Your EPF claim says “rejected by employer” with no reason, or your NPS lumpsum at 60 is still pending three weeks after exit. The money is yours by statute. This guide gives you the next 30 minutes, the 5-tier escalation ladder, and four ready-to-send complaints so the Provident Fund or pension lands in your bank within 31 days.
Quick answer (next 30 minutes): (1) Login at UAN portal or CRA-NSDL / KFin and copy the exact rejection or pending reason. (2) Match the reason against the top-10 table below. (3) File EPFiGMS at epfigms.gov.in or PFRDA-CGRO at cgms.pfrda.org.in. (4) Save the grievance reference number. SLA is 7-10 working days (EPFO Citizens' Charter, April 2024).
EPF rejection codes, KYC freezes, UAN-Aadhaar spelling mismatches, employer not approving transfer or exit, partial withdrawal refused for housing or medical or marriage, EPS-95 pension PPO delay, NPS Tier-1 lumpsum at 60, Tier-2 unlimited withdrawal denied, PRAN-bank mismatch, annuity service provider confusion, deceased member claim by nominee, and the writ-court route when EPFO or PFRDA stops responding.
[Name], a software engineer in Pune, left Employer A in January 2026 and joined Employer B the same month. In April 2026 [Name] filed Form 19 (PF final settlement) and Form 10C (EPS withdrawal benefit) on the UAN portal because the new employer runs a private PF trust and could not accept the transfer.
Claim status on day 12: “Rejected by employer - reason not updated”. UAN [UAN] showed KYC fully verified, Aadhaar seeded, PAN linked, bank IFSC active. The actual block: Employer A's HR had not entered “date of exit” and “reason of leaving” in the establishment portal. [Name] raised EPFiGMS on day 13, attached three screenshots, quoted Para 72(5) of the EPF Scheme 1952 (employer's duty to maintain records), and got the date-of-exit updated on day 19. Final settlement of ₹4.8 lakh credited on day 24, with 8.25% FY25 interest intact.
To: Employees' Provident Fund Organisation Through: https://epfigms.gov.in Grievance category: PF claim - rejected without reason Establishment code: [Establishment Code] UAN: [UAN] PF account number: [PF Account] Subject: Form 19 and Form 10C rejected on [date] without recorded reason; KYC fully verified; request resolution under Citizens' Charter SLA of 7-10 working days. Facts: 1. I left service of [Employer A] on [exit date]. I have not been employed under any covered establishment with this UAN since that date. 2. I filed Form 19 (final settlement) and Form 10C (EPS withdrawal benefit) on [filing date] through the Unified Member Portal. 3. On [rejection date] the claim status changed to "Rejected by Employer" without any reason recorded against my UAN. 4. My KYC is fully approved: Aadhaar verified by UIDAI, PAN verified by Income-tax Department, bank account verified by name-match. 5. Date of exit and reason of leaving are visible on my service history but [Employer A] has not approved the same. Relief sought: (a) Direct [Employer A] under Para 72(5) of the EPF Scheme 1952 to update date of exit and reason of leaving within 7 working days. (b) Re-process Form 19 and Form 10C with full 8.25% interest for FY25 and pro-rata interest till the date of credit. (c) Apply TDS as per §192A Income-tax Act 1961 (PAN seeded; 10% applicable). (d) Issue settlement confirmation SMS and email per Citizens' Charter SLA. Documents attached: - Screenshot of rejection status - Screenshot of KYC page (all verified) - Screenshot of service history - Last salary slip and Form 16 Signed, [Name] [Mobile linked to UAN] [Email] Date: [DD-MM-YYYY]
