Changed Jobs And No Trace Of EPF Transfer? Possible Causes And Solutions

Imagine spending hours trying to log into a website, navigating between different portals to complete your tasks, such as updating your details or documents, and then being timed out just before hitting the ‘Submit’ button. That’s the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) or the Universal Account Number (UAN) website for you. This seemingly minor inconvenience—a sluggish portal that often crashes at critical moments—is just the tip of the iceberg in a system riddled with complexities.

Says Harsh Roongta, a Securities and Exchange Board of India-registered investment advisor (Sebi-RIA): “It’s not just a technology problem; it’s a problem of architecture. EPFO was structured in a completely different era in the 1950s. The system was designed to extract money from employers and keep it for employees to use in old age. Over time, only patchwork solutions like the UAN have been added without addressing the core challenges.”

On the face of it, the process looks simple. Says Amey Kanekar, co-founder of FinRight, a platform resolving complex personal finance challenges, “Based on our observation, EPFO usually settles a transfer request within 25 days of it being accepted by the employer. Users can raise a grievance on https://epfigms.gov.in/ or visit the concerned provident fund (PF) office and follow up.”

But the PF transfer issue usually hits a roadblock when there are incorrect details that are not resolvable online and the process moves offline. What could be a straightforward process often turns out into a drawn-out ordeal, exposing gaps in the system.

Roongta adds, “The EPFO has done very little to change its focus from being a benefactor to being a service-providing organisation.”

For millions of employees across India, navigating the EPFO’s labyrinthine bureaucratic processes has turned out to be anything but smooth sailing.

The Rules

In November 2017, the EPFO introduced automatic transfer facility through its UAN portal, when transitioning between jobs. Previously, employees had to manually request an online transfer of their PF balance to their new employer’s account. Under the automatic transfer system, the PF balance is supposed to be credited to the new employer’s account without any action required from the employee, after the first month of PF contribution is received from the new employer.

The EPFO has recently moved to further simplify automatic transfers. In a circular issued on January 15, 2025, the EPFO has removed the requirement for employees to submit online transfer claims through the previous or current employer under specified cases to streamline the process, provided the name, date of birth, and gender matches across accounts.

Same UAN, Same Aadhaar: If multiple Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts are linked to the same UAN (created on or after September 1, 2017) and the Aadhaar card is linked to the UAN, transfers between these accounts will be allowed automatically.

Different UANs, Same Aadhaar: Transfers are now allowed between EPF accounts with different UANs, provided they are linked to the same Aadhaar.

Same UAN (issued before September 1, 2017): If the UAN was created before the specified date and is linked with Aadhaar, transfers between accounts linked to the same UAN are allowed.

Different UANs (at least one issued before September 1, 2017): Transfers are also allowed between accounts that have different UANs, but at least one UAN was created before September 1, 2017 and is linked to the same Aadhaar.

The Problems

The problems in transfer could arise due to multiple issues, such as mismatch in details, namely, Aadhaar number, UAN, name, father’s name, date of birth, gender; missing details, such as the date of joining (DoJ) and date of exit (DoE) from the previous employer; non-verification of key documents, such as Aadhaar; non-operational account or mobile number; and so on. Multiple UANs and accounts have also been a problem, but hopefully with the implementation of the new circular, issues may get resolved.

Once any of the above happens, employees are pushed back into the manual process, which may involve submitting Form 13, verifying know-your-customer (KYC) documents, and regularly checking the transfer status on the EPFO’s unified portal. It is at this stage that things get stuck, as sometimes, employees face rejections or delays without clear explanations, leaving them exasperated and confused about the next course of action.

Take Muthukannan T.’s case, a 42-year-old software engineer. His employer opened his EPF account in May 2006 at the Hyderabad EPFO. Contributions to this account ceased in March 2011, when he was transferred to an overseas branch of the same employer. After returning to India in 2019 and resuming work at the same employer’s Bengaluru office, a new EPF account was opened at the Pondicherry EPFO. However, when he tried to transfer his old balance into the new account, he faced roadblocks that persist to this day.

The initial claim to transfer his EPF balance failed with an error message along the lines of “contact your employer”. In January 2020, a request from Muthukannan’s employer was sent to the Hyderabad EPFO, which asked for a duly signed joint declaration by the employer and the employee. Despite submitting multiple joint declarations and fresh sets of KYC documents—sometimes at the EPFO’s request and sometimes pre-emptively—the issue remained unresolved. In 2023, he was asked to visit the branch with original documents, and asked to add his father’s name in the “C/o” field in his Aadhaar address. Even after doing all that, his request is still stuck.

