Online EPF Transfer and Withdrawal Strengthens Your Retirement Saving

Online EPF Transfer and Withdrawal facility helps the employees more than the expected. This small initiative can increase the retirement saving considerably. The hassle of EPF transfer forces people to withdraw it or just leave the amount in the account. These inactive accounts don’t earn any interest. Online EPF Transfer and Withdrawal reduces this hassle. Hence now onward you should not delay. You can start your online transfer of EPF right now.  This will result in greater saving. In Practice majority of the employees don’t transfer the amount after changing the job. According to EPF rules if you are only changing the job you can’t withdraw the amount. But to avoid the hassle employer as well as employee both gives a false undertaking of unemployment. Hopefully this will end by online EPF transfer and withdrawal.

In this article I will tell you-

1. How Online PF Transfer eases your hassle
2. How Online PF Transfer Process Works
3. How You Can Transfer PF Online Yourself
4. What About Online EPF Withdrawal Process

Benefits Of Online EPF Transfer And Withdrawal

•  This service makes transfer and withdrawal of the EPF transparent. The employee can track its application just by one click. They are not required to go from one desk to another.
•  All the Applications of Online EPF Transfer and Withdrawal will be tracked centrally from the Delhi office. This makes regional PF officials more accountable.
•  Application processing is faster. Now you can expect your PF transfer in 3 weeks.  Now EPFO Employees are required to data feed the physical application. This saves time.
• Now it is the responsibility of EPFO to get the response from the employers. Usually after the resignation of the employee, the employer becomes reluctant to do paperwork for him. Now he has the only attest the application form just by one click.
• Also, because of online application, there would be less error. This also makes application processing faster.

How Online EPF Transfer Works

Employee provident fund organization is the custodian of your Provident Fund. It invests your money in safe option so that you can get assured return after the retirement. But you have not to directly deal with it. Rather your employer deals with it. Your employer do the paper work, authenticate and deduct mandatory contribution from your salary. Unlike Banks or any financial institution EPFO does not ask for any KYC documents for authentication, rather employer authenticates you.
In case of EPF transfer or withdrawal EPFO acts only after your employer’s authentication. Earlier this was done by physical paper. You used to give the application form to the employer. Employers used to verify and send to the regional PF office. In the EPF office also files used to move at snail pace.

• But in the online process you submit your application directly to the EPFO. Since it is in digital form it is simultaneously sent to the regional PF office, your previous and present employer.
• Now regional PF office tracks application with the employer.
• Your employer(s) gets the message of application. Now it has to attest it so that EPFO get assured about the identity of the employee.
• But employer itself also has to satisfy that the original employee has applied for PF transfer or withdrawal. That is why you have to submit signed hard copy of your application  with the employer.
• After this assurance employer attest your application with the its digital signature. The employer does this process at the EPFO portal.
• Now EPFO has to work on the process of transfer or withdrawal.
• It seems very easy and it should be also. But in realty EPFO itself has many steps of processing the application. Also, your employer can also take several days just to attest the form.

Online EPF Transfer And withdrawal Actual Process

• Your first step is to check eligibility for online transfer. This facility is not available for everyone as many organizations have not given their digital signature yet. Between your past and present employer one should have given the digital signature.
• The employee can Fill the application form on the website of the EPFO (www.epfindia.gov.in ) with all the details.  Besides Personal details Employee will be asked to give it’s PF account number, Old and new employers EPF code. You should have these before filing the application. Employer’s code can also be searched from EPFO website.
• After Submission of application You have to download the printable application form. You have to submit this application form either to your present or past employer. This process is to validate that real employee is trying to transfer the EPF amount.
• On the other side copy of the application will directly go to the employer who has the digital signature. Another copy will go to the respective regional PF office.
• After the verification from the employer(s), EPF will be transferred. EPFO commissioner also said that if required there would be provision of penalty also.

 The employee can also submit a Physical Application in his regional PF office for the transfer or withdrawal of EPF.
MUST READ - STEP BY STEP PROCESS OF HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR EPF ONLINE 

What About Online EPF Withdrawal Process

Earlier EPFO announced that it will start the online EPF transfer and withdrawal process simultaneously. But it could not start any service on time. Whole initiative was stuck on unavailability of digital signatures. At last EPFO came to the online EPF transfer facility only sense in this service to employers are involved and there is more chance of getting digital signatures from either of them. However EPFO did not announce it formally also. Now gradually many employers gave their digital signature and we can hope that soon EPF withdrawal service will start.
Recommended Read - It’s Your Money, Here Is The Rule To Withdraw PF Without Employer Signature

PF Number Portability

PF number portability is also on the cards.  It will make the PF transfer much easier. In this initiative every employee will be allotted a single PF number.  This number will work wherever they get employed within the India. So there will not be any need to even transfer the PF from one account to another.  But EPFO is taking too much time to implement it. Now EPFO commissioner is promising to start it in the FY 2013-14.
Also Read- How to Check Your PF Balance Status Online

 What Should You Do

If your employer has given digital signature, then you must go through the online process. Either offline EPF transfer process is still there. Online EPF withdrawal has not started yet. Hopefully it will be implemented in the next few months. It is not advisable to withdraw the PF money after changing the job. Retirement saving should be in inaccessible account.
Also Read- Get EPF Money Immediately After Resignation!
What do you think online transfer and withdrawal will change the perception about the EPFO? Will people save more money for the retirement after this facility? How EPFO process made it tough to get or transfer your money. Share it