A host of online EPF services

Subscribers of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) had reasons to cheer last week when the government announced a 10 basis point hike in EPF interest rate for 2018-19 over the previous fiscal. If you contribute to the EPF, there is yet another reason to smile. A host of services are now available online for EPF members, making procedures much simpler and cutting out delays.

Online viewing and updation

Many of us see our EPF contribution being deducted in our salary month after month. Ever wondered how much you have exactly contributed till date, what is the accumulated interest and the total balance in your EPF account? While in the not-so-distant past, this information was not available instantly, today, you have access to this at the click of the mouse, through the Member e-SEWA portal (https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/).

This portal can be accessed by logging in with your UAN (Universal Account Number) and a password, after you activate your UAN on the same portal. Once you enter the portal, you can pull out your passbook from the ‘View’ tab to view your balance. Your personal details and UAN card can also be viewed in this tab. Having several EPF accounts? You are not alone. But thanks to the e-Sewa portal, you can view all your accounts in one place, as your UAN will act as an umbrella, bringing all your accounts under one roof. The portal also allows members to update changes to mobile numbers and email ids, update KYC information and bank account details (which will be verified by the employer) as well as nominate beneficiaries or change the nominees at any point in time.

Online claims and transfers

Apart from viewing and updation, you can also make claims, withdrawals and transfer old accounts to the new one online, by filling out the relevant forms available in the portal.

Once you have submitted a claim, you can also track the claim status online. The updates to KYC, bank accounts, etc. will come in handy during claims or transfers. About two to three years ago, the EPFO had overhauled the forms to be filled for making claims/withdrawals.

Prior to that, you had to fill up Form 19 for complete withdrawal; Form 10C to retain membership of the Pension Scheme or to claim withdrawals; and Form 31 for partial withdrawals. Rolling all these into one, composite claim form has been introduced now. While these moves certainly make claims and transfers easier, a few grey areas arise. Originally, only members whose Aadhaar details have been authenticated and seeded against the UAN could submit their withdrawal, settlement and transfer claim online. Similarly, the composite claim form originally allowed members approach the EPFO directly by-passing employer attestation, if Aadhaar and bank account details were linked to the UAN.

Considering the recent Supreme Court judgment on making Aadhaar non-mandatory for a host of services, opinion is divided on whether the above-mentioned rules are still applicable.

Thus, it is not clear if new members who have joined after the judgment or those who have not seeded their Aadhaar will be allowed to make claim or transfer requests online and by-pass employer attestation. However, for members who already seeded their Aadhaar with the UAN earlier, these services will be available online.

Other investor-friendly services

EPFO services are now available on the UMANG (Unified Mobile APP for New Governance). The UMANG app can be downloaded by giving a missed call 9718397183 or from the UMANG website or the play/app stores. If you think you may have EPF accounts that you have long forgotten about, the EPFO has an online help desk for inoperative accounts at https://mis.epfindia.gov.in/INOPHelpDesk/.

Further, to settle any grievances that you may have, the EPFO also operates an online grievance management service at http://epfigms.gov.in/. You can register your grievance, upload supporting documents and track status here.