In order to withdraw EPF online, Make sure that your UAN is activated and it is linked with your KYC (Aadhaar, PAN and bank details). One must follow the procedure given below to withdraw your EPF online.

Step 1- Sign in to the UAN Member Portal with your UAN and Password.

Step 2- From the top menu bar, click on the ‘Online Services’ tab and select ‘Claim (Form 31, 19 & 10C)’ from the drop-down menu.

Step 3- Member Details will be displayed on the screen. Enter the last 4 digits of your bank account and click on ‘Verify‘

Step 4- Click on ‘Yes’ to sign the certificate of undertaking and proceed further

Step 5- Now click on the ‘Proceed for Online Claim’ option

Step 6- Select ‘PF Advance (Form 31)’ to withdraw your funds online

Step 7 – A fresh section of the form will open, wherein you have to select the ‘Purpose for which Advance is Required’, the amount required and the employee’s address

It is worth noting that all options for which the employee is not eligible for withdrawal will be mentioned in red.

Step 8 – Tick on the certification and submit your application

Step 9 – You may have to submit scanned documents depending on the purpose for which you have filled the form

Step 10 – Your employer has to approve your withdrawal request after which the money will be withdrawn from your EPF account and deposited in the bank account mentioned at the time of filling the withdrawal form.

An SMS notification will be sent to your mobile number registered with EPFO. Once the claim is processed, the amount will be transferred to your bank account. Although no formal time limit has been provided by the EPFO, the money usually is credited in 15-20 days.

EPF Withdrawal Offline Procedure:-

To withdraw your PF, you can visit the respective EPFO office and submit a duly filled Composite Claim Form. There are two types of Composite Claim Form- Aadhaar and Non-Aadhaar. The Aadhaar Form does not require any attestation from the employer whereas if you are using the Non-Aadhaar Form, you will have to get the same attested by your employer before submitting to the jurisdictional EPFO office.

Earlier, documents like Form 19, Form 31 and Form 10C were required to withdraw the amount. However, now these documents have been replaced by a single EPF withdrawal form- the Composite Claim Form, which serves the purpose of all three forms.

Eligibility Conditions for EPF Withdrawal :-

Following are the conditions that an employee must meet in order to be eligible for withdrawing EPF-

• The total amount from the EPF account can be withdrawn only after retirement. EPFO considers early retirement only after the person has crossed 55 years of age
• Partial withdrawal of EPF is permitted only in the case of a medical emergency, house purchase or construction, or higher education
• EPFO allows withdrawal of 90% of the amount 1 year before retirement
• One can withdraw the EPF corpus if he/she faces unemployment before retirement due to lock-down or retrenchment
• As per the new rule, only 75% of the corpus can be withdrawn after 1 month of unemployment. The remaining will be transferred to the new EPF account after gaining employment
• Employees do not need to wait for approval from their employer for withdrawing their EPF. By linking UAN and Aadhar to your EPF account, they can get approval online
• While making the claim online, you must have-
• An active UAN number
• Bank details linked with UAN
• PAN and Aadhar details seeded into EPF database

The following documents are required while applying for PF withdrawal-

• Composite Claim Form
• Two revenue stamps
• Bank account statement (The bank account should be only in the name of the PF holder while he/she is alive)
• Identity proof
• Address proof
• One blank and cancelled cheque with clearly visible IFSC code and account number
• Personal information such as father’s name, date of birth, etc. should clearly match with the identity proof

If an employee withdraws his PF amount before 5 years of continuous service, he is liable to facilitate ITR Forms 2 and

3 in order to prove a detailed breakup of the entire amount deposited in PF account every year.

EPF Withdrawal Rules: When can you withdraw?

Employees can withdraw their EPF corpus only under the following conditions-

EPF Withdrawal Limit:-

EPF withdrawal limit depends on the purpose for which the withdrawal is claimed.

Benefits of EPF Withdrawal Online:-

Making an online EPF withdrawal claim has a number of benefits as shown below-

Hassle-free Withdrawal- The online process of EPF withdrawal claim saves you from the hassle of visiting the PF office in person and standing in long queues.

Reduced Processing Time- With online claims, the amount will be processed and credited into your bank account within 15-20 days of the application. This processing time will further be reduced as per the government plans.

No need to visit the previous employer for verification- Unlike offline claims, wherein you have to get your documents attested by the employer, online claims are verified automatically. This is especially helpful for people who have moved to a new city as it saves them from the trouble of mailing documents or travelling long distances.

Taxation on EPF Withdrawal:-

The corpus from EPF withdrawal is exempt from taxation; however, only under certain conditions, which are as follows-

Other important points related to EPF withdrawal taxability:-

• The EPF amount is taxable if there is a break in the 5 year time period; in which case, the entire amount will be taxed.
• Employees need to fill Form 15H/15G as a declaration if their total income is not taxable.
• If an employee has claimed exemption on EPF contribution for the previous years on EPF as per Section 80C, they will be liable to pay tax on employee’s contribution, employer’s contribution and interest on each deposit. However, if they did not claim it in the previous year, the employee’s contribution part will be exempted from tax
• The tax that the employee is liable to pay will depend upon his salary in the year of withdrawal.

How to Check EPF Claim Status?

EPF withdrawal can be done through the UAN member portal. The member has to first activate his UAN and then log in to the portal for online withdrawal.

The portal can also be used to transfer funds from his old PF account to a new account. Other online services such as eKYC, contact details update, etc. can also be performed through this portal.

EPF withdrawal status can be checked online at the EPF member portal. You have to log in to the portal online and select the ‘Track Claim Status’ in the ‘Online Services’ section. Note that you will not have to enter any reference number to check the status; it will be displayed on the screen automatically.