step 10: Your employer has to approve your withdrawal request, after which the money will be withdrawn from your EPF account and deposited in the bank account mentioned at the time of filling the withdrawal form.

Note: An SMS notification will be sent to your mobile number registered with EPFO. Once the claim is processed, the amount will be transferred to your bank account. Although no formal time limit has been provided by the EPFO, the money usually gets credited within 15-20 days.

Who is Eligible for EPF Withdrawal?

• As per the new rule, only 75% of the corpus can be withdrawn after 1 month of unemployment. The remaining will be transferred to the new EPF account after gaining employment
• Money from the EPF account can be withdrawn only after retirement. EPFO considers early retirement only after the person has crossed 55 years of age
• Partial withdrawal of EPF is permitted only in the case of a medical emergency, house purchase or construction, or higher education
• EPFO allows withdrawal of 90% of the amount 1 year before retirement
• One can withdraw the EPF corpus if he/she faces unemployment before retirement due to lock-down or retrenchment
• Employees do not need to wait for approval from their employer for withdrawing their EPF. By linking UAN and Aadhar to your EPF account, you do get the approval online
• While making a claim online, you must have-
  • An active UAN number
  • Bank details linked with UAN
  • PAN and Aadhar details seeded into EPF database

Documents Required to Withdraw EPF

• Composite Claim Form
• Two revenue stamps
• Bank account statement (The bank account should be only in the name of the PF holder while he/she is alive)
• Identity proof
• Address proof
• One blank and cancelled cheque with clearly visible IFSC code and account number
• Personal information such as father’s name, date of birth, etc. should clearly match with the identity proof

Note: If an employee withdraws his PF amount before 5 years of continuous service, he is liable to facilitate ITR Forms 2 and 3 in order to prove a detailed breakup of the entire amount deposited in the PF account every year.

How to Check EPF Claim Status Online?

You can easily check EPF claim status online at the EPF member portal. You first need to log in to the portal online and select track Claim Status under the Online Services section. 

Note: You will not have to enter any reference number to check the status, it will be displayed on the screen automatically. 

How to Register EPF Grievance Online?

Individuals dealing with issues or complaints regarding Provident Fund can register their grievance and complaints on the official website of EPF i-Grievance. The individuals can also send reminders for pending complaints and know the status of their request.  It would be advisable that members/individuals should have registered/activated Universal Account Number (UAN) along with the verification by aadhaar and bank account as the same will help in processing a request faster. However, to lodge a complaint, an individual must have an EPF UAN Number as the same has been made mandatory by the government. Moreover, an individual can register a complaint for various issues like-PF withdrawal, pension settlement, cheque return/misplacement, issues related to PF balance, etc. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q.Whether an employer can deduct the employer’s share of contribution from the wages of employees?

A.No. It is not permissible. Any such deduction is a criminal offence.

Q.Whether an employer can recover any outstanding dues from the PF amount payable to a member?

A.No. It is totally prohibited.

Q.Whether the P.F. amount credited to the member can be attached against any liability?

A.No. The Provident Fund enjoys protection against attachment by any Court also as per the provisions of section 10 of the EPF & MP Act,1952.

Q.Can a member refuse to part with the payment of contribution to the Pension Fund?

A.The Pension contribution is only a diversion from the employer’s share of Provident Fund. Hence no consent is required from the member and refusal does not arise.

Q.Is there any time limit for withdrawal of Provident Fund dues?

A.Only in the case of resignation from service (not superannuation) a member has to wait for a period of two months for withdrawal of the PF amount.

Q.When the employer is not attesting the claim form how to submit the application for withdrawal of provident fund?

A.It is the duty of the employer to attest the application form. In case of any dispute, the member may attain attestation preferably from the bank in which he has maintained his account and thereafter submit the same to Regional PF Commissioner, explaining the reasons for not obtaining the signature of the employer. The Regional P.F. Commissioner will pursue the matter with the employer wherever necessary. If the member has activated his Universal Account Number and linked his bank account and Aadhaar then he can submit a composite claim (Aadhaar) which only requires the signature of the member.

Q.In case of change in employment whether a member can get his PF account transferred?

A.On change in employment, the member should necessarily get his PF account transferred to his present establishment, duly submitting Form 13(R). A member can submit a claim for transfer online using the member interface at unified portal.

Q.How is a PF member informed of the transfer affected?

A.A copy of Transfer Certificate (Annexure-K) issued to the transferee Regional P.F. Commissioner/P.F. Trust giving full details of the transfer can be requested from the EPF office.

Q.Can an employee become a member of EPF without any age restriction?

A.There is no age restriction for becoming a member of the Provident Fund, whereas an employee who has already attained the age of 58 cannot become a member of the Pension Fund.

Q.Whether an employer can also join the PF?

A.No.

Q.Whether an employee can continue his EPF membership after leaving the employment?

A.Yes.