Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) is a government-backed retirement scheme where every public and private sector employee contributes a percentage of their salary on a monthly basis. Even the employer makes an equal contribution to the individual employees’ EPF accounts.
These funds can be withdrawn by the employee at the time of retirement, when the employee is unfit to continue working, or when he/she has left a job. Form 19 must be duly filled and submitted when you are looking to withdraw the EPF account balance in specified cases.
Union Budget 2021 Outcome
In case the employee’s PF contribution was deducted but not deposited by the employer, it will not be allowed as a deduction for the employer.
Form 19 must be used when you wish to withdraw EPF funds in the form of the final settlement. In addition, the form can also be used to withdraw pension benefits and to get a PF non-refundable advance. The first two options can be put to use at the time of leaving employment for the sake of retirement or even otherwise. However, the last option can only be used during service when a certain set of conditions are fulfilled.
It must be filed at least two months after the job is left.
EPF Form 19 consists of two pages where the first page includes various fields to collect your personal and contact information, and the preferred mode of payment. The fields include:
The second page is the advance stamped receipt which is to be filled only if you choose cheque as the mode of payment along with a revenue stamp of Rs.1. Here is an image to show how page 1 of the form looks.
Page 2 of the form looks like the image below:
You can download EPF Form 19 here - https://www.epfindia.gov.in/site_docs/PDFs/Downloads_PDFs/Form19.pdf
Step 1: Visit the EPF Member portal at https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/.
Step 2: Enter the UAN, password, and captcha to sign in to the portal.
Step 3: Under the ‘Online Services’ section, select ‘Claim Form – 31, 19, 10C & 10D’.
Step 4: On Form 31, 19, 10C & 10D page, you will see an auto-filled form with your name, father/husband name, date of birth, contact number, KYC details, and service details as shown in the image below.
Step 5: Verify your bank account details and enter the last four digits of your bank account number in the text box. Click on the ‘Verify’ button for the software to verify if you are the authorised owner of the account.
Step 6: Upon successful verification, enter the details such as Date of Ending (DOE) EPF and EPS accounts. Also, specify the reason for leaving.
Step 7: Select ‘Yes’ for signing the ‘Certificate of Undertaking’.
Step 8: For the field with the label ‘I want to apply for’, choose the ‘Only PF Withdrawal (Form 19)’ from the drop-down menu.
Step 9: Enter the full postal address, select the disclaimer, and click on ‘Get Aadhaar OTP’.
Step 10: An OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number. Enter the OTP at the relevant field.
Step 11: Submit the application.
Step 12: A reference number will be displayed upon successful submission.
Step 13: The PF amount withdrawn will be deposited to your bank account that is linked with the UAN.
Before you apply for withdrawal with Form 19, you must be ready with the following pre-requisites:
The composite claim form is a combination of Form 19, Form 31, Form 10C, and Form 10D. You have to fill Form 19 for final settlement, Form 31 for partial EPF withdrawal, Form 10C for pension withdrawal, and Form 10D for withdrawal of monthly pension.
The EPF balance will be credited to your bank account within 20 days from the date of submission of Form 19.
You can report the matter to the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner who handles grievances. Alternatively, you can file a complaint on the EPF website using the ‘EPFiGMS’ feature under ‘For Employees’ tab.
No, if your UAN is active and KYC procedure is done, your employer’s attestation/consent is not required to withdraw EPF funds.
Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) is a retirement scheme where both employees and employers contribute monthly. Form 19 is used to withdraw EPF funds post-employment. The form requires personal details and provides payment options. It can also be filled online on the EPF Member portal. Pre-requisites include UAN activation, linking bank account/PAN, eligibility check, mobile number verification, and waiting two months post-employment. Queries about EPF balance crediting time, reporting delays, and employer consent for withdrawal are answered in FAQs.