Can an Absconded Employee Transfer Their EPF to a New Employer Without Old Employer's Consent?

Is it possible for a person who has absconded from an Indian company, which only opened the EPF account for him and was crediting his PF amounts, to transfer his EPF to another EPF account opened by another employer? Will EPF authorities seek the previous employer's consent in transferring the EPF amount to another EPF account opened by the new employer?

Please note: I am concerned with employees who abscond. Can an absconded employee transfer the EPF to a new employer EPF account without the old employer's intervention?

Hi,

There are TWO options related to PF for the employee who leaves his present organization:

1) Either he can withdraw the amount after 60 days by applying.

2) OR can transfer the account to his new job.

Based on my knowledge, the PF number gets changed with a new job. However, if one wants to transfer their PF amount, they can simply fill up Form No. 13, and the amount will be transferred to the new PF account.

Unfortunately, PF accounts cannot be carried forward, which is not feasible. For instance, your present job's PF registration may be in Maharashtra, while the new job's registration is in Gujarat.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Regards,
Chaitali
Surat, Gujarat

Why not!

The same is applicable to absconded employees. Exits are of three types: resigned, absconded, and terminated. I don't think PF rules would be different for all. Still, could someone throw light on this?

Regards, Chaitali Surat, Gujarat

Yes, you are correct Chaitali. Do you know how to check the status of this process, i.e., PF amount transfer from one PF account to a new PF account by a new employer? Recently, I switched companies and applied for PF amount transfer to a new PF account by my current employer. Now I want to get the status of this operation. How can I know..?

You can check the status of your transfer online on the official website of EPFO. Additionally, you can register your grievance if the process is taking longer than usual.

Understanding EPF Transfer and Carry Forward

I didn't understand the concept of carrying forward EPF. Yes, it can surely be transferred from one EPF number to another for an individual using Form-13. It is heard that the transfer can also be requested online from 1st July '13 on the EPFO website.

Regards,
Anil Richhariya

Hi All,

Please answer the original query raised earlier: "Is it possible for a person who has absconded from an Indian company that only opened the EPF account for him and was crediting his PF amounts to transfer his EPF to another EPF account opened by another employer?" Are there any possible issues from the ex-employer side?

Thanks,
Nitin