This EPFO error is silently hurting job prospects and hiring chances for several subscribers. Here’s how

Several Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) subscribers have reported discrepancies in their service history on the EPFO member portal, with some seeing overlapping employment records, missing companies or incorrect joining dates after the organisation’s recent IT system migration.

In one case reviewed by Livemint, a subscriber’s service history showed two different companies with the same date of joining, raising concerns about the accuracy of employment records.

The issue appears to have affected several members who are currently switching jobs, with some claiming the errors have delayed or complicated background verification by prospective employers.

According to affected subscribers, the problem surfaced after the EPFO migrated its member database to a centralised platform under the Centralised IT Enabled Services (CITES) project earlier this month.

Affected members fear losing job opportunities

“Before the recent EPFO system migration, my records were accurate and reflected my employment history correctly. After the migration, one of my employers disappeared from the member portal, while my date of joining was incorrectly shown, overlapping with my first employer,” said Hasham Ishaq, 31, a resident of New Delhi.

Ishaq discovered the discrepancy only after clearing interviews for a new job.

“After I was selected, I was asked to submit my latest EPF service history before the offer could be released. When I logged into the EPFO portal, I found the error. I was shocked and hopeless,” he told Livemint.

At least four other EPFO members reported similar issues. One subscriber, who requested anonymity, said he fears losing a job opportunity because the employer is relying solely on the EPFO service history for background verification.

Livemint emailed the EPFO seeking a response. No reply had been received at the time of publication. The story will be updated if the organisation issues a statement.

‘No clear timeline for a fix’

Some members also claimed that they visited EPFO offices to resolve the issue, but have so far received neither assistance nor a timeline for when their records will be corrected in the new system.

“Unfortunately, I did not receive any direct assistance. I was informed that any correction must be initiated by the employer through the Joint Declaration process. Employees are left coordinating between the EPFO and employers to fix records that appear to have been affected after the migration,” said Ajay Kumar, 27, from New Delhi.

He said the issue is particularly stressful because his background verification with a prospective employer is expected to begin soon.

“I am worried the incorrect EPFO record could create unnecessary complications despite having all the supporting documents,” he added.

Ashok Danda, 34, from Hyderabad, said he visited the EPFO’s Banjara Hills regional office, where officials reportedly acknowledged that the discrepancy appeared to be a system error.

According to Danda, officials informed him they could not manually correct the display issue and advised him to wait until it is resolved.

“I also filed an EPFO grievance. The response stated that the backend records are correct and the issue is only with how the service history is being displayed. However, the display error remains unresolved and continues to affect my background verification,” he said.

Can employers reject a candidate over an EPFO portal error?

According to Tushar Kumar, advocate at the Supreme Court of India, errors arising from the EPFO’s system migration, such as overlapping employment dates, duplicate entries or inaccurate service history, should not be held against employees if their underlying employment records are genuine.

“The responsibility for maintaining accurate provident fund records primarily lies with the EPFO, supported by employers’ statutory filings.

“A mechanical rejection of a job application solely because of an unexplained EPFO anomaly, without giving the candidate an opportunity to clarify the discrepancy or produce supporting documents, would be neither prudent nor consistent with the principles of fairness that should guide any recruitment process,” Kumar added.

What should affected EPFO members do?

Shivam Kunal, Senior Associate at B Shanker Advocates LLP, advised affected subscribers to first review their EPFO service history and identify incorrect or overlapping entries.

“If the overlap has occurred due to the EPFO migration, employees should raise a grievance through EPFiGMS and submit all supporting documents. However, if the joining or exit date itself is incorrect, they should approach the concerned employer to initiate the correction,” he said.

Kunal also advised employees to keep documents such as appointment letters, relieving letters, salary slips, Form 11, Form 16, UAN service history, PF contribution records and proof of actual joining and exit dates readily available to avoid delays during background verification and onboarding with a new employer.