EPF Withdrawal Form 31 Online - Claim Status, Meaning, & How to Download

The Employee Provident Fund (EPF) was established by the Indian government to promote saving among the nation's working class. It enables both employees and employers to contribute a certain amount to the employee's PF account. EPF, or Employees' Provident Fund, aids workers in creating a corpus for their retirement. However, this corpus can be used for a variety of purposes even while an employee. In some cases, members may also request partial EPF withdrawal form 31 from their PF accounts.

To request a partial withdrawal of monies from the EPF, or Employees Provident Fund, use the EPF Form 31. Employees Provident Fund, or EPF, is a government-backed savings option that enables salaried people to accumulate a sizeable corpus to meet their post-retirement financial demands.

Employees are expected to deposit a certain percentage of their basic pay (12%) each month to this specific provident fund. The employer then makes a matching contribution to this fund. The corpus for employees is produced by pooling these contributions and any relevant government interest.

People might also decide to take a withdrawal from their EPF savings during their work to pay for any eventual emergencies that may arise.

Note: For the fiscal year 2021–2022, the government has decided to keep the EPF interest rate at 8%.

What Can Form 31 Be Used For?

It can be used for the purchase, addition, alteration, improvement, or repair of a home or apartment, or for building a home, including the acquisition of a site. The eligibility requirements for the aforementioned are as follows:

• A minimum of five years of service. 
• For the purchase of a plot, a withdrawal of 24 months' wages (Basic + DA) is permitted.
• On similar lines, for the purchase of a house, apartment, or construction, withdrawal of 36 months' pay (Basic + DA), or the total cost (whichever is lesser) is permitted.
• It is also to be noted that only one withdrawal is permitted during the service time.

EPF form 31 can also be used for the repayment of Loans in special cases. Here are the eligibility requirements

1. The mandatory minimum service term is ten years.
2. A member may withdraw up to the lesser of 36 months' wages, the sum of the employee and employer shares plus interest, or the whole outstanding principle plus interest.
3. The lending institution must certify the amount of the principal and interest.

It can also be used to award advances in certain circumstances. Following are the eligibility requirements:

1. If there is a lockout or the business is closed for more than 15 days and the workers are not paid,
2. For causes other than a strike or other labour dispute, employees have not received compensation for more than two months in a row.
3. member's discharge, dismissal, or retrenchment that they are contesting in court (50% of EPF withdrawal form 31 is permitted)
4. In the event that a business closes for more than six months, and its employees are still unpaid

Conditions for receiving an advance for a disease that they are getting treatment for or that of a family member

1. Withdrawal of no more than six months' worth of wages, or the employees' portion plus interest (whichever is less).
2. The advances can be obtained without a minimum level of service.
3. It is required that you get certified by your employer and a doctor.

EPF form 31 can also be used for receiving an advance for yourself, your daughter, your son, your brother, your sister, or your child's post-secondary education. Here are the conditions:

1. Only after 7 years of contributions to a PF account is withdrawal permitted.
2. The member's withdrawal limit is 50% of the employee's share plus interest.
3. Three withdrawals are permitted during the service duration for this purpose.

An advance can also be given to physically disabled members for the purpose of buying equipment to ease their suffering. Here are the eligibility requirements:

1. The lowest of the six-month salary, employee share + interest, or equipment cost for withdrawal is permitted.
2. Following the initial withdrawal, a second one is permitted after three years.

How to Download Online EPF Form 31?

EPF form 31 download can be done from the EPF website. This is how it works:

Step 1 - The member must sign in using their UAN and password on the EPFO member portal.

Step 2 - The member must first go to the "Online Services" menu and select "Claim" in order to create an online request.

Step 3 - The member's name, date of birth, father's name, PAN number, Aadhaar number, date of joining the firm, and cellphone number are all listed on a new page that opens up when you click the "Claim" button. The user can choose "Proceed for Online Claim" once they have made sure that all of the information is accurate.

Step 4 - The following page will show the type of claim the member wants to apply for. Go to the drop-down menu and select "PF ADVANCE (EPF form 31)".

Step 5 - The member must choose the advanced objective. Alternatives will be presented to you, including sickness, natural catastrophes, power outages, non-receipt of money, and the purchase of adaptive equipment.

Step 6 - The member is then required to sign the disclosure. After clicking that, the user will receive an OTP that needs to be authenticated. By inputting the OTP and selecting "Validate OTP and Submit Claim Form," the member will finish the online EPF advance application process.

Documents Needed for Form 31 of the EPF

Documents required for medical reasons: 

1. A statement(Certificate) from the employer.
2. Doctor certificate.

Getting a house:

1. You need Declaration
2. Property's registration certificate.

Loan repayment:

1. Statement of the agency's outstanding principal and interest on a certificate

Wedding 

1. Declaratory Statement on EPF form 31

Give loans in unique circumstances

1. Employer's certification

Physically challenged

1. certificate issued by a physician

Withdrawal prior to retiring

1. Statement from the Member

What Information Does the EPF Form 31 Consist Of?

EPF withdrawal form 31 is admissible as evidence that the justification for the partial withdrawal fully satisfies the requirements. Before submitting the form, the employee must sign it. The employer and the EPF Commissioner must fill out. Make sure to fill out the form with accurate and up-to-date information. When submitting the form, don't forget to include the necessary documents.

You must complete the following information on Form 31:

• Name of the member, name of father or husband
• Name and location of the factory or establishment
• Account number for PF
• Basic pay and dearness compensation
• Complete the mailing address for the member
• both the member's and the employer's signatures
• advance receipt with a stamp (Re.1 stamp)
• An area of the form that the employer must fill out.
• A piece of writing for the PF Commissioner's office

How to Fill Out EPF Form 31?

