Employee Provident Fund (EPF) - Chapter 7 of the book What Every Indian Should Know Before Investing

07 CHAPTER

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

If you have started working as an employee at an organization, chances are that you would have been approached by the Human Resources team regarding the opening or continuation of your Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) account.

So what exactly is an EPF? The EPF is a government-mandated savings scheme that is available to all employees who earn a basic salary up to Rs. 15,000 per month. This facility is optional for employees who earn more than this amount per month. Once you sign up for the EPF through your organisation, 12% of the basic pay and dearness allowance is deducted every month and deposited into your EPF account. The rationale for having an EPF account for the employed is to ensure that people mandatorily save some part of their salary for their post-retirement years.

As you are aware, unlike developed countries, India does not have a government-supported social welfare scheme that takes care of people's basic needs post their retirement. The amount that you save and invest during your employment years will help you manage your expenses during your post-retirement period, and the EPF is a vehicle that helps you achieve that.

Because most people work for around 35 to 40 years of their life, the amount that is accumulated over these years can become a substantial one at the time of retirement.

The interest rates offered by the government on your EPF deposits are much higher than the PPF or fixed deposit rates. In addition, you receive tax benefits like tax deduction on the money invested, flexibility to withdraw money in case of an emergency, and zero tax liability when you withdraw the amount after five years of continuous contribution. It is definitely an option that all employees should consider.

As a certain fixed amount gets automatically deducted every month, the whole process is pretty seamless. Because the EPF is a scheme that many of us will encounter in our working lives, it's important to know how it works.

81

82

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

THE EMPLOYEES' PROVIDENT FUND CONCEPT

The Employees' Provident Fund came into existence on 15th November 1951. It was replaced by the Employees' Provident Funds Act, 1952. The Act is now referred to as the Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and is applicable to organisations across India. In 1995, the government introduced an additional scheme, the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS)—a scheme that enables pension benefits to employees once they reach the age of 58. The EPS is now offered to all employees who are eligible for the EPF scheme.

Hence, when we say EPF, it includes both the EPF and the EPS. The investments made under this scheme on your behalf are distributed in the EPF and EPS in a certain ratio, based on certain conditions, as explained later in the chapter. The EPF is currently mandatory for all organisations that employ 20 or more people. Organisations that employ fewer than 20 people are also covered, subject to conditions and exemptions.

As mentioned earlier, the EPF is available for employees whose basic salary is up to Rs. 15,000. The EPF is optional for employees with higher basic salary. Through the EPF, the employer deducts 12% of the employee's salary (basic + dearness allowance) and contributes a similar amount to the fund.

The employer can choose to contribute 12% of the actual salary (basic + DA) or 12% of only Rs. 15,000 in case the employee’s salary (basic + DA) is more than Rs. 15,000. We'll see how it works and the difference it makes to your EPF corpus.

WHEN BASIC + DA IS LESS THAN RS. 15,000

Consider that your basic + dearness allowance is Rs. 8,000.

In this case, your contribution to EPF will be Rs. 960 (12% of Rs. 8,000), which will be entirely deposited in the EPF account.

Your employer will contribute an equal amount (Rs. 960).

However, the entire amount is not deposited in the EPF—8.33% of the amount (Rs. 8,000 x 8.33% = Rs. 666) will be deposited in the EPS and only the remaining 3.67% (Rs. 8,000 x 3.67% = Rs. 294) will be deposited into your EPF account.

Therefore, in this case, every month, Rs. 1,254 (your Rs. 960 +

82

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

83

your employer’s Rs. 294) will get deposited in your EPF account, while Rs. 666 will get deposited in your EPS account. (Note that irrespective of how much your salary is, the contribution to EPS will always be limited to a maximum of Rs. 1,250, which is 8.33% of Rs. 15,000.)

