As per Employee Provident Fund Act of 1952, Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a government instituted scheme where the employee and the employer contributes a certain amount of money to their accounts. This fund can be utilised post retirement or in case of emergencies like education, marriage, house maintenance etc.
This mandatory savings cum retirement scheme requires employees of eligible organisations to pay 12% of their basic pay into Provident Fund every month. However, in the wake of the pandemic, this number was reduced from 12% to 10% for non government employees.
The deposited money in EPF will earn interest on an annual basis. Upon meeting certain criteria, the employee can even withdraw the money prematurely.
What is Universal Account Number (UAN)?
How to withdraw EPF online?
FAQ
What is Universal Account Number (UAN)?
Universal Account Number (UAN) is the key to all of your EPF related transactions. While you may have multiple EPF accounts as you change your organisation. Even then, the Universal Account Number will remain the same.
Through UAN, you can bring all your EPF accounts under an umbrella and keep them safe. They have a unique lock and key to protect your deposits and ensure that only you have access to the account.
UAN is a 12-digit number which is assigned by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and generated by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). As far as Indian companies are concerned your UAN will be printed on your salary slip right from the time they start to deduct money for the EPF.
Alan Joseph
How to withdraw EPF online?
Unlike before, you can withdraw your EPF online in case of any emergency or after retirement. While it may take a few days to get the amount credited to your account, it is still better than the offline hassle that you have to go through. You can choose whether you want to withdraw it partially or completely and proceed the application accordingly.
Before Starting
- Make sure that your Universal Account Number is activated and that your phone number linked to your UAN is functional.
- Ensure that your UAN is linked with your pan card and Aadhar card.
- Keep ready your bank account details along with IFSC code.
Applying to Withdraw EPF online
- Go to the EPFO e-SEWA portal. Login to the website using your UAN and password. If at all you forgot your password, you will have an option to reset it.
- Click the ‘manage’ tab, go to ‘KYC’ option and verify if your details such as Aadhar card, pan card etc. are verified correctly.
- Go to ‘Online Claims Section’ and click on 'Claim (Form-31, 19 & 10C)’ from the drop down menu.
- When the Claim screen appears, verify the details once again and enter the last four digits of your bank account number. And click on ‘verify’
- Click ‘yes’ to accept the terms and conditions and sign the certificate of undertaking.
- You can then proceed to click on ‘Proceed to Online Claim’.
- In the online claim you will see a set of options under the menu ‘I want to Apply For’. Click on your required option like full EPF withdrawal, EPF part withdrawal etc. Only the options for which you are eligible will be shown.
- Depending on the option you choose, you will have to enter your complete address, purpose of such advance etc. In case you have selected the ‘Advance Claim’ option, you might have to provide cheque book details along. This varies for various options.
- Do upload the requested scanned document as necessary.
- After accepting the subsequent terms and conditions, request for the OTP.
- After you enter OTP, your application will automatically be submitted.
- The amount will be credited only after your employer approves your request. After that it will take upto 20 days to credit the amount to your account.
- After submission, you can also track the status of your application by logging into your account through EPFO e-SEWA portal.
Conclusion
Today, many people depend on EPF to fund their emergency requirements rather than depending on loans. These days, many non-government firms are providing provisions for EPF. The government is also taking initiatives to bring in a maximum number of people under the protection of EPF.
FAQ
Can I withdraw my PF without resigning?
No, Full withdrawal of EPF is not permitted before the retirement
Can I withdraw full PF amount?
No, you can withdraw 75 percent of provident fund balance if you remain unemployed for 1 month.
Author: Anagha S
Source : https://startuptalky.com/withdrawing-epf-online/
Date : 2021-08-13T05:30:00.000Z