If you want to transfer your employee provident fund (EPF) to the new organisation you have joined, you are required to fill out Form 13. However, this is a lengthy process. You must fill out the form and get approval from employers. Only then the accumulated amount is transferred to the new office. However, in a circular dated April 25, 2025, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made the process easier. EPF has revamped Form 13 and simplified the fund transfer process.
According to it, “The 3-level processing at the Transferee (Destination) Office has been dispensed with. It is to be specifically noted that once the transfer claim gets approved at the Transferor (Source) Office in the revamped functionality, the Provident Fund accumulation and Pension Service of the member pertaining to the previous account will automatically get added to the present account at the Transferee (Destination) Office without the requirement of any additional processing.”
Advertisement
Earlier Process
Earlier, the process used to be tedious until January this year, for transferring PF accounts from the previous to the current organisation. Earlier, the process was lengthy and time-consuming as the transfer required validation from two EPF offices (transferor and transferee office).
In a circular dated January 15, 2025, EPFO eliminated the need for employer approval subject to some conditions. Now, when the claim is approved by the EPF transferor office, the amount is automatically transferred to the PF account with the new organisation.
Advertisement
Changes Introduced Through Revamped Form 13:
The new revamped Form 13 will have all the information of a subscriber, such as know your customer (KYC), available balance, transfers in the account, withdrawals, and current EPF offices. This would make verification easier and time-efficient.
The revamped form will also have information about the taxable and non-taxable components of the contribution.
Once the transferor office approves the claim, the amount will immediately be added to the subscriber’s PF account with the new organisation, along with the service details.
How Will It Benefit Subscribers?
The updated form on the website would improve the validation process for PF claims for auto-settlement.
Advertisement
The taxable and non-taxable bifurcation will add to the tax compliance for tax deduction through more accurate tax deducted at source (TDS) calculations on taxable PF interest.
Note that since the financial year 2021-22, the government restricted the tax-free EPF interest. As per the rule, if an employee’s contribution to EPF in a year is more than Rs 2.5 lakh, the interest earned on contribution beyond this limit (Rs 2.5 lakh) is taxable.
The new process is expected to make PF transfer faster with the removal of unnecessary verification layers and reduce grievances significantly.
