EPFO stands for Employee Provident Fund Office and it offers the Provident Fund Services to all the private sector employee in India. This is ruled by the Ministry of Labor and Employment and it falls under the Government of India. There are various services offered by the EPFO but the main purpose of these services is to provide a retirement solution to the people in India.
This helps the people in planning out their retirement in a better way. Also, the interest rates offered by the EPFO are much higher than what is offered by the fixed deposit schemes and bonds. In addition to this, all the savings in EPF Account are risk-free as the EPF promises a fixed amount of return even though it invests a portion of money in ETFs.
In this article, you will find all the relevant details about EPFO and the services offered by EPFO India.
EPFO Member Portal
EPF Member Portal is accessible with help of the link https://epfindia.gov.in/site_en/index.php and the link has detailed information about the services offered by the EPFO India. You can also find the details of the process to check balance, interest rates and other such details with help of the portal.
Over the time, the portal has been refined and more services are added n to the portal. You will notice that the portal has been offering services like automatic transfer of PF and automatic withdrawal of PF which are certainly a great thing. You can also check the balance in your EPF Account with help of EPFO Member Portal. All these services fall under one single roof for the employer as well as the employee.
How to Activate UAN and Login to EPFO Member Portal?
It is important to activate the UAN and login to EPFO account to avail any service. The process is simple and below are the steps for the same.
- Visit the member portal of EPF India. The link to the portal is https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/
- On this page, click on Activate your UAN. This will take you to a new page which can be used to activate the UAN.
- Enter the details like the PAN Number, Aadhaar Number or PF Number along with the other details that are requested on the page.
- After entering the details, generate an OTP and validate the OTP. After validation of OTP, you will receive UAN Number and Password on your mobile.
- Now go back to the Member Portal of EPF India and enter your UAN as well as Password to login to your account.
After logging in, you will be redirected to the dashboard which can be used to avail the services that you wish for.
What are Pre-Requisites of Checking Balance on EPFO Portal?
There is not much that is required to check the balance in your EPF Account using the EPFO Portal. You just need the UAN Number and the password to your account. It should be noted that the UAN Number must be active.
If the UAN Number is not active then you can use the EPFO Portal to activate the UAN Number. Also, you can use the portal to reset the password if your UAN is active but you are not able to login to your account.
How to Check Balance on EPFO Portal?
If your mobile number is linked to the EPF Portal then you can go ahead and check the balance in your account with help of the SMS or Missed Call service. The process is quite simple and below are the details of the same.
Checking Balance via Missed Call – You can give a missed call on 011 2290 1406 and once you give the missed call, you will receive a message on your mobile with the details of the balance in your EPF Account.
Checking Balance via SMS – Just like banks, EPF also allows you to check the balance in the account using SMS Facility. To check the balance in your account you can SMS “EPFOHO UAN”. The message should be sent on 77382 99899.
Other way to Check Balance – Apart from this, you can use EPFO Portal to generate your Passbook and check the balance in your Passbook in real time. This can also help you in checking the monthly transactions easily.
Services Offered by EPFO Member Portal
There are many different services offered by EPFO Member Portal and it is a blessing for the employee in the true sense. In the sections below, we have discussed some of the services offered by the EPFO Member Portal along with the steps to avail those services.
Transfer of EPF
The first type of service that has changed the way people deal with EPFO is the Transfer of EPF. Earlier, when people used to switch jobs, it was quite difficult for them to transfer their PF from one organization to another. This has changed and there is no documentation required now. To transfer the EPF, follow the steps listed below
- You can again visit the EPF Member Portal to start the process of transferring the EPF to the new employer.
- Login to your account and click on Online Services from the Top Menu Bar. From the options displayed, select One Member- one EPF Account (Transfer Request)
- The details of your account will be displayed. Scroll down and click on the request transfer button.
- You can now verify the details and once that is done, you can choose to redirect the request to the old employer or the new employer.
- Now, request an OTP and authenticate the OTP to complete the process. The PF will be transferred to your account once the confirmation is received from the new employer.
It is important for you to link the Aadhaar card and bank account to the UAN number to request the transfer of EPF. Without this, you won’t be able to transfer the EPF to the new account.
