A complete guide to PF withdrawal and its procedure
There are a lot of people who don’t know a lot about EPF or PF scheme. When freshers fetch their first job, employers create a PF account for the individual. This PF account can be carried through to the new employer if you change job to another organization. Many of us are not aware of the technicality of EPF withdrawal. Questions like how to withdraw, when to withdraw are unanswered for many? We are going to answer all your queries regarding the PF withdrawal and how you can transfer it in your new company.
What is PF
Provident Fund (PF) or Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a scheme for employees as compulsory accounts which needs to be maintained by individuals as a pre-requisite for their retired life. The employee contributes 12 % of the remuneration of their basic pay every month. The same amount is contributed by the employer. EPF or PF is used to fund the employee’s retirement. However, it can be withdrawn when you are unemployed or during the course of employment.
All the employees get a UAN (Universal Account Number) from the EPF organization under the PF Act. The UAN is linked to the employee’s EPF account. The Universal Account Number is portable throughout life. An employee doesn’t need to apply for EPF transfer at the time of changing jobs.
When PF can be withdrawn?
PF can be withdrawn either partially or completely. Here are the circumstances when the PF can be withdrawn entirely:
– When the employee retires from employment
– When the employee is not employed for more than 2 months or more. Unemployment must be certified by a gazetted officer.
Note: It is against the rules and regulations of PF therefore illegal to completely withdraw PF while switching jobs without being unemployed for 2 or more months. (Interim period during changing jobs).
Partial withdrawal can be done given below given circumstances
– For the marriage of self or son/daughter/ sister/brother
– For the education of self or the individual’s children after class 10
– During the purchase of land/ construction or purchase of a house. The asset must be on the name of an individual or spouse or jointly.
– For home loan repayment or renovation of the house
– If the individual reaches 57 years of age, he/she can withdraw 90% of the accumulated balance with interest.
Process of PF withdrawal
There are two ways of withdrawing the PF. The traditional way is submitting the physical application for withdrawal and the other is by submitting an online application.
Offline method:
An individual can download the offline forms- the new composite claim (Aadhar card)/ composite claim form (Non- Aadhar card) the official website.
The new composite claim (Aadhar card) doesn’t require self-attestation while the new composite claim (Non- Aadhar) needs self-attestation before submission to the EPFO office.
The applicant is required to fill the offline form and submit in the EPFO office to carry out the PF withdrawal.
Online Method:
The online method is more convenient and less time-consuming. Here are the conditions required to apply for the withdrawal of PF.
– Your UAN must be activated and the mobile number that was used to activate should be in working condition.
– UAN should be linked with KYC (Aadhar Card, PAN Card and Bank details)
If you fulfill the above criteria, you won’t need attestation of the previous employer to carry out the process of withdrawal.
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Steps
– Go to the website of Employees’ Provident Fund Organization, India
– Login with your UAN ID and password and enter the captcha.
– Click on the ‘Manage’ Tab and select KYC to see whether you have filled your KYC details. If not, verify the KYC.
– Once the KYC is done, go to the ‘Online services’ tab and select ‘claim’ option in the drop-down menu (Form 31, 19& 10C).
– The ‘claim’ service will display the details of individual (KYC details and other service details). You will need to put down the last four digits of your bank account number. Click verify after putting the last four digits.
– Click on ‘Yes’ to sign the certificate of undertaking.
– Click on ‘Proceed for online claim”
– Go to the ‘I want to apply for’ and select your required claim {EPF settlement, Pension withdrawal, EPF Part withdrawal (loan/advance)}. If you are not eligible for services like Pension withdrawal or PF withdrawal due to service criteria then, the drop-down menu will not show these options.
– Now, select ‘PF Advance’ (Form 31) and provide the purpose of withdrawal. The employee’s address and the amount are required here.
– Finally, click on the certificate and submit your application.
Note: You might be asked to submit scanned copy of the purpose you selected to withdraw money. The amount will be credited to your account in 15-20 days once your employer approves the withdraw request.
How to transfer PF account to another employee
You just need to provide your UAN number to the new employer and rest will be cared by your new organization. The new employer will use your old UAN number and the amount will be transferred to your existing PF account automatically on a monthly basis.
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