Employee provident fund- EPF form31

EPF Form 31 also known as ‘advance form’ is an application form that must be filled by an employee who wishes to withdraw funds partially from their EPF account. The EPF account accumulates the PF contribution of both the employer and the employee and builds a retirement fund. As per rules, an employee cannot withdraw the entire PF amount until the age of 58. However, you can partially withdraw the funds as loan/advances, once you have completed five years of continuous service.

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How to download EPF form 31?

To download EPF form 31, go to the official website of EPF and download by clicking on the given link. You can save the form and fill it offline. Forward the duly filled form to your employer as there is a section that needs to be filled by your employer.

How to fill EPF form 31?

An individual who wishes to withdraw funds partially from EPF accounts must fill EPF form 31. All the fields must be mandatorily filled. Some fields must be filled by the employee and the rest by the employer and the EPF commissioner.

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EPF form 31: instructions, filing procedure and how to download

What does EPF form 31 contain?

The EPF form contains the following fields that must be mandatorily filled by an employee as per rules of the employee provident fund scheme 1952.

Mobile number

Purpose of advance

Amount required for advance

Name of the member

Father name/husband’s name (in case of married woman)

Provident fund account number

Monthly basic wages and dearness allowance

Name and postal address of the applicant

Signature of the applicant

Signature of the employer

Mode of remittance

Name of the recipient in whose favor the cheque has been drawn

Bank savings account number

Name of the bank and branch details

IFSC code

Details of Advance stamp received

Copy of a cancelled cheque

For advances taken for wedding expenses, the employee must provide complete details like name, age, date of marriage and address.

Signing officer’s designation along with establishment’s stamp.

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Purpose of EPF withdrawal:

Outlined below are the instances in which an employee can withdraw a partial amount from their PF accounts as an advance by filling form 31:

Advances for marriage of self/children or post matriculation education of children: The employee is allowed to withdraw a maximum of 50% of the accumulated PF along with the interest, provided he/she makes a contribution for 7 years to this account.

The employee is allowed to withdraw a maximum of 50% of the accumulated PF along with the interest, provided he/she makes a contribution for 7 years to this account. Advance for own treatment or family: to withdraw funds/advances for the purpose of treatment of family members or self, there’s no service limit. The employee can withdraw funds of up to 6 months of pay or employee’s share plus interest, whichever is lower. The employee must submit a certificate from his employer, along with doctor’s certificate as proof of availing the advances.

to withdraw funds/advances for the purpose of treatment of family members or self, there’s no service limit. The employee can withdraw funds of up to 6 months of pay or employee’s share plus interest, whichever is lower. The employee must submit a certificate from his employer, along with doctor’s certificate as proof of availing the advances. Purchase or repair of a house/flat or for constructing a house along with acquiring land: An employee can withdraw funds from their PF accounts for the above mentioned purposes only after completing 5 years of service. An employee is allowed to withdraw funds up to 24 months of pay for the purchase of a plot and a payment of 36 months of basic pay for the purchase of a flat/ for the purpose of construction. However, the withdrawal is allowed only once during the entire service period.

An employee can withdraw funds from their PF accounts for the above mentioned purposes only after completing 5 years of service. An employee is allowed to withdraw funds up to 24 months of pay for the purchase of a plot and a payment of 36 months of basic pay for the purchase of a flat/ for the purpose of construction. However, the withdrawal is allowed only once during the entire service period. Repayment of loans in special cases: for availing advances for the repayment of loans, an employee must complete 10 years of service and must submit the details of the loan and supporting documents as proof. Only then can he withdraw funds equal to 36 months of pay or total contribution made by the employee and employer along with interest, whichever is less.

for availing advances for the repayment of loans, an employee must complete 10 years of service and must submit the details of the loan and supporting documents as proof. Only then can he withdraw funds equal to 36 months of pay or total contribution made by the employee and employer along with interest, whichever is less. Grant of advances in special cases: funds are withdrawn by a member on unemployment. A member who has not received payment for more than 2 months continuously or remains unemployed due to closure of the organization for more than 6 months, is allowed to withdraw from the EPF account.

funds are withdrawn by a member on unemployment. A member who has not received payment for more than 2 months continuously or remains unemployed due to closure of the organization for more than 6 months, is allowed to withdraw from the EPF account. Advance to physically handicapped member: A physically handicapped member can withdraw funds from the EPF account for buying badly needed equipment. The member can avail the lowest of 6 months of pay or employees share along with the interest incurred for purchasing the equipment. The member can make the subsequent withdrawal only after 3 years of the first withdrawal.

A physically handicapped member can withdraw funds from the EPF account for buying badly needed equipment. The member can avail the lowest of 6 months of pay or employees share along with the interest incurred for purchasing the equipment. The member can make the subsequent withdrawal only after 3 years of the first withdrawal. Withdrawal within one year before retirement: an individual is allowed to withdraw a maximum of 90% of the entire EPF amount, only after attaining the age of 54 years or within 1 year of retirement, whichever is later.

Documents required along with EPF form:

Listed below are the documents required to be submitted along with form 31 for the purpose of EPF withdrawal:

For the repayment of loans the member must produce outstanding principal and interest certificate from the lending institution or the bank from which the loan is availed.

For withdrawing funds for treatment, the employee must submit a certificate by the employer and a doctor’s certificate.

For cash advances made for buying a house, the employee must submit a declaration or registration certificate of the property.

For availing grant of advances in special cases, the employee must attach a certificate from the employer along with form 31

For advances made for the purpose of marriage, details must be provided in form 31

A physically handicapped member needs to submit a doctor’s certificate for availing advances

A member willing to withdraw funds before retirement must submit a declaration along with the form.

Things to remember while filling EPF form 31:

It takes a few weeks for the claim to be processed and the release of funds

The member can fill form 31 online, provided he has his Aadhaar card, PAN card and bank account linked with UAN.

For offline submission of the form a certification by the employer is mandatory

To receive the funds directly into your bank account, attach a cancelled cheque along with form 31.

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