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How To Check EPF Balance In 2019 | Online

The EPF Balance is the balance that is present in the Employer’s Provident Fund (EPF) Account. The EPF Balance is nothing but the balance that is deducted every month from your salary along with an amount that is contributed to your EPF Account by your employer. Opening an EPF can be a very good idea for retirement savings.

The Employer’s Provident Fund launched an online inquiry platform in the year 2013. This online portal was launched in order to check the fund balance. The main objective of this portal is to provide a quick access to the customers who want to check their PF Balance online. This is a very important factor for any salaried employee. Checking PF Balance online can provide the customer’s current updates about the information of their accounts, doing this will be very helpful for those who wish to make partial withdrawals or to avail any Loan.

The EPFO (Employee’s Provident Fund Organization) has introduced different ways to check the EPF Balance.

The following ways to check the EPF Balance are:

  1. Via SMS
  2. Via Missed Call
  3. Through Online Via UAN
  4. Via the Mobile App

Earlier, when these services were not available, check the EPF Balance was tuff and complex. There was a number of forms which were needed to be filled, and people had to wait in the queues for hours and hours outside the office. In this article, we are going to learn about these methods in details.

How to Check EPF Balance IN 2018 Online

The EPFO has provided numbers of facilities to their customers. Recently, the EPF Balance can also be checked through online. Below are the steps to check the EPF Balance Online:

  1. For checking your EPF Balance, you need to make sure that you have your EPF Account number with you. This is the most important thing to keep in mind before you start to perform any activity.
  2. Open the link – epfindia.com and click on the “Know Your Balance” which is located at the bottom of the page.
  3. Select the state of the PF Office in which your EPF Account is maintained.
  4. After you select the EPF State, a list of offices pertaining to that state will be listed down below.
  5. Choose your city, EPF Office from the list. For example: If your PF State Office is Karnataka and the Local Office is in Bangalore, then select Bangalore as the city.
  6. Now enter your EPF Account number, your name as mentioned in the EPF Records and your Mobile Number.
  7. The format of the EPF Number is TN/MAS/0054232/000/0000222. If in case there are no three digits present in the middle is not present in your EPF Account then you can leave the box blank and proceed further. The first two alphabets are the code of the region and the next three alphabets are the code of the PF Office.
  8. Now click on submit and the EPF Balance will be sent to you through an SMS on the registered mobile number.

How to Check EPF Balance via UAN

UAN is also called as Universal Account Number which is allotted by EPFO. It is a Universal Account Number which is unique for all the individuals who have enrolled under the EPF Scheme. The UAN number does not change even if you change your Employer or PF account number. This number is assigned to each employee. This number can be generated by logging in the EPF Website. Once you have registered for UAN, you will automatically receive the details like EPF Balance etc. on your registered mobile via SMS.

The steps for checking an EPF Balance via UAN are as follows

  1. Open the webpage- uanmembers.epfoservices.in
  2. Enter your Universal Account Number (UAN).
  3. Enter the mobile number where you want to receive the SMS.
  4. Select the EPF State and choose the city-specific EPF Office from the list. For example, if your PF State Office is Karnataka and the Local Office is in Bangalore, then select Bangalore as the city.
  5. Fill in the captcha code and you will receive a Pin and all the EPF Balance details are sent to the mobile number.

How to Check EPF Balance Via SMS or Missed Call

You can also check your EPF Balance through SMS or Missed Call. For this activity, you need to have an activated UAN Number. If you have a valid UAN Number then your mobile number is also registered with the EPF Department. You just have to give a missed call to 011-22901406 and you will receive an SMS that consists of the details of your PF Number, Age, and Name etc. In order to know your EPF Balance then you need to produce your UAN along with the Aadhaar Number or PAN Number.

Checking EPF Balance using SMS
Checking EPF Balance using SMS

To know your EPF Balance, KYC Details along with the UAN is mandatory. Once your UAN is integrated with your KYC, every time to give a missed call to the EPF Department, you will receive an SMS with the EPF Details along with the EPF Balance.

