How To · EPF · Transfer
How to Transfer EPF/PF When You Change Jobs
When you change jobs you should usually transfer your EPF to the new account rather than withdraw it. A transfer keeps your service continuous, which protects your pension eligibility and keeps the fund tax-free once you cross five years of total service. You do the transfer online through the EPFO Unified Member Portal using the Form 13 claim, and your old or new employer approves it digitally. This page explains why a transfer beats a withdrawal, the exact online steps, who approves it, how long it takes, the common reasons a transfer gets stuck, and what to do if it is wrongly blocked. Last verified October 2026.
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01Transfer or withdraw
On a job change you have two options for the old PF: transfer it to the new account, or withdraw it. For almost everyone still working, transfer is the better choice:
- Service stays continuous. Pension (EPS) eligibility needs 10 years of service; a transfer protects that count, a withdrawal resets it.
- Tax-free status is protected. Five years of continuous service makes the fund tax-free. Each transfer adds to that count; a withdrawal below five years is taxable.
- Compounding continues on the whole balance instead of restarting from zero.
02Before you start
A transfer runs under one UAN, so set these up first:
- One active UAN used by both employers. If you were given a second UAN by mistake, get it merged with the old one first.
- KYC verified (Aadhaar, PAN, bank) and seeded for the current job.
- Date of exit from the old job updated in your account.
- Both member IDs visible under your UAN so the system can see the old and new accounts.
03How to transfer online
- Log in at unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in with your UAN and password.
- Open Online Services > One Member - One EPF Account (Transfer Request).
- Check your personal and current account details.
- Under Get Details, the portal shows your previous account. Select it.
- Choose who will attest the claim: your previous employer or your present employer (whoever can verify faster).
- Click Get OTP, enter the Aadhaar OTP, and submit. This generates the online Form 13.
- Note the tracking ID. If the portal asks, print the generated form, sign it, and hand it to the chosen employer.
04Who approves and how long
After you submit, the employer you selected must approve the request digitally through the employer portal. Once approved, EPFO processes the transfer and the old balance merges into the current account.
A clean request is usually completed within a few weeks, though it depends on how quickly the employer attests. Track it under Online Services > Track Claim Status.
With recent EPFO changes, many transfers between accounts under the same Aadhaar-verified UAN no longer need employer attestation. Check the portal prompt before you print anything.
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05When a transfer gets stuck
Transfers usually stall for one of these reasons. Fix the cause, then re-raise:
| Problem | How to fix |
|---|---|
| Two UANs for one person | Request a UAN merge / de-duplication with EPFO before transferring |
| Employer not attesting | Switch the attestation to the other employer, or raise a grievance |
| KYC not verified | Seed and verify Aadhaar, PAN and bank for the current job first |
| Date of exit missing | Update date of exit for the old job under Manage > Mark Exit |
| Name / DOB mismatch between accounts | File a joint declaration correction, then re-submit |
If the employer simply will not act, raise a grievance on EPFiGMS at epfigms.gov.in with your tracking ID.
06If it is wrongly blocked
If a transfer is wrongly refused, or your contributions are not being deposited at all, you can escalate beyond the portal:
- Regional PF Commissioner. Raise the dispute in writing with the office handling the account, including any non-deposit of dues by the employer.
- Statutory appeal. An order under the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952 can be appealed to the EPF Appellate Tribunal.
- High Court. Where no statutory appeal fits, a writ petition is the usual remedy.
07Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
A transfer that is merely slow is a portal and employer issue. But where an employer is not depositing your dues, or a determination under the EPF Act is in dispute, the matter moves to the EPF Appellate Tribunal or the High Court, and then it helps to track it. You can create a FREE Claw account and follow the matter by party name or case number across the forum that hears it, because Claw covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums, including the High Courts and tribunals. Its judgment search spans 30 crore+ decisions, with Supreme Court rulings from 1950 and High Court rulings from 1990, so you can see how similar EPF disputes were decided. Results return in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not use your case details or documents to train its AI models. Claw is for the dispute stage, not the routine transfer, and it does not replace legal advice.
08Sources and further reading
- EPFO Unified Member Portal (transfer request): unifiedportal-mem.epfindia.gov.in
- EPFO: epfindia.gov.in
- EPFiGMS (grievance portal): epfigms.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This page is general information for members in India, not legal advice. Confirm the current steps and attestation rules against the EPFO portal.
09Frequently asked questions
Should I transfer or withdraw my PF when I change jobs?
If you are continuing to work, transfer it. A transfer keeps your service continuous, which protects your EPS pension eligibility (10 years) and your tax-free status (five years of continuous service). Withdrawing resets both clocks and may be taxable.
How do I transfer PF online?
Log in to the EPFO member portal, open Online Services and One Member - One EPF Account (Transfer Request), select the previous account, choose the previous or present employer to attest, submit with an Aadhaar OTP to generate Form 13, and note the tracking ID.
Who approves the transfer?
The employer you select (previous or present) approves it digitally through the employer portal. With recent EPFO changes, many transfers under the same Aadhaar-verified UAN are processed without employer attestation; check the portal prompt.
Why is my transfer stuck?
Common causes are two UANs for one person, the employer not attesting, unverified KYC, a missing date of exit, or a name or date of birth mismatch between accounts. Fix the cause and re-raise, and raise a grievance on EPFiGMS if the employer will not act.
What if the employer never deposited my PF?
That is more serious than a slow transfer. Raise it with the Regional PF Commissioner, who can recover the dues, and if a determination under the EPF Act goes against you it can be appealed to the EPF Appellate Tribunal, with a High Court writ as a backstop.
Do I need a new UAN at a new job?
No. Your UAN stays the same for life. Give the same UAN to the new employer so the new account links to it. If you accidentally got a second UAN, request a merge before transferring.