EPFO: Check withdrawal rules for members, conditions for partial withdrawal, how to make PF claims — Stepwise guide

Provident fund withdrawal is among the top queries among EPFO investors and members are allowed to access their savings in full or part under specific conditions. Notably, while partial advance is permitted during active service, the final settlement is only given after leaving employment.

Here’s a look at the PF withdrawal process — from conditions for partial withdrawal, minimum balance required, limits, types of claims, which forms to submit, and more.

What are the types of withdrawals allowed?

There are three types of withdrawal claims allowed which each require a specific claim form to be filled and submitted. You will thus need to state the reason why you want to make a withdrawal. Types of withdrawals allowed are as specified below:

Partial provident fund advance

The partial provident fund advance allows members to claim non-refundable advances while actively employed. To make this claim, you will have to fill and submit Form 31. Reasons include medical emergencies, daughter’s or self-marriage, home loan repayments, or severe natural calamities. See table for detailed breakdown:

Final provident fund settlement

The final provident fund settlement requires submission of Form 19. Under this, you can claim withdrawal of your full PF balance (inclusive of employee share, employer share, and interest earned). However, subscribers only become eligible for 100% funds withdrawal once they have retired or resigned and remained continuously unemployed for at least two months i.e. 60 days.

Pension withdrawal benefit

All EPF members are also automatically enrolled in the retirement fund body’s pension scheme, the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS). This is because of the 12% employer contribution to your EPF account, 8.33% is directed towards this fund.

At time of retirement, you can choose to either withdraw the pension amount in full or maintain annuity in EPS by availing a Scheme Certificate. Submitting Form 10C allows you to withdraw accumulated pension as a lumpsum, if your total continuous service is less than 10 years. Beyond 10 years, you must secure a Scheme Certificate and await monthly pension payouts at age 58.

What is the eligible balance requirement?

EPF subscribers can withdraw up to 100% of the “eligible balance” from their EPF account after maintaining the required minimum balance (at least 25%). Thus, in effect, you can withdraw between 50-75% of your corpus before maturity for the above-mentioned reasons under ‘partial provident fund advance’.

Once successfully submitted, claims are generally approved and settled (credited to bank account) within seven to 15 working days. You will receive an SMS alert at every stage of the process — submitted, approved, and disbursed.