Now file PF withdrawal claims without employers' attestation

This facility will be available to all those subscribers whose Universal Account Number (UAN) is activated and seeded with the KYC details like bank account and Aadhaar number.

Moving a step closer to online settlement of PF withdrawal claims, retirement fund body EPFO on Tuesday allowed its subscribers to file their applications directly to the body without employers' attestation.

At present, subscribers submit their claims regarding provident fund withdrawals manually through their present or former employers. The attestation of the forms was mandatory for the purpose.

This facility will be available to all those subscribers whose Universal (or portable PF) Account Number (UAN) is activated and seeded with the KYC details like bank account and Aadhaar number.

"The facility of filing withdrawal claims directly to EPFO will help us eventually launching facility for settling such applications online. We hope that now we would be able to launch the online PF withdrawal facility within this fiscal," K K Jalan, Central Provident Fund Commissioner, EPFO told PTI.

"Employees whose details like Aadhaar Number and Bank Account Number have been seeded in their UAN and whose UAN have been activated, may submit claims in Form-19, Form-lOC and Form 31 directly to the Commissioner without attestation of their employers for fast settlement of claims… direction be made operational with immediate effect," the EPFO office order issued on Tuesday said.

However, claims will be submitted manually by subscribers directly to the respective provident fund commissioners.

Subscribers filing their claims directly without employers' attestation would have to use new forms 19 UAN, l0-C UAN and 31 UAN. These new forms are of half a page size compared to two to three pages applications used at present for withdrawal of PF.

According to EPFO website, 2.13 crore subscribers have activated their UANs. The body has alloted 5.65 crore UANs so far.