Navigating Maternity Leave and PF Claims: Which Exit Date Should We Use?

Dear All,

Our employee has gone on maternity leave for 6 months. She has taken her maternity salary in 2 installments before starting her maternity leave. Her maternity leave commenced on 15th May 2019. In the year 2018, she discontinued her service for 2 months to withdraw her PF. Subsequently, she rejoined as a temporary employee and later transitioned to a regular employee. However, her PF number was not updated in the records after rejoining. She has now requested a letter requiring a signature from our management. Please find the draft of the letter below.

To The Regional Commissioner, EPFO

Ref: Our Code No BGMRDXXXXXXX
Sub: Clarification of Rejoining our Establishment Smt.

With reference to the above subject, we would like to inform you that Smt. XXXK (PF NUMBER XXXX) worked in our establishment and resigned on 31/01/2018, settling her PF amount. She rejoined our establishment on 01/03/2018 and resigned on 30/04/2019 for personal reasons. During this period, a new PF number was not generated for her, and all the amounts were credited to her previous PF number (XXXXX).

Kindly consider processing the online PF claim and settle the same promptly.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,
For XXXXX
Authorized Signatory

Following the completion of her maternity leave, she did not report back. After a month, she requested an extension of maternity leave for 3 months via email to HR. HR responded that based on her medical certificate, her maternity leave could be extended by one month.

Clarification on PF Processing

Now, regarding the processing of her PF, we seek clarification on which exit date to consider—should it be the date of resignation or the date mentioned in her letter?

If we consider her Date of Leaving (DOL) as 31st April 2019, she may not be eligible for maternity benefits.

Kindly advise.

Location: Bengaluru, India
Tags: maternity leave, PF claim, PF number, maternity benefit, online PF, Country-India, City-India-Bengaluru

In this situation, to process the employee's PF, you should consider the actual date of resignation, which is 30th April 2019, as mentioned in the letter to the EPFO. If the employee's Date of Leaving (DOL) is incorrectly stated as 31st April 2019, it may lead to ineligibility for maternity benefits. Therefore, it is crucial to rectify the date to 30th April 2019 to ensure the employee receives the entitled benefits.

To proceed with the PF claim accurately, update the records with the correct exit date and provide the necessary documentation to the EPFO for processing the claim efficiently.