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1 out of every 4 PF claims rejected in 2023-24-Know strange reasons why claims of these subscribers were denied
Climbing the great EPFO wall
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The Elusive PF Lottery
UAN not linked with Aadhaar
Mismatch in records (name, date of birth, date of joining or leaving, etc.)
Incorrect employer or bank details (organisation name, code)
Mistakes in claim submission form
Failure to transfer EPS Ineligible EPS account (monthly basic salary exceeds Rs.15,000)
Most can be resolved by raising grievances and rectifying errors.
Raghav Jain appeared for job interview, rejected offer, but received one month's salary credit by mistake
This salary credit now reflects as overlapping employment in Jain's PF records
There is no way to get this 'overlapping service' expunged from his records
As a result, his PF claims may not get approved.
Prem Kumar's KYC records show that the Aadhaar-UAN link is approved
However, his PF claim got rejected as the Aadhaar-UAN linkage not completed
EPFO portal shows his KYC status as 'approved' and 'undefined' at two different places
His PF withdrawal claim is stuck for over a year.
No easy remedies
EPFO often has no remedy for such conflicts
Onus is on the subscriber to resolve the issue
Look for any mismatch between EPFO records and your Aadhaar data
Link UAN with Aadhaar. Ensure Aadhaar-linked mobile number is active.
Verify past employment record for any mismatch (overlap or gap in service)
Double-check your bank account information for any errors.
Rough ride awaits
For salaried employees, the Provident Fund (PF) is an all-weather friend, promising a safe harvest for the autumn of their lives. They have trusted it the way one trusts a family doctor's prescription. But, as countless weary PF subscribers have discovered, even this familiar friend can turn fickle. When the moment arrives to claim that 'assured' treasure, it often turns out to be a mirage, with unexpected hurdles cropping up. Filing a PF claim can feel like chasing a lottery ticket—the pot at the end of the rainbow remains Parth Rajgor is facing a 'relationship' conflict of a different sort. His application for PF transfer from his previous company has been pending for over four months due to a discrepancy in his relationship status in his Know Your Customer (KYC) records. In all his records, including his Aadhaar, Rajgor has his mother's name listed in the field for parent/spouse name. Both current and previous employers also have the same relationship mentioned in their respective transfer stuck EPFO portal not accepting relationship 'mother' against the name of parentHowever, due to a technical glitch on the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) portal, the relationship in the PF records is incorrectly listed as 'father,' instead of 'mother.' This mistaken identity has blocked his PF transfer claim of Rs 1.25 lakh, for no fault of his or the employers'. 'I needed the money for making a down payment towards buying a home, but I don't know when the issue will get resolved,' laments in New Delhi, Prem Kumar (name changed on request) is facing a different ordeal. Kumar has checked all the boxes, with no visible gaps, mismatches, or errors in his PF records. He has also linked his Aadhaar to his Universal Account Number (UAN), which is acknowledged as 'approved' in his KYC records on the EPF portal. However, when he initiated a claim on the portal, it rejected it, stating that his Aadhaar-UAN linkage had not been mystery that nobody can solve—how EPFO shows KYC status 'approved' at one place, yet shows KYC status 'undefined' at another. Kumar even filed a Right to Information (RTI) application to have his KYC status verified as 'approved,' but the EPFO portal remains Rajgor and Kumar have engaged FinRight, a platform that helps individuals resolve PF claims. The process often means making multiple trips to the local EPFO office—a tedious ordeal. Ketan Das, Manager, Operations and Strategy, FinRight, says, 'When resolving a PF issue offline, you have to justify the reasons with relevant documents and screenshots.'For Bengaluru resident Vipin Vijayan, emptying money from his PF account at a previous employer has led to a deadlock. When he joined his next employer, a separate UAN got created, resulting in multiple UANs. According to EPFO rules, an individual is allowed to have only one UAN. Although his previous UAN has already been claimed and settled, Vijayan is experiencing difficulties accessing the passbook linked to his current UAN. Both UANs are linked to the same mobile number. Since his earlier PF account has no money, the two UANs cannot be EPFO portal throws an error message suggesting Vijayan change the mobile number in Aadhaar. But this has put him in a spot. 'The complication arises because any change to the mobile number in Aadhaar will automatically reflect in both UANs, making it impossible to isolate the update for only one account. This linkage has created a unique challenge, as the usual corrective process cannot be applied without affecting both records,' explains Kunal Kabra, Founder, a platform that assists individuals in PF claims. Kabra's team is currently working to resolve the issue by escalating it to the central EPFO body, as the regional EPFO teams have failed to provide any you think PF-related problems cannot get more bizarre, hear Raghav Jain's (name changed) tale, whose job interview at an employer has led to a PF imbroglio. After clearing the interview, Jain did not take up the ensuing offer. But inadvertently, the employer credited one month's salary into his account. This salary credit now reflects as overlapping employment in Jain's PF records. Despite raising multiple grievances, Jain finds that there is no way to get this 'overlapping service' expunged from his records. As a result, his PF claims may not get approved. Jain has engaged to help him find a fix for this subscribers face bizarre hurdles with no easy fixes, making claims a game of KYCWhen you claim a PF transfer or withdrawal, you have no clue what lies in store for you. According to the latest available data, the EPFO rejected one out of every four PF claims in 2023-24. Most issues can be tackled by raising grievances or rectifying errors or mismatches, but some are beyond the realm of the ordinary. Procedural or technical issues with the EPFO online portal are among the most exasperating problems. The EPFO often has no remedy for such conflicts. The onus is on the subscriber to resolve the issue. This is the sobering reality for many—jumping through hoops to claim money that rightfully belongs to you. Even as EPFO 3.0 seeks to improve service delivery, legacy issues continue to haunt subscribers.