You will need to fill out some information on the EPF Form 31 as you download it. Your employer and the EPF Commissioner need to fill out the remaining information.

Information that must be entered by the employee

• Mobile Contact
• Goals of Advances
• Amount of the Advances Needed
• Name of the member
• Name of Father/Name of Husband (in case of married women)
• Employer's name and address
• Account Number for PF
• Basic Salary and Dearness Allowance for the Month
• The applicant's complete postal address
• Authorisation from the employee
• Authorisation from the Employer
• Method of Transfer
• Whose name is on the check to be issued (in case of home loans, EMIs, etc.)
• Please enter your bank account information for any other reason.
• When applying for marriage advances, provide full information, including name, age, marriage date, and address.
• Advance Stamp Receipt (Fill in the amount)

Information to be entered:

• Assurance from the Employer
• Signature, date, and designation (along with the stamp of the establishment)
• Enclosures

How to Submit EPF Form 31 Offline?

• Obtain EPF form 31
• Complete the form with the necessary information.
• After completing the form, get in touch with your company to obtain a certification confirming your work there. Request that they complete the form's designation, date, and signature fields. Get the enclosures attested as soon as possible.
• Send the properly completed form to the appropriate jurisdictional EPFO office.

How to Submit the EPF Form 31 Online?

Step 1 - For EPF withdrawal form 31 online check out the EPFO official webpage - https://unifiedportal-mem.EPFindia.gov.in/memberinterface/ 

Step 2 - Enter your UAN, password, and captcha to access your account.

Step 3 - Choose the "Online Services" menu item, then choose the "Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D" option.

Step 4 - EPF withdrawal form 31 with pre-filled information will appear. Verify your entry by entering the last four digits of your bank account number.

Step 5 - When asked to accept the terms and conditions in the "Certificate of Undertaking" pop-up window, select "Yes."

Step 6 - Choose the "Proceed for Online Claim" option, then from the dropdown menu, select "PF Withdrawal."

Step 7 - Select the PF Advance Form and fill it out.

Step 8 - To finish EPF withdrawal form 31 online application procedure, click "Submit."

Procedure to Fill Out EPF Form 31 to Submit a Physical Application-

EPF form 31 download can be done from the government's official website, filled out with the necessary information, and then physically submitted to the jurisdictional EPFO office after receiving the employer's attestation.

Here are some necessary information that must be provided by the employee on EPF Form 31:

• Contact details;
• The reason for the advance;
• The sum that must be advanced;
• Identity information;
• Account number for PF;
• Basic payment information for each month, including a travel allowance;
• Bank account details, etc.

Points to keep in mind when completing EPF Form 31

• If you want the money disbursed into your bank account, include a cancelled check with the form for verification.
• A money order can be utilised only when the payout amount is less than 2,000.
• In the case of an offline application, employer certification is required.
• Only those members who have linked their bank account, Aadhaar, and PAN to their UAN are able to submit applications online.
• If the claim is submitted online, the bank account must be confirmed by providing the last four numbers of the bank account.
• Processing claims and sending money out usually takes a few weeks.

How To Monitor A Form 31 Claim's Status?

Step 1 - Use this to access the EPFO website. Link

Step 2 - for EPF form 31 claim status, choose "Click here to know the status of your claim."

Step 3 - The page will display a dropdown selection for choosing your PF office's location.

Step 4 - Your area code and office code will be shown on the following page.

Step 5 - Enter any applicable Establishment codes you may have.

Step 6 - Now, you must enter your seven-digit account number.

Step 7 - On the following page, after clicking "Submit," you will be able to see your EPF form 31 claim status.

Conclusion

Members must use the EPF form 31 to withdraw partially from their EPF accounts. Members may use the advances or loans taken from their EPF accounts to meet a variety of expenses, particularly during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

FAQs

Why did my EPF Form 31 get turned down?

The EPF Form 31 may be rejected for any of the reasons listed below:

• You previously utilised the claim.
• After making an online claim application, you missed the deadline of 15 days to submit the signed claim form.
• Your entered information does not match the records in the past.
• The documents at your office and your signature don't match.

How long does it take to process Form 31?

It could take 5 to 30 days after you submit an online withdrawal request for your PF funds to arrive in your designated bank account.

How much money can you get back with Form 31?

Depending on your cause for withdrawal and how long you have been in service, you may be able to withdraw a certain amount from your PF corpus.

How may your Form 31 be cancelled?

You are not permitted to retract your application for PF withdrawal after submitting Form 31. If you have an urgent matter, you can get in touch with the EPFO Regional Office.

What does "under process" refer to?

"Under process" suggests that your application is still being processed and taken into consideration. In these situations, you must monitor the status of your claim until it is accepted and indicates that "your claim has been settled."

How frequently can Form 31 be claimed?

You may take non-refundable withdrawals from your PF up to three times with a minimum of six months between each loan. You may, however, only withdraw once and for a single reason.

When must a certificate from the previous employer be presented?

The certificate is necessary in cases when offline applications are involved.

Which form—Form 19 or Composite Claim Form—should an employee complete for offline settlement?

In order to receive an offline settlement, the employee must submit the Composite Claim Form (CCF). According to an EPFO circular from 2017, Form 19, 31, and 10C will be replaced by Composite Claim Forms (both Aadhaar and Non-Aadhaar).

As a result, the CCF now encompasses all EPF and EPS settlement forms (Form 19, 31, and 10C).

What is the tax on EPF interest?

For contributions beyond Rs 5 lakh, interest will be subject to employee taxation. Before FY 2021–2022, all contributions made to the EPF account received tax-free interest credited to the account. Since there is a maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh, interest on contributions above this amount will be taxed.