Guide to Activating Inactive EPF Account and Withdrawal Procedure: Expert Advice

My father has an EPF account which has been inactive for many years. Now we wish to activate it and withdraw the amount. Please state the procedure for the same.

Hi Sougat,

Please go to the bank where the PF amount was being accumulated. The bank personnel will issue a form to ensure the pensioner is still present. Later, you will have to produce this form to the PF office where your father is designated to withdraw the PF amount. You will have to submit Form 19 and Form 10C.

Hi Sougat,

Don't worry,

Your father has an EPF account, which means he was working in a company or any organization through which his PF was deducted from his salary and deposited to the PF office. Please understand that the EPF account is maintained by the Provident Fund office and not by the bank. If your father had a PPF account in a nationalized bank, he was depositing funds directly into the bank. In that case, you must have a PPF bank passbook that you can show to bank officers. By completing some formalities, you could collect the amount.

But if the account is with the PF office, then you have to fill up Form No. 19 and Form No. 10C and submit them to the PF office through the company. The company will verify his services, check the records, and after the employer's signature, the forms will go directly to the PF office through the company. The PF office will also check the records, and after verification, they will transfer the accumulations directly to the concerned bank account, which may take approximately 1 to 2 months, from where you can withdraw the money.

Regards,

Sanjay Mulay

Dear Mr. Sougat18,

What is the age of your father? Which month and year has he resigned/left the Organization? Didn't he apply for an amount withdrawal after that?

As per the Employees' Provident Fund Act, the PF account is opened to facilitate it as a savings account to the Employee by the Employer under the EPF rule. After 3 months from the date of leaving the company, he has to apply for withdrawal or transfer of the account (in the case of new employment); otherwise, the account will be closed or become inactive automatically. The employee cannot activate the EPF account directly.

The best way that he could check is by filling the form no. 19 & 10C, with the Employer details and get them signed by the authorized. If that is not possible, get the forms signed by any gazetted officer and provide it in the EPFO regional office.

Note: If the withdrawal of PF is after 12-20 years and after; it would be difficult to locate the records, and it would be slightly protracted (longer) to receive your PF amount.

Hi friend, if your father is currently working in any establishment covered by the EPF Act, the amount is to be transferred to the present EPF A/c No. For this, you have to fill Form 13(R) through attestation by the present and past employers.

If your father wants to withdraw the amount, he will have to fill Form No. 19 & 10C along with identity proof and a bank passbook photocopy duly counter-attested by the establishment in which he worked. Form 19 is for Provident Fund withdrawal, and Form 10C is for pension fund withdrawal (Service below ten years).

There is no process to make an inoperative account operative.

Hi,

In continuation of Sharmila's comments, if there is a long gap, your father needs to provide a justification letter for the delay in claiming. Otherwise, the forms will not be accepted by the department for processing.

Regards,
Pradeepan

First of all, check with the PF office concerned regarding the name of the establishment where you last worked, PF code number, PF number, etc.

Apply for withdrawal in Form 19 and 10C through your father. Apply in Form 10D if your father is more than 58 years of age.

The second and third steps can only be done if your father's account is not settled yet. To proceed, obtain attestation on the forms mentioned above from the bank manager where your father holds a savings bank account.

Dear friend,

Please consult immediately the Provident Commissioner of your State and explain the details. They will inform the detailed procedure to claim your PF amount with interest thereon.

Suri Babu Komakula

Dear Friends,

I am sorry to point out here that in all the above discussions, a very basic step has been omitted. That is, if your father was a member of EPF, he must have been given a statement of account. If he has a last one, it will make it very easy for you and your father to approach the concerned PRO of the EPF Department, who will help you come out with your latest account statement in no time if the employer has not provided it to you. The rest has been elaborated above.

To identify your father as a member of EPF, he must have been given an account number and a statement of account.

Dear Sir,

You can make an application in the prescribed format under Section 70 of the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, enclosing a copy of the Separation Order issued in the name of your father on his separation from the organization to the HR department. After due verification, it will be sent to the Finance & Accounts (PF & Pension) Department of the organization. You may have to submit additional documents regarding nomination and delay in applying for withdrawal, which may take some time.

Thank you.

Hi, the concerned PF Office/Employer must have your father's records. Go with the PF number to get it resolved. You cannot go to the bank for any resolution.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Dear Sougat,

If your EPF account is inactive, first, visit the EPF Office and speak to the concerned individual there, and then proceed with the necessary steps.

To withdraw the EPF amount, your father needs to fill out Form 19 and Form 10c, have them signed by the employer, and then submit them to the EPF Office.

Within 45-60 days, the PF amount will be credited to the account provided by you or your father in the forms.

If you do not receive a proper response, you can directly meet the PF Commissioner, who can offer guidance. If you are from Hyderabad, our PF Commissioners are accessible and can help resolve your issue easily.

Hi Sougat,

EPF withdrawal can be done by submitting Form 13. However, the withdrawal might take longer than a month. You can read more details on it in this article - What happens to an Inactive EPF Account? - InvestmentYogi

Sir, I have a PF number. When I submitted the online activation form for the number, I did not receive the authentication OTP through SMS. Please reply.