Skip to content

Independent. Unsponsored. Built for India.

Live rates Repo rate 5.25% USD/INR ₹95.88 Gold 24K (10g) ₹1,53,727 All rates
Advertiser disclosure. Some links on this page are partner links. They never change our rankings. Read how

Credsir earns money when you apply for a product through some of the links on this site. That revenue funds the research. It does not buy a placement: our rankings come from a published scoring method that runs on the same data for every product, partner or not. Products we do not earn from appear in these lists whenever they win on the numbers — and several currently do.

Government Services

EPF Withdrawal Online: Eligibility, Forms and Claim Steps

Withdraw EPF online on the EPFO member portal with an active UAN and verified KYC. Full withdrawal needs 12 months out of work; 25% stays.

AI

Written by Ananya Iyer

Published 19 September 2026·6 min read

On this page8 sections
Credsir Government Services guide cover with a landmark icon

You can withdraw EPF online on the EPFO Member e-Sewa portal once your UAN is active and your Aadhaar and bank account are verified. While you are still employed, you can take a partial withdrawal after 12 months of membership, but 25% of your contributions must stay in the account. Full withdrawal after leaving a job now needs 12 months without covered employment.

Key facts

Item Rule
Governing rules Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme, 2026 (G.S.R. 525(E), dated 29 June 2026), which replaced the EPF Scheme, 1952
Where to apply EPFO Member e-Sewa portal (unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in)
Partial withdrawal After 12 months’ membership; minimum ₹1,000; up to 100% of the eligible balance
Minimum balance 25% of total contributions (employee and employer share plus interest) must remain
Full withdrawal before retirement After 12 continuous months out of covered employment
Full withdrawal on retirement From age 55
Auto-settlement limit Advance claims up to ₹5 lakh, processed within three days
Legal settlement deadline 20 days from receipt of a complete claim
TDS Applies if service is under 5 years and the amount is above ₹50,000

When you can withdraw: full vs partial

Partial withdrawal while employed

Paragraph 46 of the EPF Scheme, 2026 groups partial withdrawals into three heads. Each needs 12 months of total membership and lets you take up to 100% of the “Eligible Member Balance”, which is your balance minus the 25% minimum balance.

Purpose Limit on number of withdrawals
Illness of self or family No count set in the scheme
Education of self or family 10 times during membership
Marriage of self or family 5 times during membership
Housing: buy, build, buy a site, repay a home loan, renovate 5 times during membership
Special circumstances 2 times in a financial year

Under special circumstances you no longer have to give a reason. The Central Board of Trustees (CBT) removed that requirement on 13 October 2025 because claims citing unemployment, lockouts or calamities were often rejected. The counts restart from the date the 2026 scheme began, so earlier withdrawals do not use them up.

A member who leaves a job before completing 12 months of membership can still withdraw, but only up to the eligible balance.

Full withdrawal (final settlement)

Paragraph 49 allows the full balance to be paid:

  • on retirement after age 55;
  • on permanent and total incapacity for work;
  • just before you migrate abroad to settle or take up a job;
  • on retrenchment or a voluntary retirement scheme.

If you simply resign, you must not have worked in a covered establishment for 12 continuous months before you apply. Until June 2026 the wait was two months; the CBT approved the longer period in October 2025. Women who resign to get married are exempt from the waiting period.

The pension (EPS) part follows its own rules. Under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 2026, a member with under 10 years of service who does not rejoin gets the withdrawal benefit only after a 36-month waiting period, according to SCC Online. Our EPF and VPF guide explains how the two accounts differ.

Pre-checks: UAN, Aadhaar, bank KYC

EPFO lets you file Form 19, 10C and 31 without your employer’s signature. Before you start, check:

ItemDetails
UAN is activated.Activation is now done through Aadhaar face authentication on the UMANG app.
Aadhaar and bank KYC are approvedby your employer with its digital signature. PAN should also be linked; see our page on PAN and Aadhaar linking.
Your mobile number is linked to Aadhaar, because the claim is signed with an Aadhaar OTP.
Your date of exit is updatedif you are filing a final PF or pension claim.

