PF Withdrawal Form

Introduction

Provident Fund (PF), also known as EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund), is an essential, beneficial savings plan designed for the secured financial condition of an employee after retirement. The employee can enjoy the corpus from this savings fund after their retirement. 

According to the PF guidelines, one must deposit or spend 12% of their basic monthly pay into this post-retirement savings scheme. 

The employer or the organization contributes the equivalent amount to their employee’s provident fund account after making deductions from their monthly salary. Moreover, the deposited amount on your PF account is subject to interest acquisition every year. 

This entire accumulated savings fund in the PF account can be withdrawn once the employee retires. Nevertheless, employees can also withdraw these accumulated funds before retirement upon request and submit the PF withdrawal form. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to complete and submit the PF withdrawal form online and offline, the eligibility criteria for the PF claim form, and more. So, read till the end. 
 

What Is The Purpose of the PF Claim Form?

During the whole employment span, the employer and the employee must contribute equally to the Provident Fund scheme. 

The purpose of PF is to motivate and inspire the establishment of sufficient funds during a person’s employment span, which will act as a monetary source after retirement. Employees also have the option to leverage these accumulated funds to fulfill their precise financial needs. 

To withdraw from this accumulated corpus, one must fill and submit different forms per their requirements. There is a specific EPF claim form for every explicit purpose of withdrawal. 
 

Complete EPF Withdrawal

You can only fill out the PF withdrawal form online or offline for complete withdrawal if you meet the following two conditions: 

●    When you’re unemployed and have had no revenue generation source for the past two months. 
●    In such a situation, you’ll need an attestation from any gazetted officer along with the PF withdrawal form.
●    When you retire from your job 

If you keep switching employers and are not unemployed for two consecutive months or more, you’ll not be eligible to make a complete withdrawal of your PF funds. 
 

Partial EPF Withdrawal

Under certain conditions, employees or individuals can make partial EPF withdrawals. There are several reasons why you can make a partial withdrawal of your PF funds, which you shall learn from a table given in the below section. 

Different Types of PF Withdrawal Forms Available

When it comes to PF withdrawal, there are various types of PF withdrawal forms available. These include: 

EPF Form 10C 

Individuals can use this PF pension withdrawal form to submit an application for an EPS certificate or withdrawal benefits while having ownership of the Pension Fund. Retaining ownership allows you to enjoy the benefits of the PF funds later. 

Here are the categories of individuals/members eligible for withdrawing their funds via the PF withdrawal form 10C: 
 

Category 1: 

●    Has failed to complete ten years of employment but is aged 58 or above. 
●    Has left their job before finishing ten years of employment. 

Category 2: 

●    A family member, nominee, or legal heir of a deceased person who failed to fulfill ten years of employment but aged 58 years or more. 

Here is the category of individuals/members who are eligible to submit their application for the EPS certification - 

Category 3:

●    The individual must be above 50 years and less than 58 years of age and is not compliant to get a pension at a lesser rate.
●    Individuals must complete ten years of employment before they turn 50. 
 

EPF Form 10D

Individuals who retired from their job can use this PF form online to submit their application for monthly pension perks. This form must be filed and submitted by the legal claimant, which includes either the individual, nominee or the deceased individual’s legal heir.  

To qualify for monthly pension perks, the individual must fulfill ten years of employment in the professional sector. Also, it’s imperative to know that people who haven’t aged 58 years yet will qualify to get a pension only at a lesser (reduced) rate. However, one can enjoy the exclusive benefits of a monthly pension if one turns 58 years old. 

EPF Form 19 

If you want to send an application for the full and final settlement of the accumulated savings in your PF account, you’ll have to submit the PF withdrawal form 19. 

You can use this form to apply for settlement only if you have left the job or have retired. The main requirement for this application is that you’ll have to show unemployment records for the past two months.  

But suppose any person retires from their job due to any physical disability. In that case, they are entitled to complete pension benefits, irrespective of whether they’ve completed ten years of employment. 

EPF Form 5

Organizations that are registered and operate under the EPF scheme must mandatorily fill out and submit this form by the 15th of every month. 

This form consists of information on the employees of the respective organization who have recently joined the company and the PF schemes. If the company has no new hiring, they must mention it in the form by writing or selecting ‘NIL.’ 

PF Withdrawal Form 15G 

In a scenario where a person withdraws money from their PF account before completing five years of employment with their existing employer, the employer or the company must deduct TDS (Tax at Source) from the withdrawal proceedings. 

However, suppose that an individual’s total income, along with the proceeds of the Provident Fund, doesn’t surpass the Government-laid minimum tax slab (exempted tax liability). In that case, the individual becomes eligible to submit a PF withdrawal form 15G for the reveal of the same. This will legally not allow the company to deduct any tax from them. 

If you want to skip a TDS levy on interest accrued via the PF balance, you can opt for the PF withdrawal form 15G download and submit it online. Also, if you’re a senior citizen, you must submit Form 15G along with Form 15H.  

