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EPF Form 31 is used by employees to register claims for a fractional withdrawal of money from the EPF. Employees’ Provident Fund is a savings scheme backed by the govt. that can help employed persons establish a substantial corpus to satisfy their financial obligations after retiring.
Employees are expected to deposit a percentage of their basic salary (12 percent) per month to this type of PF. The employer then makes a matching contribution to this investment. The corpus for workers is generated by pooling these deposits with relevant government interest.
Employees might also opt to pull from their EPF savings throughout their job tenure to pay any unexpected bills that may occur.
Also, read EPF Form 11.
When can you withdraw your EPF funds?
An individual can withdraw his EPF money in part or in full via EPF withdrawal Form 31 only under particular conditions. Employees are eligible for withdrawal of their whole EPF savings amount in the events listed below:
- When they retire from work.
- When a person is jobless for more than two months, the fact that this person is jobless for more than two months must be confirmed by a gazetted official.
It violates PF laws to withdraw the whole fund amount from EPF unless persons meet the preceding conditions. If individuals choose to withdraw money from their EPF, they must meet a few restrictions and may only do so in exceptional situations.
The following table depicts the events and criteria that allow individuals to make a partial EPF withdrawal using EPF Form 31.
Read EPF Form 19.
| Serial No. | Withdrawal Reasons | Limits for Withdrawal | Criteria of Service | Additional Conditions |
| 1. | Schooling | Withdrawal of close to 50 percent of an employee’s contribution to EPF. | Seven years. | Withdraw of this money is permitted by individuals exclusively to cover the costs of their post-secondary education or the schooling of their children. |
| 2. | Wedding | An individual is allowed a withdrawal of up to 50 percent of their EPF contribution. | 7 years | Money can be withdrawn for one’s, brother, sister, son, or daughter’s marriage |
| 3. | Acquisition of land/constructions or acquisitions of a new residence | Amounts to up to 24 times a person’s income per month and dearness allowance may be withdrawn for land acquisition.
An individual can get withdrawal up to 36x his salary monthly + allowances for accommodation. |
5 years | Lands or homes to be acquired should be registered in the names of the person, his spouse, or their names jointly. |
| 4. | Repairs of House | The withdrawal amount for home renovations might be up to 12x a person’s monthly earnings. | 5 | The residence to be repaired should be listed under the employee’s name or in her partner’s name or jointly. |
| 5. | Repayment of a mortgage | An individual is applicable for a withdrawal of 90 percent from the Contribution + EPF contribution of the employer | 1 | i. Purchased property should be enrolled in the names of the persons, their spouses, or fractional owners.
ii. The sum can be taken only if persons can produce the relevant paperwork put out by the EPFO, for house loan repayment. iii. Corpus in the accounts of the individuals, or coupled with his partner’s accounts, must be greater than INR 20k. |
| 6. | Prior to retirement | Amounts equal to up to 90 percent of the amassed corpus plus interest. | When a person reaches the age of 57. | To fulfill their financial obligations |
An individual can request an early withdrawal from his EPF account digitally or offline, depending on the situation.
EPF Form 31 Download
Form 31 is available on the EPF webpage. The steps are as follows:
- 1st step: Members must login into the EPFO member portal using their UAN plus password.
- 2nd step: To submit a request online, members must first go to the ‘Online Services’ option and select ‘Claim.’
- 3rd step: After clicking the claim button, a fresh page will display all of the members’ information like name, DOB, name of the father, Aadhaar number, PAN number, mobile phone number, and date of joining the company. Upon ensuring that all of the info is genuine, members can click ‘Proceed for Online Claim’.
- 4th step: The type of claim for which the member desires to seek will be presented on the following page. Select ‘PF ADVANCE (FORM 31)’ from the menu.
- 5th step: Members must determine what the advances will be used for. Options include sickness, natural catastrophes, power outages, non-receipt of revenue, and the acquisition of impaired equipment. Insert the sum and his current address in the box below.
- 6th step: Once this is completed, members must sign the disclaimer. The ‘Get Aadhaar OTP’ option will display once you tick the box. When he clicks that, he will be given a One Time Password that must be validated.
Withdrawal Filing using EPF Form 31 Procedure
An individual can take the withdrawal of money from his EPF using any of the two ways outlined below.
