Can I Open a New PF Account Without Closing the Old One After Changing Jobs?

Dear All,

I worked with the company for 20 days. They opened my PF account and deducted PF from my salary. Now, I have resigned from that company and joined a new company in the same region. I would like to know if it is possible to open a new PF account without closing the old PF account because I do not wish to disclose my previous company information to the new company.

Thank you.

Hi,

Yes, you can open a new PF account without closing the previous one, as per my understanding. There's no harm in this.

If both accounts are in the same region, will the PF office generate a query? Will they generate a query about opening the same account with the same employee information with two different companies?

With every new company you join, the new employer will open a new PF account. Funds from the earlier PF account have to be transferred to the new PF account only if the employee shares the information with the new company.

Dear Anonymous,

There will be no query from the EPF department, whether you disclose it to your current company or not. However, I advise you to provide them with your old EPF number so that they can link it with your new EPP number via UAN No. UAN is the latest feature added by the EPF department and works in the same manner as PAN number does with our bank accounts.

Please let me know if you need further clarification or assistance.

Thank you.

You cannot apply for a new EPF account as the UAN number's introduction indicates that KYC has been submitted against your UAN number. Having two active EPF accounts with the same ID proof and other details simultaneously is not feasible. It is advisable to continue using the old account number. Doing so can also assist you in saving for your pension fund.

Dear friend,

Do not open two accounts. Try to provide the details of your old company's PF number to the new company. Only then can you receive the amount remitted by the old company. If the account is not operated, it will be considered an inoperative account. Additionally, your old company will include your departure in the list submitted to the PF account.

I hope that if the amount is below Rs. 1000, it cannot be claimed by the PF member through forms.

My recommendation is not to open another PF account. Instead, you should ask for the UAN (Universal Account Number) from your previous employer and provide the same UAN to the new employer. This will be easy, convenient, and hassle-free.

But I do not want to disclose my previous employer information to my new employer. If I will not provide any information of my previous employer to the new employer, then is it possible to open a new account without any query from the PF office?

There will be no objection by EPFO. You can open another new one, there is no problem. But if you update your UAN ID and also then you should provide your UAN number to the new employer.

Hi Anonymous,

I am facing a similar situation right now. It would be really helpful for me if you could please post what approach you took and what your experience was. Did you face any problems?