Tracking Employee Provident Fund (EPF) Balance and Claim Status Online

Let us take a brief journey to find out what Employee provident fund is all about. EPF is, arguably the most popular savings scheme in India available to the salaried class. Employee Provident fund was created with the purpose of securing a person financially during his/her old age. Contribution to this fund is almost compulsory once you opt for it at the beginning of your career. This contribution by individuals is topped up by company contributions and pooled together. The fund thus pooled is invested by a trust.  

 

The EPFO has made it possible for members to check their status online. In order to do this they have to register on the member portal. The member portal is for the employees where they can check their PF status. To be able to do this one has to be a member of the EPFO. The following URL link will take you to the web page where you can check your balance online.

http://epfoservices.in/epfo/member_balance/member_balance_office_select.php

When you log into this site after entering the EPF office state and code, you have to enter the EPF account number and the name as it appears on your EPF slip. You also have to enter your mobile number. Once you submit this, an SMS is sent to your mobile confirming your registration. Once the registration is done, you can check for the balance in your EPF account through the above link.

 

In the event that you have already applied for withdrawal of EPF you can check the status of such application made through the following link:

http://59.177.81.198/homepage_claim_status_new.php

Again, the procedure is the same. You have to select the state and enter the account number and check for the status of your application.

 

An online passbook, also known as the e-passbook, is available to the employees. This facility is available for active members only. This is available to employees for checking their status online. All the transactions made by the account holder are displayed in the E-passbook by month and date of transactions. To generate the E-passbook you have to Login through the following link:

 

Enter the site and select the PF office state. Then mention the company PF code and then enter the account number and fill in the employee name. Click on GetPin - a Pin number is sent to your mobile via SMS. Once you receive the PIN wait for three days by which time the E-Passbook is available for viewing.

 

Hassle-free procedures make EPF worth investing in. retirement can be troublesome if ridden with financial insecurities. We can make it smooth by contributing regularly as required by rules by investing in EPF. Withdrawal from EPF account can also be done within certain guiding rules.

Note: Withdrawal of EPF amount can be done as per the following rules:

If you want to withdraw before you retire, 90% of the total amount is available for the same after the age of 54 or one year prior to retirement. To claim this, form 19 has to be submitted to the EPFO.

 

In the case of a job change, the PF balance in your account should be transferred from one employer to the other. Your new employer will start making the required contributions to your account.

In the event of your quitting the job, PF is allowed to be withdrawn, provided you do not work for the next six months.

Post retirement you are allowed to withdraw the full amount accumulated in your account - this can be done after the age of 55 years.

Some extraordinary situations like retrenchment, settling abroad, disability that forces you to retire, etc. also allow you to withdraw your PF amount.