How To Transfer EPF Online

When an individual begins working in the form of employment with any PF registered organization, he or she will automatically be registered for PF benefits. Both the employee and employer contributed to the employee’s EPF account and the accumulated funds start earning interest till the time of withdrawal.

It is very common for employees to switch jobs in the middle of their career for various reasons. In such cases, what about the PF account created for the employee with the previous employer? There are two options available for the employee to choose:

• Employee’s contribution combined with interest can be withdrawn in case the employee stays on a break for maximum 60 days; or
• He or she can transfer the fund balance to the new employer

To make EPF an ideal retirement saving provision, it makes sense to transfer the PF balance rather than withdrawing. This is also beneficial from the tax point of view as withdrawal of EPF, before completion of 5 years of continued service, is taxable.

PF Transfer Eligibility

For transferring EPF from existing account to a new account, an individual needs to fulfil the following criteria:

• The employee must activate his/her UAN on the online EPF portal
• The employee should furnish bank details including the account number and IFSC code. These must be appropriately verified by the employer while making a transfer request.
• Aadhaar number should also be furnished and updated in the UAN account
• The Date of Joining (DoJ) and Date of Exit (DoE) have to be mentioned on the website combined with the reason for the exit.
• One transfer request per member ID is permitted by EPFO

Using UAN for PF Transfer Online

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has implemented measures to simplify EPF account operations for employers and employees. Keeping pace with the technological revolution, EPFO constantly aims to make all the processes of EPF electronic. This includes PF transfer and withdrawal, which often used to be tedious and time-consuming.

EPFO also introduced Universal Account Number (UAN), which acts as a blanket number for an individual across different employers. UAN allows linking of various EPF Accounts (Member Id) provided to a single member. It offers multiple services such as an updated UAN card, PF passbook that includes all transfer-in details, option to link previous members’ ID with a new ID, SMS updates regarding credit in PF account and auto-transfer facility during a change of employment.

Procedure to Transfer PF Online on EPFO Portal

Employees can follow below-mentioned steps for initiating an EPF transfer request online:

• Login to the EPF account using provided UAN and password
• Select the ‘Transfer Request’ option available in the ‘Online Services’ section
• Enter previous EPF account details (previous Member ID)
• An employee must submit the transfer request for approval to either the current or the previous employer
• Enter Member ID or the UAN in given fields.
• One can also generate MID by selecting the ‘Get MID’ option
• Once the user enters the MID, he/she must go to the ‘Get OTP’ button for sending the OTP to the registered mobile number
• After receiving the OTP, it must be entered in the space provided and then go to the ‘Submit’ button
• Upload a self-attested copy of the online PF transfer request in PDF format to the respective employer within a timeline of 10 days of executing the request online
• The employer will then approve the PF transfer request online
• Once the approval is provided, the PF is transferred to the new account that is linked to the current employer
• A tracking ID gets generated which can be used for tracking the online application
• The employee must download the Transfer Claim Form (Form 13). Sometimes, an employee must provide this form to the employer for completing the online process of EPF transfer

Documents Needed for PF Transfer

To make the process of EPF transfer easy, an employee must keep ready the following documents before beginning with the process-

• Revised Form 13
• Valid Identity Proof (PAN, Aadhar or Driving License)
• UAN
• Current employer’s details
• Establishment Number
• Account Number
• Bank account details of the salary account
• Old and current PF account details

Important Points to Note for PF Transfer

While applying for online PF transfer, employees must ensure the following:

• UAN should be active on the portal
• Registered mobile number should be active
• A bank account has to be linked to UAN
• KYC must be verified against UAN
• Both the employers (previous and current) must have registered authorised digital signatures
• PF numbers of both employers (previous and current) should be saved in the EPFO database

Checking Status of PF Transfer

An employee can check the status of PF transfer in the following three ways:

Track Status via Member Claim Status Link - To check the status for PF transfer online, an employee must follow the below-mentioned steps-

• Visit the EPFO portal 
• The user will be redirected to the employee’s page on the portal
• Within the ‘Our Services’ section, go to ‘Know your Claim Status’
• Next, the user needs to enter his/her details such as UAN number and Captcha
• After entering the required details, click on ‘Search’
• In the next screen, the user will be asked to select the Member ID for the account for which status needs to be checked
• Then, click on ‘View your Claim Status’
• The next screen will reflect the latest PF transfer status

Track Status using EPFO portal

• Go to the EPFO portal
• Enter the details such as UAN, password and captcha
• Once logged in, go to ‘Online Services’ and select ‘Track Claim Status’ 
• Next, click on ‘Transfer Claim Status’
• The status of PF transfer will appear on the next screen

Track Claim Status from the website

• Visit the website 
• Navigate to ‘Click here for Knowing your Claim Status’
• From the dropdown list, choose the state where the PF office is situated 
• Select the regional office from the next list 
• After entering this information, the region and office code will automatically be entered
• Enter the ‘Establishment Code’ (if available)
• Enter the 7-digit account number
• Click on ‘Submit’ and PF transfer status will appear on the next screen

Benefits of Transferring PF Online

If an employee is still working and wishes to continue with the same job, it is advised to avoid withdrawing the available PF corpus. PF is a long-term investment that is backed by the Government of India. It does not carry any risk due to this fact. Thus, it is in the best interest of the PF account holder to avoid withdrawing PF and withdrawn only in case of an emergency. An employee can transfer EPF amount rather than withdrawing it. The PF transfer option has a range of benefits for employees, here are some of those:

• TDS is applicable on PF withdrawal if the account has been opened within the last 5 years. If an employee transfers the PF account and maintains it for 5 years, he/she is eligible for tax-free withdrawal of the PF balance.
• EPFO provides compound interest on total savings. This means, if one closes the current PF account and opens a new one, the total interest earned will reduce as far as the transferred account is concerned.
• Employees continuing with the existing EPF account beyond 10 years are eligible for a pension after attaining 58 years of age. This will not be possible if an employee closes the account at the time of switching jobs.

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