WHEN BASIC + DA IS MORE THAN RS. 15,000

Now, assume that your basic salary is Rs. 20,000 per month and you have opted for EPF. In this case, your monthly contribution towards EPF will be Rs. 2,400 (12% of Rs. 20,000). Your employer can now choose to contribute an equal amount (Rs. 2,400) or to contribute only 12% of the maximum limit of Rs. 15,000 (which is Rs. 1,800 in this case).

Let’s assume that the employer decides to contribute 12% of your actual salary. In this case, 8.33% of Rs. 20,000 should be deposited in your EPS. But since this amount (Rs. 1,666) exceeds the maximum limit of Rs. 1,250 that can be deposited in an EPS, the remaining part of the amount will get deposited in your EPF. The employer contribution to your EPF will be Rs. 1,150 (Rs. 2,400 – Rs. 1,250). Therefore, every month, your EPF will have a deposit of Rs. 3,550 (your contribution of Rs. 2,400 + employer’s contribution of Rs. 1,150). Your EPS, as mentioned earlier, will see a deposit of Rs. 1,250 per month.

Let’s look at the other scenario where your employer decides to contribute only up to the maximum limit of Rs. 15,000. In this case, your EPF will be deducted at 12% of Rs. 20,000 (Rs. 2,400), while your employer will pay 8.33% of Rs. 15,000 (Rs. 1,250) to your EPS account and 3.67% of Rs. 15,000 (Rs. 550) in your EPF account. Here, every month, your EPF will have a contribution of Rs. 2,950 (your contribution of Rs. 2,400 + your employer's contribution of Rs. 550) and your EPS will grow by Rs. 1,250.

A person joining employment on or after 1st September 2014 and earning a basic salary + DA above Rs. 15,000 will not be eligible for the EPS scheme. In this case, the entire 12% of the employer’s contribution will be deposited in her EPF account.

For some organisations, the EPF is offered with employee and employer deductions of 10% instead of 12%. This is applicable in the following situations:

84

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

a. When a company has less than 20 employees; b. When a company is declared sick by the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction; c. When a company has losses equal to or exceeding its net worth; d. Company is engaged in the manufacture of jute, beedi, brick, coir, and guar gum.

Irrespective of the deductions made, employees will earn interest on the contribution made by them as well as their employer to their EPF account. Employees are also eligible for tax benefits under Section 80C with respect to their contributions to the EPF in a financial year, but the employer’s contribution of 8.33% does not offer any tax benefits. The amount deposited in the EPS does not earn any interest, either. Instead, the government contributes 1.16% of the employer’s contribution to the EPS if the basic salary does not exceed Rs. 15,000 (if it does, this amount will be contributed by the employer or employee). If the contributor does not agree to this, her contribution to the EPS will be stopped and the amount will be deposited in her EPF account.

Contribution By

Accounts EPF

EPS

Employee

12% or 10%

0

Employer

3.67% or 1.67%

8.33%

Government

0

1.16%

Table 1

(The employer also makes a contribution of 0.50% of the salary towards the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance (EDLI) account of the employee plus an additional 0.50% as EPF administrative charge with effect from 1st June 2018.)

Let's consider the example where the basic pay of this employee is Rs. 15,000. In this case, the deductions will look like as follows:

85

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

Particulars

Deposit (EPF)

Pension (EPS) 8.33% of Basic Salary

Employee (12% of Basic Salary)

Employer (3.67% of Basic Salary)

Contribution for Month 1

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 1,250

Contribution for Month 2

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 1,250

Contribution for Month 3

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 1,250

Contribution for Month 4

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 1,250

Table 2

And so on…. On a yearly basis, the interest accumulated on such a deduction will be as follows.

