Transfer PF Funds Easily to Another PF Account

1. Step 1: Go to the EPFO website at http://members.epfoservices.in/home.php and create your UAN based login ID.
2. Step 2: This will take you to a page where you have to enter your UAN, mobile number and details of current employer like state, establishment number and account number.
3. Step 3: Then you need to check if account is eligible for a transfer on the EPFO site. You need to fill in the state where the employer was located and search by name or establishment number from a dropdown menu.
4. Step 4: After you have filled in the details, click on Check Eligibility.
5. Step 5: The site will then let you know if your account is eligible, or not. If it is, then you can register on the EPFO website.
6. Step 6: You have to submit a valid photo ID such PAN card, Aadhaar or driving licence. The website will also send a PIN to your mobile which you have to verify.
7. Step 7: Submitting the PIN successfully will give you a confirmation message. Continue further.
8. Step 8: This will take you to the EPFO Member Claims Portal, To log in you have to provide the document ID and phone number. After signing in, you can see all options.
9. Step 9: Go to the top tabs and click on Request for transfer of account.
10. Step 10: You can now access and fill in PF transfer form. It has three broad parts:
    1. First, you have to enter personal information in the first part. Other than your name and email you have to enter IFSC code of the bank and your salary account number.
    2. In second part, fill in details of your old PF account
    3. In part three, fill in details of current PF account.The claim can be attested by your previous or current employer. It takes some time for their end to do it.
11. Step 11: After the form is correctly filled in, you can click preview to see if the information is correct. Or else modify.
12. Step 12: After ensuring all the information is correct, enter the captcha and get PIN. Also click “I Agree”.
13. Step 13: After entering the PIN, the claim transfer is initiated.

You can also check the status of your funds transfer through the portal. In case of any hitches you may enquire at the previous/ current employer end or write to EPFO directly.

This is how easy, the funds transfer of PF has become through the online portal.

Resolve Your PF Withdrawal Issues Online

There have been cases when employers have refused to allow their employees to make emergency withdrawals from their PF savings. The number of cases has only increased over the years, with employees being hassled by their employers, so much so that now the EPFO has introduced a 'claim portal' for employees to sort their issues against their employers. For employees facing such problems, follow the steps to raise a claim and issue a complaint against your employer:

1. Log on to the claims portal of the EPFO - https://employerclaims.epfoservices.in/
2. Once you are on the site, click on the EPFO 'claim online'. Any PF account holder facing issues with their employer can raise a claim.
3. If the employer refuses to allow you to make an emergency withdrawal, the PF holder can file a 'complaint regarding provident fund' on the same portal.
4. The issue, if valid, will then be taken up by the EPFO and solved in due time.

An employee cannot file a complaint against their employer if their are flouting certain restrictions with regard to making PF withdrawals. In such cases, their claim will be discarded. The restrictions are:

1. He/she should have completed at least two months of service in the present company before making a withdrawal. If he/she tried to make a withdrawal before two months, an employer can reject their request.
2. An employee, however urgent the situation, cannot make a 100% withdrawal before the age of 57. Upto 90% can be made if he/she is not 57 years of age or above.
3. PF account holders should be aware of the fact that withdrawals made before five years of continuous service will draw tax. After five years withdrawals are tax-free.

Why transfer PF and not close it?

While changing jobs and joining a new employer, an employee has an option to close the old PF account and open a fresh one. But it is wiser to transfer the old PF account funds to the new one. Earlier, the transfer involved some paperwork, like submitting the transfer form from an old employer to the new one, but with the launch of an online self-service portal by EPFO this has become easier and hassle-free.

How to go about PF Transfer?

The EPFO had always allowed fund transfers. But it was time-consuming and cumbersome since an employee had to get a Form 13 signed by his ex-employer and submit it to the present employer. Also, the form had to be sent by post and could get lost or misplaced. There was a lot of discontent among employees and therefore it explained the dormant accounts lying with EPFO.

EPFO Online

However, things have started changing radically after EPFO launched an online, self-service portal on 2 October 2013 for online transfer of funds. Already, over 1.15 lakh employees have applied on the portal to transfer their PF funds. While 90,000 claims out of this have been settled, about 8,900 have been rejected. Hence, the success of PF transfer online is very high. For ease in transferring funds online, EPFO in July 2013, introduced a revised Form 13. This can be submitted to either the present or to your previous employer. Earlier, the employee had to submit it only to the previous employer. But, if the present employer falls under the exempted category (that is maintains a trust), then the form can be submitted only to the present employer. They have also launched a UAN that links a particular member to a particular account and facilitates its portability when the member changes employers.

Advantages of EPF Transfer

1. While closing an old account before 5 years, the amount becomes taxable. But if you simply transfer the funds, you get to enjoy your hard earned money in full.
2. You can avail partial withdrawal on your PF funds for reasons like purchasing/constructing a house, medical treatment, marriage of own or daughter etc.
3. You earn the prevailing rate of interest from EPFO, in the long run this becomes a substantial sum due to the power of compounding.

EPFO estimates say Rs.22,000 crores were lying with the organization as of March 2013. Since these accounts were dormant for three years, they were not earning any interest too.