Navigating PF Claims for My Late Husband: Should I Pursue More or Settle with CTS?

My husband was working in CTS Chennai when he died in May 2012. Now the PF claim is in the approval status. Before CTS, he worked in 5 companies, of which 2 were in Tamil Nadu, 2 in Karnataka, and 1 in Andhra. I know only the PF number of two companies, and for the others, I am not able to obtain them. However, I have his employee ID number and the periods he worked.

I am also unsure whether he claimed the PF or not when he changed jobs.

Question on Pursuing Additional PF Claims

My question is, should I be content with what I will receive from the CTS PF (after an 18-month wait), or should I pursue claims for PF from his other employers, about which I am uncertain? If I make additional claims, will it impact the PF amount I am set to receive now? How long do I have to wait?

Please guide me on what steps to take. Thank you, and I await your response.

With regards,
Uma Ravi

You should first try to contact those previous companies and check whether they have submitted the PF claim forms. If yes, then ask them for a copy of the acknowledgment. After that, you should approach the PF offices to check the status. Sometimes, even if they have submitted, there are chances of rejection or delay.

Dear Uma, Sorry to hear the sad news in the Citehr.

Option I: Kindly check with CTS whether your husband transferred the account from the previous company where he worked. You can also lodge an application with CTS to claim PF without any hesitation.

Option II: There is no problem in lodging an application with the companies in which your husband worked separately.

Hope I have answered your queries! If not, please contact me by phone: T. Muralidaran / [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Regards,
T. Muralidaran

I am sorry about your loss. Sadder still is that you are still awaiting the PF amount due to you from CTS and others. Eighteen months is a long time to settle a PF claim, but before I make too many assumptions, could you please check the following?

1. Have you submitted all documents pertaining to the legal heir/surviving nominee to the PF Office?

2. If yes, how long ago was this done? If not, please get in touch with the PF Office and get the list of documents that would be needed to establish the same.

3. As mentioned by the seniors above, you may get in touch directly with the companies your husband had worked for and gather all the details.

4. Based on the information from the above point, you may contact the respective PF offices to verify the status (you may also get the same details from the HR department at CTS Chennai, provided your husband had transferred the previous PF amounts into the new PF account at CTS at the time of joining).

I hope the above suffices; else, you may get in touch with the local PF office for further assistance.

Regards,
Shashidhar

While I recommend verifying the PF status with the previous companies along with CTS, I am sure you know that you would be eligible for a pension from the PF authorities. Please check the status on the Pension Scheme and the disbursing mechanism.

Regards,
Kumar

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your husband and that you have not received the PF and pension amounts. I suggest the following steps:

1. Submit Form No. 13 to PF through CTS with all details of your employment history, including PF numbers and your employers' addresses.
2. Submit the withdrawal form for PF along with the necessary documents.
3. Submit the claim form for family/widow's pension.

If any past PF amounts have not been withdrawn, they will be added to your current account and will be payable to you. If they have already been withdrawn, you will receive communication from the respective PF Offices. Therefore, it is advisable to proceed with the process.

You will definitely receive a pension for your service with CTC. However, if past balances are transferred to your current account, your pension amount will be higher.

Please work with the HR department of CTC to complete the formalities and ensure that your claims are settled promptly, as you have the right to claim them.

Kind regards, [Your Name]

Contact the old office's HR department. They will definitely help and provide details if your husband holds any PF account and transferred the amount to a new account. If the company does not support, then you can approach the local PF office to get the details.

Thanks,
Manish Gupta

Let the soul rest in peace, and may God give you enough strength. Others have provided valuable suggestions; all are good in the given situation. You should not mind running from pillar to post, and finally, you'll stand to benefit and feel worthy of the troubles taken. Especially since all three are in different states, making it even more difficult to link them together. If you are not getting the required information from any of these authorities, you shouldn't hesitate to use the RTI (Right to Information Act) route, which would be handy. Therefore, it is necessary first to ascertain all the information regarding the position relating to past service from CTS and then proceed with what is needed as a follow-up.