Month (At beginning of a new account)

Basic Salary

Employee’s Contribution

Employer’s Contribution

Balance at the end of the month

Interest (8%/12 x Balance at beginning of each month*)

1

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 2,350

Opening balance is 0 so no interest

2

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 4,700

Rs. 31.30

3

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 7,050

Rs. 47.00

4

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 9400

Rs. 62.70

5

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 11,750

Rs. 78.30

6

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 14,100

Rs. 94.00

7

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 16.450

Rs. 109.7

8

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 18,800

Rs. 125.30

9

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 21,150

Rs. 141.00

10

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 23,500

Rs. 156.70

11

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 25,850

Rs. 172.30

12

Rs. 15,000

Rs. 1,800

Rs. 550

Rs. 28,200

Rs. 188.00

Rs. 28,200

Rs. 1,206

Total at the end of the Financial Year

Table 3

At the end of the financial year, the opening balance for the first month of the next financial year will be the balance at the end of the year, which includes total contribution + interest. In this example, it will be Rs. 28,200 + Rs. 1,206 = Rs.29,406. Let's assume

86

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

that the basic salary of this employee increased to Rs. 16,000 per month.

Month (At beginning of a new account)

Basic Salary

Employee’s Contribution

Employer’s Contribution

Balance at the end of the month

Interest (8%/12 x Balance at beginning of each month*)

1

Rs. 16,000

Rs. 1,920

Rs. 550

Rs. 31,952

Rs. 208

2

Rs. 16,000

Rs. 1,920

Rs. 550

Rs. 34,422

Rs. 226

And so on, for the remaining period of employment.

Table 4

As you can see, the interest is calculated on the opening balance of each month. Since the government announces the interest rate for the financial year only at the end of the year, the interest is calculated and added at the end of the financial year. This amount is then carried over as the opening balance for the next financial year. The employee doesn’t have to worry about losing any interest as it will be credited on a monthly basis once the deposit is done.

While the amount that is accumulated is meant for your retirement years, you can also claim these amounts before that, under certain conditions. When you withdraw the EPF, the EPS also gets withdrawn along with it. The following table shows you the amount you’ll get from your EPS account.

EPS withdrawal on exiting job Year of service

Proportions of wages

1

1.02

2

1.99

3

2.98

4

3.99

5

5.02

6

6.07

7

7.13

8

8.22

9

9.33

Table 5

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

87

For example, if you had completed 7 years and 6 months before quitting your job and your basic salary was Rs. 50,000 at the time of quitting, the amount you’ll receive will be Rs. 50,000 × 8.22 = Rs. 4,11,000 (Here, 7.6 years will be considered as 8 years as service for six months or more is counted as a year).

If you quit your job before 10 years, you can either withdraw your EPS amount or choose to get an EPS scheme certificate that you can forward to your next employer for continuation of your EPS scheme.

Once you complete ten continuous years of service without withdrawing your EPS, the withdrawal option will no longer be available to you. You can now only receive a pension from the age of 58.

Although you receive pension only after the age of 58 years, you can choose to receive a reduced pension amount if you leave active employment between 50-57 years of age, but after having completed 10 years of service. A pension is also payable in case of the untimely demise or permanent disability of the employee.

The minimum pension payable is Rs. 1,000 per month. In case of the demise of the employee, the pension is paid to the spouse or children below 25 years of age or to a nominee in case the employee is unmarried. The amount of pension paid depends on the service period (maximum 35 years considered) and the average salary (maximum Rs. 15,000 considered). The maximum amount of pension a person can get thus is capped at Rs.7,500 per month irrespective of the employee’s salary or the amount in her EPS account. This is based on the formula: (Pensionable salary × Service Period) / 70 As you can see, if you use the maximum values in the formula, the monthly pension will be limited to Rs. 7,500.

In addition to the pension, every employee who has an EPF account is eligible for a maximum life insurance cover of Rs. 6 lakh depending on her basic salary.

Contribution by women employees and new employees In Budget 2018, the government reduced the contribution of

88

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

new women employees to EPF from the existing 12% (or 10% depending on the company) to 8%. The objective was to increase the takeaway salary of women employees. The employer contribution remained at 12%/10%. While this could be helpful by increasing the take home salary in the shorter period, it will also lead to lower EPF savings for women over a longer time.

In the same Budget, it was announced that for all new employees joining the workforce from 1st April 2019 with a salary up to Rs. 15,000, the government will pay the employer’s contribution of 12% for their first three years of employment across all sectors.