How to Check EPF Balance Through the Mobile App

The EPFO has recently launched a Mobile App for PF Balance tracking. The Mobile App serves different services such as the balance check as well as the Passbook Statement. This app is currently not available on the Google Play, so you can download it manually from the EPFO Official Website. Currently, this mobile app can only be used by the Android Users. The EPFO Department has been developing the app services for the Blackberry and IOS Devices.

On the EPFO App link, click and check the save target as. Once the app is installed on your device then open and feed your name and account number and track your PF Status. You can also download this file I the computer and later transfer it to the mobile phone. The file format is named as m-epf.apk and will be shown on your desktop or mobile wherever you want to download it.

Below are the steps to check the EPF Balance via Mobile App

  1. Open the Mobile App on the device and click on the Member Option.
    Checking EPF balance using m-epf app
    Checking EPF balance using m-epf app
  2. Under the Member Option there is an option available called as click balance/passbook and then enter your 12-digit UAN Number also enter your registered mobile number. The system will now verify your mobile number. If the number does not match then the UAN Number will display an error.
  3. If in case the Mobile Number and the UAN Combination is correct then it will display a message of your updated EPF Balance information along with the personal details (name, date of Birth, Aadhaar Number, PAN for tax Deductions, Last Month EPF Contribution etc.) that are present in your EPF Records.
  4. If in case you want to see your EPF Statement for the last 7 months, then you can select the option of “View Passbook” option and get a detailed statement.

The EPF Mobile App is good for EPF Balance Tracking and is the handy tool for checking the EPF Balance.

How to Access and Download EPF Passbook

The EPF Passbook is quite similar to that of the Bank Accounts Passbook. The Passbook carries the history of all the transactions including both the deposits and or any partial withdrawals. Below mentioned are the different modes through which you can access and download an EPF Passbook.

Using the UAN Portal

UAN can be used to download the EPF Passbook online from the EPFO Website and you can also track down the status of your EPF Transactions. The EPF Passbook has certain particulars regarding the Monthly PF Contribution from your employer and the contribution towards the pension scheme as well as the latest EPF Scheme. The EPF Passbook is like a full statement of all your transactions with the EPFO.

Check EPF Balance via UAN
Check EPF Balance via UAN

The only prerequisite for obtaining this passbook is to generate the UAN number, for which you can later Login and then download it.

Using the Member Portal

The EPFO has a member portal from where you can register online and view their Passbook transactions. This facility can be availed by the individuals whose employer has uploaded the Electronic Challan cum Return for the salary month of May 2012 and beyond.

The advantage of using a member portal is that you don’t have to remember any user name or Password. You just require only the registered mobile number and any identity proof like PAN, Aadhaar etc.

You can also feed multiple number of IDs along with the registered mobile number. Any of these ID Numbers can be used with the combination of the Phone number for the retrieval of the EPF Statement via EPF Passbook.

Thus these two portals can be used for accessing and downloading the EPF Passbook.

Points To Keep In Mind While Checking an EPF Balance

There are certain points that should be kept in mind while checking an EPF Balance are as follows:

  1. Only one mobile number is allowed for the registration at the member portal, for downloading a passbook.
  2. Any registered mobile number can view only one EPF account details, and for viewing more accounts, you will require a number of mobile numbers registered. You will need to file Form 13 for this process.
  3. One member is allowed to vie maximum 10 EPF Account balances.
  4. Multiple ID numbers can be added one after another during the process of registration so as to make use of the identity proof number during the time of the registration.

So, hope you have got enough of information regarding what is EPF, how can check the EPF Balance through different ways and the ways to access and download an EPF Passbook. Now, there must be some questions rising on your head such as, if there is a way to check the EPF Balance online, then there also must be a way to transfer the funds in EPF. Definitely, you can transfer the funds to EPF. Let’s see how, but before jumping to the topic, let’s understand what an EPF Balance Transfer is and why we need it?

EPF Balance Transfer

Did it ever happen that you’ve switched your jobs a multiple number of times and your provident funds have been resting in the accounts? Maximum of the answer would be a “Yes”. It has been seen that people usually forget to transfer their EPF Balance on time. Changing a job comprises multiple numbers of paper works and procedures and quite apparently, there is a swirl of confusions when it comes to the matters related to the EPF. Provident Funds provides a lot of benefits than the fixed deposits and other Government Bonds, so it is preferable to transfer the amount whenever you are switching a job. However, the employees also have an option to close their active EPF account and open a new one. Thus, undoubtedly EPF is known as the best long-term saving option that provides ensured income and saves your tax.