Documents to Prepare

Above all, you should prepare the following documents (which are essential to strengthen your cause and expedite your search):

1. Death certificate of your deceased husband.
2. Copies of relevant Nomination documents wherever possible.
3. NOC/Affidavit executed in your favor by your dependents/children and especially from your parents-in-law.
4. Heir/Successor certificate from the competent court (it may involve certain court fees). Some employers may not act solely based on the Nomination forms of deceased employees to avoid complications if there are multiple claimants.
5. Collect all service-related documents, keep them arranged sequentially so that you have a clearer understanding of what is what and where to focus.
6. It would be helpful to approach some known persons who are presently employed in these places, which would expedite your quest.
7. If you know his PF/Pension numbers and employers' codes, you might as well check the position through online mode as well. This is because if he had not transferred accumulations in his PF account from employer to employer, he might maintain separate new PF numbers.

All the best.

Thank you so much to each and everyone who has given me guidance. I will proceed further and try to claim the PF. When I am stuck, I will ask for help again. A very useful website for people like me. Thank you.

With regards,
Uma.

Thank you, Mr. Muralidharan. I have a doubt regarding my claim. I would be happy if it is answered. Is it possible now to claim or transfer the PF balance (from past employers) to the existing PF with the help of the last employer's HR department? Would it be possible for them to obtain the details of the past employer's PF account (PF number and status) if I provide them with a letter to do so?

Thank you in advance.

With regards,
Uma.

Regarding your query about transferring past PF amounts to the present PF account for the sake of convenience, I suggest that you don't try to do it. It would be better to handle each PF account separately. Though prima facie, it should be possible and ideal, practically you don't have any control once the file begins to move. In-transit situations fall into no-man's island and thus will be tough for you to keep track and expedite.

You can utilize the past HR departments to get the details/information, but once you have the needed inputs, handle the PF Commissioner Offices separately.

Please also note that this would be possible only if your husband used the same PF account from one company to another. Quite often, most employees close the earlier PF account and open a new one in the new company.

As a member suggested, tracking bank statements of that period would be the best bet to see if your husband received any PF-related payments, far more convenient and faster than checking with HR or earlier companies or the respective PF offices. In these days where all banking records are accessible from anywhere in the country, you can approach the branch closest to you and take it from there.

Once you have clarity regarding this aspect, you can focus on those companies from where he didn't receive any PF-related payments.

All the best.

Regards, TS

Request for Provident Fund Settlement Assistance

My husband, by the name of [Name Removed], was working in your company during the period [year] as [Position Removed]. Suddenly, he passed away, and I must take care of the family. I have found from the records that his Provident Fund has yet to be settled. Financially, I am not sound, and I require the money for my family. Please provide me with the necessary details/forms to enable me to submit the forms for settlement to the PF office. Kindly assist me as I do not have anyone to help with this matter. My complete address is provided below:

Thank you and with regards,

Send this letter to all the companies. If the PF settlement is completed, they will notify you; if not, they will send the necessary details for you to submit.

Additionally, please inform the PF authorities about the demise of your husband, as you are entitled to a PF Pension.

I just went through all comments from various people. Yes, whatever they say is right. You can claim any number of claims from the PFO in case your husband is alive. Your case is different. So what you have to do is:

1. Check the status with all companies.
2. Get in touch with them with the legal hire.
3. Any HR will help you without any hesitation or negligence.
4. Process the claim and get the amount.
5. It will take some time, but you are entitled to get that.
6. Don't launch any complaints which will lead to many complications.
7. It's your money, so go through the process and get it.
8. Don't have any preconceived thoughts with all comments. Just keep it for your reference.

Hope you will get it soon. God bless you!

Regards

Without prejudice! If you deem it fit and appropriate, you may consider posting your husband's details state-wise in this forum. Members who have proximity and access to the PF authorities of the respective states might try to ascertain the facts and status of the deceased to help you in the shortest possible time. They can guide you via your personal email IDs. Bonafide members could assist the needy. Pardon me if I'm overstepping.

Kumar S has given a very practical and excellent suggestion—it only goes to prove once again that this forum has a solid group of professionals who share and care. Please post the brief details of your late husband's employment history, including company-wise details, the period of service in each organization, and, if available, his designation in the respective company. Ensure that the name you mention matches his service record names as closely as possible.

One advantage for you is that since this is a forum of HR professionals, it is much easier to track compared to if you were to approach each company separately.

All the best.

Regards,
TS