Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is a government-backed savings scheme 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 to the EPF account of the employee. The minimum contribution that employees should make is 12% of their basic salary. The employer too shall contribute with the same amount, i.e. 12% of employees basic salary.
Latest Updates
The government has decided to retain the EPF interest rate of 8.25% for the financial year 2023-24.
Eligibility to Apply for EPF Claim
An individual having an EPF account is eligible to raise an EPF withdrawal claim for the EPF funds in the following situations:
100% Claim of EPF Corpus | After Retirement, i.e, 55 year old |
After two or more months of unemployment | |
90% Claim of EPF Corpus | Applied before a year of retirement, i.e, 54 year old |
75% Claim of EPF Corpus | In case of unemployment for 1 month Balance of 25% can be claimed after regaining employment |
How to App ly for EPF Claim?
You can start your application for EPF withdrawal process in two ways:
- Physical application
- Online application
PF Claim Offline
Download the new Composite Claim Form (Aadhaar)/Composite Claim Form (non-Aadhaar) to withdraw the EPF balance.
Composite Claim Form (Aadhaar)
- Use the Composite Claim Form (Aadhaar) if you have seeded your
Aadhaar and bank details on the UAN portal and if your UAN is activated. - Fill and submit the form to the respective jurisdictional EPFO office without the attestation of the employer.
Composite Claim Form (Non-Aadhaar)
- You can use the Composite Claim Form (Non-Aadhaar) if the Aadhaar and bank details are not seeded on the UAN portal.
- Fill and submit the form with the employer’s attestation to the respective jurisdictional EPFO office.
One may also note that in case of partial withdrawal of EPF amount by an employee for various circumstances as discussed in the above table, very recently, the requirement to furnish various certificates has been alleviated, and the option of self-certification has been introduced for the EPF subscribers.
PF Claim Online Application
The EPFO has come up with an online withdrawal facility, which has made the entire process more comfortable and less time-consuming.
Prerequisites
To apply for the withdrawal of EPF online through the EPF portal, make sure that the following conditions are met:
- The Universal Account Number(UAN) is activated, and the mobile number used for activating the UAN is in working condition.
- The UAN is linked with your KYC, i.e. Aadhaar, PAN, bank details, and the IFSC code.
If the above conditions are met, there is no need for the previous employer to attest to your withdrawal application.
For detailed EPF withdrawal application procedure with guiding screenshots, click here.
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.
How To Check Your PF Withdrawal Status?
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. The EPFO has launched online and offline process to see the status of your requisition. Below are the ways to check the status of your EPF withdrawal claim.
1. Using EPFO Website
Step 1: Go to the EPFO website. Click on ‘Services’ followed by the ‘For Employees’ option.
Step 2: Click on ‘Know Your Claim Status’.
Step 3: Click on the link, and it will redirect you to the member passbook application.
Step 4: Login by entering the Universal Account Number (UAN), password and captcha.
Step 5: Now, you will find the option of ‘View Claim Status’. Click on the same and view your claim status.
SMS Alerts From EPFO
For the claimant’s benefit, 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 implications on your EPF withdrawal under specific scenarios.
Refer to ClearTax’s page to know more about the taxability of EPF withdrawal.
2. Using UAN Member Portal
Step 1: Log in to the UAN Member Portal through UAN and Password.
Step 2: Under the ‘Online Services’ tab, click the ‘Track Claim Status’ option.
Step 3: The status of the withdrawal claim will appear on the screen.
3. Using the UMANG App
Employees can check their PF transfer/withdrawal claim status online using the UMANG app. The UMANG app must be downloaded and is available on both iOS and Android platforms. Nevertheless, employees should have their mobile numbers updated with their UAN. Follow the steps mentioned below to know your claim status via the Umang app:
Step 1: Download and install the UMANG app on your mobile phone using Play Store or App Store. Log in to your EPFO account, there will be 2 options – ‘MPIN’ and ‘Login with OTP’. Key in your mobile number and select your preferred option.
Step 2: When you select ‘Login with OTP’, you will get an OTP on your registered mobile number. Enter it in the space provided and login into your EPFO account.
After entering your OTP, click on ‘Login’.
Step 3: You will then be redirected to the EPFO portal main page. Here, select ‘Employee Centric Services’.
Step 4: Select ‘Track Claim’ and you will then be redirected to a page where you can view your claim status.
Step 5: If you have no claims, the screen will be displayed as below. In case you have claims, the screen will display your claim status details.
4. By Giving a Missed Call
Employees can check the status of their PF claim by giving a missed call to 011-22901406 using their registered mobile number. Nevertheless, an employee has to link their mobile number with their UAN. An employee has to update their Permanent Account Number (PAN), Aadhaar, and bank account information on the UAN portal.
An employee will not incur any kind of charges since the call would automatically get disconnected post two rings. The claim details will be sent via SMS on an employee’s registered mobile number.
5. By Calling EPFO Toll Free Number
Employees can check their EPF withdrawal/transfer claim status by calling on the EPFO 24×7 customer care number – 1800 118 005. Employees need to keep their PF Account Number or UAN handy as the helpline officer will ask for it for checking the status of the claims.
6. Via SMS
An employee can also check the status of a PF claim via SMS. An employee needs to link their mobile number with the UAN portal. An SMS needs to be sent from that mobile number.
SMS needs to be sent to 7738299899. SMS format will be ‘EPFOHO UAN LAN’. Here ‘LAN’ refers to the language an employee would like to get the details in.
Refer to the table below for the different language options and the respective language codes you need to use:
Language | Code |
English | ENG |
Punjabi | PUN |
Marathi | MAR |
Telugu | TEL |
Malayalam | MAL |
Hindi | HIN |
Gujarati | GUJ |
Kannada | KAN |
Tamil | TAM |
Bengali | BEN |
Types of PF Claim Status
EPF Withdrawal is a step by step process and there are various stages of EPF claim status, which are described below:
| EPF Status | Meaning |
| Payment under process | 1. Claim is still in process 2. The status will change to claim settled after EPFO transfers money to your bank account. |
| Settled | 1. Claim has been accepted and processed by EPFO. 2. Money is already transferred to the bank or it will happen soon. |
| Rejected | The previous or current employer could reject your claim due to various reasons such as: 1. When there is a mismatch in details. 2. When there is a signature mismatch. 3. When the signed claim printout is not submitted in less than 15 days after making an online claim. |
| Not available | The claim is not yet processed. |
Cancel EPF Withdrawal Claim
There is no option to cancel the EPF claim request online. An individual can contact the EPFO regional office to cancel the EPF withdrawal claim request raised online.
EPF Claim Form
- Form 13: To transfer the accumulated EPF fund to a new EPF account when the job is changed.
- Form 14: To pay for a LIC policy.
- Form 31: To raise a claim for advance or temporary EPF withdrawal.
- Form 10 D: To claim pension fund when the EPF account holder is below 58 years and has to leave an establishment or company owing to physical disability.
- Form 20: To raise EPF claim by a nominee of the deceased EPF member account.
- Form 10C: To claim withdrawal benefit or scheme certificate as per the Employees' Pension Scheme.
Related Articles:
PF Calculator
SIP Calculator
How to Link Aadhaar with UAN and PF
PF vs VPF
Income Tax on PF
PF vs PPF
EPF Registration For Employers
Employee Provident Fund Organization
EPF Payment Online