Is the PF Establishment Search Down? Seeking Alternatives for Checking EPF Payments

The PF establishment search page has not been working since December. Has this link/page been shifted to some other URL, or has EPFO completely disabled it?

Earlier, employees were able to determine whether their company was paying on time using this page. The principal employer also used to check whether the contractor was paying EPF to its workers or not. However, now this link is not working. Can somebody tell if there is any substitute for it?

Thank you

Employees can get a massage on their registered mobile when their PF for XXX month is credited. They can also check their passbook.

If you need specific information, please let us know. The new ECR system has a clear mandate in the challan to provide off-roll (contract labor) data as well. If the contractor fails to do so, action will be taken against them.

EPFO SMS and Member Portal Updates

People hardly receive an SMS from EPFO regarding the amount being credited. In the last five years, I personally cannot remember receiving an SMS from EPFO more than five times, despite having a fully KYC-compliant UAN.

As far as the passbook is concerned, I have heard that these member portals do not get updated regularly. I was informed by one of our HR managers when I joined and inquired after four months as to why my new account number was not showing in my employee UAN portal two years back. She replied that they had processed it from their side, but it takes time to get updated and reflect in the member portal. I resorted to the establishment search to verify whether deposits were being made, and indeed, they were depositing every month. It was only that my UAN was not displaying that member account number. Suddenly, after a few months, it appeared on its own.

My understanding is that if I join a company now and they link it with my existing UAN, it may not be updated in my member portal immediately, I assume. I may not be able to see or check it for a few months based on my own experience.

I am unsure how these changes will take place now, though.

EPFO has a dedicated number to check your EPF balance. Grab your mobile and save this number: 011 22 901 406. It may not be a fancy number, but it is very useful as you can get your EPF balance by giving a missed call to this number.

Clarification on ECR Upload and Employment Confirmation

As you have stated earlier, unless an employer uploads the ECR for an employee, the employment is not confirmed from an HR perspective. The employee cannot see this company in their member portal until the employer uploads the ECR. After uploading, the employee can see it in their portal. Right?

Is this rule the same for the employer? I mean, I can check the service history details of my employees and also see the current employers of those employees who have already left. But in this case, unless the employer uploads the ECR, the employment is not confirmed, so I can see the current employer only if the employer has uploaded the ECR, otherwise not. Right?

Suppose A has left my company on the 15th and joined another on the 18th of January. His present employer has definitely linked his UAN with their establishment code by now, but has not uploaded any ECR for him yet. So, neither he can see that employer in his member portal, nor can I see his current employer in my employer portal through member search or active members. Isn't that right? Only his current employer can see it. Please tell me.

You have already clarified loads of my doubts, and thank you very much for that. I have already bookmarked this conversation in my browser as I might need it in the future to refer to.

Regards,
[Username]

There is no need to relink; they can pay for November's contribution without relinking. However, if they want to pay it with January ECR, then there will be chaos. The department has warned several times that non-deposit of "employee's contribution" is a cognizable offense. The employer can withhold his contribution partially, but he cannot withhold the employee's share.