The objective of the government was to incentivise employers to register their employees with the EPFO.

FACTS ABOUT EPF EVERY EMPLOYEE SHOULD KNOW

1. The amount deducted from your salary for EPF qualifies for tax deduction under Section 80C. You get tax benefits only for your contribution to the EPF and not the employer's contribution.

2. In case of medical emergencies, house construction, loan repayment, or any other emergencies, you can withdraw money from your EPF while you are working.

3. Except for medical emergencies, for all cases of EPF withdrawal, your account should have been active for at least 5 years.

4. If your account has been active for a minimum of 7 years, you can withdraw up to 50% of your EPF balance for your child's higher education or marriage.

5. If you have completed 54 years of age or you are within one year of retirement, you can withdraw up to 90% of your EPF balance in the account while you are working.

6. You can withdraw the entire amount with interest in your EPF account if your organisation has shut down for more than 15 days and you have been rendered unemployed without compensation.

• The full amount can also be withdrawn if you have not received your salary for more than two months in a row.

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

89

• Women employees who have resigned their jobs to get married can withdraw 100% of the amount without the mandatory waiting period of two months.

7. If you withdraw your money after 5 years of active contribution to the EPF account, the money you receive will be tax free.

However, if you withdraw the money before 5 years, the amount you receive will be subject to taxes.

Note: The five years of service can be in more than one company.

For example, you could leave a company after 2 years of contributing to your EPF and then continue your EPF contribution for another 3 years in another company. The total period of your contribution will be considered as 5 years. However, if you leave a company after 2 years and do not withdraw your EPF account for 3 years, it will still be counted as 2 years of contribution.

In case of withdrawal done prior to five years, if the amount withdrawn is less than Rs. 50,000, no TDS is applicable, but if the amount is more than Rs. 50,000, a TDS of 10% is levied. The TDS jumps to 34.6% if you have not submitted your PAN to your employer. However, withdrawals before the 5-year period may be exempted from tax if the employment was terminated due to the employee’s ill health, due to discontinuation of the employer’s business or reasons beyond the control of the employee. You can also avoid the TDS if you submit form 15G if your income is less than the taxable limit for the financial year.

If you withdraw your EPF account within 5 years, not only will it be taxable, in addition to the tax, all tax benefits you earned during the previous financial years will be revoked and you’ll have to pay tax on those amounts too.

8. If you switch jobs and your new employer doesn't offer EPF, check with your employer if you could have a voluntary EPF where only you contribute, while the employer doesn't. This will help you continue your EPF account and not close it before 5 years, hence avoiding tax on the same.

9. The interest rate offered on the EPF is computed on the opening balance of each month and can vary every year based

90

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

on the government's decision. For example, one year you may get 9%, the next year the government may reduce it to 8% or increase it to 9.5%.

10. Although the government requires you to contribute 12% of your salary, you can check with your company if they allow a higher contribution. For example, if you wish, you could invest 15% of your basic salary. However, the employer doesn't have to contribute more than 12%. You could look at this option if your employer allows it.

11. You cannot make any lump sum payments into the EPF unlike other schemes. It will always be 12% of your salary every month or a fixed higher percentage of your salary.

12. Only companies that have 20 or more employees need to mandatorily have an EPF scheme going. Companies with fewer than 20 employees can optionally join on their own at 10% contribution. If you're joining a new company and are interested in continuing with your EPF, you could check whether the new company offers the option.

13. Nobody other than you can claim the amount in your account.

No matter how long the amount remains unclaimed, you can always get it back. There is no time frame within which you have to claim the money. Do remember, however, that your account will stop accruing and earning interest if it has been dormant (no contributions) for more than 36 months.

14. The contribution towards your EPS makes you eligible for pension on retirement (age 58), if it is not withdrawn for more than 10 years. You can claim this by filling Form 10-C. If you withdraw your EPF amount before completion of 10 years (using Form 19), you’ll receive a part of the EPS amount depending on your number of years of service.

