Joining Date Mix-Up in EPFO: How Can I Resolve This for My New Job Verification?

I joined my organization on 17th October 22, but my company claims they were registered on 11th November 22. Although they deducted PF from October 22, they later refunded the PF amount. Currently, my EPFO portal shows the joining date as November 11, while my offer letter and actual joining date are October 17. This discrepancy is causing issues during my background verification for a new role in a different organization.

I would appreciate guidance on how to address this situation. Please provide any relevant rules or laws that I can use to explain this matter to my current and future employers.

Difference in Date of Joining and PF Records

There can be a difference in the date of joining as per PF records and actual company service records. If a company is covered by the EPF Act only on a later date than the date of one's joining, you cannot do anything, and in such a scenario, the background verification agency has no role. If there is a query like this, you can very well explain that "though I joined the company in October, I was given PF only in November, and that is a technical or legal error from the employer's side and it has nothing to do with my service."

It is true that if at the time of your joining the company had less than 20 employees, the company would never have a PF registration. It can subsequently get PF registration when the number of employees becomes 20 or more. Obviously, in the PF records, the date of joining of all the employees will be the date of registration or the date of coverage under the EPF & MP Act. That cannot be challenged.

But, on the other hand, if the company already had more than 20 employees when you joined, then it was a technical error on the part of the employer who did not take PF registration or cover you under the Act. That non-compliance cannot be put on the employees.