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Introduction
Employee Provident Fund (EPF), commonly known as PF (Provident Fund), is a retirement plan for salaried individuals. It is a government saving schemefor all employees working in an organized sector. EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organization) decides the interest rate of the Employee Provident Fund every year.The employer and the employee contribute equally towards the EPF account. The amount to be deposited is 12% of the employee's basic salary and dearness allowance. The interest accumulated in the EPF account is tax-free and can be withdrawn at any time.
Ways of Checking the EPF Balance?
There are four ways by which the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) balance can be checked. All the members of the EPFO (Employee Provident Fund Organisation) can check the balance in their EPF account with ease, and this checking process is a simple one. These days, the EPF balance can either be checked online or through mobile.There are four ways of checking the EPF balance. These ways are as follows:
- EPFO portal
- Missed call.
- UMANG app
- SMS service
Here is a detailed explanation of how the EPF balance can be checked using the above methods.
EPFO Portal
To access the EPFO portal, an individual should have a UAN (Universal Account Number) , which should be activated. The following steps should be followed to check the EPF balance on the EPFO portal: Step 1: Log in to the Government enabled EPFO portal, https://www.epfindia.gov.in/site_en/index.php . Step 2 : Once this site opens, look for the tab ‘our services’. The member must click on this tab and then click on the tab ‘for employees’ on the drop-down menu. Step 3: After this, the member should click on the ‘member passbook’, which can be viewed under the ‘service’ column. Step 4 : The next page will open. Here the member is supposed to enter the UAN and password. Step 5: The login process is completed only after entering the 'captcha' code and clicking on ‘login’. Step 6: Immediately after logging in, the member has to submit the member ID. Step 7: After submitting the member ID, the EPF balance can be viewed.The EPF balance is like a passbook showing the account balance and all the deposits made. Details include establishment ID, member ID, office name, employee share, and employer share. All the details related to the account can also be viewed on this page. Also Read : How to Open an Employee Provident Fund (EPF) Account
Missed call
The other way to check the EPF balance is by giving a missed call to 011- 22901406. This call has to be given from the registered mobile number. This service is provided to only those EPFO members who have linked their PAN and Aadhaar cards to their UAN (Universal Account Number). Not only this but their bank account number should also be provided and linked with their UAN.The employer should be informed if these documents are not linked to the UAN. The employer can integrate these KYC documents with the employee's UAN. Once the KYC documents are linked to the UAN, then the member can also give a missed call to 9966044425. This call has to be made from the registered mobile number. As soon as a missed call is given to this number, ansms will be sent to the registered mobile number. This SMS will give all the necessary details related to the EPF (Employee Provident Fund).
UMANG App
The UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app has to be downloaded from the Play Store to the mobile. This app checks the balance in the EPF account and can also be used to raise claims (if any) and track them. The members of EPFO will be able to check their EPF balance on their mobile phones. This app should be downloaded on the mobile registered with the UAN. A one-time registration using the registered mobile number has to be done to access this app.To view the EPF transactions through this app, follow these steps:
- Once the app is installed on the registered mobile, the member should click the ‘EPFO option’.
- Then select and click on ‘Employee Centric Services’.
- On the next page, ‘view passbook’ needs to be clicked.
- Then the member has to provide the UAN (Universal Account Number) number.
- A one-time password is sent to the mobile number registered by the member for verification purposes.
- Enter the OTP and click on ‘login’.
- Once the member is logged in, all the transactions related to the EPF account, like deposits, withdrawals, etc., can be viewed.
Also Read: How To Get Your UAN Number and Check PF Balance Easily
SMS Service
To avail sms service, the employee (EPF member) must first activate UAN and link all the necessary documents. After doing this, ansms has to be sent to 7738299899. The sms format should be EPFOHO UAN ENG.Here the last three words are used for the member's preferred language. In the above case, it is English, so ENG. Some regional languages available are Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Gujarati, Tamil and Marathi.
Check EPF Balance Without a Registered Mobile Number?