Features of EPF Balance

  1. The Employees can transfer their accumulated balance anytime from one account to another. But this funds cannot be transferred to a third person account.
  2. Along with the provident fund, the pension amount under Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) also gets deposited in the Employee’s new account. But for availing these benefits, the Government has mandated of having a minimum of 6 months of the work period.
  3. For the fund transfer to take effect, both the EPF account must have all the essential information such as the employee’s name, father’s name, date of birth etc. any mismatch or unavailability of information can lead to the rejection of the transfer request.
  4. The employees cannot transfer a portion of the EPF Funds to the new account and keep a few in the old account. The entire sum has to be deposited to the new account.
  5. The EPFO has launched an online submission system to facilitate the transfer of the provident funds. For the withdrawal of the EPF amount, the members can apply through their current or previous employer.

Note

For an employee, who has completed the service for 6 months or more will be treated as 1 year. Therefore, 9 years and 6 months will be considered to be as 10 years. Once the 10 years is completed, the withdrawal benefit stops and one can only take the scheme certificate from the EPFO by filling the Form 10C.

EPF Contributions at the Rate of 10%

A PF of 10% interest is applicable to the people who are working under the following establishments:

  • A company with less than 20 employees on its payroll.
  • Any organization that suffers losses equal to its entire net worth.
  • Establishments coming under Jute, Beedi, Brick, Coir and Guar Gum Industries.
  • Any other establishments decided by the Board of the Industrial and Financial Reconstruction.

EPF Balance for the Inoperative Accounts

According to the notification issued by the Government in the year 2016, the inoperative accounts will build up interests and will not be classified as Inoperative anymore. Earlier the EPFO has stopped paying interests to the dormant accounts. But after the release of the new amendment, all the inoperative accounts will receive interests at 8.8% per annum. There are basically two reasons why the accounts were getting inoperative- firstly, due to the cumbersome process while EPF Transfer and people switching jobs frequently and opening new accounts.

New EPF Withdrawal Forms for Easy Claims

As we have mentioned it earlier, the EPFO has released new forms that facilitate the withdrawal procedures of the Provident Fund Amount without the employer attestation. These forms are Form 19 UAN, Form 10C UAN and Form 31 UAN. We have already discussed the Form 10C in the above section. Due to the introduction of these forms, the procedures have been minimized while making claims and EPF Transfers. By using these new forms, the individuals can apply for Final Claim Settlement, Full Withdrawal, Partial Withdrawal, and Loans. Form 19 UAN is applied if an employee wants to resign from the service or the employer terminates the employment agreement. Form 10C UAN is used for making claims related to EPS and Form 31 is used for making partial withdrawals or advances. The preconditions for the EPF Withdrawal without an employment signature are as follows:

  • Form 11 of the employee must be available in the EPFO records.
  • He/she must have a valid UAN
  • The bank details and the Aadhaar must be available in the KYC Data.

If the employee does not fit the above criteria, then he/she will have to make claims using the regular EPF Forms:

Form 19 Click to Download
Form 10C Click to Download
Form 31 Click to Download

Provident Fund Rules for the Railway Employees

A Railway Employee contributes 8.5% of his/her salary towards the State Railway Provident Fund. The EPF Balance of the Railway Employees is maintained by the Railway Accounts Department.

Name Mismatch in the EPF Account

If in case your name is misspelled incorrectly in the EPF account, then the procedure to rectify it is quite easy.

  • All you have to do is submit an EPF name correction form along with the employer’s statement and other supporting documents such as PAN Card, Aadhaar Card, Voter ID Card or Bank account Passbook.
  • The name change application should be addressed to the EPFO Commissioner specifying the errors that are found in the existing employee credentials.

Currently, the EPFO is working on the portal and is introducing to report the problems online. This web portal is still in the testing stage. Once the web portal is implemented, people can log in through their UAN and submit an online application for the name correction.