Portal: https://pgportal.gov.in Ministry: Ministry of Labour and Employment Subordinate office: Employees' Provident Fund Organisation Grievance type: Service delivery delay Subject: EPFiGMS reference [EPFOH/E/2026/0XXXXXX] unresolved beyond 10 working days; statutory delay under Citizens' Charter; request escalation to Regional PF Commissioner. I filed EPFiGMS grievance [reference number] on [date] regarding rejected Form 19 against UAN [UAN] under establishment [code]. The 7-10 working day SLA under the EPFO Citizens' Charter expired on [date]. There has been no substantive action; status is "under examination" without further communication. Statutory basis: - §7B Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952 (review by PF Commissioner) - Para 72(5) EPF Scheme 1952 (employer obligation) - Citizens' Charter EPFO 2024 (7-10 working day TAT) Relief: Escalate to Regional Provident Fund Commissioner with physical hearing under §7B within 15 days, and process my claim with interest till date of credit. [Name] / UAN [UAN] / [Mobile] / [Email]
[On Plain Paper / Letterhead of Counsel] LEGAL NOTICE UNDER PARA 72(5) EPF SCHEME 1952 READ WITH §192 INCOME-TAX ACT 1961 AND CODE ON WAGES 2019 To, The HR Head / Authorised Signatory [Employer A Pvt Ltd] [Registered office address] Establishment code: [Code] From, [Name] Former Employee, Employee Code [code] UAN [UAN] [Address] Subject: Failure to update date of exit and reason of leaving on EPFO establishment portal; consequential blocking of statutory provident fund settlement; demand for compliance within 7 days failing which legal action. Sir/Madam, 1. I was employed with you from [DoJ] to [DoE]. On separation I cleared all dues and exit formalities; full and final settlement was acknowledged by you on [date]. 2. Under Para 72(5) of the Employees' Provident Funds Scheme 1952 read with §7A of the EPF Act 1952, you are statutorily bound to update date of exit and reason of leaving on the EPFO establishment portal not later than the month following the month of cessation. 3. As of [today's date], my service history on the Unified Member Portal shows blank date-of-exit. Consequence: Form 19 (final settlement) and Form 10C (EPS withdrawal) filed by me on [date] stand rejected as "rejected by employer". 4. Your default is also a breach of §192 Income-tax Act 1961 (TDS reconciliation) and §3(2) of the Code on Wages 2019 (full payment of statutory dues). 5. I hereby call upon you to: (a) Update date of exit and reason of leaving within **7 days** of receipt of this notice; (b) Send written confirmation of the update with screenshot; (c) Pay damages of ₹[amount] for loss of interest on blocked PF balance from [DoE] to date of credit at 8.25% per annum. 6. Failing compliance within 7 days, I shall be constrained to: (i) File complaint before the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner under §7A EPF Act 1952; (ii) Approach the Consumer Commission under Consumer Protection Act 2019 via eDaakhil; (iii) File writ petition before the jurisdictional High Court under Article 226 with cost prayer; (iv) Inform the Income-tax Department of the §192 breach for adjustment of TDS credit. All this entirely at your cost and consequence. Yours faithfully, [Name] Date: [DD-MM-YYYY] Place: [City] Cc: Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, [Zone]
India has Social Security Agreements with 21 countries (Germany, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Korea, Czech Republic, Norway, Luxembourg, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Canada, Australia, Japan, Portugal, Brazil, Quebec, and Singapore-pending). International workers must comply with Para 83 EPF Scheme 1952 (special chapter). Detachment certificates avoid double coverage. On exit, withdrawal is only allowed at 58 unless SSA permits earlier.
VRS triggers both Form 19 (PF lumpsum) and Form 10D (pension) if 10+ years of EPS contribution. The exit may be treated as “retirement” for tax purposes under §10(10C) Income-tax Act 1961, with ₹5 lakh exemption on VRS compensation.
Use Form 20 (PF), Form 10D (pension - widow / widower / children), and Form 5IF (EDLI). If no nominee on record, attach legal heir certificate from Tehsildar / Sub-Divisional Magistrate; succession certificate from civil court for amounts above the prescribed limit. EPFO is bound to process death claims within 7 days under the Citizens' Charter.