To Check the EPF balance without a registered mobile number, follow these steps:
- Open the PF passbook portal website.
- Log in to this site with your UAN and password.
- Select the PF account for which the balance needs to be checked.
- Click on ‘view PF passbook old’.
- PF account will show the balance (employee and employer balance).
- In the last column of the PF book, the pension balance can be checked.
- To check yearly PF, click the ‘view passbook (new: yearly)’ option. In the last column of the PF book, the pension balance can be checked.
Also Read : What are Pension Funds in India?
Conclusion
Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a savings platform for many salaried people. The accumulated corpus can be helpful after retirement. EPF acts as a boon for those who have difficulty saving money. After retirement, a person having an EPF account can live with dignity. Such a person does not have to depend financially on others.All EPF account holders must ensure to nominate their loved ones so that the nominee can receive the EPF amount in case of any mishap. However, it is essential to check the EPF balance occasionally. This way, the person having an EPF account will have an idea about how much amount has been accumulated in the EPF account. Such a person must also be aware of the deposits made by the employer.
FAQS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is my EPF account transferable ?
Yes, the EPF account can be transferred to the new company in case of any shift in the job. The EPF account number or the twelve-digit number should be given to the new employer.
What are Private Trusts/Exempted Establishments ?
Large companies like TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Godrej, HDFC, Nestle, and others are called Exempted Establishments. Such large companies have company-managed funds. The people working in these organisations have a Provident Fund account deposited in the company-managed trust and not in EPFO (Employee Provident Fund).
How to check EPF balance in accounts maintained by Private Trusts/Exempted Establishments ?
There is no particular way of checking the balance in these accounts. Since the company privately manages this account, the interest is also more. The amount of contribution towards EPF and other rules in this Private Trust is the same as EPFO.
The ways of checking the EPF funds by employees of these establishments are as follows:
From the company’s employee portal:
Most large companies have their websites. The EPF balance can be checked under the EPF section. This section has information on their employee's EPF accounts after logging in. The employees can also get their Provident Fund statement from here.
Check pay slips or EPF slip:
Most prominent organizations email their employees their salary slips. Some companies also provide a separate EPF slip along with a pay slip. The balance and the monthly contribution can be viewed in this EPF account.
Check with the HR (Human Resources) department of the company:
The HR department deals with the employee's PF accounts. They can provide all the information related to their respective EPF account.
Track the contributions made:
A fixed amount of money is deposited in the EPF account every month. The maximum amount to be submitted to this account is Rs. 1,250. Interest rate is given on the EPF deposits. The employee can check the balance by calculating the amount of contribution made every month.
What if I need urgent money? Can I withdraw my entire EPF amount ?
If a person has been unemployed for over two years, the amount can be withdrawn. After one year of unemployment, seventy-five per cent of the EPF accumulated amount in the EPF account can be withdrawn. A person should remember that the Provident Fund withdrawals are tax exempt after being a member for five years.
Using the PF number, can an employee check the EPF balance online ?
An employee has to use the UAN number to check the EPF balance online. PF account number cannot be used for checking the EPF online.
How can a person check the EPF balance of their previous organization ?
A person can check the EPF balance of their previous organization by logging in to the EPFO portal and using their UAN (Universal Account Number). Here the balance can be checked by clicking on the member ID. All the previous member IDs of this person will be linked to the UAN allotted to him.
Is it possible for an employee to use an Aadhaar card to check the EPF balance ?
No, the EPF balance cannot be checked using the Aadhaar card. The EPF balance can be checked online using the UAN (Universal Account Number). With this number, the EPF balance can be checked. So an employee must remember the UAN number.
The information contained herein is generic in nature and is meant for educational purposes only. Nothing here is to be construed as an investment or financial or taxation advice nor to be considered as an invitation or solicitation or advertisement for any financial product. Readers are advised to exercise discretion and should seek independent professional advice prior to making any investment decision in relation to any financial product. Aditya Birla Capital Group is not liable for any decision arising out of the use of this information.
