PF stuck, rejected or not deposited: the EPFiGMS route

What has probably happened

Provident fund (PF) is savings the law makes your employer keep for you. Each month a part of your salary is cut as your share, the employer adds its own share, and both are meant to be deposited with the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in your account. Your account is tied to your UAN (Universal Account Number), which stays with you when you change jobs. The passbook on the EPFO member portal shows every deposit.

Usually one of three things has gone wrong:

• Not deposited. Your salary slip shows a PF cut, but the passbook has no entry for that month, or no entries at all.
• Stuck. You applied to withdraw PF, settle it after leaving, or transfer it from an old employer's account to a new one, and nothing has moved.
• Rejected. Your claim came back with a reason you do not understand or do not agree with.

The law behind this is the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (the EPF Act). It applies to factories and establishments with 20 or more people employed, and once it applies it keeps applying even if the number later falls below 20 (Section 1). Under Section 6, the employer pays a contribution of 10% of basic wages, dearness allowance and retaining allowance, or 12% where the government has notified the higher rate, and the employee's share is equal to it. A part of the employer's share goes to the pension fund (Section 6A).

What to do, step by step

Step 1 — collect the facts (day 1). Log in to the EPFO member portal with your UAN and download your passbook. Put it next to your salary slips. Make a list: each month where PF was cut from your pay, and whether it shows in the passbook. If your problem is a claim, note the claim number, the date you applied and the exact reason given if it was rejected.

Step 2 — read the rejection reason (if there is one). Some rejections point to something only you can fix, such as a detail in your account that does not match your documents or your bank account. Fix that and claim again. If the reason is wrong, or the same claim has been rejected more than once, go on to the grievance.

Step 3 — ask the employer in writing (optional, one week). If you are on good terms, a short email to HR listing the missing months often gets the deposit made. Keep it short and keep a copy. Do not let this drag on for months; the grievance does not need the employer's permission.

Step 4 — lodge the grievance on EPFiGMS. EPFiGMS is the EPFO's online grievance system, at epfigms.gov.in. You fill in your details as the portal asks and write out the grievance. A good grievance says:

• your name, UAN and PF member ID;
• the employer's name and address, and its establishment code if you have it;
• the months PF was cut but not credited, with the amounts, or the claim that is stuck, with its number and date;
• what you have already done, with dates;
• what you ask the EPFO to do: get the missing contributions deposited, settle the claim, or complete the transfer.

Attach the salary slips and the passbook pages, if the portal lets you. Write down the grievance number and keep the confirmation.

Step 5 — follow it up. Check the grievance status on the portal with your grievance number. When the EPFO replies, read what it says it has done, then check your passbook to confirm. If the reply closes the grievance without fixing the problem, lodge a fresh grievance that quotes the old number and says exactly what is still wrong.

Step 6 — if the employer has defaulted. When contributions are owed, Section 7A lets a Provident Fund Commissioner hold an inquiry, call for documents and witnesses, and pass an order fixing the amount the employer must pay. The employer must be heard before the order is made. The amount can then be recovered from the employer like arrears (Section 8). On top of the arrears, the employer is liable for simple interest of 12% a year or a higher rate set by the scheme (Section 7Q), and the EPFO can levy damages of up to the amount of the arrears (Section 14B).

What happens after you lodge it

The EPFO looks into the grievance and replies on the portal. If the problem needs the employer to act, the EPFO takes it up with the employer. If there is a real dispute about how much is owed, or whether the Act applies to the establishment at all, the matter goes to a Section 7A inquiry. Either side unhappy with a Section 7A order can appeal to the EPF Appellate Tribunal (Section 7I).

Not depositing contributions is also an offence. Under Section 14, an employer who defaults on the employee's share it deducted from wages faces imprisonment of at least one year and up to three years, and a fine. Deciding to prosecute is the EPFO's job, not yours.

Timeline and costs

When	What	Who pays
Day 1	Download the passbook, list the missing months	—
Week 1	Optional email to the employer	—
Week 1–2	Grievance lodged on EPFiGMS	Lodging a grievance is free. If you want it written for you: ₹999 with eMunshi, all-inclusive — drafted from your answers, PDF, an EPFiGMS filing guide and two revisions
After that	EPFO acts, or a Section 7A inquiry	—
If you also lost your job	Labour matters	The advocate's fee, which they quote first

Documents to keep handy

• Your UAN, PF member ID and the login for the EPFO member portal.
• Salary slips showing the PF cut, for every month you are complaining about.
• The passbook, downloaded or as screenshots.
• Your appointment letter, ID card or any paper that shows you worked there.
• Claim numbers, rejection messages and any emails with HR.
• The grievance number and every reply from the EPFO.

Mistakes that sink people

• Complaining without the months. "My PF is not deposited" is hard to act on. "PF cut from April to September 2026, not in the passbook" is easy to act on.
• Claiming again and again without reading the rejection reason.
• Waiting for the employer for a year before lodging anything.
• Losing the salary slips. They are your proof that the money was cut.
• Closing the grievance in your mind when the portal says "resolved". Check the passbook.

When this needs more than a grievance

If you were also dismissed, your salary is unpaid, or your gratuity has not been paid, those are separate claims with their own forums and deadlines. An independent advocate from our panel can look at the whole picture; a 30-minute call starts at ₹999. See wrongful termination and gratuity claims.