Struggling to Get a Provident Fund Refund After Just 3 Months of Work – What Can I Do?

I have worked for only 3 months in Bangalore at a company where my PF was deducted. Now that I have left, my Provident Fund refund application (submitted by the company after 5 months) has been rejected because I only contributed for three months. How can I proceed to get my refund since my current firm is not registered with PF laws?

Dear friend,

There is no reason to reject the withdrawal of PF accumulation. You might have submitted Form 19 and 10C for withdrawal from PF and EPS, respectively. Out of this, withdrawal from EPS might have been rejected. To get the withdrawal benefit from EPS, there should be a minimum service of 6 months. If it is less, the only possibility is to transfer to club with future services. Otherwise, it will get lapsed.

Abbas P.S.

Understanding the Employee Provident Fund Withdrawal Process

Please remember the following with regard to The Employee Provident Fund & Misc. Provisions Act. Every contributory member will be eligible to withdraw PF accumulation (through Form 19) irrespective of the number of months you have worked, presuming that your organization/employer has remitted your PF contribution for all those months. However, you would not be able to withdraw your Pension (through Form 19C) since the eligibility requirement for the same is a minimum remittance to the PF (& Pension) account for 6 months for any member (by the organization/employer).

In your case, since you have only worked for 3 months, your Form 19 would have been accepted by the PF Office, whereas Form 19C would have been rejected (as you are not eligible to withdraw the pension amount).

I hope this will give you clarity on your doubts. If not, revert to me.

Cheers, A.B.

Dear AB,

Please specify the section which prescribes eligibility requirements for pension amount withdrawal to be 6 months.

Azim

Dear Azim,

Kindly go through the EPS-95 of EPFO. The one-time benefit before completing 10 years of service is called withdrawal benefit. As per Table D, the minimum service required to get the withdrawal benefit is one year, and the maximum is 9 years. According to PF norms, 6 months and above will be rounded up to 1 year. Accordingly, the minimum service to get the withdrawal benefit is 6 months.

Abbas.P.S