EPFO now offers salaried employees two ways to transfer EPF accounts; here's how to do it

This option is available under the "Online Services" tab of the EPF member portal. You can access this tab only after logging in to the unified member portal or the "Member UAN/Online Service" portal of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation.

Under EPFO 3.0, the retirement body allows EPF members to check their past service history by clicking on "Member Service History" under the "Online Services" tab of the EPF member portal.

Once you click the "Member Service History" tab, it displays all your past and current services, along with your Aadhaar-seeded UAN and corresponding member IDs. One can click on the UAN and member IDs for additional details.

The "Member Service History" also shows past member IDs due for transfer and the status of past claims. If no claims were made earlier, the status shows as "no", while giving you the option to make the "Service Transfer Claim" through Form 13 by clicking on the "Claim" link (See image below)

How to apply for the transfer

In both cases, you will land on the "Online Service/Transfer Request" page, where you can apply for transfer of the past account to the current one in the following steps:

The portal provides the details of the present establishment into which the transfer will be affected.

Why is EPF transfer important?

EPF account transfer is important for salaried employees as it helps merge their old PF accounts, which in turn increases their total service history. The EPFO says that this is beneficial for the following four reasons:

• Consolidation of PF balances; higher payouts for advances/full settlement.

• Avoid TDS on final settlement

• Higher pension eligibility (10+ years’ service)

• Better insurance coverage (up to ₹7 lakh)