PF Transfer on Job Change with Form 13 - citizen guide 2026

When you switch jobs in India, the provident fund built up at your old employer does not move on its own. You file Form 13 on the EPFO member portal under One Member-One EPF Account, and the balance shifts to your new account.

PF transfer moves the Employees Provident Fund accumulated under your old employer into the account held under your new employer, both linked to the same Universal Account Number. It keeps your service continuous, protects interest and pension rights, and avoids holding multiple idle PF accounts.

The Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 governs PF, and the scheme is run by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The transfer request is filed on Form 13(R). On 25 April 2025 EPFO confirmed its Revamped Form 13 functionality, stating that it has “removed the requirement of approval of all transfer claims at the Destination Office” and that “once the transfer claim gets approved at the Transferor (Source) Office the previous account will automatically get transferred to the present account of the member at the Transferee (Destination) Office instantly.” This reform is expected to benefit more than 1.25 crore members.

1. Activate your UAN and complete Aadhaar-seeded KYC at the EPFO unified member portal before you start.
2. Log in with your UAN and password at the member interface.
3. Open the Online Services menu and select One Member-One EPF Account, the Transfer Request option.
4. Confirm your personal and KYC details shown on screen are correct.
5. Enter the old PF account, the Member ID or previous UAN, and the establishment details.
6. Choose who attests the claim, your previous employer or your present employer, then get the OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile.
7. Submit Form 13 and note the tracking ID. The source office approves it, and the balance moves to your new account.

• Active UAN with Aadhaar-seeded KYC
• Aadhaar-linked mobile number for OTP
• Old PF account number or previous Member ID and UAN
• Bank account and PAN seeded in your EPFO profile
• Details of your current establishment and its PF code

• Leaving the old PF account idle instead of transferring, which risks the account becoming inoperative.
• Filing a withdrawal claim by habit when you only changed jobs, which can trigger tax and loss of pension years.
• Submitting before KYC is approved, so the request gets rejected at verification.
• Wrong Member ID or establishment code, the most common cause of stuck claims.
• Ignoring the bifurcation of taxable and non-taxable PF that the Revamped Form 13 now records, which matters for TDS on interest.

Yes. Form 13(R) remains the formal transfer document. The EPFO FAQ states the member “should necessarily get his PF account transferred to his present establishment, duly submitting Form 13” and can do so online through the member interface at the unified portal.

It is the EPFO online service that consolidates all your PF money under one UAN. Because the UAN is permanent and “does not change with the change of employment,” you move each old account into your current one instead of leaving balances scattered.

In most cases employer routing has been reduced. Under the Revamped Form 13 functionality, EPFO removed approval at the destination office, so once the source office approves, the balance transfers automatically. You still pick an attesting employer when you file the request.

Once the source office approves the claim, the transfer to your new account is now instant under the Revamped Form 13 system. The earlier wait caused by a second approval at the destination office has been removed.

No. Filing Form 13 and transferring your EPF balance through the EPFO member portal is free. Be cautious of anyone or any app that charges a fee to do it for you.

You must seed and verify Aadhaar in your KYC before filing, or the request fails verification. Aadhaar-seeded KYC also enables the streamlined transfer flow, so complete it first at the member portal.

If you are continuing in employment, transfer it. Withdrawing breaks your continuous service, can attract TDS, and reduces the years counted toward your EPS pension. Withdrawal is meant for genuine exit from the workforce, not a job switch.

Note the tracking ID shown after you submit Form 13, then check Online Services, Track Claim Status on the member portal. For unresolved issues, call the EPFO helpdesk on 14470 or raise a grievance on the EPF i-Grievance portal.

• EPFO FAQ, transfer on change of employment and UAN
• EPFO press release, Revamped Form 13 functionality, 25 April 2025
• EPFO unified member portal
• EPFO, Ministry of Labour and Employment

• The RTI Playbook
• EPS-95 pension application process
• If your employer is not paying gratuity
• Reactivate a dormant account via UDGAM
• Apply for a PAN card online