How to merge two or more EPF accounts

If you’re somebody who has switched jobs over once, then it’s important for you to merge all of your Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts from previous employers therewith of the new one. An important reason for this is related to the taxation of funds withdrawn from the EPF.

Deloitte India Partner Saraswathi Kasturirangan explains: “To ensure that the job is counted as a continuous length of service, all EPF accounts from past employers should be merged into the current one. Withdrawals from an EPF account are tax-free after 5 years of continuous service for income tax purposes. The 5 years of continuous service are calculated from the date of entry into the provident fund plan until the date of making a withdrawal.”

People can merge their various EPF accounts using Universal Account Number or UAN. UAN allows you to link all EPF accounts into one account. UAN can help you keep track of multiple EPF accounts opened by different organizations you have worked for.

An EPF member can hand over their UAN to a new employer to open an EPF account in the new organization. Once the new account is opened, money from the previous employer’s provident fund account can be transferred to the new account. However, if the new organization generates a new UAN, you must combine all the UANs into one.

According to Kasturirangan, “If an employee has more than one UAN, the most recent one should be linked to the new establishment. The PF balances from the other UANs must be moved to the most recent one.”

Your UAN must be activated on the Member Sewa portal before you may submit an online request to merge two or more EPF accounts.

Here’s how to merge two or more EPF accounts online, step by step.
Step 1: Visit https://unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in to access the Member Sewa portal.

Step 2: Under the ‘Online Services’ option, select ‘One Member – One EPF Account (Transfer Request).’

Step 3: Your personal information will be displayed on the screen. It will also provide the details of your current employer’s EPF account, which will be used to transfer funds from previous accounts.

Step 4: In order to transfer the previous account, you must get it attested by either the previous or current employer. For a faster processing of a transfer request, an employee can choose attestation through their current employer. Enter the previous member ID, such as the previous PF account number or UAN. Click on ‘Get Details’

The screen will display information about your prior EPF accounts.

Step 5: Click on ‘Get OTP’ . Your registered mobile number will receive a one-time password. Enter the OTP and hit the submit button.

After this, Your request for EPF account mergers will  be successfully submitted. Your current employer must approve the merger request that you have submitted. The EPFO authorities will process and merge your previous EPF accounts with the current one once your employer approves it. Return to the portal to learn more about the merger’s status.

Remember that your old EPF accounts must be KYC compliant in order to submit the online request. If you have more than one old EPF account, you must submit a merger request for each old EPF account separately.