Regardless of whether you decide to withdraw or transfer PF, there are excessive impediments or in the case of transfer, it just doesn’t take place.
When you change jobs you either take out your PF or shift it. Extraction is not really pleasing, as you stand to lose compounding profit of the balance which has by now amassed. But, regardless of whether you decide to take out or shift, it is seen on many instances that there are excessive impediments or in the case of transfer, it just doesn’t take place.
Below are some tips to shift or extract your PF-
1) Follow the standing on the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) site
You can check the EPFO site and follow the status of your application by choosing the state in which the PF office is situated, the local PF office where the account is retained, the establishment code and the account number. The extension code space is usually left empty.
2) Make E-Passbook for old and new accounts
The latest proposal of the EPFO facilitating making of E-Passbook will assist in giving you the accurate status of the PF transfer. There may be a setback in you getting your passbook, but this will be informed to you via SMS when it is set for download. Keep in mind that you will not be able to download the passbook for more than one account with the same company.
3) Discover where the transfer is jammed
In a PF transfer, usually the new employer, the sending PF office and the receiving PF office are concerned. In several cases the sending and receiving offices will be the same. In order to allow the transfer, you would have given Form 13 to your new employer. Ask for an acknowledgement of this form submission to the receiving PF office from your new employer. You can use this to track with the receiving PF office. You can also think of meeting the PF officials one-on-one, while this might not always be promising. At times, your PF may have been with the old company’s PF Trust. In this case, you ought to track with your old employer for the same.
4) File your complaints
The EPFO has an online tool for filing complaints called the Grievance Management System. If you are uncertain about the status of your PF transfer, you should file split complaints with both the sending PF office as well as the receiving PF office. You will be given a complaint number, which you must cautiously preserve. Though there has not been a good past performance for this online procedure, it is suggested that this is done as the first step. If you do not get a reply to this, you can send a hand-written letter to the relevant PF office specifying your complaint and reference to the online complaint reference number through speed post. Do keep in mind to notify both the new employer as well as the old employer of this procedure.
5) Make use of the Right to Information (RTI) Act
As the next step, you can use RTI and drop an application to the Public Information Office under the relevant PF office. The request must be escorted by a postal order for Rs. 10 in favour of the particular Accounts office. As there is no fixed layout for the application, you can in brief give details the background of your case plus give references to all your previous grievances. Affix copies of such earlier post, where possible. If there is lack of response under this within 30 days of dropping the application, you can choose for an appeal procedure under the RTI.