Step-by-step online claim (Form 31, 19, 10C)

Pick the form that fits your case:

ItemDetails
Form 31partial withdrawal (advance) while in service.
Form 19final PF settlement after leaving service.
Form 10Cpension withdrawal benefit or scheme certificate.

The steps below follow ClearTax’s walkthrough of the member portal. Screen labels may shift after EPFO’s July 2026 portal upgrade.

  1. Log in to the Member e-Sewa portal with your UAN and password.
  2. Open Manage > KYC and confirm that Aadhaar, PAN and bank details show as verified.
  3. Go to Online Services and select Claim (Form-31, 19, 10C & 10D).
  4. Enter your bank account number and click Verify.
  5. Click Yes on the certificate of undertaking, then Proceed for Online Claim.
  6. Choose the claim type from the drop-down. For an advance, select the purpose and enter the amount.
  7. Enter your address, tick the disclaimer and request the Aadhaar OTP.
  8. Enter the OTP and submit the claim.
  9. Track the claim on the EPFO passbook portal, which shows claim status alongside your passbook.

TDS on EPF withdrawal before 5 years

A PF payout is tax-free if you have 5 years of continuous service. EPFO counts service with a previous employer towards that total. If service is shorter and the payout is above ₹50,000, the fund deducts TDS. TDSMAN puts the rate at 10% where PAN is furnished; without PAN the rate is higher.

From 1 April 2026 this deduction falls under Section 392(7) of the Income-tax Act, 2025, which replaced Section 192A of the 1961 Act. If your total tax will be nil, you can submit Form 121, which replaced Forms 15G and 15H. Our TDS rates chart lists other deductions. The TDS is not the final tax; the withdrawal is taxed in your return.

How long settlement takes

ItemDetails
Auto-settled advancesEPFO raised the auto-settlement limit from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh in June 2025 for illness, education, marriage and housing claims. These are processed by the system within three days.
Other claimsthe scheme requires settlement within 20 days of receiving a complete claim. Any deficiency must be communicated within the same 20 days.
Delaybeyond 20 days without sufficient cause, the Commissioner is liable and penal interest of 12% a year can be charged on the benefit amount.

Common reasons for rejection include a bank account name that does not match EPFO records, an unclear cheque image and a missing date of exit. If a claim is stuck, raise a grievance on EPFiGMS (epfigms.gov.in) or call the EPFO helpdesk on 14470. For large final settlements with tax questions, a chartered accountant can check your position before you file.

Frequently asked questions

Can I withdraw my full PF immediately after resigning?

No. Under the EPF Scheme, 2026 you must be out of covered employment for 12 continuous months. You can still take a partial withdrawal up to the eligible balance in the meantime.

How much PF can I withdraw while working?

Up to 100% of the eligible balance after 12 months of membership. The eligible balance excludes 25% of your total contributions and interest, which must stay in the account.

Do I need my employer’s approval to withdraw PF?

No, for Form 19, 10C and 31, provided your UAN is active and your Aadhaar and bank KYC are already approved by the employer.

How long does EPF withdrawal take?

Auto-settled advances up to ₹5 lakh are processed within three days. Other complete claims must be settled within 20 days.

Is TDS deducted on PF withdrawal?

Only if your continuous service is under 5 years and the amount exceeds ₹50,000. If your total tax is nil, submit Form 121.

Can I withdraw my EPS pension amount?

If you have under 10 years of service and do not rejoin covered employment, you can claim the withdrawal benefit through Form 10C. Under the 2026 pension scheme, it is paid after a 36-month waiting period.

How many times can I withdraw PF?

Education up to 10 times, marriage and housing up to 5 times each during membership, and special circumstances twice a financial year.

Sources

Related articles