Procedure for PF Withdrawal by Nominees, Legal Heirs

Provident Fund (PF) is one of the benefits for the employees, as per which, every month a part of an employee’s salary is deducted and deposited in the employee’s PF account. The same amount (upto 12%) is also paid by the company which is also added to the employee’s PF account every month. An employee may choose to deduct more than 12% annually but it is not mandatory for the employer to contribute equal amount in that case, but can just stick to 12%. Also, it’s not mandatory to deduct PF of an employee whose basic pay is above Rs. 15,000 per month. But once he/she becomes the member of EPF continues to be its member even if his/her pay is above Rs 15,000.

In case of death of an employee before claiming the PF amount, the amount standing in the deceased employee’s PF account can be claimed by either the nominee(s) or the legal heir(s) of the deceased person.

Who Can Apply?

Like the title suggests, the nominee(s) chosen by the deceased employee (at the time of PF account creation) can apply for the PF balance. In case the nominee chosen by the employee is deceased, then the legal heirs of the deceased employee can claim the PF balance.

Important Facts

In case the nominee is not a legal heir and if the deceased employee has not made a will mentioning who should get his PF amount and what share of it, then the nominee may not get the deceased person’s PF amount. The legal heir can claim to have the right to get the deceased’s PF balance.

Even though a nominee receives the PF amount of a deceased person, the legal heir of the deceased can claim to get the amount. But, if the deceased person has made a Will stating that the nominee should get the PF benefits, then the nominee only shall reap the benefits. This aspect also stresses on how important it is to make a Will.

If the deceased employee had chosen Pension Scheme at the time of creating his/her PF account, then the nominee will get the pension benefit.

The nominees of exempted employees will not be liable for the debts of the deceased employee and that the amount payable to the employee will not be subject to attachment by any court by way of any decree.

Procedure For PF Withdrawal By Nominees/Legal Heirs

In order to withdraw the PF amount standing in the credit of a deceased employee, under the Public Provident Fund Scheme, 1968, an application (Form G) has to be submitted by the nominees or legal heirs to the respective Regional PF office.

Below are the steps to be followed by nominees or legal heirs in order to withdraw PF of a deceased person:

1. An Application for the withdrawal by Nominees/Legal Heirs (FORM G), under the Public Provident Fund Scheme 1968, has to be filled.
2. Along with the application, the following documents have to be enclosed-
   • Death certificate of the employee
   • Death certificate of nominee(s) (applicable in case the nominee(s) is(are) dead and legal heirs are filing the PF withdrawal application)
   • Succession Certificate/ Letters of Administration along with an attested copy of probated Will of the deceased employee
   • Nationalised Bank’s Passbook of the nominees
   • Letter of indemnity (Annexure I to Form G)
   • Affidavit (Annexure II to Form G)
   • Letter of disclaimer (Annexure III to Form G)
   • Proof of date of birth and identity of claimant(s) (either nominees or legal heirs) for pension benefits
3. The claimant(s) (either nominees or legal heirs) should fill in all the details including full name, address, relationship with the employee, place and date of submitting the application, and sign the documents (Annexures I, II and III) in the designated places.
4. Two witnesses have to sign the Letter of indemnity (Annexure I) in which their full names and addresses must be mentioned.
5. The Letter of indemnity, Affidavit and the Letter of disclaimer are required to be attested by an Oaths Commissioner or a notary, after duly identifying the applicants.
6. All the above said documents prepared by the applicants shall be together placed in an envelope and sent to the Regional PF Office either directly or through the Employer.

Once submitted, the processing of the application may take over a month, after which the claims may get settled. The PF settlement process may take anywhere between 30 to 90 days.

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