“It’s been close to five years since we (Muthukannan and his employer) submitted the first request to reactivate my EPF account. It’s been more than a year since I went to the Hyderabad EPFO physically. But the EPFO staff have done absolutely nothing,” says Muthukannan.

We have taken five scenarios in which EPF transfers get stuck. We try to give you the possible reasons and their solutions for these.

Scenario 1 Dual Transfer In Trust-Managed Organisations

The challenges of EPF transfer are even more daunting when it comes to trust-managed organisations, where PF contributions are managed by the company’s exempted trust while Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) contributions are overseen by the EPFO.

This dual-management system often creates confusion and complications, as Sanjay Kumar Sharma’s story illustrates.

Sanjay, 55, currently employed with one of India’s leading telecom operators as assistant vice-president in Bengaluru, has been trying to reconcile his EPF accounts for over a decade after working with multiple employers. His journey began in 2011 when he left a Hyderabad-based trust-managed organisation and applied for EPF transfer to another organisation (unexempted) in Jaipur, which he joined.

While the trust successfully transferred the PF balance, the EPS portion was left behind, a common oversight in such cases.

After three job changes since 2011, Sanjay is trying to consolidate all his accounts under a single UAN. However, his service history with the exempted trust employer (Hyderabad) is not updated in the current EPF and UAN account because of the lack of ‘Annexure K’ or service history transfer pendency from RPFC Hyderabad to RPFC Jaipur. Unless these offices resolve the issues, Sanjay’s problem will not get solved.

Annexure K is a document that mentions your (member) details, PF accumulations with interest, service history, date of joining/date of exit, and employment details including past and present member ID (MID). This document is required by the field office/trust to effect a transfer.

Despite multiple visits to EPFO offices in Hyderabad and Jaipur, the problem persists.

“In October 2011, I submitted Form 13 at the Jaipur EPFO office, along with all relevant documents. But the EPS portion was never updated,” says Sanjay.

Years of follow-ups yielded little progress, with the Hyderabad EPFO claiming they could not process the transfer due to outdated systems and physical documentation requirements.

Despite providing Aadhaar, Permanent Account Number (PAN), bank details, and other information, his case remains unresolved.

“The system is so disjointed that even the EPFO staff seem unsure about how to handle cases like mine,” he says.

Sanjay’s case highlights the systemic flaws in the EPFO’s processes, particularly for employees of trust-managed organisations.

Says Kanekar, “One of the most common mistakes ex-employees of these organisations make is assuming that transferring out their PF balance from the trust to their current organisation is enough. Employees often encounter rejection messages like: ‘EPS service not received’ while initiating transfers/withdrawals.”

How to Resolve This Issue?

To ensure a smooth transfer, employees from trust-managed organisations must initiate two transfers right after a job change:

• For the EPS portion, submit a claim via the EPFO Member Portal.

• For PF balance, download and share Form 13 from EPFO portal and ask the trust to initiate the transfer.

Double-check that both requests have been processed and verified to avoid disruptions during withdrawal or subsequent transfers.

Scenario 2: EPS Deduction for Wages Above Rs 15,000

Some issues related to EPS, which is a part of the EPF, can also create problems during transfers and withdrawals. According to Kanekar, one reason given for rejection frequently is this error: “EPS deducted, but wages above Rs 15,000. Please clarify EPS membership.”

When Sunny Pandita, a 42-yearold banking professional was looking to withdraw his PF in 2021, his EPS became a problem and it took him over five years to resolve.

According to EPFO rules, EPS contributions are not allowed for employees whose wages exceed Rs 15,000 unless they were already members of the EPS scheme in a previous organisation. For such employees, membership under EPS continues, and the current organisation must also deduct EPS contributions (see What Is EPS And Who Is Eligible?). The EPFO often rejects EPF transfers when there is no proof of previous EPS membership.

Over the years, Sunny kept track of his PF contributions, but details about the status of his EPS membership went unnoticed.

In 2021, when he decided to withdraw his PF after leaving his third job, trouble surfaced. His withdrawal request was rejected, citing incomplete EPS details. It was then that Sunny learned his EPS records had never been updated when he switched to his second and third jobs. This oversight created a domino effect, making it impossible to consolidate his accounts or process his withdrawal.

It is important to know that before 2014, EPS membership was mandatory for all employees. “I always thought that as long as my PF balance was intact, I’d be able to withdraw it when I needed it. Nobody told me EPS details were just as important,” says Sunny.

Multiple Accounts, Endless Confusion: Adding to the complication was Sunny’s PF accounts. During his career, Sunny had two separate stints (employer 1 and 3) with the same organisation, (from 2012 to April 2018 and December 2018 to 2021). Despite using the same UAN, the company opened two separate PF accounts during each stint.

