How RTI can help you resolve your EPF issues

Dubai-based Deepak Bhatter (43) found a way out and processed his claim in two months. What’s surprising is that Bhatter worked with just one employer for 17 years before turning entrepreneur in 2022. Even then, his PF withdrawal was rejected.

“I had gone abroad for 18 months after an inter-company transfer. PF contributions had not happened during that period. EPFO rejected my claim, saying my PF records showed incomplete service history,” said Bhatter.

Bhatter submitted a work experience letter, a written explanation, and other required documents in April this year, but his claim still wasn’t approved. He then filed a grievance on the EPFO portal (https://epfigms.gov.in/) and followed up with emails to both regional and national EPFO offices without any luck.

To his surprise, his grievance was disposed of without any communication. “One fine day, a message popped up that the grievance had been disposed of. I immediately logged in and checked the status online and took a screenshot…The very process of filing the grievance all over again frustrated me,” said Bhatter.

EPFO closed the case on 30 May without any response. “I realised I needed to escalate the matter,” he said.

Also Read: Four issues you may face if you switched jobs but did not transfer your provident fund

Bhatter raised a second grievance, wrote to the labour ministry, took to social media—and filed a right to information (RTI) application. “Nothing helped except RTI,” he said. He received his money in ten days.

Queries mailed to EPFO last week didn’t elicit a response till press time.

Fix the errors first

Sajeet Sanjay Butala (36), too, resorted to the RTI, but his experience was not as smooth. He raised his PF issue via RTI in 2018. Butala had worked with an employer twice. When he joined the organisation the second time, the same PF number that was given to him the first time continued.

“Apparently, employers are not supposed to do this. My employer and even the third-party PF consultant they worked with were unaware of it. The EPFO did not flag it either when contributions happened. They simply rejected my PF transfer request when I switched job without specifying a clear reason,” said Butala.

He filed multiple grievances, sent several emails, and made several calls, but nothing helped. That is when he decided to file an RTI request.

“The RTI Act was often in news which made me give it a try. I filed the RTI but did not get any response. I raised the first appeal after a couple of months. That is when I got a response from the EPFO to my RTI, where a senior official explained to me the error of the same PF number being used by the employer. I discussed it with my employer and got it rectified,” he added.

Kunal Kabra, founder and chief executive of Kustodian.life, a tech firm providing claims resolution across EPF, banking, wills, and trusts, often files RTI for his clients whose PF issues the company is handling. “We do it when we don’t receive a satisfactory response via grievances,” he said.

Does it help every time they file the RTI? “It does help in about 50% cases where you get a relevant response to proceed further. About 15-20% cases get resolved instantly simply because the RTI brings the case to everyone’s attention within the EPFO and the files move faster. In the rest of the cases we may have to file First Appeal or find other ways to resolve the case in hand,” Kabra added.

Also Read: The EPFO’s ATM plan is good but it must resolve its pension muddle first

When to file RTI application

Use the RTI route only after your PF claim has been rejected or if there’s a prolonged delay with no response. Ideally, start by filing a grievance on the EPFO portal. If that doesn’t help, you can raise a complaint via the central grievance portal CPGRAMS: https://pgportal.gov.in/. 

When it comes to RTI, you need to frame your questions correctly. “Do not rant. It is not a complaints portal,” suggested Kabra. You must ask to-the-point questions to which random responses are not possible.

Bhatter, for example, asked what internal notes were shared among PF officers in his case before rejecting his grievance and which officer was handling his case. The claim was processed and credited in just 10 working days even before the response to RTI came.

“If repeated follow-ups with the EPFO yield no response or clarity, filing an RTI application can be an effective way to seek accountability. The RTI Act legally obligates EPFO to respond within a defined timeline, making it a powerful tool for individuals to obtain information, track the status of claims, or understand the reasons behind delays. It ensures transparency when other channels fall silent,” said Anurag Jain, founder and partner of ByTheBook Consulting LLP.