Without doubt, the EPF is a sound and secure way of saving a decent amount for your retirement. Because it gets directly deducted from your salary, you don't have to make a separate allocation towards it. The only difficulty with the EPF has been the need to open a new EPF account when you switch jobs

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

or to get it transferred. However, with the introduction of the Universal Account Number (UAN), many of the procedures, including transfer of the EPF account, have been simplified.

The rate of interest for the EPF is mentioned on an annual basis at the end of the financial year. The following table shows how the interest rate for EPF has changed over the past ten years.

Sr. No

Financial Year

EPF Interest

1

2010–11

9.50%

2

2011–12

8.25%

3

2012–13

8.50%

4

2013–14

8.75%

5

2014–15

8.75%

6

2015–16

8.80%

7

2016–17

8.65%

8

2017–18

8.55%

9

2018–19

8.65%

10

2019–20

8.50%

11

2020–21

8.50%

Table 6

WHAT IS UAN AND HOW DOES IT WORK

A UAN is a 12-digit number that uniquely identifies your EPF account. If you have an EPF account, your employer will share the UAN number that has been assigned to your account. You can also find your UAN number by visiting http://uanmembers. epfoservices.in and entering the required details. Once you have been assigned a UAN, you can communicate directly with the EPFO giving your UAN as reference. You will start getting SMS updates about EPF deposits being made by your employer.

In addition, the next time you switch jobs, you simply have to provide your UAN number to your new employer. Because your KYC details are already submitted, the entire process will be completed quickly and your money will be transferred without the need for you to contact your previous employer.

There is also provision for checking your EPF balance directly on the website and even downloading a PDF of the transactions

91

92

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

done. If your UAN is KYC verified, you can even withdraw your EPF money online. A UAN is the umbrella number that remains the same throughout your working career even as you get new Member IDs from each new employer.

VOLUNTARY PROVIDENT FUND (VPF)

In addition to the mandatory 12% contribution to the EPF, employees can also opt to contribute to a Voluntary Provident Fund (VPF). You may want to do this if you want to take advantage of the EPF’s 100% safe, guaranteed, tax-free return.

As the name indicates, the VPF is a voluntary fund that is solely based on your contribution—the employer does not have to make any contribution. With the VPF, the employee enjoys all the benefits that the EPF offers, including tax deduction under Section 80C, tax-free interest at the same rate of the EPF, and tax-free withdrawal on maturity. With a VPF, the employee can contribute a maximum of 100% of her basic salary plus DA. You can invest in the VPF only if you have an EPF account. On your request, your company will add a VPF account to your existing EPF account. In case you change jobs, you can transfer your EPF account along with your VPF account.

Withdrawal from the VPF is similar to that from the EPF. You can make partial as well as complete withdrawals for: a) Constructing a new house or buying a residential plot b) Repayment of a house loan c) Meeting medical expenses for self or family c) Higher education or marriage of a child, etc.

HOW TO WITHDRAW EPF/VPF

You can withdraw your EPF/VPF money by submitting a request to your company’s HR and filling the requisite form or you can do it yourself using the UAN website (https://unifiedportal-mem. epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/).

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

93

To withdraw your money online, you will need to have an active UAN account with updated KYC and bank details. Once you have logged in to the website, you can use the relevant claim form for full/partial withdrawal, loan/advances or withdrawal of pension, depending on your eligibility and need. You may be required to submit supporting documents to verify your claim. The withdrawal request will be sent to your employer for approval. On confirmation by your employer, the amount you are eligible for will be transferred to your bank account within a period of 10–15 days.

COMPARISON OF PPF, EPF, AND VPF Features

Public Provident Fund

Employee's Provident Fund

Voluntary Provident Fund

Eligibility

All Indian residents, including minors

Only employed Indian residents

Only employed Indian residents

Period of investment

Minimum 15 years with option to extend it in tranches of 5 years at a time

Up to retirement or job change.