He says, “When I started the withdrawal process in 2021, I assumed I could just take out the entire amount. That’s when I was told I had multiple PF accounts, and that they had to be merged first.”

The requirement to merge accounts wasn’t just time-consuming, it also meant reconciling his service history. During this process, Sunny was neither aware nor informed enough to acquire Annexure K. This process was critical for transferring his EPS membership details from Employer 1 to Employer 2 as well as EPF balance from Employer 2 to Employer 3.

The absence of service history for Sunny’s EPS membership proved to be the biggest roadblock. Without these records, the authorities (at Employer 2) could not validate his membership, effectively stalling the transfer process from Employer 1.

How to resolve the problem?

Employees must furnish valid proof of EPS membership from their previous organisation(s) (for details, see How To Avoid EPS Membership-Related Problems?). The following documents are considered acceptable:

• Annexure K: A detailed statement provided by EPFO for previously transferred PF accounts.

• Scheme Certificate: A certificate issued by EPFO that records the employee’s EPS contributions and membership details.

Submit these documents through your employer or directly to EPFO to validate your EPS membership and complete the transfer.

Scenario 3: The Mystery of Lost EPF Money

For Dushyant Batham, a 40-year-old lead sales manager, what seemed like a routine task of transferring his EPF balance turned into a bureaucratic nightmare that stretched over three years. His story is an example of labyrinthine processes and communication gaps that plague EPF transfers, leaving employees like him stranded.

Dushyant applied for his EPF balance transfer in 2021 from his first company to his second. Both employers gave their approvals, but when the file landed at the EPFO office in Nagpur, the transfer request was rejected due to internal communication issues within the EPFO offices.

The catch: Dushyant was not informed about the rejection. “I had no idea that my transfer request had been rejected,” he recalls. “By then, I was already working with a third company and had no updates about the status of my funds.”

He realised much later that something was amiss. His funds, amounting to around Rs 3.39 lakh, were nowhere to be found in the second company’s EPF account. Confused and alarmed, he began what would become a long and frustrating journey to trace his hard-earned savings.

Dushyant’s first stop was the EPFO office in Nagpur, where he filed a grievance to understand what had happened. But the response he received only deepened his frustration. He says: “They told me the transfer was rejected in 2021 due to some internal issue. But beyond that, there was no explanation or clarity. They just advised me to contact the Mumbai EPFO office for further help.”

When he reached out to the Mumbai office, he encountered a wall of silence. “For three years, between 2021 and 2024, I got no proper response from the Mumbai office. No one could tell me what had happened to my funds or how I could get them back,” he says.

With no resolution in sight and no time to make endless trips to different EPFO offices, Dushyant had to seek a third-party assistance with FinRight.

In a different situation, imagine initiating a transfer where the amount is debited from your source passbook, the claim is marked as “settled”, but the money is never credited into your destination passbook. “Unfortunately, this is not uncommon,” says Kanekar.

EPFO follows a two-step process for transfers. Once the source PF office approves the transfer, money is debited from the source passbook, and the claim status changes to “settled”. But the money is credited to the destination passbook with a condition: “Transfer-in is subject to verification.”

“If the destination PF office rejects the transfer, the money is sent back to the source office along with a rejection letter. However, in many cases, the rejection letter is misplaced or lost, leading to a scenario where the money is neither credited back to the source passbook nor added to the destination account,” says Kanekar.

How To Resolve This Issue?

• Coordinate Between PF Offices: Contact both the source and destination PF offices to track the money trail.

• Request Documentation: Obtain a copy of the rejection letter from the destination PF office and share it with the source PF office to expedite the process.

• File A Grievance: If the issue remains unresolved, raise a grievance on the EPFO portal with all supporting documents.

This process often requires persistent follow-ups, as the offices involved may be in different states, adding to the logistical challenges.

Scenario 4 Consolidating PF Balances Across Multiple Employers

Shipra (name changed on request) faced the challenge of having her PF balances scattered across three previous employers, amounting to Rs 3.50 lakh. Additionally, there was no DoE in the details of previous two companies.

“To resolve this issue, Shipra needed to identify each employer’s unique MID and PF numbers after logging into the EPF portal. Further, she needed to identify and update the DoE for both previous employers and then submit a transfer request for each employer by following the process to transfer her PF online,” says Bhavika Khandare, executive desk specialist at 1 Finance. (see Procedure To Transfer PF Online).

Often, employees also face issues with transfers if any of their previous employers shut down. According to Kanekar, “To resolve this issue, the member should initiate a transfer from the Member Home Portal using ‘One Member - One EPF Account (Transfer Request)’ and get an attestation through the current employer if the last company is linked to their UAN/Aadhaar.”

