Inoperative EPF Account – Trace & Track – EPFO Online Helpdesk

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has around Rs.27,000 crore lying in inoperative accounts. There are chances that a small portion of this unclaimed money is yours. Many employees feel that the EPF account transfer is a cumbersome process and is a painful experience. It is often observed that we just ignore to transfer the funds to the existing EPF account.

EPFO do not pay interest on the EPF account, where no contributions (no activity) have been received for 36 or more months continuously. EPFO considers this type of account as an ‘Inoperative EPF Account.’ It is a daunting task to trace an inoperative EPF account and also we hardly get any help or support from EPFO.

In this post, let us understand – How to trace an inoperative EPF account? How to trace an old Employee Provident Fund a/c? What is EPFO’s online inoperative EPF account help-desk? What is the procedure to submit an online request?

Now, things are changing for the better at EPFO. It’s a good time to remember your long forgotten EPF account. And to make your job of staking a claim easier, an EPFO inoperative account online helpdesk has been launched recently.

Trace & track your Old & Inoperative EPF account using EPFO’s Inoperative Account Help Desk

The helpdesk works on the basis of how much and how accurate is the information that you can provide about your old / dormant EPF account(s). So, the more you provide, the better it is.

• Visit epfindia portal and click on ‘Inoperative A/c Helpdesk’ link.
• This will take you to ‘EPFO helpdesk website.’
• Click on ‘first-time user’.
• You have to provide a small description of your problem and click on ‘next’ button.
• In the next screen, you have to provide your old employment details. These details are like – your old company (establishment) code, PF account number, company address, date of joining etc.,You may use ‘search establishment’ option to get your old company details. (I believe that it is not mandatory to provide all the details. But, provide as much information as possible). Click on ‘next’ button.
• In the next page, you will be asked to enter your personal details like – your name, mobile number, date of birth, email id etc., Note that mobile number and name are mandatory fields. You can also enter your Aadhar number, PAN number and Bank account Details.
• Once you have keyed in the required information, click on ‘Generate PIN’. You will receive PIN on your mobile number. You need to enter this PIN to get the ‘Reference number’ on the screen. Kindly save the reference number for future use. ( In-case if you forget the reference number, you can get it, provided you have entered your DOB while submitting your personal details)

After submitting the request to the helpdesk, your query will be forwarded to the concerned EPFO’s Field Officer (Regional office). This happens if you have provided your old company’s code (Establishment code). If you have not provided the establishment code, your query is routed to the centralized EPFO helpdesk. They will call you to get more details and then your query will be forwarded to the concerned field officer to trace the old & inoperative EPF account.

Related Latest Article : Why should you Withdraw Old EPF Account Balance? | In-operative EPF A/c Timeline

How can I check the status of my request on EPF Inoperative Account Helpdesk online portal?

EPFO helpdesk portal has a facility to track the status of your request(s), based on the reference number.

• Visit EPFO helpdesk portal.
• Click on ‘Existing User’.
• It takes you to a new window as below and click on ‘Login’ as ‘Registered Member.’ Enter the reference number and mobile number to check the status of your request.
• If you have forgotten the reference number, click on ‘Forgot reference no’. In the next screen, you have to enter the mobile number and Date of Birth to receive your reference number.

Once your account is traced by the EPFO’s field officer, you will be notified through an SMS. You need to either withdraw the monies (by submitting Form 9) or transfer your old EPF account to your current EPF account.

If you are currently employed and have activated your Universal Account Number (UAN), link the old EPF account with your current EPF Account. Once the linking is complete, you can transfer the EPF funds online.

Trace and track your old EPF accounts. Even if the amount of your claim is small, reclaim it NOW. Kindly share your views on EPF inoperative EPF account help-desk facility. Cheers!

Latest Update (30-March-2016) : The Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has decided to provide Interest on Inoperative Accounts from 1st April, 2016.

Latest News (31-Oct-2016) : ‘Rate of Interest on Inoperative EPF accounts’ – EPFO to pay 8.8% as interest on Inoperative EPF (Employee Provident Fund) accounts. In case of EPF, if there is no contribution paid during the last 36 months, then that account is classified as “inoperative”. The inoperative accounts are not being paid interest since 2011. Around Rs 42,000 crore is lying in “inoperative accounts” across the country. About 9.70 crore employees will benefit from this proposed notification. Henceforth, the concept of Inoperative accounts will cease to exist. (Source : PTI & Union Labour Ministry)

Latest update (16-Nov-2017) : If an employee who is a member of EPF scheme, quits or retires from his employment and continues holding the accumulated PF balance, he/she has to pay tax on interest from the date of unemployment. So, the interest on EPF is tax-exempt only when the member is employed and the Interest credited to an employee provident fund (EPF) account after an individual ceases to be in employment is taxable in his/her hands in the year of credit. Interest that has been accrued post employment is taxable. This is as per the recent order by Income tax appellate Tribunal.

(Source: Times of India & Moneycontrol)

Continue Reading : ‘How to search, find and reclaim monies lying in inoperative Bank Accounts?’

(Reference : EPFO User Manual. Photo Credit : rediff.com)