Can a Married Woman Nominate Her Mother for PF? Plus, How to Claim PF from Past Jobs?

Can a married woman nominate her mother as a nominee in PF if her father is in service? Please advise on this issue.

Ways to Withdraw PF from Previous Companies

If anybody has not withdrawn the PF from his or her previous two companies, what are the ways to get the amount from both companies?

Cheers,
Rashmi

Hi Rashmi, I believe only the father or husband can be nominated in the case of a married woman. You can transfer the PF from previous companies to the current PF account.

"Family" in terms of the PF Act for married people includes the husband, wife, and children. If you are currently employed, you need to transfer your PF fund from your previous organization.

Understanding PF Nominee Rules for Married Individuals

"Family" in terms of the PF Act for married people refers to the husband/wife and children. If you are currently working, you need to transfer your PF fund from the previous organization.

Do you know the acts and clauses for nominees in PF? I believe the mother can be nominated in the case of a married woman.

Regards,
Chetan Jani

There are two parts in your Introduction in Form-2.

Part A: EPF
In this part, you can nominate anyone as your nominee—either Husband, Father, Mother, or you can also divide percentages as you like among all (you can have one nominee or several).

Part B: Pension Nominee
In this part, the nominee should be a family member, i.e., if married, women can nominate Husband or children.

For further information, you can contact me at [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons] or email me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Dear All, I fully agree with Shri Santoshvegi. One can nominate anybody, whether a blood relative or not, for PF dues. The nominee may be one or more, with their shares defined. If the share is not defined, then the shares will be equal for each nominee. For example, if there are two nominees with shares defined as 75% and 25%, they will receive the dues in that proportion. If the shares are not defined, both will receive the dues in a 50:50 ratio. For family pension, however, only the spouse and children are eligible. Other relatives or unrelated nominees are entitled to the return of capital but not the family pension. The nominee for PF can be anyone, whether earning or not. Even if a father is earning, he can still be the nominee for PF.

Regarding Previous PF Accounts

Regarding inquiries about previous PF accounts, I would like to share that when leaving one job for another, employees may prefer to inform the new employer about their previous PF account number and have it transferred to the new employer instead of opening new PF accounts each time they change jobs. This practice will not only reduce the burden on the PF organization of managing multiple accounts but will also provide maximum benefits to the employee in the form of continued membership. By continuing the existing account, one receives credit for previous service and membership, making them eligible for a higher pension amount upon retirement. Young individuals transitioning to better jobs are encouraged to consider this point, review the relevant rules on the EPF site, and opt to continue their existing PF account with the new employer. It is always advantageous for them. For further explanation on this matter, please contact me at my personal email [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Warm regards,

There is a general misconception in most minds that a nominee is the beneficiary of the proceeds of a deceased.

A nominee is simply a custodian for most assets, except in the case of equities.

Recently, when the Supreme Court ruled that a nominee may not necessarily be the beneficiary of a deceased person’s proceeds, it opened a debate regarding the status of a nominee vis-à-vis a legal heir.

Y P Trivedi, senior Supreme Court counsel, said: “The well-known theory is that a nominee is merely a trustee, not the owner. He/she may temporarily possess the money but will have to hand it over to the actual heir when the situation arises.”

For most investments, the legal heir is entitled to the deceased’s assets. For instance, Section 39 of the Insurance Act says the appointed nominee will be paid, though he/she may not be the legal heir. The nominee, in turn, is supposed to hold the proceeds in trust, and the legal heir can claim the money.

Similarly, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines specify that the deceased’s nominee would receive the money in the capacity of a trustee of legal heirs. The same applies to all other financial transactions such as public provident funds, mutual funds, and others where the nominee plays the role of a trustee rather than the owner.

As for the transfer of the PF in the previous employer's account to the current employer's account, you need to submit FORM No. 13 (Revised) through your present employer to get proceeds of your previous PF accounts transferred to your current PF account.

FORM 13 is used for transferring the Provident Fund account of a member from one establishment to another establishment covered under the act/scheme. You can have a copy of Form 13 at the following link:

http://epfindia.com <link updated to site home>