The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), India’s retirement fund body, runs three social security schemes for its members, comprising the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), pension scheme and employees insurance scheme. Governed under the EPF Scheme 1952, Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS) and Insurance Scheme 1976 (EDLI), these three comprehensively take care of the needs of its members. 

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ZeeBiz.com has curated a list of forms that EPF members must file for availing of various services under these:

 

1) Form 10C – The EPFO Form 10C is used for final settlement/withdrawal benefits/advances: Composite Claim form (Aadhaar/non-Aadhaar) Scheme Certificate.

2) Form 10D – The EPFO Form 10D is used for pension benefits.

3) Form 13 – The EPFO Form 13 transfers the EPF balance from an old account to a new one.

4) Form 2 – The EPFO’s Form 2 is used for the nomination of family members.  

5) Form 11 – The EPFO’s Form 11 is used to declare the previous service.

If an EPF member’s account is seeded with the Aadhaar card details and the bank account is updated, he or she can file the claim online. Similarly, pension withdrawal benefits and provident fund (PF) non-refundable advances can also be filed online.

 
The advantage of filling out all these forms is that in the event of the death of the scheme holder, the family can get the benefit of PF/ pension and insurance without any delay.

It is the duty of the establishment or the employer to attest the EPFO claim application form.

In a situation where the EPFO claim form is not attested by the employer or the establishment, it can be attested by a manager of the bank in which the member’s savings account is maintained. The member can also complete the know-your-customer (KYC) by submitting a request to the concerned field office duly attested by one of the authorised field officials.

In case of a dispute with the employer, the member can get an attestation from the bank manager, duly explaining the reason for not being able to obtain the signature of the employer. The Regional Provident Fund (PF) Commissioner will pursue the matter with the employer, later if necessary.             

EPFO is one of the World's largest Social Security Organisations in terms of clientele and the volume of financial transactions undertaken. At present, it maintains 27.74 crore accounts or 277.4 million (Annual Report 2021-22) pertaining to its members.

 

A timeline, history and functions of EPFO as defined by its official website: https://www.epfindia.gov.in

 

The Employees' Provident Fund came into existence with the promulgation of the Employees' Provident Funds Ordinance on November 15, 1951. The ordinance was replaced by the Employees' Provident Funds Act, 1952. The Employees' Provident Funds Bill was introduced in Parliament as Bill Number 15 of the year 1952 to provide for the institution of provident funds for employees in factories and other establishments. The Act is now referred to as the Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 which extends to the whole of India. The Act and Schemes framed there under are administered by a tri-partite Board known as the Central Board of Trustees, Employees' Provident Fund, consisting of representatives of Government (Both Central and State), Employers, and Employees.

The Central Board of Trustees administers a contributory provident fund, a pension scheme, and an insurance scheme for the workforce engaged in the organised sector in India. The Board is assisted by the Employees’ PF Organisation (EPFO), consisting of offices at 138 locations across the country. The Organization has a well-equipped training setup where officers and employees of the Organisation as well as Representatives of the Employers and Employees attend sessions for training and seminars. The EPFO is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.