EPFO Customer Care

If you have any queries related to your account, you can contact the EPFO India Helpline Number 1800118005. You can also send your feedback, queries, and complaints on the social site pages (Facebook, Twitter) of EPFO India.

The sites are handled for 24 hours by the Officials of the regional centers. You can also visit the nearest EPFO Centers to get the information related to your account.

Tax Deductions for EPF Accounts with or Without PAN

The Indian Government has introduced a new section in the Finance Act 2015, whereby PF withdrawals will be subjected to the tax deductions. As per the new rule, all the withdrawals over Rs 50, 000 will be taxable at source if the employee has served less than 5 years. Even the individuals below the taxable income range will have to ante up 34% towards “PF Withdrawal tax”. However, if the EPF Account is linked with the PAN, then the rate of the deductions will be 10% per annum and the rate of interest without PAN will be 34.6% per annum. If an EPF member has filed Form 15G and H at the time of joining then the tax of deductions are not applicable for the withdrawals below Rs 2, 50, 000. If the PF amounts are withdrawn for health purpose or business failure or any such emergencies then, the tax deductions are exempted. Therefore, it is ideal that you save your taxes by securing your EPF Balance with PAN Number.

EPFO Digital Signature for Employers

The Centers have urged to all the organizations which are under the EPF Scheme has to apply for the digital signature. Doing this can lead an easy verification of UAN Data. The employers can upload their digital signature through Online Transfer Claim Portal (OTCP) of EPFO.

How to Download EPF Balance Slips

At the end of the salary period, the annual statements of the PF accounts are published on the EPFO website. This can be downloaded by the users/employers through the E-Sewa Portal. The step by step process to download the EPF Balance Statement are:

  1. Type the following URL in your webpage- epfindia.gov.in
  2. In the EPFO homepage, click on the link “For Employers”.
  3. From the services listed, select the “ECR/Challan Submission”.
  4. This will redirect to the “Employer E-Sewa” page.
  5. Click on the “Employer E-Sewa” link given on the page and sign in using the credentials.
  6. In downloads tab, select download PF Slips and choose your desired location and save it in PDF.

The EPFO is expecting to launch a massive drive throughout the country with an aim to increase maximum member enrollments. The Government has also issued different guidelines on the PF Settlements under which the death claims will be settled within 7 days from the date of the application and retirement claims before the date of the retirement.

Thus, the Employee Provident Fund provides a social security to all the employees who pay in the present and reap benefits in the future.

How to Login to EPFO Member Portal

EPFO stands for Employees Provident Fund Organization. It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. The Organization was founded on 4th of March 1952.

The Organization offers special services such as:

  • Employees Provident Scheme 1952
  • Employees Deposit Linked Insurance, Scheme 1976
  • Employees Pension Scheme 1995

Member Portal of EPFO

The link for the online portal of the EPFO is members.epfoservices.in. The portal provides all the information and services which are related to the Employees Provident Fund.

To experience the services such as checking your EPF balance etc. you need to log in to the portal and ask for the permission to access the online EPF Account Passbook.

How to Login to the EPFO Member Portal

Follow the below given steps to log in to the EPFO Member Portal:

  1. Visit the EPFO Member Portal: unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in.
    EPF Member Login
    EPF Member Login
  2. In the main page for the registration, fill in the required details.
  3. Ensure that you enter the correct documents type since you will have to log in to the portal using the same details provided by you.
  4. After the registration process, log in to the EPFO Member Portal. If you wish to register into the portal with the help of the PAN Card, you will have to select the PAN Number from the tab mentioning “Select Any One Document” and enter your PAN Number.
  5. Now check the details before submitting, to get the PIN Number.
  6. After the submission of the details, you will get an authorization PIN.
  7. Now enter the authorization PIN, and you will be registered.
  8. From the above-mentioned steps, you can now easily open the member portal by entering the specific details such as the mobile number, document type, and document number and successfully download your EPF Passbook from the website.

