EPF Form 31

5paisa Research Team

Last Updated: 22 Aug, 2023 03:34 PM IST

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Introduction

The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Form 31 is used to submit a claim for a partial withdrawal of money. Employees' Provident Fund, or EPF, is a government-backed savings option that enables salaried people to accumulate a sizeable corpus to meet their post-retirement financial demands.

Employees are expected to deposit a certain percentage of their basic pay (12%) each month to this specific type of provident fund. The employer then makes a matching contribution to this fund. The corpus for employees is produced by the pooling of these contributions along with any relevant government interest.

People might also decide to take a withdrawal from their EPF savings during their work to pay for any eventual emergencies that may arise.

This article explains EPF withdrawal form 31.
 

When Can You Use Form 31 to Withdraw EPF funds?

Purpose of Withdrawal

Withdrawal Limit

Minimum service required to be served before withdrawal

 

Other conditions to keep in mind

Marriage

A maximum of 50% of the employee's EPF contribution

7 years

To cover the costs of marriage for oneself, one's children, or one's siblings

Education

A maximum of 50% of the employee's EPF contribution

7 years

To pay for the education of your children after the 10th grade

Home Renovation

As much as 12 times the employee's monthly salary plus dearness allowance, or as much as the employee share plus interest or cost, whichever is lesser.

5 years

  • The home being renovated must be owned by either the member or their spouse, or the member and spouse must have a joint account.
  • It is possible to access this facility twice after the house has been completed for five and ten years.

Purchasing of land or property

  • For house purchasing, the employee can receive up to 36 times the monthly salary plus the dearness allowance, or the employee share, plus interest or costs, whichever is lower.
  • If purchasing land, the employee will get up to 24 times the monthly salary plus the dearness allowance, or the employee's share plus interest or costs, whichever is lower.

5 years

Members must own property either in their name or in the name of their spouse. The property can be owned jointly as well.

Before retirement

A maximum of 90% of the accumulated corpus, plus interest, may be withdrawn

After turning 54 and within a year of retirement or super annuity, whichever occurs first

Using the amount, the member can cover his or her financial expenses

Repayment of loan

It could be up to 24 times the employee's monthly salary, including dearness allowances, or the employee share including interest, or the total outstanding principal plus interest

10 years

Loans must be obtained from an agency who clearly specifies the principal and interest charged

Employees who have gone two months without a salary or are unemployed without pay

Interest-bearing share of the employee

NA

If you don't receive your compensation for any reason other than strike.

 

How to Download EPF Form 31 Online

You can download EPF withdrawal form 31 from the EPF website. Here are the steps to follow.

●    Log in to the EPFO member portal using your UAN and password.
●    To generate an online request, click 'Claim' under 'Online Services'.
●    As soon as you click to claim, a new page will open with the member's details, including name, father's name, date of birth, PAN, and Aadhaar numbers, as well as the date of joining the company and mobile number. Click on 'Proceed for Online Claim' once you check all the information is correct.
●    Your next step will be to select the type of claim you wish to submit. Choose PF ADVANCE (FORM 31) from the drop-down menu.
●    Next, specify the purpose of using the advance. Choose from a variety of options in the drop-down box, such as illness, not receiving wages, natural calamities, power outages, or purchasing handicapped equipment. Next, enter your current address and the amount.
●    Upon completion, the member must sign the disclosure. You may see the 'Get Aadhaar OTP' option after checking the box. By clicking this, you will receive an OTP, which must be authenticated. 
●    In the next step, validate your OTP and submit the claim form to complete the online EPF advance application process.
 

