What is an EPF withdrawal Form 31? How to fill it?

Introduction

Employee Provident Fund EPF is one of the popular savings schemes introduced under the supervision of the government of India. Also, it is the main scheme under the Employee Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952. Furthermore, this savings scheme is managed by the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). In this article, we will understand the partial withdrawal from the Employee Provident Fund ( EPF withdrawal form 31). And it is also a guide on EPF filing procedure and how to download the form.

This scheme aims to build a sufficient retirement corpus for an individual. The fund is created with monetary contributions from both employer and employee. Also, each of them has to contribute 12% of the employee’s basic salary (Basic + Dearness allowance) towards this fund every month. Once an individual retires, they receive the total contribution (of both employee and employer as a lump sum with interest. Moreover, the government of India has mandated contribution in this scheme.

What is EPF withdrawal form 31?

Form 31 of Employees Provident Fund is also known as the PF Advance Form. Also, this form serves as an application for partial withdrawal of funds from the EPF account. The money from this account cannot be withdrawn as and when required. Furthermore, there is a certain criterion for the withdrawal from the EPF account. In other words, an individual can withdraw the amount in special situations only.

When can you use Form 31?

The following are the circumstances and conditions where an individual can withdraw money partially from their PF account. Unless the individual satisfies the below withdrawal rules, it is against the provident fund regulations to withdraw the entire money. 

Withdrawal Purpose	Limits on Withdrawal	Service required	Other conditions
Education	Individuals can withdraw up to 50% of employee contribution to EPF with interest	7 years	Individuals can withdraw this money for their further studies. Or the education of their children post 10th standard.
Marriage	Individuals can withdraw up to 50% of employee contribution to EPF with interest.	7 years	Individuals can withdraw this money for the marriage of self or dependents.
Purchase of Land/ Purchase or construction of a new house	For land purchase –Individuals can withdraw an amount of up to 24 times their monthly wages and DA. Also, For House –Individuals can withdraw an amount of up to 36 times of their monthly wages and DA.	5 years	Individuals should purchase the land or house in their name, or their spouse name or jointly.
Renovation of House	Individuals can withdraw an amount of up to 12 times of their monthly wages and DA.	5 years	The house to be renovated should be in their name, or their spouse name or jointly. This facility is available twice – After 5 & 10 years of completion of the house.
Repayment of Home Loan	Individuals can withdraw an amount of up to 36 times of their monthly wages and DA.	10 years	1) The house purchased should be in their name, or their spouse name or jointly. 2) Also, the loan must be taken from an authorized agency, bank or institution.3) the official agency, bank or institution must be able to provide a certificate indicating the outstanding principal and interest
Before Retirement	Individuals can withdraw an amount up to 90% of their accumulated corpus in their EPF account with interest.	Once an individual reaches an age of 54 years and within one year of retirement/superannuation, whichever is later.	To help them for their financial expenses

Incase of Special cases where an individual can withdraw money from EPF account  –

1)  The closure of the company for more than 15 days and the employees are unemployed without compensation

2) The employee has not received a salary for two consecutive months.

However, The reason for not receiving compensation can be anything apart from a strike.

What are the documents required to submit Form 31?

The following documents are required along with Form 31 for EPF withdrawal –

Documents for EPF Withdrawal
Purpose of EPF Withdrawal	Documents Required
Purchase of a house/land	Declaration FormRegistration certificate of the house property/land
Repayment of home loan	Certificate of outstanding principal and interest from the lending agency, bank or institution
Medical Illness	Certificate from the employer and the doctor
Marriage	The declaration is within form 31
Education	Certificate from the concerned education institution
Grant of advances in special cases	Corticated from the employer
Physically handicapped	Certificate from the concerned doctor
Withdrawal before retirement	Declaration from the member

What are the contents of Form 31?

An employee, an employer, and the EPF commissioner must fill the form 31 of EPF. Also, it is mandatory to provide latest and factual information in the form. The following are the contents to fill in the form by each of them.

