Employees’ Provident Fund: Do’s and Don’ts
EPF is one of the most powerful retirement tools available to salaried Indians — but only if managed correctly across a career. This guide is a practical do’s-and-don’ts checklist: activate and verify your UAN and KYC (Aadhaar/PAN/bank), keep nominations updated after life events, consolidate old accounts via Form 13 when changing jobs, and periodically check your passbook against your payslip. On the don’t side: avoid withdrawing on every job change (it breaks compounding on an 8.25% tax-free instrument), don’t let accounts go dormant beyond 36 months (interest becomes taxable), fix document mismatches before they become urgent, and never assume employer contributions are being deposited without checking.