When someone requires a safe fund for one’s retirement plans, an EPF can act as the right solution. The EPF is a body which is non-constitutional and which provides various other benefits including tax exemptions. A person can use EPF form 13 to transfer his or her EPF account from one employer to another.

Let’s look at what EPF form 13 is and various factors related to it, to get a better understanding.

EPF Form 13 or provident fund transfer form enables an employee to transfer his or her old provident fund balance details to a new account.

One must have access to the following documents before going through the process of PF transfer:

• Valid identity proof such as Aadhaar, Voter, PAN or Driving Licence
• UAN
• Account number
• Salary account details
• PF account details of both old and current accounts
• Current employers details
• Establishment number
• Revised form 13

Now let’s look at the details that one’s employer needs to provide:

• Account number and EPF code assigned to the new employee.
• If an employer has provided him or her with a separate number, they should provide the EPF account number.
• They should mention the address of the concerned regional or sub-regional office in case an employer has allocated a separate EPF Account number.
• Name and address of the enterprise.
• If an enterprise is exempted, they should mention the PF trust that got an exemption, or the name of a private PF that the Act cannot cover.
• If an enterprise is un-exempted, they should mention the address of the concerned regional or sub-regional office.
• Details of the payee.
• Authorised official signature along with the company seal of the new employer.
• Date of the form fill-up and submission.

Now, let’s look at what an employee has to provide.

Here follows the details an employee who wants an account transfer has to provide:

• Employee’s name as in EPF database
• Father’s name and husband’s name
• Previous EPF account number
• Previous employer’s name and address
• Details of the entity that handles the previous EPF account; for example, it can be a PF trust or a regional PF commissioner
• Date of leaving the previous employment
• Date of joining the new employment
• EPF account number; if the previous employer has provided one
• EPF account holder's signature and left-hand thumb impression
• Form fill-up and submission dates

• One can click the link to visit the portal and download EPF form 13
• An employer and an employee have to fill out this form for an EPF transfer

Now let’s look at the online method of application for an EPF account transfer:

Step 1: Go to the official portal link.

Step 2: Use your UAN and password to login into your EPF account.

Step 3: Go to the "Online Services" section and click on "One Member – One EPF Account (Transfer Request)".

Step 4: Check if all details of the PF account and personal information match.

Step 5: Select “Get Details” to view old employment’s PF account details.

Step 6: Choose one of the employers who can attest the claim and provide the required UAN or member ID.

Step 7: Click on “Get OTP” and with the OTP on your registered mobile number authenticate your identity.

Step 8: After that one will get a filled-in PF transfer form that he or she has to attest.

Step 9: Make a PDF out of that attested file and submit it to your previous employer.

Step 10: Then the employee has to wait for their previous employers to approve the transfer request.

After its approval, the PF transfer is complete. The system will generate a tracking ID, with which an employee can track their application online.

Although online process is much more convenient, one must know an offline route for the application for a complete understanding of the process. Here follows the offline process:

Step 1: An employer submits form 13 to the current employer

Step 2: Current employer will submit the form at the EPF office

Step 3: The EPF office sends the form to the previous employer

Step 4: The previous employer verifies and attests to the application

Step 5: The EPF office does the balance transfer

Here is a list of things that an employee must consider before applying with form 13:

• On the portal an employee’s UAN is active
• An employee’s registered mobile number is up and running
• KYC of an employee is verified against UAN
• An employee has linked his or her bank account to UAN
• Checking if an employee has saved PF numbers of previous and current employment in the EPFO database
• Checking if both of the employers have registered authorised digital signatures

Let’s follow the step-by-step guide to understand how to check PF transfer status online with the Member Claim Status link:

• Step 1: Click on the portal link.

• Step 2: It will lead one to the EPFO member portal or an employee's page.

• Step 3: Go to “Service Section” and select “Know Your Claim Status”.

• Step 4: Put on the required details of UAN and captcha to log in.

• Step 5: Select the appropriate member ID.

• Step 6: Click on “View Your Claim Status”.

Additionally, one can also check PF transfer directly from the website or EPF Portal login.

Let’s follow a step-by-step guide for checking status via its official website:

Step 1: Go to the portal link.

Step 2: Select "Know Your Claim Status" under the Services section. A new tab will open.

Step 3: Click on the button “Click here to get redirected to passbook application”.

Step 4: On the next page, enter your 7 digit UAN or Universal Account Number and password, type in the captcha code and click on “Sign In”.

Step 5: Select your member ID and click on “View Claim Status”.

On the next page, you will get complete information regarding the status of your claim.

Now let's take a look at how to check PF transfer status using the EPFO portal: 

Step 1: Visit this portal link.

Step 2: To log in, enter UAN, password and captcha details.

Step 3: After you have successfully logged in, find out “Online Services”  and click on “Track Claim Status”.

Step 4: A new tab will open up and there will be a “Transfer Claim Status” option.

Step 5: After clicking on “Transfer Claim Status” your status will appear in a new tab.

By transferring PF online one can have multiple options available for them. Let’s look at the benefits of PF transfer one by one:

• If an employee maintains an account for 5 years one can become eligible for tax-free withdrawal. An account transfer helps one to achieve that easily.
• When an employee continues his or her PF account for a minimum of 10 years, there is a pension facility after he or she is 58 years of age. PF transfers make that possible when someone has to change employers before 10 years.
• PF transfer also helps to continue earning with increasing interest rates on the savings.

Generally, this procedure takes 30 to 45 days to complete.  For withdrawal requests to be completely processed, the request needs to be duly filled, submitted and approved by an employer. Then it takes around 30 to 45 days’ time for the amount to be successfully transferred to your bank account.

This article discusses concisely what EPF form 13 is and other aspects related to a PF account transfer. It will help one to understand the process and guide through it for an obstruction-free journey.