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Employees’ Provident Fund (EPFO) money is considered to be the safest and most reliable medium in the form of hard-earned money and future savings of employed employees. In case of emergency, house construction, illness, children’s higher education or job loss, most of the people go to EPFO’s Integrated Service Portal (Member Seva Portal) and apply for online PF Withdrawal Claim. Due to the digital system, earlier it used to take months to get PF money, now the claim is settled in a few days. But along with this digital facility, the security and verification rules of EPFO have also become very strict. If you do not check your Universal Account Number (UAN) and Aadhaar card data closely before submitting the online claim form (Form 19, 10C or 31), your entire claim may get rejected and the money may remain stuck for months.
According to data released by the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), the most important reason for rejection of online PF claims is ‘data mismatch’ between the UAN record and the Aadhaar database. Many times, the spelling of name is different in the EPF records of the employees and different in the Aadhaar card. For example, if there is no surname or middle name entered before the name in the UAN or there is a minor difference of space or spelling between the two names, then EPFO’s automated system rejects that application immediately. Apart from this, even if there is a discrepancy in the father’s name, the claim cannot be processed. Online withdrawal requires that the name entered on your UAN portal exactly matches the details on your official identity card, letter by letter.
Apart from name, discrepancy in date of birth also becomes a major technical reason for claim rejection. In many old PF accounts, wrong date of birth or only year of birth was recorded by the HR department of the company. According to EPFO rules, if there is a difference of more than 3 years between the date of birth recorded in the UAN portal and Aadhaar, then online claim submission is not allowed. However, EPFO has given the option of online self-certification for rectifying minor gap up to 3 years, but for rectifying the gap of more than 3 years, it is mandatory to upload valid documents like birth certificate, passport or 10th mark sheet and get verification from the employer and EPFO regional office. Along with this, there should be uniformity in the gender column in both the records.
The entire process of online claim submission rests on Aadhaar-based one-time password (OTP) authentication. When you fill the online form, OTP is sent to your registered mobile number for verification in the last step. If your Aadhaar card is linked to an old mobile number which is switched off or is not available with you, then you will not be able to complete the claim process. Apart from this, if there is a difference between the mobile number registered in your EPF account and the number linked to the identity card, sometimes the system stops the verification under cyber security protocols. Therefore, before filing the claim, ensure that your current mobile number is duly updated and active in the records of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
Not only the matching of identity card, but also the KYC of the bank account plays a decisive role in making the claim successful. While filing the claim, check that your same bank account is seeded and approved in the UAN, in which your name is mentioned correctly. Often people forget to update the changed IFSC code on the UAN portal after the merger of the bank branch, due to which the money gets bounced at the bank level. Also, the copy of canceled check or bank passbook to be uploaded during the claim application should be completely clear, readable and the account number and name should be clearly visible. If the name printed on the check is missing or the photograph is blurred, the claim is rejected by the field officer without any delay as ‘ambiguous document’.
If there is any difference between your UAN and personal records, do not rush to fill the form. First of all, login to EPFO Unified Member Portal and go to ‘Manage’ tab and select the option of ‘Modify Basic Details’. Here you can submit your request online by filling in your correct name, date of birth and gender. As soon as your employer approves this request through digital signature, EPFO’s system will update it. After this, go to the ‘KYC’ section and re-verify your bank account and identity details. Apply for online withdrawal only when all records match 100%, so that your claim can be transferred directly to your bank account within 3 to 7 working days without any hassle.