New Delhi: Employees changing jobs will now have one less task to worry about. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has removed the need to submit a separate provident fund (PF) transfer request for eligible members whose Universal Account Number (UAN) is linked with Aadhaar.
With the new system, eligible PF balances will be transferred automatically when an employee joins a new company.
No more separate PF transfer request
Earlier, employees had to submit an online or offline request to transfer their PF balance from their previous employer to the new employer. In many cases, the process also required verification by the employer and approval from EPFO.
Now, this step has been removed for eligible Aadhaar-linked UAN holders, making the job change process faster and simpler.
How the new system works?
The change has been introduced after EPFO shifted to its new Centralised IT Enabled Services (CITES) platform, which brings member records and services under one system.
A UAN remains the same throughout an employee's working life, while a new PF member ID is created every time the employee joins a new organisation. Under the new process, these PF accounts will be linked and transferred automatically wherever applicable.
Why this is useful?
Employees who change jobs several times often end up with multiple PF member IDs under the same UAN. Automatic transfer will help keep all PF savings together, making it easier to track retirement funds and maintain a continuous service record.
Members can also check their employment details through the EPFO Unified Member Portal by logging in with their UAN and viewing the "Service History" section after OTP verification.
Part of EPFO's wider reforms
The automatic PF transfer facility is one of several improvements introduced after the CITES migration. EPFO has also rolled out centralised claim processing, a centralised payment system and the facility to access services from any EPFO office across the country instead of being linked to a single regional office.
