Confused About EPF Transfer Rejection? How to Handle the "Not an EPS Member" Issue

I joined my first organization in July 2016. I successfully transferred my EPF account from the 1st organization to the 2nd organization when I joined the 2nd organization in December 2021. It's important to note that the 1st organization contributed to both EPF and EPS since the salary was below INR 15,000 when I joined. However, the 2nd organization only contributed to EPF, not EPS. Despite this, the EPFO portal shows the Date of Joining EPS and Date of Leaving EPS as similar to the EPF joining and leaving dates for the period I worked at the 2nd organization.

Now, I have joined the 3rd organization in 2023, where EPS contributions are not made. However, in the EPFO portal service details, the Date of Joining EPS is listed as the date when I joined this 3rd organization. When I attempted to raise an EPF account transfer claim for the 2nd account to be merged into the 3rd, the claim was rejected with the message: "Submit Joint Declaration form and Form 5 and 10 to remove EPD date as you are not an EPS member."

Steps to Resolve the Issue

What steps should I take to resolve this issue? If I need to submit the JD Form and Forms 5 and 10, what exactly should I mention in them? I would greatly appreciate any help in resolving this issue.

To resolve the issue of your EPF transfer claim being rejected due to the EPS-related matter, follow these steps:

1. Joint Declaration Form Submission:
- Obtain the Joint Declaration (JD) Form from the EPFO website or office.
- Fill out the form with accurate details, including your EPF account information and the reason for the discrepancy in EPS contributions.
- Ensure to clearly state in the form that you were not an EPS member during your tenure at the 2nd and 3rd organizations, leading to the removal of the EPS details causing the rejection of the transfer claim.

2. Submission of Forms 5 and 10:
- Along with the JD Form, submit Forms 5 and 10, which are standard EPF forms.
- Form 5 is the employee's declaration form for the EPF scheme, and Form 10 is the form for the claim of EPF benefits.
- Fill out both forms accurately, mentioning the relevant details regarding your employment history and EPF contributions.

3. Detailed Explanation:
- Clearly explain in the JD Form and other submissions that your 2nd and 3rd organizations did not contribute to EPS and provide any supporting documents if required.
- Request the EPFO to rectify the EPS details in your service history to reflect the accurate contribution status.

4. Follow-Up and Tracking:
- After submitting the forms, regularly follow up with the EPFO to track the progress of your request.
- Ensure all submitted forms are processed correctly and that the necessary corrections are made in your EPF account details.

By following these steps and providing clear and accurate information in the submission forms, you should be able to address the EPS-related discrepancy causing the rejection of your EPF transfer claim.