“However, if the last company is not linked to your Aadhaar, submit a Joint Declaration Form to the previous company’s registered PF office to link old records with Aadhaar. Once the company is linked, use the ‘UAN Allotment for Existing PF’ option, and follow the steps mentioned above to initiate a transfer,” says Kanekar.

Scenario 5: Incorrect Details Leading to Rejection

The case of Shashank, 42, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, brings to light yet another frustrating dimension of EPF transfer woes. This involves incorrect and un-updated details, such as date of joining, date of exit, father’s name and so on.

It rang a bell for him when he noticed the initiation of a transaction against one of his member IDs. The claim receipt, dated March 8, 2023, showed a Form 13 transaction that is meant to move funds from one PF account to another. While the claim status reflected “approved” on March 15, 2023, the transfer was not reflected in the subsequent EPF account.

Alarmed, Shashank raised his first grievance with Regional Office (RO), Noida.

The response he received left him perplexed: the transfer claim had allegedly been rejected by RO, Bandra, on November 9, 2023, and was supposed to be credited back to his original account at RO, Noida.

However, the rejection letter necessary for this reversal was absent. His repeated queries and grievance claims elicited the same robotic reply, “We have sent reminders to RO, Bandra, for the signed rejection letter. Further action will be taken after their confirmation.”

Such communications kept coming in for months. Finally, in May 2024, Shashank received the rejection letter, but the ordeal was far from over. RO, Noida said that the letter is not duly signed and they need an updated rejection letter from RO, Bandra.

After repeated grievances, RO, Bandra revealed that the claim had been rejected for two reasons—previous PF and EPS amounts not received and a mismatch in his father’s name across office records, bank details, and Aadhaar.

Shashank now faced the task of identifying the root of these discrepancies and rectifying them, a process that required a Joint Declaration Form to correct the father’s name mismatch.

But this raised more questions than it answered. One, which employer’s records required correction? (Shashank had already switched many jobs till this point). Two, which office (employer) had failed to transfer the PF and EPS details?

He raised another grievance, but the response was still vague: “Please coordinate with Regional Office, Dadar.”

Shashank’s case sheds light on a recurring problem within the EPF framework: how inaccurate or un-updated details can spiral into prolonged disputes and financial uncertainty. As he continues to battle the system, his story becomes yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of lost transfers and misplaced trust.

Says Kanekar, “Sometimes, even when employees correctly opt out of EPS due to wages exceeding Rs 15,000, transfer requests are rejected with the message: ‘Not an EPS member but EPS service updated’.”

This usually occurs when the DoJ and DoE for EPS are incorrectly marked in the system. While employees are not EPS members, their records reflect erroneous EPS dates, leading to rejections. Unfortunately, the EPFO Member Portal does not allow for online removal of EPS DoJ/DoE.

How to Resolve this Issue?

In such cases, employees must submit a physical copy of a Joint Declaration Form through their employer to request the removal of incorrect EPS dates. The declaration must state the error and include supporting documents, such as salary slips or EPF statements confirming the absence of EPS contributions. It is time-consuming, but this step ensures that your records are accurate and prevents future rejections.

Conclusion

The stories of people like Sanjay, Muthukannan, and countless others trapped in the maze of EPF transfers reveal a grim reality: a system bogged down by outdated processes, mismatched records, and glaring lack of accountability. These are not some isolated incidents, but a mirror of the challenges many employees face—missing funds, unexplained rejection, and years of chasing elusive resolutions.

Says Roongta: “The EPFO is one of the most expensive fund managers globally. Its administrative charges are among the highest (not charged to subscribers), yet the services provided do not justify these costs. Unless they change their approach, it will continue to frustrate its subscribers.”

However, the government is not completely deaf to the plight of EPFO subscribers. In January 2025, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya told the media that EPFO is set to launch its new software system “EPFO 3.0” by June 2025. This upgraded system is expected to improve efficiency and offer a seamless experience to EPFO members.

The ambitious IT overhaul promises to transform the way EPFO functions, aiming for faster claim settlements and improved transparency. Notable initiatives, such as a proposed ATM-like withdrawal system for EPFO members and a revamped grievance redressal mechanism sound like the future that EPF members have long awaited.

But the question remains: Will these promises translate into tangible change? For the system to truly work, it must address its foundational issues, such as seamless coordination between regional offices, accountability at every step, and most importantly, better ways to help users understand the system for transfers and withdrawals. For now, employees like Muthukannan, Sanjay, and Shashank await a resolution.

anuradha.mishra@outlookindia.com