Employee Details

The following are the requisite details to be filled by the employee in a EPF withdrawal form 31 –

• Employee mobile number
• The purpose of advance
• The amount of advance
• Name of the employee
• Employees Father’s name/ Husband’s name
• Name and address of the employer
• EPF account number
• Monthly basic salary and dearness allowance
• Full postal address of the employee
• Signature of employee and employer
• Mode of remittance
• The beneficiary of the cheque ( in case of home loans, EMIs, etc.)
• For any other reason, provide bank account details
• For marriage advances, provide details like name, age, date of marriage and address
• Advance stamp receipt 

Employer Details

The following are the requisite details to be filled by the employer in a EPF withdrawal form 31–

• Certification of the employer
• Designation, signature and date (along with stamp)
• Enclosures

 EPF Commissioner Details

The following are the requisite details to be filled by the EPF Commissioner in a EPF withdrawal form 31 –

• Section
• Amount to be reimbursed
• Mode of remittance
• Signature of the officer

How to submit Form 31?

One can submit Form 31 for withdrawal, either offline or online.

The following are the steps to submit the EPF Form 31 offline –

• Firstly, download the form 31 as mentioned above
• Secondly, fill the form with all the relevant details.
• After filling, the individual needs to contact the employer. Also, they need a certification validating their employment with the company. Furthermore, the employer needs to fill the designation, date, and signature fields in the form. Additionally, the enclosures also have to be attested.
• Lastly, the individual needs to submit the form to the respective EPFO website.

The following is the filing procedure to submit the EPF Form 31 online –

• Visit the EPFO website. Click here 
• Login to the account by entering the UAN and password
• Under the ‘Online Services’ tab, select ‘Claim Form 31’.
• It will open a new page with specific details. The following are the details – name, date of birth, father name, PAN card, Aadhaar card number, date of joining the company, and mobile number.
• Enter the last 4 digits of the bank account number and verify it. 
• After this, a new pop-up window appears to accept the terms and conditions. Accept the ‘Certificate of Undertaking’ to proceed further.
• Select the ‘Proceed For Online Claim’ option.
• Choose the ‘PF Withdrawal’ option from the drop-down menu.
• In the next page, one must select the ‘PF Advance Form’.
• Provide the details like the purpose of withdrawal, the amount required, and also other necessary information.
• Lastly, Click on ‘Submit’ to complete the online EPF withdrawal application process.

Furthermore, upon submitting the EPF withdrawal form one has to wait for their employer to approve the request. Subsequently, individuals can find the amount credited to their bank account. Additionally, individuals can check their EPF balance online after logging in. 

Things to remember while submitting Form 31.

An individual should keep in mind the following things while submitting the Form 31

• One has to attach a cancelled cheque while submitting the form. Also, it is a mandatory step for verifying the bank account details with the correct IFSC code.
• In the case of offline application, a certificate validating employment from the employer is compulsory.
• The UAN is active. Also, the mobile number linked to it must be functional.
• Furthermore for online applications, the UAN must be linked to KYC documents. Also, this includes PAN card, Aadhaar card, and bank account with correct IFSC code and other requisite details.
• Hence, it takes a couple of weeks to process the application and receive funds.

How to check EPF claim status online?

The following are the steps for checking the EPF claim status online –

• Firstly, visit the EPFO website. Click here 
• Secondly, login to the account by entering the UAN and password
• Under the ‘Online Services’ menu tab, click on ‘Track Claim Status’.
• Select the respective PF office location from the drop-down menu
• An employee can refer to their payslip and enter the establishment code.
• Enter the 7-digit account number and lastly, click on ‘Submit’.
• Finally, the status of the claim will appear on the screen.

What are the other tax-saving investments under Section 80C?

Following are the other tax saving investment options

• Tax Saving Fixed Deposit
• Public Provident Fund (PPF)
• National Pension Schemes (NPS)
• National Savings Certificate (NSC)
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)
• ELSS fund (tax saving fund)

To check their tax liability while filing income tax returns, one can use an income tax calculator. 

Scripbox Income Tax Calculator helps in checking if there is any additional scope to save more tax. This also helps investors get maximum tax benefits on their investments. Also, Scripbox’s Income Tax Calculator, helps investors to derive full benefits by suggesting tax-saving investments. They can claim the same while filing income tax returns.

Frequently Asked Questions