EPFO Member Portal: (Things to Remember)

  • You can use only one mobile number during the process of registration.
  • You can add multiple id numbers, and you can use anyone with your mobile number to login to the EPFO Member Portal.
  • After registering yourself, you can be able to view your EPF Passbook. It is to be noted that you will be able to use this facility only if your employer has uploaded the electronic challan cum return from the wage month May 2012 onwards.
  • Being a registered member, you can only view one account under one employer. If you have more than one account with one employer then you should apply for a transfer by filling in the required details in Form 11.
  • You will be able to view 10 accounts under different organizations (establishments). There is no restriction on the number of times you view all the accounts.
  • You don’t have to create any User ID or Password. You just need your registered mobile number and anyone identification proof (Aadhaar/ PAN/ National Population Register/ Voter ID/ Driving License/ Passport) to register and Log in.
  • If in case you wish to view the inoperative accounts, you need to make one official request for using the facility to display the inoperative accounts.
  • It is, however, important to note that the facility is not available to the current members of the organizations (establishments) which have an exemption as per EPF Scheme 1952.

UAN Portal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has introduced the Universal Account Number (UAN) which is a 12-digit unique number to facilitate Provident Fund (PF) number portability. The UAN Number is allotted to the employee who is contributing to the EPF and will be generated for each of the PF Member by EPFO. The link to access the EPFO’s Universal Account Number (UAN) Member Portal is – unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in

This offers several facilities via one single window.

UAN Umbrella

The UAN acts as an umbrella for the several individuals working under different organizations or establishments. UAN, therefore, links a multiple Member Identification Numbers of one Member. If you have been already allotted with a Universal Account Number (UAN), then you have to give the same to the new employer so the latter can mark the new Member ID to the allotted UAN.

You need to contact your Organization to get your UAN. After that, activate your registration to access different facilities such as the downloading of the UAN card, Updating of the KYC Details and much more.

EPFO makes online claims must for PF withdrawals above Rs 10 lakh

Employees’ Provident Fund Organization or EPFO which is a retirement fund body is mandatory to file online claims for provident fund withdrawals above Rs. 10 lakh, which is another step towards becoming a paperless organisation.

The EPF account holders are also required to file online claims for withdrawals of above Rs 5 lakh under the Employees Pension Scheme 1995 which has been mandated by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organizations (EPFO).

EPFO offers both the option of filing online as well as manual claims for provident fund withdrawal as also for pension to the EPF subscribers.

This decision of filing online claims for withdrawal of certain amount of money has been taken at a meeting chaired by Central Provident Fund Commissioner on January 17, 2018, said by an official

The official also said that

the field offices have been directed that the claims must be accepted online in case the amount of provident fund withdrawal is above Rs 10 lakh.

They also added that

Similarly, the claims must be online in case the amount is above Rs 5 lakh under the employees’ pension scheme.

Also note that the EPF account is required to be linked and verified in the system before the online claims can be settled. Also, the subscriber is required to have an activated universal account number.

And as per the rules, the claims exceeding the said limit would not be accepted in the physical form now onwards.

At present, the EPFO has over 6 crore subscribers and a corpus of Rs 10 lakh crore.

EPFO offers new facility for the citizens to generate UAN (Universal Account Number) easily. UAN is a 12 digit unique number which is allotted to every member of EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund), which helps the employee to keep a check of his EPF account.

To know more about it you can also read here – EPFO 

EPFO ease up rules for submitting Jeevan Praman

As not everyone is well – versed with internet and has a secured internet connection, EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organization) have made submitting life certificate easier.

EPFO have laid down provisions that will help pensioners to submit their life certificate smoothly as they can submit their Jeevan Pramaan Certificate in physical form. However, this facility will be provided to people who have recorded genuine reasons for non – submission of digital Jeevan Pramaan.

Also, in case a pensioner has already submitted their Jeevan Pramaan Certificate digitally, they are not required to do so again. And they would have the option of submitting the digital or paper based certificate to pension drawing bank branches.

As per the new conditions of EPFO, pensioners who have not submitted Jeevan Pramaan digitally even once can do so within this month in physical form.

To submit Jeevan Pramaan, one can visit EPFO offices, pension disbursing banks and common service centres.