EPF Form 11

This is a newly introduced PF withdrawal form in the industry. This form consists of details like EPS and EPF account numbers, bank account numbers, etc. An employee must ask their respective employer to file this form on your behalf, as this form will work as an announcement or disclosure of their EPFO membership. 

You can show this PF form to the new company when you switch jobs. This will provide the new company with all the relevant information about you. By adhering to these processes, the balance from your last EPS and EPF accounts will be transferred, and EPFO will be informed about your change in employment. 
EPF Form 31

You are eligible to fill and submit this PF withdrawal form to make a partial withdrawal of money out of your PF account. However, you can make a partial withdrawal through this form only under the following situations: 

●    You must be unemployed for the past two months or more, which a gazetted officer should further attest. 
●    You must be retired.

If you successfully meet these circumstances, you’ll be able to withdraw partially from your PF account by using this form. Except for that, you can make a partial withdrawal only if you successfully meet certain conditions. Here is a table representing the conditions you need to meet: 

EPF Form 14

Individuals in need of a financing facility can use this PF form online. It enables the individual to pay their LIC policy premium directly from their PF account. You must attest this form with your company before applying and submit it to the respective PF commissioner. 

EPF Form 19

This PF claim form is used by individuals who want to close their current PF account. They can use this form to send an application for full claim settlement of their PF balance. You must note that you’re only eligible to submit this form if you’re unemployed for two months or more. 

EPF Form 2

This PF withdrawal form works as both a nomination and declaration certification, consisting of details of the nominated person. You must authorize the nominee as your first claimant in the event of your death.

EPF Form 20

In the event of your death, your legal heir or nominee must utilize this EPF claim form to apply for claim settlement of your PF account after your demise. 

EPF Form 5(IF) 

In the case of an employee’s death during their employment term, their nominee or legal heir can send an application for insurance advantages provided under the EDLI (Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance) with the help of this form. The form must be attested by any gazetted officer or their respective employer. 

Process To Apply For EPF Withdrawal Online

After you leave a certain job or workplace, you do two things. You either transfer the PF balance to your new employer’s new PF account or settle it. If you choose to make a full and final claim settlement, you’ll have to submit the PF withdrawal form 19 both offline and online. 

Here are the steps to fill out this form online: 

●    Step 1: Visit the EPF Member Portal and log in to your UAN account. 
●    Step 2: Go to the “Online Services” section and select “Claim (Form - 31, 19, 10C, & 10D).”
●    Step 3: Then, input the last four digits of your linked bank account number. Subsequently, press the ‘Verify’ button. 
●    Step 4: Sign the “Certificate of Undertaking” by clicking on “Yes” 
●    Step 5: Go to the “I want to apply for” section, navigate to the drop-down menu, and choose the “Only PF Withdrawal (Form-19)” option. 
●    Step 6: The Form will display a new section where you must fill in your full address. Press and tick the disclaimer section. Then, you’ll find the option ‘Get Aadhaar OTP.’ Click on it. 
●    Step 7: Your mobile number registered with your Aadhaar number will receive an OTP. 
●    Step 8: Input this OTP and submit your form application. 
●    Step 9: Once you successfully submit the application, you’ll get a reference number. 
●    Step 10: The withdrawal funds will be deposited into your linked bank account within 15-20 days. 

Prerequisites For Form 19 Online Submission:

●    You must first visit the EPF member portal and activate your UAN. 
●    You must link your UAN with your PAN and bank account. 
●    Your UAN must be linked to your mobile number.
●    If you’re not qualified for full and final settlement, the withdrawal form won’t display Form 19. 
●    Nevertheless, if the options display Form 19 as an option, you’ll find Form 10C too.

Offline PF Withdrawal Via Composite Claim Form: 

The combination of Form 31, Form 10C, and Form 19 is referred to as the Composite PF Claim Form. Form 31 is submitted for partial PF withdrawal, Form 10C is submitted for pension withdrawal, and Form 19 is submitted for full and final PF balance settlement. Nevertheless, you’ll only have to file the Composite Claim Form to withdraw funds offline. 
 

How To Check EPF Claim Status

You can check your PF claim status online by visiting the EPF member portal. You must visit the ‘Online Services’ section after logging in to the portal and select ‘Track Claim Status.’ It’s imperative to know that you won’t have to enter any reference number to confirm the status, as the screen will display it right away.  

Eligible Conditions For Withdrawal

To be eligible for PPF withdrawal, you (an employee) must meet the following conditions: 

●    You can partially withdraw your PF funds only for the following reasons: home acquisition, home renovation, medical emergency, or higher education. 
●    You can withdraw the entire PF balance from the account only after retirement. If you reach the age of 55, only then will the EPFO consider you for early retirement. 
●    If you lose your job due to a reduction or getting laid off, you can withdraw the EPF corpus amount.
●    You can withdraw 90% of your PF balance if you apply for withdrawal one year before retirement. 
●    To withdraw EPF, you won’t need any permission from your employer. You can attach your Aadhaar and UAN with your PF account to get permission online. 
●    As per the latest EPF law, you can withdraw only 75% of the funds after a month of unemployment. Once you get employed again, the remaining balance will be shifted to your new PF account.