Up to retirement or job change

Contribution

Minimum Rs. 500 up to Rs. 1.5 lakh annually

12% of basic salary

Voluntary (up to 100% of basic + DA)

Other contributions

N.A

12% of basic salary by employer and 1.16%

by Government

N.A

Taxation

Tax free on maturity.

Partial withdrawals are also tax free

Tax free after 5 continuous years of investment

Tax free after 5 continuous years of investment

Tax deduction during investment

As per Section 80C

As per Section 80C

As per Section 80C

Table 7

POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING 1. The EPF scheme is mandatory for employees of almost all types of firms that employ more than 20 people. The one question you should ask yourself is if you should consider investing more than 12% that is required using the VPF route. Remember that this money can get locked in for a certain period of time and may not be available to you at a short notice.

94

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

ADVANTAGES 1. The amount contributed by you under EPF/VPF is eligible for tax deductions under Section 80C up to a limit of Rs. 1.5 lakh.

2. You do not have to open an EPF account; your employer does it for you.

3. On closing your account, your money will be deposited into your bank account directly—it usually takes around 10–15 days.

4. At the time of joining a new company, with the UAN, you can get the accumulated amount in your EPF account transferred from your previous employer to your new employer. This can be done simply by filling up a Request for Transfer form by providing the necessary details. You can even do it online though the Umang mobile app. You can check the status of the transfer using the same site.

5. No one but you can claim the money in your EPF account, except in the case of your demise, where the amount is handed over to your nominee/s.

6. If you hold an EPF account with 5 continuous years of service or more, the amount you get on closing your account is completely tax free.

DISADVANTAGES 1. You cannot withdraw the amount in your EPF while you're working, except in case of specified emergencies, subject to specified terms.

2. If you close your EPF account and withdraw your money before 5 years, you will have to pay tax on the amount received. You also lose the tax deductions you got in the earlier years for your contributions.

3. It is not a liquid investment. You can only make withdrawals

EMPLOYEES’ PROVIDENT FUND (EPF)

95

under certain conditions during your period of employment. On closing your EPF account, you do not get the amount due to you immediately; it takes around 10 days.

INVESTMENT METER Safety: Liquidity: Returns:

***** ** ****

(5 stars indicate Excellent and 1 star indicates Poor)

TAX IMPACT If you wish to avail of tax deductions, your contribution of up to Rs. 1.5 lakh is eligible for tax benefits under Section 80C. If your EPF account has been active with regular deposits for 5 years or more, you won’t have to pay any tax while withdrawing the amount in your account; the entire amount you receive will be tax free. However, if you withdraw your EPF amount before the end of 5 years, the amount you receive will be subject to taxes as follows: a) The amount paid by your employer plus the interest earned on it will be considered as your salary and taxed accordingly under the head "salaries". b) The interest you earned on your contributions will be taxed under "income from other sources". c) You will have to pay tax on any amount for which you had claimed tax benefit under Section 80C during the previous financial years.

If the amount you withdraw before the end of 5 years is more than Rs. 50,000, then TDS at 10% will be deducted on the amount.

The TDS will be 34.60% if you have not submitted your PAN details. No TDS will be deducted if you submit form 15G (citizens with income less than the taxable limit)/15H (senior citizens with income less than taxable limit).

96

WHAT EVERY INDIAN SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING

If you do not wish to avail of tax deductions as per the new tax regime, your contributions to the EPF will be included in your income tax calculation. The interest earned and the maturity amount will remain tax free, as earlier.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR MANAGING YOUR EPF ACCOUNT 1. The EPFO website at https://www.epfindia.gov.in/ can be your go-to resource for most things connected with your EPF account.

Check the For Employees section within Services to access various services available for your account.

Scan for quick access.

2. You can withdraw your EPF account online using the UAN Member e-Sewa portal at https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov. in/.

Scan for quick access.

3. If you want control through your mobile, you can download the Umang app using this link https://web.umang.gov.in/. Apart from providing various services related to your EPF account, the app allows access to various other government schemes and services.

Scan for quick access.