Jeevan Pramaan is a biometric enabled digital service for pensioners of Central government, State government, or any other Government organizations. Pensioners have to register themselves and then they can continue to generate Jeevan Pramaan by using the Biometric authentication. Jeevan Pramaan life certificate can produced digitally from the comfort of your home as it can be done online. However, the traditional life certificates can be produced only by the authorized Pension Disbursing Agencies (PDAs) / Pension Sanctioning Authorities (PSAs) like Banks, Post offices etc.

In India more than one crore families can be classified as pensioner’s families. And one of the major requisite for the pensioners is to provide life certificates to the authorized pension disbursing agencies like Banks, Post offices etc., following which their pension is credited to their account. It requires the pensioner to be physically present in front of the disbursing agency or getting a life certificate often becomes a major hurdle in the process of receiving the pension. Being physically present causes a lot of inconvenience to the pensioners because of their age and also people often choose to move to a different location for various reasons. Hence, digital life certificate for pensioners which is also known as Jeevan Pramaan address this problem by digitizing the whole process.

At present, nearly 48.48 Lakh pensioners have registered for Jeevan Pramaan. And after 1st November 2016, nearly 31.24 Lakh pensioners have registered under Jeevan Pramaan life certificate.

This online enrollment and biometric authentication system will simplify the way pension payouts have been functioning in India. And as a part of Digital India initiative, the Jeevan Praman Scheme aims at sparing the pensioner from the trouble of visiting a PDA or PSA for the submission of life certificate.

News Related to EPFO

EPFO new scheme covers Indians working abroad – https://rupeenomics.com/epfo-new-scheme-covers-indians-working-abroad-cpfc/

Update your UAN and EPF Details Online using EPFO Unified Portal – https://rupeenomics.com/update-uan-epf-details-online-using-epfo-unified-portal/

How to Modify the Name, Date of Birth of the EPFO Subscriber Online

The EPFO which is otherwise called as the Employees Provident Fund Organization has come up with another online facility for correcting the details such as the name, date of birth etc. of an employee. It has been found out that, people are facing a lot of issues regarding the making of the corrections or modifications of the details of the EPFO account holder. This is the reason due to the mismatch in the name, date of birth or gender in the UAN Data and UIDAI (Aadhaar) data says the Retirement Fund Body EPFO.

The UAN or the Universal Account Number is a unique number that is assigned to an employee which serves as an umbrella for multiple member IDs provided to an individual by different establishments where he or she has worked. The UAN helps to link with multiple member IDs allotted to the single employee under a single UAN.

How to Modify the Details of the EPF Account Online

In case of the offline mode, if an EPFO subscriber wants to make any correction on his/her basic details such as the name, date of birth etc. then the employee and the employer has to submit a joint request to the concerned EFO Office. This process was a bit complex and time-consuming. Therefore, to minimize the pressure the EPFO has introduced the online facility. Now the subscribers can request online to make corrections in the basic details.

While accepting a request from the member, the system will compare and analyze the requested changes with the similar fields receives from the UIDAI (Aadhaar). After a successful verification, the request will be transferred automatically to the employer’s login for the online transmission to the EPFO field office. After getting the online request the EPFO will process the requested corrections.

Below are the steps to correct the Name, Date of Birth and Other Details of the EPFO Subscribers:

  1. Log in using the Member Interface of Unified Portal through the UAN Password.
  2. Click on the Manage section and select for “Modify Basic Details” option.
  3. Provide the required details as mentioned in Aadhaar (the system will verify the details entered with UIDAI Aadhaar Data.
  4. Click on the update details. The request will be sent to the employer for further approval. The employer can also withdraw the request if he/she wants to delete/reject Request.
  5. The employee has to log into the Employer Interface Unified Portal. The employer can view the change requests that have been submitted by the employees, so that the employer can take action for the further procedures.

After the approval of the request, the employer can view the latest request status. After the approval of the request, it can also be viewed in the EPFO Unified Portal. After the verification, the person can submit his/her recommendations to the Section Supervisor. Finally, the EPFO Office can approve as well as reject the case.

The EPFO (Employee’s Provident Fund Organization) has launched a new online facility for over 4.5 crore members. This facility allows merging their multiple provident fund accounts with the current Universal Account Number (UAN)…Read More

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