How to Claim EPF Online?

EPF or the Employee Provident Fund is basically a government scheme which enables the employees and their employers to deposit 12% of the employee’s dearness allowance and basic salary goes to the employee’s EPF account every month. An interest of 8.5% is also offered to the employee on the deposited amount.

The EPF scheme intends to develop a habit of savings among the employees and eventually, help them build a corpus for their retirement. The employer contributes to this corpus as a reward for the employee’s dedication and hard work throughout his/her employment journey.

How to Claim PF Amount Online?

The EPFO allows all employees to withdraw their entire EPF corpus only upon retirement. However, a part of the corpus can be withdrawn by the employees under various circumstances as listed below-

• Medical emergency
• Purchase of first property in the name of the employee
• Higher education of the employee or his/her children

It must be noted that EPFO considers early retirement only after the employee has reached 55 years of age. For partial withdrawals by the employee, explained below is the process to claim EPF online-

1. Log in to the UAN member portal using your credentials
2. Click on ‘Online services’ from the top menu bar
3. From the dropdown menu, select the option of ‘Claim (Form-31, 19 & 10C)
4. The next screen that opens will display all the member details
5. On this screen, you need to enter the last 4 digits of your bank account number and click on ‘Verify’
6. Sign the Certificate of Undertaking by clicking on ‘Yes’ and proceed with the steps
7. Now, to withdraw your funds online, you need to select the ‘PF Advance (Form 31)’ option
8. This will open a new section of the form, asking you to select the ‘Purpose for which withdrawal advance is required’
9. In the same section of the form, you will be asked to enter the withdrawal amount along with the employee’s address
10. After entering the details, ensure to tick mark on the certification to finally submit your EPF withdrawal application
11. It is important to note that depending on the purpose of your withdrawal, you might also be asked to submit certain scanned documents
12. After completing all the formalities, you will have to reach out to your employer to approve your request to withdraw EPF

EPF Withdrawal Limit

EPFO allows a limited amount to be withdrawn from the employee’s EPF account. This amount depends upon the purpose of EPF withdrawal. Explained below is a detail of the same-

Eligibility Conditions to Claim EPF Online

Following conditions must be met by an employee to be eligible for EPF withdrawal-

1. The total corpus accumulated in the EPF account can be withdrawn only upon retirement of the employee (Note that early retirement is also possible only after 55 years of age and not before that)
2. Employees can withdraw 90% of their EPF corpus before 1 year of their retirement
3. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic or similar situations when there might a lockdown in the entire country, EPFO has allowed withdrawal of EPF if an employee faces unemployment before retirement due to lockdown or retrenchment
4. The new rules laid down by the EPFO also state that only 75% of the total EPF corpus can be withdrawn after 1 month of unemployment, while the remaining will be transferred to the new EPF after gaining employment
5. Employee who link their UAN and Aadhaar to their EPF account can seek approval for EPF withdrawal from their employers online
6. Employees must have their active UAN, bank details linked with their active UAN and details of their Aadhaar and PAN as seeded into the EPF database

Documents Required to Claim EPF Online

The following documents must be furnished at the time of EPF withdrawal-

1. Composite Claim Form
2. Identity Proof
3. Address Proof
4. Two revenue stamps
5. One blank and canceled cheque (should have visible IFSC and account number)
6. Bank account statement (in the name of the EPF holder, while he/she is alive)
7. Personal details such as-
   • Father’s Name
   • Date of birth
8. ITR Forms 2 and 3, only if the employee withdraws his EPF corpus before 5 years of continuous service (This is required as a proof of detailed breakup of the amount deposited in the PF account every year)

To Conclude:

While the major idea behind accumulation of funds in the employee’s provident fund is to inhibit the habit of savings among employees, the EPFO still allows its members withdraw their savings in time of dire need. Because, what will be the use of savings, if they can’t be used in times of need! The UAN portal has a very simple, quick process to make your EPF claim online. All you need is your Universal Account Number (UAN) and a few documents through the process.