Online EPF Withdrawal
Apart from the transfer of EPF, you can also withdraw the EPF using the EPF Portal. This process is also very easy but it should be noted that you must be eligible for EPF withdrawal before youproceed to withdraw the EPF.Also, your UAN should be linked to Bank Account and Aadhaar card for processing the request.
- Visit and login to the Members Portal of EPF and from the top menu option, Click on Online Services.
- Select Claim (Form 31) from the top menu option. You will be asked to verify the last four digits of the bank account.
- Post verification, digitally sign the certificate of undertaking and click on Proceed for Online Claim.
- Now, select the form for PF withdrawal. For advance PF withdrawal, you can select PF Advance (Form 31) and then also select the reason for the withdrawal.
- Upload the documents and submit the request. Post verification, the request will be processed the eligible amount will be transferred to your account.
EPF Passbook
You can also download the EPF Passbook to check the balance and to track the transactions on monthly basis. This can also help you in checking the interest component that you receive for your contribution. The passbooks are generated in real-time so you do not have to worry about waiting 6 months to get the PF receipt from the organization. Follow the process listed below to get the passbook
- Visit the Member Passbook link by navigating to https://passbook.epfindia.gov.in/MemberPassBook/Login.jsp
- Once the page is displayed, login to your account with help of your UAN Number, Password and Captcha code. You will now be redirected to your dashboard.
- Select the PF Account from the left side of the page to check the passbook. Once you select the PF Account, the passbook will be displayed in the PDF Format.
- You can either save the passbook on your computer or you can also go ahead and print the passbook for your reference.
UAN Portal
In the sections above, we have listed some of the services that are offered by the UAN Portal. Apart from that, there are other services that you can avail with help of UAN Portal. These services are
- You can check your service history with help of the UAN Portal
- You can download the UAN card from the portal which can be used as a document for reference.
- You can update your email address and phone number which is linked to UAN.
- With help of EPFO Portal, you can also update the KYC details and link the Aadhaar card as well as Bank Account to UAN. There is no need to visit the EPF Office to get these things done.
- You can also use the EPF Portal to file the file the nomination online or to modify the basic details on your account. This is surely a great help as people had to previously travel to the regional EPF offices to declare the Nomination
- With help of EPF or UAN Portal, you can track the status of the claim and this helps you in understanding where your request presently is.
EPFO Pension Portal
If you would have checked your EPF Passbook then you would have noticed that there is a separate section for the contribution towards the pension. The main aim of EPFO was to create a pool of funds that could be used post requirement to plan out life after retirement in a better way.
This not only helped people in planning the retirement better but it also helped the government by bridging the gap between the government pensioners and the people who work for private firms. EPFO pension portal can be used to check the status of the pension post-retirement and other important details that matter post-retirement.
EPFO for International Workers
Not many people are aware of this fact but the truth is that the EPFO also takes care of Indians who work internationally. They can also enrol under EPF but as per the standard procedure, the employee needs to have the Certificate of Coverage to claim the tax exemptions in the host country.
The process has now been made available online for the people and hence it is easily accessible. More people are coming forward to avail this services. As per one of the source, the international workers can claim exemption in 18 countries. The number is set to increase in the coming future.
Umang App
EPF Services are now available with UMANG App. If you do not know about UMANG app then let us tell you that UMANG app is an application that integrates several different government services. EPF Service is one such service that is also integrated via UMANG App. The app offers 313 services in total and can be used in 17 different states. Apart from that, there are 69 apps integrated into UMANG which can be used by you.
You can also give a missed call on 9718397183 to download and install the Umang App on your mobile phone.
EPFO Help Desk
EPFO has a separately dedicated helpdesk for the people who have subscribed for the EPF services. Below are the contact details for the EPFO Helpdesk
- Toll-Free Number – 1800 118 005
You can reach out to the helpdesk between 9:15 AM and 5:45 PM. Also, you can send an email to the helpdesk and the email address is listed below
- Email ID – employeefeedback@epfindia.gov.in
If none of this works works you then you can choose to get in touch with EPFO Regional / Sub Regional Offices under which the establishment complies. You can access the contact by clicking here
Conclusion
This was all about EPFO and the procedures that are linked to EPFO. For any help, please reach out to EPFO Helpdesk. Also, before we sign off, we would like to inform you that you can increase the EPF Contribution voluntarily and to avail this service, you can get in touch with HR in your organisation.
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