Members of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) can now withdraw the balance in their PF account through the unified portal (member e-SEWA) of the EPFO. While the online facility has made the PF withdrawal process convenient, the member should ensure that all pre-conditions are met for a hassle-free experience.
Key points to consider before

PF withdrawal
Activate Universal Account Number (UAN): It is not possible to withdraw PF online without having a UAN. UAN is a unique identification number allotted to a member of EPFO to which all his PF accounts are linked. You can self-generate UAN on the member e-SEWA portal using Aadhaar based one-time password (OTP).
Once the UAN is generated, activate it online through the member e-SEWA portal or through the UMANG app.

Link Aadhaar with UAN: The government has made it mandatory to link UAN with Aadhaar number so as to enable the employer to deposit monthly contributions. Aadhaar-UAN seeding can be done online through the member e-SEWA portal or through the UMANG app.

Complete the Know Your Customer (KYC) process: The KYC is a one-time process. Aadhaar number is mandatory to be eligible for online claim submission. PAN is mandatory if the number of years of service is less than five years at the time of withdrawing the funds. Bank account details have to be entered for crediting the withdrawal proceeds. Further, the employer must approve the KYC details online, post which the EPFO will update the KYC status as ‘Verified’.

Complete e-Nomination
The EPFO has launched an e-Nomination campaign whereby all EPF members have to register a nominee. The member has to provide nominee name, date of birth, gender, relationship, address, bank account details (optional), Aadhaar, guardian (in case of minor) and photograph. E-nomination is required to be completed before PF withdrawal (except medical related claims and Covid-19 advance). Physical submission of the documents is not needed.

If the member has a PF account with a previous employer, the balance from which has not been transferred to his PF account under the new employer, ensure that such transfer takes place before filing the PF withdrawal claim.

The member’s past PF amount automatically gets transferred into his new account where his UAN is seeded and is fully KYC compliant. However, where the employee had a PF account before the introduction of UAN, it is necessary to initiate the transfer process separately. The claim form needs to be attested online by the employer (either past or current) and the employer needs to digitally approve the EPF transfer request by accessing the employer interface of the unified portal.

Once all the aforesaid steps are carried out, the member can file an application for withdrawal of his PF balance. If the net taxable income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh he can submit Form 15G/ 15H (as applicable) for non-deduction of tax at source (TDS).

Homi Mistry is a partner with Deloitte India. Mousami Nagarsenkar is a director and Nikita Malkan is deputy manager with Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP.