Employee Provident Fund (PF) is one of the main tools for developing a financial corpus in the future. It is maintained by individuals in their employment days and is considered as pre-requisites for retirees as it ensures their financial independence during the post-retirement days. Provident funds offer employees with a substantial rate of interest, quite similar to FD interest rates.
Here is how to check your PF (Provident Fund) balance online –
1. EPFO portal
Employees can go through with their provident fund balance check online by heading to the EPFO portal and following these easy steps –
- Visit the official website of EPFO.
- Click on the “For Employees” option under the “Our Services” drop-down menu.
- You will head to a new page where you need to select the “Members Passbook” option under the “Services” menu.
- On this page, you need to log in with your 12 digit Universal Account Number and password.
- After successfully logging in, your PF balance will be displayed along with the member IDs of every employer you have worked under.
- Click on the member ID of your current employer and download the EPF passbook as a PDF file.
Access to the EPFO portal is only available to employees who have activated their UAN. Moreover, you cannot avail of this facility if your account has been inactive for more than 36 months. If you face any difficulty, you can always consult with the online customer service provider for further assistance.
2. UMANG app
The UMANG app is another mobile application provided by EPFO to monitor your EPF accounts. This app is available on the App Store and Google Play Store for download.
Install the app and go through these steps to check your PF balance online –
- Open the app and click on EPFO.
- Select the “Employee Centric Services” tab and click on the “View Passbook” option.
- Enter your UAN to log in and select the “Get OTP” option.
- Enter the OTP sent to your mobile number. Select the member ID of your employer, and your EPF passbook and current account balance will be displayed.
Hence, this is another easy method to go through your Provident Fund balance check online. With the facility of knowing your PF balance online, you will never be behind while planning various ways to use your EPF money.
3. SMS service
Employees can check their PF balance by sending an SMS to the EPFOHO SMS service centre number, mentioning their UAN and choice of language in the correct format. For example, if you want to check in your current PF balance in English, send the message ‘EPFOHO UAN ENG’ to 7738299899, and you will receive a message in their mobile instantly, withholding information of the current PF balance.
4. Missed call
You can check your PF balance by giving a missed call to 011-22901406 from your UAN registered mobile number and you will be informed of your current through an SMS or a phone call from EPFO.
Even though EPF accounts offer attractive rates of interest, quite similar to FD interest rates in India, the withdrawal facility is more beneficial in case of fixed deposit accounts. Companies like Bajaj Finance offer FDs along with several attractive features.
Tax-saving fixed deposit accounts require a minimum lock-in period of 5 years and provide an easier withdrawal facility than EPF accounts with substantial FD interest rates. Hence, it is one of the reasons why fixed deposits are better investment avenues than PPF or EPF.
EPF accounts help in securing your financial strength in your post-retirement days. Considering the above steps, you can check your current PF balance online easily to stay updated.
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