EPF or Employees' Provident Fund is one of the most important things of an employees' career. Once an employee starts his career in the Corporate Sector, he/she can start an EPF, under the rules mentioned by EPFO. EPF acts as a mode of saving for his future. He can withdraw his Employees' Provident Fund when he retires and needs some money for himself. EPFO states that an equal sum of money should constantly be contributed by both- the employee and the employer. This sum of money will continue to gather interest until the employee decides to withdraw it at the time of retirement.
EPF comes with great benefits. EPF is a great way of saving for the future because your EPF gathers compound interest instead of simple interest. EPF also helps you save some money on tax and makes you eligible for a pension.
But EPF management is not as simple as that it seems. The online portal introduced by EPFO has definitely made it easy to transfer and withdraw the Employees' Provident Fund. However, one can still face innumerable issues. Problems related to PF withdrawal, transfer, or details can creep up at any time. If you face any such problems, you can lodge a complaint on the EPF grievance website. You need a UAN number if you want to file a complaint. EPF Grievance website allows you to lodge complaints and also track them according to your convenience. It takes about 30 days to resolve every complaint. Employees’ Provident Funds can be very helpful to an employee who is planning for retirement. EPFs are one of the best ways to secure your future from the very beginning of your career. EPFO also provides you the provision to transfer your Employees’ Provident Fund from one employer to another when you switch jobs. Transferring EPF provides you more benefits than withdrawing them. But there are a number of issues one might face. And the best way to solve these issues is to file a formal complaint. You can address your complaint on the EPF Grievances website.
An employee can lodge a complaint regarding the following matters:
These are some of the serious matters which can affect the operations of your EPF. And in order to avoid any mishap, you need to be vigilant.
In order to register a grievance, an employee needs to visit the online portal of the EPF i-grievance management system. Once you open the website, you just need to click on the option which reads "Register Grievance." This option is available in the top section of the homepage. Once you click on the option, the website will automatically forward you to a new page. On this new page, you can easily register your grievance using a registration form. There are many mandatory fields that you need to fill before you proceed.
There are three sections available- Section A, Section B, and grievance section.
Section A requires you to put in all the EPF details. In Section B, you need to mention all your personal details. In the final section, you get to mention your grievance. You can describe your grievance in great detail using a maximum of 5000 words. Post this, you get your unique registration number after you hit the "Submit" button.
There are three sections available in the form.
Section A consists of all the EPF details. In this section, you need to put in all the details regarding your Employees' Provident Fund. You need to fill in the following details in the relevant spaces:
EPF Status : You need to mention the status of your EPF. There is a drop-down menu from which you need to choose the most appropriate option. The options available are EPF member, EPF pensioner, Employer, and others. Choose the option that suits your case the best.
PF Number : After you have mentioned your EPF Status, you will be able to move the next section. You need to mention a few important details like office code and region code in this section. PF Number helps you address the EPF and your complaints. This section demands the following information- office code, region code, establishment code, account number and extension. You can easily find this information in your salary slip, although there is another way to gather this information. You can log into UAN Portal with your registered UAN number and look up for the same.
PF Office : Once you have mentioned your details, you will be forwarded to a page where you need to select an office. This is the office that manages your PF account. This detail is of great importance when dealing with your complaint regarding your EPF. You can easily find this information with your employer.
Next, you need to mention the name of the establishment you work in, along with the address. Once you have completed this section, you can start filling up the next section, which deals with Personal Information.
The previous section demands you to put in all relevant details regarding your EPF and employment. Now, in order to move forward with filing your complaint, you need to put in some personal details as well. The following are included in this section:
Name of the Complainant : You need to mention your name in this section.
Address of the Complainant : You need to mention your address in this section. Be careful to mention an address which can be backed up with address proof.
Pin Code : Mention your pin code in this section.
Phone Number and Mobile Number : This is not a mandatory field. Although, you should mention an active phone number because all your updates will be sent to this number. If you fail to add an active phone number, then you will miss out on all updates and this might hamper your progress if you fail to follow up on your EPF complaint.
Email ID : Email ID should also be active for the same reasons. You will get all your updates on this email ID.
Grievance Details
After you have filled in your personal details, you can start filling out your grievance form. The following sections are included under this heading:
Grievance Category : Here, you need to mention the kind of Grievance that you need resolved. There is a drop-down menu where you can choose the Grievance that suits you the best.
Grievance Description : This is a section that demands you to describe your complaint in detail. The employee is allowed to explain his complaint in his own words, the way you like. You can use a maximum of 5000 words to describe your complaint. In case you don't have the time to write up your complaint, you can attach a PDF document. You can also attach a PDF file along with your written complaint. This will back up your complaint and make it easier for officials to understand your case. Once they have a better understanding, they can take the best approach to your problem.
Captcha Code : You need to mention the captcha code which is displayed on the screen. This is to ensure that only a human is using the website for lodging a genuine complaint.
Once you have filled up all your information, you can simply click on the “Submit” button, and your grievance will be registered. Once you have submitted your complaint, you will be provided a unique registration number. This number can be used whenever you need to check the status of your complaint.
Whenever you need it, you can check the status of your complaint. The unique registration number generated when you submit the grievance form can be used to check the status. You can visit the online portal anytime and follow the steps:
An employer can use the "Send Reminder" option to send a notice to the EPFO. You should do that in case EPFO is taking time to resolve your issue. "Send Reminder" option is available in the menu bar of the EPF i-grievance management system. Once you click on this option, the screen will ask you to put in your registration number and password. Just enter the captcha code and press enter. After this, you are free to send a reminder to EPFO.
It is obvious that you might be worried about your EPF issues. Therefore, it is best that EPFO has introduced a "Send Reminder" option. This will help you keep track of your complaint. You can send a reminder within a period of 30 days if your complaint is not dealt with.