Some establishments (Tata, ITC, Bharat Forge, Reserve Bank, etc.) run exempted PF trusts under §17 EPF Act 1952. Their rules must be at least as favourable as the EPF Scheme. Claim ladder runs through trust trustees → Regional PF Commissioner (concurrent jurisdiction) → RPFC supervisory order → High Court writ.
Tier-2 has no lock-in, no tax break (except for central government employees under §80CCD(2) up to ₹1.5 lakh under a 3-year lock-in special variant), and full liquidity. Use it as an emergency fund stacked on low-cost passive funds.
APY guarantees ₹1,000 to ₹5,000 monthly pension from age 60. Subscribers must be 18-40 at entry and bank account holders. Withdrawal restrictions and exit rules differ from NPS - see APY-specific PFRDA regulations 2015.
In nine cases out of ten the employer has not updated date-of-exit and reason-of-leaving on the establishment portal. EPFO's automated system marks “rejected by employer” without a textual reason. Fix: email HR + file EPFiGMS quoting Para 72(5) EPF Scheme 1952. SLA 7-10 working days.
Yes - reduced pension from age 50 if you have 10 years of EPS contribution. The reduction is 4% per year below 58. Apply via Form 10D. Full pension at 58. Note: pension at any age requires 10 years' contribution; under 10 years, only Form 10C lumpsum withdrawal.
EPS-95 (Employees' Pension Scheme 1995) is a defined-benefit scheme under the EPF Act 1952; pension formula = pensionable salary × pensionable service / 70. NPS (National Pension System) under PFRDA Act 2013 is defined-contribution; corpus depends on market returns; 60% lumpsum + 40% mandatory annuity at 60.
Partial withdrawal for housing (Para 68B), medical (68H), marriage/education (68K) is not taxable if member has 5+ years of continuous service. Below 5 years it is added to income and TDS at 10% applies if PAN is seeded (30% if not). Final settlement after 5 years is fully tax-free.
No. Employer is a custodian, not an owner. If employer refuses to approve KYC or date-of-exit, escalate via EPFiGMS, then RPFC under §7B. Joint Declaration Form (online from January 2024) allows you to bypass employer in many KYC corrections. Persistent employer non-compliance attracts §14B damages.
Yes. Premium is paid by the employer (0.5% of basic wage capped at ₹15,000) under EDLI Scheme 1976. Maximum payout to nominee on death-in-service: ₹7 lakh (revised April 2024). No claim form fee; only the death certificate and nominee KYC required.
Use “One Member One EPF Account” at UAN portal → Online Services. Select old member IDs to transfer into the current account. Old employer must approve the transfer-out; new employer must approve the transfer-in. Timeline: 15-30 days. Run merger before filing Form 19 to avoid partial settlements.
PFRDA Circular (April 2024) lets you defer the 60% lumpsum and the 40% annuity up to age 75. Useful if you wish to continue earning market returns post-retirement. Apply within 3 months of attaining 60; otherwise system treats it as exit at 60.
Yes. Non-Resident Indians can open and continue NPS Tier-1 (and Tier-2 from 2019) under PFRDA NRI guidelines. Account opens against PAN and bank account in India; FATCA declaration required. Lumpsum and annuity follow the same exit rules as resident subscribers.
A simple EPFiGMS resolution is administrative. A §7A order by the Regional PF Commissioner is a quasi-judicial order, binding and enforceable as a decree under §8B EPF Act 1952. Appeal lies to the Central Provident Fund Commissioner under §7I within 60 days.
EPF and NPS are statutory entitlements, not employer goodwill. Every working day of delay costs you interest, peace of mind, and time you cannot recover. Save your screenshots, file EPFiGMS or CGRO the same day a rejection appears, and escalate without apology. If you have read this far, draft your grievance now - a 15-minute filing today saves a 15-month court fight later.
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RTI Wiki editorial team. Citizen guide, 2026 edition. Information current as of 16 May 2026.