- He can submit an application form through the download of EPF Form 31, as previously suggested.
- He can apply online by submitting the PF advance Form 31.
Submission of Physical Application Using EPF Form 31
An individual can obtain Form 31 in the Employees ’ Provident Fund Organisation from the official webpage and fill out the necessary data before submitting it to his appropriate Employee Provident Fund Organisation office after having it verified by his employer.
Below are some of the elements that must be filled out by employees in the EPF Form 31 –
- Contact details
- The goal of the withdrawal advances
- The amount of the needed advance.
- Specifics about your identity.
- Acct. number for the PF.
- A monthly base wage and DA.
- Remittance method.
- Bank account information
In the event of a withdrawal form submission that is offline, the employer must enter in the data –
- Certification.
- Signature, date, and designation.
- Enclosure.
Furthermore, the EPF commissioner must provide the following information:
- The account number.
- Section.
- The amount that will be repaid.
- Remittance method.
- The signature of the officer is required.
Online Application for EPF Form 31 Withdrawal Submission
With EPFO’s newly implemented EPF form 31 online submission method, lodging an EPF withdrawal claim is now much easier.
An individual must meet the following conditions to apply for money withdrawal using the EPF Portal:
- Individuals must check that their UAN or Universal Account Phone is active and that the mobile number attached to it is functioning
- The UAN is connected to his KYC documents, which include his Aadhaar, PAN card, and other necessary information.
An individual must comply with the criteria outlined above before online submitting his EPF Form 31 –
- 1st step is: Access the UAN website via the authorized website.
- 2nd step: Verify that the relevant KYC information has been revised and confirmed.
- 3rd step: When KYC details have been confirmed, go to the “online service” option and select Claim EPF Form 31.
- 4th step: After that, Fill in data such as KYC, service details, and so on, and finish the confirmation on the “claim” screen.
- 5th step: Sign the undertaking certificate to advance.
- 6th step: Click “Proceed to Online Claim” and then choose the PF withdrawal method.
- 7th step: Choose the “PF Advance form” and fill in the blanks with information such as the reason to withdraw, the sum needed, and any other data.
- 8th step: They must then apply by selecting the “submit” option. An individual may have to await for their employer to accept the request before the funds are deposited to their bank account after registering. Additionally, to make queries about the state of their claim, an individual can resort to the EPF Form 31 claim status from the EPFO webpage.
Conclusion
EPF Form 31 is used by employees to register claims for a fractional withdrawal of money from the EPF. Employees’ Provident Fund is a savings scheme backed by the govt. that can help employed persons establish a substantial corpus to satisfy their financial obligations after retiring.
Retirement life can be easier and more peaceful when you invest in investment vehicles like EPF. But, what if EPF is not enough to secure the lifestyle you dream of after retiring? Well, real estate investment is to the rescue! Wanna know why this type of investment could help you secure and sleep peacefully in your golden days? Because of its ability to generate passive income consistently and assuredly via capital appreciation and rent income. Can’t wait to get started? Reach out to Assetmonk.
File EPF Form 31 Partial Withdrawal FAQs
How can I verify the progress of my Form 31 claim?
You can go to EPFO’s official website.
How long does the EPF Form 31 withdrawal procedure take?
The application is processed and money is sent within a few weeks.
How many times can you claim Form 31?
Employees qualify for withdrawal of their PF funds up to three times on a non-refundable account. Employees qualify for withdrawal only once per reason and must wait a minimum of 6 months following withdrawals.
Can I withdraw the full PF amount using Form 31?
Form 31 is commonly used to submit a claim for a part withdrawal or advancement from an EPF account. An employee does not qualify to withdraw funds from his EPF account as needed. Any type of withdrawal has certain conditions.
How much time does EPF form 31 take?
To file withdrawal EPF form 31 online, you first must connect your UAN to a bank account, Aadhaar, PAN Card, and cellphone number. EPF claims and disbursement of money take several weeks.
Does Form 31 need employer approval?
For an offline application of EPF Form 31, the employer’s authorization is required.
What is the procedure for Withdrawal Filing using EPF Form 31?
An individual can take the withdrawal of money from his EPF using any of the two ways outlined below.
- He can submit an application form through the download of EPF Form 31, as previously suggested.
- He can apply online by submitting the PF advance Form 31.
