Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is a government-backed savings scheme that is intended to help employees cover their expenses once they retire. General Provident Fund (GPF) is the government employees’ version of EPF. Most commonly, the EPF or GPF is referred to as just ‘PF’.
Under the PF scheme, both employee and the employer contribute monthly. The minimum contribution that should be made by employees is 12 percent of the basic salary. The employer too shall contribute with the same amount.
Prerequisites to check EPF withdrawal status
To know the status of your claim the following information should be available to you:
a. Universal Account Number (UAN)
b. EPF regional office of your employer
c. Employer details
d. Extension code (if relevant)
Keep the above information/documents handy, and then follow the below steps to check the status of your claim online.
Procedure to check PF withdrawal status online
A request has to be raised through The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to withdraw from your PF account. The EPFO is a statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. After placing a request for PF withdrawal, you may not know the status of your request.
To address this problem, the EPFO has launched an online process to see the status of your requisition. Here is the procedure to check the status of your EPF withdrawal claim.
Step 1: Go to the EPFO portal. Click on ‘Our Services’ followed by the ‘For Employees’ option.
Step 2: Click on ‘Know Your Claim Status’.
Step 3: Enter your UAN and enter the captcha image.
Step 4: Enter the following details.
Enter the state of your PF office
Select your PF Office from the drop-down menu
Enter your establishment code
Enter your Provident Fund account number
Step 5: Click on the ‘Submit’ button to check the status of your PF claim.
SMS alerts from EPFO
For the benefit of the claimant, the EPFO also sends alerts via SMS if a mobile number has been linked to the account. The SMS is sent in the following two instances.
1. On receipt of claim application.
2. On transfer of funds to the claimant’s bank account.
There could be income tax implication on your EPF withdrawal under specific scenarios.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have been jobless for more than one month, can I withdraw from EPF?
No, in order to withdraw EPF for being jobless, the period of unemployment must exceed three months.
Is Aadhaar necessary for filing an online claim?
Yes, Aadhaar is necessary to file a claim online.
Is documentary evidence mandatory to withdraw EPF?
Yes, you will have to produce documentary evidence to withdraw EPF.
What is the eligibility to claim EPF?
EPF eligibility determined by the amount of time spent in service and it differs across conditions.
Do I need the employer’s approval to file claims?
No, the latest amendments have alleviated the need for seeking approval from employers to file EPF claims.
(This article was first published in ClearTax. You can access it here.)
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