Documents Required to EPF Form 31

EPF Form 31 requires employees to provide the following documentation for various purposes:

Purpose/Reason

Documents

Equipment for the physically disabled

An official medical certificate

Inadvertently affected by lack of power

The state government's statement

Affected adversely by natural disasters

A certificate from the relevant authority

 

Lockout of a business

Declaration

Repairs to the house (once only)

Evidence of the need for repairs

Alteration of the house (only once)

A proof of the need for alterations

Purchase of a plot

A copy of the purchase agreement and the declaration form

Repayment of housing loans

Signed declaration

Building a house

Signed declaration

Medical treatment

Medical certification from a physician, certification from an employer about the lack of an ESI facility, specialist certification (leprosy, tuberculosis)

 

Wedding

Certificate of marriage

Education

A bonafide certificate issued by the relevant educational institution

 

What does EPF Form 31 Contain?

Under the Employee Provident Fund Scheme 1952, employees must fill out EPF withdrawal Form 31 with the following information.

●    Mobile number
●    Reason for requiring advance
●    Amount required as an advance
●    Member's name
●    Name of husband (for married women)
●    Employee PF Account Number
●    Salary plus dearness allowance per month
●    Postal address in full
●    Applicant's signature
●    Employer's signature
●    Remittance method
●    In advance payments for housing loans or construction of flats or sites through an agency, an employee must mention the recipient's full name with the address of the recipient when the check is drawn on their name.
●    Account number at Savings Bank
●    The bank's name
●    Name and address of the branch
●    IFS code
●    Check cancelled copy
●    An employee must mention the age, wedding date, and address of his or her daughter/sister/son/brother who is getting married if the advance is being taken for wedding expenses. (If the advance is not intended for marriage purposes, an employee does not need to fill in any details in the section.)
●    Detailed information regarding advanced stamps received
●    Stamps from establishments and signatures of signing officials
 

How To Download Form 31

The Form 31 can be downloaded and printed by clicking on this link. Ensure that all the details are correct when you fill out the form.

 

How To Submit Form 31 Offline

The steps for submitting your EPF Form 31 offline are as follows.

●    Fill out and sign Form 31 PF after downloading it.
●    Get your certificate validated by your employer. Your employer must fill in all the required details and attest all relevant enclosures.
●    Ensure that you submit the form to the EPF office responsible for your jurisdiction.
 

How To Submit Form 31 Online

For online submission, you will need to follow these steps.

●    Go to https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/.
●    Enter your UAN number and password and click on 'Sign In' to enter the portal.
●    Select 'Online Services' and choose Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D from the list.
●    Your screen will display an auto-filled form. Verify your bank account by entering the last four digits.
●    In a pop-up window, you'll be asked whether you agree to the terms and conditions of the Certificate of Undertaking. Select 'Yes'.
●    From the drop-down menu, choose 'PF Withdrawal' from the 'Proceed for Online Claim' option.
●    Select 'PF Advance Form' and enter information about the withdrawal, such as the amount, and the purpose.
●    Once you have completed the form, click on 'Submit'. You have successfully completed the online application process.
 

What you should remember while submitting Form 31?

●    To verify your bank account details, you must attach a cancelled check to the form.
●    When applying offline, the last employer's certification is required.
●    Applicants must connect their bank accounts, Aadhaar, and PAN information to their UAN account before they can apply online.
●    Transferring funds and processing the application take about a couple of weeks.
 

How To Check The Status Of Form 31 Claim

For more information on Form 31 PF claim status, follow the steps below.

●    Go to https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/.
●    You will need to enter your UAN number and password to access the portal.
●    Check the claim status under 'Online Services'.
●    Choose the location of your PF office from the drop-down menu. Your PF office code and region code will appear on your screen once you click that.
●    Enter your pay slip establishment code.
●    Click 'Submit' after entering your 7-digit account number.
●    A status report will be available for your Form 31 request.
 

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Frequently Asked Questions

One of the following reasons can lead to the rejection of the EPF Form 31:

●    You've already filed the claim in the past.
●    Within 15 days of making the online claim application, you failed to submit the signed claim form.
●    There is a discrepancy between the details you entered and the previous records.
●    The signature on your office records doesn't match the one on the form.
 

Your PF amount will be deposited into your registered bank account within 5-30 days after you complete the online withdrawal process.

You can withdraw a certain amount from your PF corpus depending on the reason for withdrawal, as well as the length of time you have been employed.